practical .380 use?

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Well Im no ballistics expert, but I can tell you guys this from first hand experience. My best friend was shot with a .380 from about 3-4 ft away. We were in my garage at the time. The bullet was jhp and it went all the way through him a can of tomato soup and stuck in the wall on the opposite side of the garage. We were 14 at the time and he was a bigger kid probably about 180 lbs. It didn't put him down at all. The shock did though. He was thoroughly messed up inside from the shot. Missed his spine by an inch they said.

So obviously penetration is adequate, but you will most likely need follow up shots. I carry a p32 as my back up and feel very confident it can back somebody off of me. I much rather have something bigger - but I will probably go for the pelvis and head with the smaller calibers.
Just don't expect any handgun to "Knock Them Down". As you found out, the shock took him down. That's not to say that larger calibers and more velocity aren't more effective. Of course they are. With the higher velocities, you can ensure better use of Hollow Point ammunition to create larger holes and not over penetrate. With larger calibers, you definitely get the other person's attention better when they are hit. But a lot depends on the person shooting. Are you an accurate shooter? Also, I would never, ever, even think of just firing one shot.... and see what happens next. It will be, without a shadow of a doubt, be at least 3 rounds that come out of ANY gun I point at a person and pull the trigger on. That's what I practice, and that's what will happen. Whether it's a 32, 380, 9mm, 357 mag, or 45acp. They are getting 3 shots to center of mass. I'm not going to risk missing by aiming at their head. When 70% of police officers MISS when they shoot, there's a good chance that I could miss. I will do everything that I can, to ensure I hit my target. If I even think I can't hit my target, then I most likely wouldn't have aimed it and pulled the trigger. I don't even imagine drawing a weapon or firing a shot, HOPING to scare someone away.
 
no. it's not. just walmart is out.

try www.classicarms.us right now. they have all the brass cased .380 you could want. so do jgsales and aimsurplus, iirc.
True. I took deliery today of 1000 rounds of MagTech 380 FMJ. Paid 13.99/box plus $27 shipping. Not a bad total price considering it was tax free!

Check out SGUSA. Last I check they still had lots of .380 on sale.
 
When I was shopping for a CCW pistol, I visited three or four area gun stores several times and asked the clerks "So, what do you carry?"

The macho young guys working in gun stores usually pulled up their shirt to reveal some 'hog leg' that they claimed could stop the baddest bad guy with one shot.

The older (wiser) guys working in gun stores always reached into their back pocket and pulled out a Ruger LCP in 380. "This is easy/comfortable to carry" was the explanation.

I also polled several cops I know. Kel-Tec and LCP were prominently mentioned in what they prefer to carry when off duty.
 
^ ahh you've discovered the secret of the gun world ;) I bet those demographics would play out about the same here also. Don't forget situational awareness too.
 
The macho young guys working in gun stores usually pulled up their shirt to reveal some 'hog leg' that they claimed could stop the baddest bad guy with one shot.

The older (wiser) guys working in gun stores always reached into their back pocket and pulled out a Ruger LCP in 380. "This is easy/comfortable to carry" was the explanation.
I don't know what gun stores you've been visiting, but in the gun stores around here, all the sales associates carry full-sized or medium sized pistols.
And they don't carry them concealed under their shirt either....they open carry them for easy and quick access.
I have never seen, nor even heard of, any gun store worker relying upon a .380 in the back pocket as their primary or only handgun.
The same is true of most pawn shop workers around here too.
 
Lets face it. Every day we wake up life is a game of odds. Will we get blinsided by a car? Will your house catch fire? Will you have a heart attack or a stroke? Will you face someone that will try to harm you? We try to minimize these risks by wearing seatbelts, have a fire extinguisher, excersize and eat right, and carry some type of protection whether a knife, pepper spray or a gun. All we are doing is to try to increase the odds in our favor. And even then, there is still no guarantee of a favorable outcome.

Lets talk about someone trying to do you serious bodily harm. Lets face it, odds are if you are not looking for trouble and hanging out with the wrong crowd, most people go right through life with out any trouble. The odds are in our favor to begin with. You carry a gun regardless of caliber, odds are if you have to pull it out the other person will probably stop without a single shot fired. Its only after we might have to fire that gun will caliber probably have a say so.

And I say probably not definitely because the variables are just that, variable. Is caliber important? To a point but much more important is practicing with your CCW. Can you fire accurately? Clear any malfunction if one should arise? Know when you should run instead of fighting? Be aware of your surroundings so you don't get yourself in a bad situation? These things I think are much more important than the caliber of one's gun. If someone wishes to carry a 380 over a 9 or 45, I will not fault them. Are their odds of stopping someone if they have to shoot any less than someone with a larger caliber? Maybe maybe not. But they have increased their odds buy at least having their gun. Remember this, stopping power does not mean always mean having to shoot someone. You pull out your gun and the BG stops, you have effectivelly stopped the threat. I think we focus to much on caliber when we should be focusing on other things as well.
 
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