Do you trust .380 ACP?

[BillM]

I read recently that statistically the lowly .22 is the caliber that most often ends gunfights. Why? Because it's the most common caliber and most people stop fighting after you put the first hole in them. Makes sense. Naturally I'd prefer a Magnum or a .45 ACP but if that's not handy any hole puncher is better than none.

Had an acquaintance in Las Vegas, lo these many years ago, who got drunk, got PO'd at his little pickup truck, and dumped a mag into the hood of the truck. One of the higher end .25 autos, IIRC, but might have been a .380. Hired my mechanic friend and I to fix it. Only two rounds actually penetrated the thin sheet metal hood. One of those hit the carburetor and just barely cracked it. I learned a couple of things from that. Need a more powerful gun, though technically it could be considered a mission kill. Engine still ran, but was leaking fuel, would have eventually caught fire. And don't drink when you have serious shooting to do. And since you never know when that may be, maybe you shouldn't drink at all. Dude was a rectal orifice frequently when he was stone cold sober, so...

 

[TerryMiller]

I read recently that statistically the lowly .22 is the caliber that most often ends gunfights. Why? Because it's the most common caliber and most people stop fighting after you put the first hole in them. Makes sense. Naturally I'd prefer a Magnum or a .45 ACP but if that's not handy any hole puncher is better than none.

It may not be much of a factor in choosing a caliber, but way back when the wife and I took our CC classes, two older ladies asked the instructor what kind of pistol they should buy. While I didn't hear all that he told them, I did hear .22 caliber, semi-automatic, and practice. With regards to recoil, the .22 would certainly benefit them as long as they were accurate.

He was a pretty cool instructor, and he even had a couple of small semi-automatics to loan to those two ladies because they hadn't purchased anything yet.

 

[BillM]

It may not be much of a factor in choosing a caliber, but way back when the wife and I took our CC classes, two older ladies asked the instructor what kind of pistol they should buy. While I didn't hear all that he told them, I did hear .22 caliber, semi-automatic, and practice. With regards to recoil, the .22 would certainly benefit them as long as they were accurate.

He was a pretty cool instructor, and he even had a couple of small semi-automatics to loan to those two ladies because they hadn't purchased anything yet.

I had intended to use my 1911 to shoot my CCL course qualifications. Used the Ruger MK. II instead. Instructor looked at the target, said "Yep, he's dead.

 

[Dmc707]

yes - yes i trust 380 ACP as long as the gun chambering it goes bang every time

 

[mouthpiece]

My problem with .380 isn't ballistics, it's reliability.
I went through a .380 stage for a few years and had about 5 .380 handguns. NONE OF THEM WERE RELIABLE. This was PRE GLOCK .380 ERA.
I had about 6 different brands of ammo some hollow points and ball ammo.
None would reliably cycle. I'm talking 50 rounds without cycling fail.
Another thing is, with the size of the .380 ammo and gun, I'd rather carry the equal gun in 9mm.
In my experience .380 kicks more than 9mm in the same gun.
.380 just doesn't make any sense to me

 

[Dmc707]

My problem with .380 isn't ballistics, it's reliability.
I went through a .380 stage for a few years and had about 5 .380 handguns. NONE OF THEM WERE RELIABLE. This was PRE GLOCK .380 ERA.

Kind of sobering experience when i broke out my Sig 238 (baby 1911) at the range thinking -- "Well, lets see if we're still on with the pocket gun"
- and had to tap-rack every other round

pocket carried off and on in a little neoprene pocket sleeve for several years. Took it home and thoroughly cleaned and lubed it (it wasnt dirty though) and seems to have fixed it - but no, i sure wouldnt have to worry about a Glock or a J Frame .38 being used like that

Walther PPK is reliable but kicks like a little mule due to the straight blowback, fixed barrel operation

 

[Catt57]

I trust it more than a stick. My LCPII has never failed to go bang (and cycle) when I pulled the trigger.

 

[Jgibs0321]

I've been known to carry a .380 autoloader, but have in the past carried .38 revolver because i trusted the stopping power of the .38 +p more than the .380. but the .380 would be a lot easier to get follow up shots with, and ammo capacity isn't an issue. Granted, with training, you can get pretty quick with .38 revolver reloads. But i remember the lessons of Newhall and the 1986 miami shootout. in the Newhall Incident, four officers stopped 2 suspects. all 4 officers were killed in the ensuing gunbattle, one of them was killed while reloading his revolver. The suspect ran up to him, and put a bullet in his brain from behind. He didn't have a speedloader for his .38.

So i was hoping to pick ya'lls brain, lot of experience in these boards. maybe get a different perspective on the matter. they say the .380 is a marginal round, how do you feel about it? the FBI wrote it off as insufficient, and in winter idk how it would perform. these days, they have really good pocket 9 MM options such as the Sig p365. it's still not a pocket pistol, like the .380 or .38 can be.

Do you trust the .380 with your life?

I run with a 380 because it fits in a fanny pack. But as soon as I can buy a decent cheap 9mm for a dedicated running gun.. im getting one. I dont know how many officers have shot dogs with a 380, but I know enough who used a 9mm so I will go with that. Against people, I dont feel undergunned per say, but Id still want more gun if possible.

 

[TANSTAAFL]

Now there are many different style bullets and rounds I think it's difficult to say one caliber is superior to another unless you are comparing "ball" ammo with copper jackets and lead cores. Think it is:

1) Does the firearm function
2) Is the firearm accurate
2) Is it .32 Caliber or greater
3) What type of round are you using, Hollowpoint, Frangible, ball
4) Is it +P?

For the longest time carried a .380 ACP. Used Winchester Silvertips as carry ammo. Now there are 9's that are smaller and +P capable...

 

[tynyphil]

I have 45 , 9, 357, 380, 22LR....depends on the situation which I carry.....however with the smaller calibers its ALL ABOUT the AMMO...... for 380 I use Black Hill's Honey Badger ( in fact I use the Honey Badger as my self defense ammo in all my carry guns except the 22 ) for 22LR check out the ballistic gel reviews on CCI's Upper Cut . Impressive mushroom for a 22 load. Difficult to find but I found some online recently