Author Topic: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?  (Read 787 times)

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Offline Glock32

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Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« on: August 31, 2013, 06:09:26 PM »
This video was posted on one of the YouTube channels I regularly watch, and it poses an interesting question: is the .380 powerful enough to produce effective performance from a hollow point bullet, or would you be better off sticking to full metal jacket bullets with this cartridge?

Testing the .380 for Self Defense


I know several here carry a .380, myself included. I have typically loaded it with either the Gold Dot or Hornady's Critical Defense, but admit to long having this question in the back of my mind. I tend to agree, overall, with the conclusion in the video.
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Offline trapeze

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Re: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« Reply #1 on: September 01, 2013, 12:23:11 AM »
Sounds like some more R&D in .380 bullet design is in order.

Good to know, though. I can now use my small inventory of .380 JHPs for practice and keep the much larger inventory of FMJs for defense.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« Reply #2 on: September 02, 2013, 03:17:59 PM »
I guess the obvious question is the penetration standard for HPs reasonable?  Since the gel represents muscle and not the hodgepodge of muscle, fat, bone and clothing comprising a human target real expansion is open to debate on all lighter loads, right?  The problem with earlier HP rounds for .380 was lack of expansion, obviously the newer rounds like Hornady CD & Speer GoldDot solved the expansion issue, so really how much penetration is reasonable for HPs?  The results did not surprise me, FMJ ammo should penetrate deeper.  Using .380 for defense purposes I always had the mindset that 2-3 rounds should score hits before I expect an assailant to be disabled, and I would retain that expectation with FMJ or HPs.   I tend to carry a .380 in the summer months as the lighter clothing people typically wear makes less fabric to punch through.  I think 2-3 hits with .380 HPs will do the job, but it may make sense to burn through the HPs like Trap suggests, and since FMJ is cheaper than HPs there is some cost savings in future purchases.
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Offline Glock32

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Re: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« Reply #3 on: September 02, 2013, 11:45:05 PM »
I've had the same thought about the fact that a .380 is more likely to be carried when you're dressed lightly and want something small that is easier to conceal. That means any potential perp is probably also dressed lighter due to warmer weather, so it might not be such a big demerit for the .380 that it's not hitting the 12" benchmark.

There's a lot of confusion about the gelatin tests too. Some people look at that 12 inch benchmark and say that's ridiculous because the vitals are only a few inches deep, that 12 inches would actually be overpenetration, etc. This stems from confusion over the purpose of the test medium. The gelatin is just a proxy for muscle tissue, a proxy that is standardized so that different tests can yield results that are directly comparable to one another in an apples-to-apples way. The penetration in gelatin would correspond to a highly variable amount of penetration in an actual body, so the FBI said "sufficient" penetration in real life corresponds to 12" of penetration under lab conditions. Doesn't mean it would equate to 12" in a perp's torso, it might actually be 6" or 8" or 10". I've yet to see a gel test video posted where this doesn't turn into an enormous argument in the comments section, LOL.

On the plus side, of the .380 hollow points the Hornady Critical Defense comes tantalizingly close to that 12" benchmark (11.25" in the video below), certainly closer than most of the other hollow points in this caliber. I know Libertas has mentioned also carrying the Critical Defense. It seems to be an excellent choice in general.

Hornady Critical Defense .380 ACP 90 gr Ammo Test
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Offline Predator Don

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Re: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« Reply #4 on: September 03, 2013, 12:02:01 AM »
This is what I know about my 380 rounds. My practice rounds will put a neat little hole in a 1/2 inch piece of plywood. My hollow points in the same weapon blows a large hole in the same plywood. There is a noticeable difference.
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Offline Libertas

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Re: Should you bother with hollow points in a .380 pistol?
« Reply #5 on: September 03, 2013, 08:28:23 AM »
Yeah, truth be said, unless one consults a lot of ME reports of gunshot victims (why nobody has attempted to catalogue that I dunno) there is no guarantee what any caliber will do under any circumstance when it encounters clothing, muscle, bone, fat, organs, metal/ceramic or electrical implants, stuff in pockets like cell phones...yadda yadda yadda.

No matter what you carry it is all about hits scored and putting the perp down!   ::thumbsup::
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