Best self defense ammo for a .380

[Guest eyebedam]

I know a ton of you have Kel tec .380s. Im wondering what type of self Defense ammo are you using? Im looking for something really good for my LCP.

[strickj]

If its not a .45acp its not worth carrying....

Or I know,if its not a wheel gun...

Seriously,right now Im using fmj in my 32 auto,but I couldnt tell you what brand being I dont carry it much and Im to lazy to look in my safe.Unfortunately theres not allot of options in fmj self defense ammo for these pea shooters.

Edit:I know that .32acp is not a .380acp but theres not much difference,thus my comment,and im thinking I have Seller&Bellet in it which is not really the best out there,but like I said theres not allot of options for these itty bitty pitty pea shooters

Edited April 21, 2008 by strickj

[Guest rufusgooch]

my bug is a bersa 380 concealed compact. (primary is a beretta 9000/40) I carry corbon 90s. They feed nice. Acurate at 30 yards. And mushroom well.

[Guest bulletproof]

Hornady .380 90gr JHP/XTP

[Guest gsbell]

.380 Doesn't penetrate worth a damn. To offset that tendancy I carry fmj when I carry that caliber. Quality hollow points in every other caliber.

JMO

[memphismason]

I don't know about the best, but I use Remington Gold Sabers 102 gr.

[Guest nraforlife]

I don't know about the best, but I use Remington Gold Sabers 102 gr.

When I had a 380 I used the same

[molonlabetn]

I just carry the FMJ ammo which I use at the range and know will function in my gun, and because penetration is important... If I was going to carry a JHP, I would go for the heaviest bullet I could find, which would likely be the 102gr Remington noted above. Penetration is key when power is limited (and even when it's not).

[enfield]

.380 Doesn't penetrate worth a damn. To offset that tendancy I carry fmj when I carry that caliber. Quality hollow points in every other caliber.

JMO

Ditto!

Also, I carry Remington Express FMJ, not range ammo. I've had range ammo come apart in my pocket - bullet, case, pile of powder.

Edited April 21, 2008 by enfield

[Guest Mech48]

+1 on the Remington Gold Sabers.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

I'm a broken record...

For .380ACP, stick with FMJ for practice and defense.

With the POSSIBLE exception of the Hornady XTP, there is not a .380 JHP made that expands AND penetrates deep enough to be recommended for effective self defense.

FWIW, my general rule of thumb:

For calibers that can reliably expand AND penetrate approx 12" of calibrated gel...JHP.

For calibers that can reliably expand OR penetrate approx 12" of calibrated gel...FMJ.

We WANT expansion...we NEED penetration.

[MrNobody]

Remington Gold Sabers here, does anyone use that exetreme tech ammo? The fang face technology? That company makes some pretty big claims, does anyone know if they are full of it or not.

Edited April 22, 2008 by OlufsenAudio

[Guest Law of Thirds]

I've seen some tests that seem to indicate that they're only getting ~8" of penetration and just leave a nasty shallow crater, much like glaser rounds, only with slightly better penetration because of the tungsten used retaining more inertia.

Barnum said it best. I'm sure there's some Tacticool mall ninja somewhere that stockpiles the stuff.

I think Todd just summed it up best. First figure out what rounds are reliable. Then out of those, pick the ones that show ballistics gel penetration to 12" or more. Then pick the one out of those that opens up the biggest.

From a legal standpoint, I'm pretty sure all the prosecutor would have to do is plop a package of that down in front of the jury for a conviction.

[Guest gsbell]

I love the mall ninjas they have in their ads.

[R1100R]

Hornaday XTP/I also have a few old box's of Winchester SilverTips. My Goverment

.380 like them.

[MrNobody]

Does anyone have a link to the original mall ninja post? That would make my day.

[Guest Law of Thirds]

Here ya go:

http://lonelymachines.org/mall-ninjas/

It's good for a laugh. And an irrational desire to pistol whip the guy with his own weapon.

[Guest Todd@CIS]

That was awesome!

BTW, I never ran a company called "Special Weapons."

[Tacblack]

Win 95grn SXT's is what I carry and have ran hand full of boxes through my PPK/s

[BimmerFreak]

Best .380 ammo for self defense?

.45ACP

[jughead]

a friend of mine was told a while ago it would only make him mad. i liked his answer i will make you mad 7 times and walked off. a 22 in hand is better than the 45 left at home

[John Wall]

I will second the FMJ suggestion.

The best way one can get killed in a gunfight is to use ammo that exhibits insufficient penetration. No one has EVER lost a gunfight using ammo that gives too much penetration.

If you MUST carry your 380, use premium hardball.