Glock .380 Ammo - TOP 5 .380 ROUNDS FOR SELF DEFENSE I wouldn't carry a .380 on my butt if there was room for a trigger.
That's what Clint Smith, the infamous Pater Familias of Thunder Ranch, told me probably within the first hour of meeting the man. Clint is one of the most respected instructors in the firearms community, so it's not surprising that his opinion of the .380 is not unusual, one shared, most likely, by the vast majority of his peers. However, an equally popular opinion is that "some weapon is better than none." The humble .380 was long considered a backup pistol; always at the top when we search the "better than nothing" bin. But for the same reason that the 9mm has made a strong comeback, the .380 has also seen a surge in popularity due to advances in platform and performance.
Glock .380 Ammo
Why would someone carry a .380 when they can carry a 9mm instead? Many of us question the appropriateness of the .380; after all, the 9mm promises superior ballistic performance in a comparable package. But why are there so many .380s on the market? And why is the number of models increasing and not decreasing? It's simple: .380s can be much smaller and lighter than their big nine-by-nineteen brothers, and they can also be much less expensive. Comparing two popular small variations, the 9mm Ruger LC9 is Ruger's microcompact 9 and weighs 17.2 ounces with a 7+1 bullet capacity. Ruger's LCP – Their smallest .380 6+1 capacity? Only 9.4 oz. The LCP is almost 10% thinner than the LC9 and almost an inch shorter in length and height. It's also easy to get one for $190 or less, almost half the price of the $350 Ruger LC9. Comparing apples to apples as well as two of the smaller self-defense items from the same manufacturer, the numbers reveal that the .380 can work well in cheaper, more concealable packages.
Glock 42 Review
Historically speaking, the popularity of the .380 can probably be attributed to just one pistol: the Kel Tec P3AT. Although .380 series pistols have been around for a century, many of them can be written off as unreliable boutique or niche pistols. Many older .380s are spatially inefficient: Walther PPK, Bersa Thunder .380, SIG P230, and P232, as examples. They are all excellent firearms, but woefully inefficient when considered as a ratio of weight and size to capacity and power. The Kel Tec P3AT breathed new life into this listless format by offering a true pocket pistol that was inexpensive and reasonably reliable. It sold countless copies. The mainstream quickly took hold, with the Ruger LCP providing another similar option from a trusted manufacturer, followed by more and more pocket guns from Kahr, Smith & Wesson, and the slightly larger than pocket size but extremely triggering model. 42 Glock. The gain in platforms designed for the .380 and the rise of technology enhancing the terminal's performance of what many consider to be a mouse created this energy cycle that kept the category growing.
Through this co-evolution of the cartridge and the platform that uses it, somehow the .380 became less of a last-minute deterrent and more of a lethal cartridge. To say that a weapon/cartridge combination is "effective" is to say that it meets the FBI standard of 12 to 18 inches of ballistic gel penetration. Projectiles that can penetrate at least 12 inches and produce good expansion resulting in significant permanent and temporary wound cavities are generally considered adequate for self defense. There are surprisingly few .380 cameras that meet this standard.
Our partners at Ammo To Go have compiled data on the most effective .380 cartridges on the market. I think many of you will be surprised by these results. Here are the top 5 .380 cartridges for self defense and how I ranked that order:
Using the Ammo To Go gel test with a Ruger LCP shooting through 4-ply fabric, I only included rounds that penetrated more than 12 inches. None of the .380 cartridges penetrated more than 18 inches, so excessive penetration should not be considered.
Ruger Lcp Max .380 Acp
Penetration, expansion and energy are important components. According to the FBI and the July 14, 1989 report, "Factors and Effectiveness of Firearm Injuries," by Special Agent Yuri Patrick of Quantico's Firearms Training Division: "
So I came up with a quick way to get a weighted performance score that favors penetration first and expansion second. This method may have blind spots, but at first glance, it seems to be getting the right results so far. I've created estimates for penetration, expansion, and energy and we'll add them together to get the composite score.
1. Penetration Score: Multiply the penetration by 15, creating a maximum score of 270 (15 by 18”) for the penetration score.
2. Expansion Score – Looking at the second most important factor, expansion, multiplying the average expansion by 300 basically created a maximum score of 186 (the round with the most expansion in the test had 0.62" of expansion).
File:glock 22 Surrounded By .40 Hydra Shok Bullets.jpg
3. Energy rating: The least important factor. We just add a foot/pound power score which, at a .380, should be in the 100-100 range for most rounds.
Should SIG be higher on this list? Possibly. Good penetration 14.36" and second best expansion [for rounds that penetrated at least 12"] of almost a half inch at .48". It's actually strange that this round performed so well considering I was pushing an average 90 gram bullet at a velocity that was 887 fps slower than average, resulting in energy similar to that of grass from 157 ft/lbs. I have seen this before in other SIG cameras where other competing rounds in the class will drive bigger and faster bullets. Perhaps it translates to less felt backtracking? Is this a good compromise? And does the energy in a pocket gun really matter if the penetration and expansion numbers are already there?
#4 TIE Winchester Ranger Talon, 95-grain HP Score: 522 BUY/VIEW FULL RESULTS HERE: https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/50rds-380-auto-winchester-ranger-talon-95gr -hp-ammunition#gel-test Remington Golden Saber 102gr. HP Ammo Score: 525 BUY/SEE FULL RESULTS HERE: https://www.ammunitiontogo.com/product_info.php/pName/25rds-380-auto-remington-golden-saber-102gr-hp-ammo#gel- test
The Winchester Ranger Talon, 95-grain HP had great penetration: fourth highest of the 19 cartridges tested with 16.2" expansion. It also packs a lot of punch (well, for a .380), pushing a round of 95g a little bigger than usual at 907 fps a little faster than usual generating 174 ft/lbs of energy However, expansion was weak to non-existent in the .35 This excellent performance was held back by its inability to generate as large a wound cavity as the other rounds on this list.
Pack Universal Magazine Iwb Pouch Concealed Carry 9mm .40 .45 .380 .357, Mag Holster For S&w M&p Sig Sauer Ruger Glock, Fits Any 7 10 15 Round Clips All Pistols, Handgun Ammo Gun Ammunition Holsters
The Golden Saber may have been slightly superior to the Ranger Claw and the raw score difference of just 3 points proves it. Penetration was 16.1”, just one-tenth of an inch less than the Ranger Talon, and expansion was 2-hundreds of an inch more at 0.37”, not much either. The Golden Saber showed good energy values, moving a large-for-its-class 102gr round at 871fps, generating 172 ft/lbs of energy. The wound cavities in the gel also look quite impressive.
Winchester and Remington are generally tied for paper efficiency. However, looking at the markings in the gel, it could give the Remington the advantage for generating a larger wound cavity, although we will need more data to confirm that this happens consistently. We'll call it a draw for now.
Do you have the NEED? THE NEED FOR SPEED? The lightweight 80gr DPX shows the best velocity at a whopping 1091 fps (but of course you're pushing a tiny 80gr bullet). This results in 211 ft/lbs of energy, one of the highest numbers in the test. 12.76 inches of penetration is on the right side of acceptable, and all that velocity gave the DPX much better expansion, at a respectable 0.47 inches, the third-highest for cartridges penetrating over 12”. However, note that the extension seems inconsistent:
Advanced Corbon 80 Grain Jacketed Hollow-Point (JHP) 380 Auto (ACP) Ammunition. Note the inconsistent expansion of the 5 test rounds. This is a bit disturbing.
Glock 44 Review
The top penetrator in our test tore through 4 layers of fabric and 17.4" of gel, putting it right at the threshold of the FBI optimal efficiency level of 18" of penetration. The 102-gram cartridge is the same weight as the Remington Golden Saber #4, but the Ultimate Defense pumps out that payload at 896 fps, or 25 fps faster than the Sabres. 182 ft/lbs of energy is nothing to scoff at, but the paltry, non-existent .35" expansion is. Honestly, I'd feel better with the SIG ammo in the #5 over this non-expanding Ultimate Defense. But if what you want is pure penetration (hehehe) this is your joint.
Another top 5 list and another federal circuit on top. Even with some arbitrary mathematical formula attached to the list, you can't beat the Fed, which seems to make the best defensive round in the defensive pistol caliber lineup with the venerable HST.
There were no full circles on this list: they all missed somewhere. Login #5 was low on power, DPX
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