Does anyone carry with FMJ bullets?

[spd67]

JHP all the way...no matter what you carry. I get so tired of hearing people say "well for a small gun like .380 you should carry FMJ." Untrue, bullet makers have been doing this for a long long time and they make quality ammo nowadays. The problem you have with FMJ ammo is that you have a small hole through and through the body and you have to rely on a heart, liver, or CNS shot so with FMJ shot placement is absolutely key, but insanely hard to do under stress or in an actual shoot situation. With JHP self defense ammo shot placement is not as important due to tissue damage, expansion, fragmentation, and wound cavity creation. There are plenty of JHP .380 ammo that will give you enough penetration for lethality, here are just a few

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/380acp.htm

I was able to see an OHP trooper that bought into the myth about FMJ ammo shoot a suspect 8 times with FMJ and it just went straight through him causing 8 nice and neat little holes where the bad guy was never incapacitated and the FMJ rounds were all over the place endangering the rest of the public due to over penetration. the Bad guy went to the hospital and was out before the Trooper finished his reports. Those same 8 shots with JHP ammo and we would have a dead bad guy. when you go target practice use FMJ it is cheap when you absolutely have to kill someone use JHP and accept no substitutes because your life depends on it even in .380.

And here are some more tests that have been done with .380 ammo of different brands

Many .380 and other caliber tests.
http://usrange.org/smf/index.php?board=39.0

OG & Friend's Ballistic Test Results
http://www.ktrange.com/articles/a10/a10.html

2d Gen P-3AT Analysis Part 2 (includes wet pack test)
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4534&view=next&sid=4935fca fa65b7bfa384953776a49d0df

The Last Crusade - .380 Wet Pack Test
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=4791&view=next

mouseguns.com - Ammunition and Ballistics
http://www.mouseguns.com/amball.htm
Scroll down to the .380 section.

The Box O' Truth #26 - Little Guns vs. The Box O' Truth
http://www.theboxotruth.com/docs/bot26.htm

Ballistic gelatin testing results : .32NAA 90 grain Sierra JHC
http://www.thehighroad.org./showthread.php?t=199435&goto=nextnewest

DPX/Gold Dot Raccoon test.
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1148245402;start=

Head-to-head test: DPX vs. Ranger-T
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1149377730;start=

MONSTER WET NEWS MULTI-GUN-TEST
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1148670025;start=

P3AT CHEAP JHP WETPACK TEST
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1166124717;start=

Smilies and Wet Newspaper Test
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1116435642;start=

Wet Newspaper Test: Corbon DPX .380 HP
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1147392682;start=

Wet Newspaper Test: Santa Barbara 87g.
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1123002383;start=

Wetpack Test: DPX, GD, GS, Ranger-T, etc.
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1158344941;start=

WINTER/SUMMER WETPACK TEST DONE
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1158537757;start=

Fly&Og Revisit DPX with GS, GD, and more!!
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5320&postdays=0&postorder= asc&start=0

More Smiley Tests with a 1G P3AT
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5725&start=0&postdays=0&am p;postorder=asc&highlight=

Smileys Revisited
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5416&postdays=0&postorder= asc&start=0

THE FLY AND OG .380 DPX WETPACK TEST WITH 4 PISTOLS!!
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=5183&start=0&postdays=0&am p;postorder=asc&highlight=

Cor-Bon .380 DPX "Wet Pack" test with LWS380
http://www.seecamp.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1148012398/0

.380 ammo testing--DPX / GOLDEN SABRE / GOLD DOT
http://www.seecamp.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1166065107

Cartridge Performance: .380 ACP
http://www.geocities.com/bersa_thunder/cartridges.html?20054

Selecting a .380 Cartridge
http://www.geocities.com/bersa_thunder/cartridges2.html?20054

Bersa Thunder .380 with Cor-Bon 80-gr. DPX Ammunition
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Bersa Thunder.htm

Brassfetcher .380 ACP Tests
http://www.brassfetcher.com/380ACP.html

Cor-Bon .380 70 gr PowRBall
http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10020

Cor-Bon .380 80 gr DPX
http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=10021

.380 ACP at StevesPages
http://stevespages.com/page8f380acp.html

Preliminary .380 wet pack report for your amusement
http://www.ktrange.com/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=232

Gel test today!
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1167146283;start=

.380 Ammunition & Barrel Lengths at recguns.com
http://www.recguns.com/Sources/IVG10.html

UMC JHP/ AE FMJ ACCURACY SHOOT OFF
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1169330024;start=0

.380ACP Federal Hydrashok in gelatin
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=175606

Corbon DPX .380 into newsprint
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1174574610

Cor-Bon DPX .380 in Ham
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1176045806
See reply #4

Ballistics data - 7 hollow point velocities
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1178377727

9mm Versus .380 ACP For Self-Defense
http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast9mmv380a.htm

Test Results: The effect of moisture on .380 ammo
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1179005761;start=0#

Dan334’s .380 ACP and 9 mm Para DPX water jug test
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1184294414
See reply #9

.380 ACP Hornady 90gr XTP JHP (Beretta 85)
http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/380acp/hor380-90xtp-b85.htm

.380 ACP Winchester 95gr Supreme SXT JHP (Beretta 85)
http://www.firearmstactical.com/test_data/380acp/win380-95ssxt-b85.htm

Double-Tap .380acp GDHP wetpack test
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1185827504

Sweet! Double Tap .380!
http://handgunsandammo.proboards36.com/index.cgi?board=calibers&action=displ ay&thread=1184702603

.380 Gelatin Tests by John Farnam and Cor-Bon’s Mike Shovel
http://defense-training.com/quips/2006/10Apr06.html

Wetpack test: Fiocchi XTP JHP, etc. (DT_Willy)
http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1188170764

Gello tests we did here
http://www.stoppingpower.net/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14504

Why DoubleTap looks good
http://usrange.org/smf/index.php?topic=1755.0

 

[Commander Keen]

I'm not entirely sure why a person wouldn't carry a quality JHP... Yes, they're much more expensive, but they do the job better. FMJ's just don't deliver enough energy to target due to the overpenetration.
This, of course leads to it taking more shots to end the threat, which means more time one is in danger. And all the extra holes in the BG mean he's much more likely to die...

 

[Jeff Freeman]

I wouldn't carry any sub-caliber (9mm or smaller) in FMJ if my life depended on it (Oh wait it does.) The .45 is big enough that hardball is really effective, after all the 230 FMJ is what made the 1911 what it is. Massad Ayoob in my opinion is the best advocate for self-defense, and he has served on many trials as an expert witness, and he says that carrying the same ammunition as the police department of your city is a good idea. If they label you "bloodthirsty" then your defense can ask them if they believe that the city of ________ is then as a result bloodthirsty.

 

[TheRulingFool]

JHPs for me.

My flavor? .45 ACP +P 230gr Hornady TAP FPD.

 

[bilboben]

Use fmj high velocity in the 32 and hydroshox +p in 380 everything else is jhp and jhp +p for 45, 9mm, .357 sig, .357mag, 38 spec, and 40

 

[upnover]

i always carry jhp's. i

 

[poopgiggle]

JHP all the way...no matter what you carry. I get so tired of hearing people say "well for a small gun like .380 you should carry FMJ." Untrue, bullet makers have been doing this for a long long time and they make quality ammo nowadays. The problem you have with FMJ ammo is that you have a small hole through and through the body and you have to rely on a heart, liver, or CNS shot so with FMJ shot placement is absolutely key, but insanely hard to do under stress or in an actual shoot situation. With JHP self defense ammo shot placement is not as important due to tissue damage, expansion, fragmentation, and wound cavity creation. There are plenty of JHP .380 ammo that will give you enough penetration for lethality, here are just a few

http://www.firearmstactical.com/ammo_data/380acp.htm

I was able to see an OHP trooper that bought into the myth about FMJ ammo shoot a suspect 8 times with FMJ and it just went straight through him causing 8 nice and neat little holes where the bad guy was never incapacitated and the FMJ rounds were all over the place endangering the rest of the public due to over penetration. the Bad guy went to the hospital and was out before the Trooper finished his reports. Those same 8 shots with JHP ammo and we would have a dead bad guy. when you go target practice use FMJ it is cheap when you absolutely have to kill someone use JHP and accept no substitutes because your life depends on it even in .380.

And here are some more tests that have been done with .380 ammo of different brands ...

Posting tests of terminal performance of various loads? Not buying into "what ma buddy's cousin's friend uses, and he's a COP"?

I'm tearing up with joy.

 

[6shooter]

Right now 9mm Black Tallon but going to something different
Any suggestions

 

[poopgiggle]

Right now 9mm Black Tallon but going to something different
Any suggestions

Everyone with data seems to love Speer Gold Dots. Winchester Silvertip and Federal HSTs do well on gel too. Just stay away from HydraShoks since they're sort of an outmoded design.

 

[tRidiot]

I'm afraid I'm going to have to carry FMJ, since my gun is notorious for having problems with JHP.

Wish I'd found that out before buying.