380 Pocket Pistol ammo recommendations?

[Will Carry]

Now that 380 ammo is becoming more plentiful I actually have a choice of self defense ammo. Glazer Powerball, PMC Starfire, Federal PP low recoil, Winchester Supreme Elite or should I just use FMJs?

[Guest rbl]

hornady critical defense

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 380 Auto :: 380 Auto 90 gr Critical Defense®

[Erik88]

I'd go with FMJ on the .380, it has been killing people for years.

[Jonnin]

buffalo bore, ball ammo and JHP alternated, just get 1 box of each.

[JAB]

When I first started carrying - with the P3AT - I basically settled on Hydrashoks because that was the only 'premium' SD ammo I could find. Every time a new, improved type of .380 ammo comes out, I look at the test results, etc. and come to the conclusion that none of them are really better than those good, old Hydrashoks. HS don't seem to give as much expansion as some of the others but, in the tests (largely individual, not ammo company) that I have seen, they do give consistent expansion and good, reliable penetration. Because of that and the fact that I have already invested the $$$ to shoot enough HS through my pistol to know that they will cycle reliably, I just stick with Hydrashoks.

[Patton]

Remember if it's +P ammo to make sure your gun is amde for it.

[Karnage]

hornady critical defense

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 380 Auto :: 380 Auto 90 gr Critical Defense®

This is GREAT ammunition for a 380.

[JC57]

Buffalo Bore "+P" if your gun can shoot it safely: .380 Auto +P Bullets for Pistols and Handguns , pick from various bullets. This is what I carry, 95gr JHP and 100gr HCFN lead.

Corbon DPX 380 Auto 80gr DPX | COR®BON/Glaser Self Defense | Dakota Ammo, pricey but supposedly the most consistent expander. Shop around for the best prices.

Winchester Ranger T: 50rd - 380 Auto / ACP Winchester Ranger T-series Holow Point RA380T | SGAmmo.com, the price is for a box of 50 from this site.

Edited June 8, 2011 by JC57

[JimmyMac483]

hornady critical defense

Hornady Manufacturing Company :: Ammunition :: Handgun :: Choose by Caliber :: 380 Auto :: 380 Auto 90 gr Critical Defense®

Agree, this is what I carry in my Bersa 380cc. Academy Sports has them for $17.99 but they are never in stock. Bass Pro Shops keeps a good supply for $19.99 I believe. The cheapest that I found them at smaller gun shops is $29.99.

Edited June 9, 2011 by JimmyMac483

[hipower]

I Have used the hydrashocks in my LCP and they seem fine. For fmj, I use Prvy Partisan. It's a good load and seems to be loaded a little hotter than domestic 380.

[chemprof]

This is GREAT ammunition for a 380.

Works great in the LCP.

[Guest Techtoy_al]

Cor-Bon Self-Defense Ammunition 90 Grain Jacketed Hollow Point

[BigK]

hornady critical defense[/url]

+1

I drank the Critical Defense Kool Aid, I guess, b/c I'm a big fan.

I think Hornady is a leader in SD ammo industry. I don't leave home without it.

[daddyo]

I Have used the hydrashocks in my LCP and they seem fine. For fmj, I use Prvy Partisan. It's a good load and seems to be loaded a little hotter than domestic 380.

So, you've tested it for yourself, then?

[enfield]

FMJ

.380 ammo may be becoming more availabie, but most of it is still over-priced, over-hyped target ammo.

JMHO

[hipower]

So, you've tested it for yourself, then?

Serious or scarcastic? I just gave my opinion. As far as the Partisan, shooting it side by side with PMC, Blazer, and Magtech...the Partisan seemed to me to have more felt recoil and produced a louder bang than the others.

Scientific testing? No. My real world use, yes.

As far as the Hydashocks; I had Federal 90Gr JHP and several boxes of Blazer 88 gr JHP and fired them into Nashville phone books, 2 by the way, taped together from a distance of about 10 feet. Neither round went thru even the first book. Both stoped may 2/3 thru. Didn't see an real differences in penetration between them.

Again, scientific...no. But that's what I saw from these rounds. And at the cost of 380 ammo when this was done, I didn't go any further. I keep a LCP loaded with Hydashocks when I carry it, and my old Keltec is in my wife's purse with alternating fmj and jhp.

No, not a great defensive load, but that's all she feels comfortable shoot with hand/wrist issues. For me G19, Lcp bug, and XD9 Tactical in the bedroom til I get to something more potent.

[daddyo]

Serious or scarcastic? I just gave my opinion. As far as the Partisan, shooting it side by side with PMC, Blazer, and Magtech...the Partisan seemed to me to have more felt recoil and produced a louder bang than the others.

Scientific testing? No. My real world use, yes.

As far as the Hydashocks; I had Federal 90Gr JHP and several boxes of Blazer 88 gr JHP and fired them into Nashville phone books, 2 by the way, taped together from a distance of about 10 feet. Neither round went thru even the first book. Both stoped may 2/3 thru. Didn't see an real differences in penetration between them.

Again, scientific...no. But that's what I saw from these rounds. And at the cost of 380 ammo when this was done, I didn't go any further. I keep a LCP loaded with Hydashocks when I carry it, and my old Keltec is in my wife's purse with alternating fmj and jhp.

No, not a great defensive load, but that's all she feels comfortable shoot with hand/wrist issues. For me G19, Lcp bug, and XD9 Tactical in the bedroom til I get to something more potent.

It was a serious question. Thanks.

[gregintenn]

I shoot FMJ ammo in my 380s. It always feeds, always ejects, always goes bang, and always puts a hole where it's pointed. I am personally leery of expanding ammo for self defense in a weak handgun cartridge. I have more confidence in penetration than in expanding bullets. Especially in winter, heavy clothing can take a lot of oomph out of a bullet's energy. Plus, it's a lot cheaper. If I decide I need to make a bigger hole in something, I have bigger guns.

[Patton]

I always chuckle when people say 22/32/380 Hollow Points wont expand. If it doesnt then wont it be comprable to FMJ.

[Erik88]

I always chuckle when people say 22/32/380 Hollow Points wont expand. If it doesnt then wont it be comprable to FMJ.

I guess, but then you just spent 2x as much on something that didn't work.

[BigK]

I guess, but then you just spent 2x as much on something that didn't work.

Unexpanded hollow points make holes...expensive holes...but holes just the same and holes are holes and they freakin' hurt.

I'm no expert on bullet-ology, but the concept behind Corbon Pow'RBall and Hornady Critical Defense makes sense to me. Unless I'm off the mark, which is very possible, they should be good for year-round carry, right? It seems like they wouldn't over-penetrate or regularly fail to expand. Someone please correct/inform me, if I've misunderstood.

[enfield]

I always chuckle when people say 22/32/380 Hollow Points wont expand. If it doesnt then wont it be comprable to FMJ.

If you'll look it up, .380 HP's that don't expand also don't penetrate as well as FMJ.

[JC57]

I think the theory behind Buffalo Bore's hard-cast flat-nosed lead is that they they won't expand, they will penetrate well, and that the flat point will do more damage than a smooth round nosed bullet. Kind of like a wadcutter punches a nice round hole in a target, but a round-nosed pokes a hole through that you can flatten back out. They even recommend that if you choose to use their hollow-point ammo, that you load one in the pipe for first shot expansion and follow it up with the flat-nosed lead for penetration on subsequent shots.

At least that's what they say on their web site. I don't have any way to test all of the claims so I depend on the more science-minded shooters on web sites like this to do the testing and help out the rest of us.

When I carry a 380 I am knowingly sacrificing performance for concealment and convenience. It's a tradeoff I have decided to make, so I'll live or die with the consequences. I do try to pick good rounds, and based on the felt recoil alone, I know the Buffalo Bore is some pretty stout ammo.

[gregintenn]

I guess, but then you just spent 2x as much on something that didn't work.

...and may or may not feed.

[JAB]

When I first started carrying - with the P3AT - I basically settled on Hydrashoks because that was the only 'premium' SD ammo I could find. Every time a new, improved type of .380 ammo comes out, I look at the test results, etc. and come to the conclusion that none of them are really better than those good, old Hydrashoks. HS don't seem to give as much expansion as some of the others but, in the tests (largely individual, not ammo company) that I have seen, they do give consistent expansion and good, reliable penetration. Because of that and the fact that I have already invested the $$$ to shoot enough HS through my pistol to know that they will cycle reliably, I just stick with Hydrashoks.

Well, crap. After saying that, I went to restock on my Hydrashoks this weekend. The ammo in my P3AT has been in there for about a year or so and I don't have enough HS on hand to replace it. The problem is that I haven't seen any for months and, after calling around, I came to the determination that no one in the immediate area seems to have any in stock. I'm not going to purchase enough ammo at once to make online ordering worth my while so I decided I'd try a different type of ammo - one I can get locally.

I've been using Winchester's PDX1 as my carry ammo in 9mm for my P95 (124 grain +P) and in .38 (130 grain +P) for my 642. When testing it out for accuracy and functionality, I have found it to be accurate and low on 'muzzle flash'. I don't doubt its capability for penetration from those two calibers (based on its penetration of well-seasoned boards) but haven't had a chance to test expansion.

Anyhow, Bass Pro had some of the PDX1 in .380 in stock at $17.xx per twenty round box. I bought three boxes so I can at least test for functionality before I start carrying it. If I get the chance, when testing for funtionality I will do some (very) informal penetration/expansion testing with water jugs. I'll let you folks know how it goes.

Due to the cost, except when testing for functionality, I usually only buy one or two boxes of SD ammo at a time. If PDX1 does well in .380, I am hoping it will be more available locally than the Hydrashoks. I guess the 'up' side to all this is that - while some of my other handguns do get carried occasionally, for various reasons - if the PDX1 does well then I can carry the same brand/type of ammo in the three handguns that most often play the role of 'primary carry'.

Edited June 13, 2011 by JAB