how lethal is the .380 acp round?

"Can you rely upon it to QUICKLY STOP an aggressive human bent on causing you bodily harm?"

You can't rely on any handgun to do that.

All you can hope for is small notches of "better at that".

Hell, even with a shotgun a quick stop isn't 100% guaranteed.
 
The .380 is a decent round. Considered by most (including me) to be the minimum SD caliber. Assuming good shot placement for both, a more powerful cartridge is always a better option for quickly stopping an attack. However, the smaller caliber allows for a smaller delivery platform that is easier to conceal. If used in the same size platform as a larger caliber, it has less recoil and allows for higher ammo capacity. You will sacrifice kinetic energy and/or velocity though. It is like most other things in life there are pros and cons to selecting a caliber for a gun.

Relatively speaking, it's a better SD round than a .22lr, .22mag, .25acp and .32acp which until about a decade ago were the calibers usually found in pocket pistols. Depending on the particular selection it can even out perform some 9mm Makarov (old Soviet 9x18mm cartridge).
 
Interesting that this post comes up now. I'm considering getting a .380 for SD.

I carry a .22lr when needed now and was thinking of kicking it up a notch.
 
Somewhere between a short sharp stick and a 105MM howitzer round.

"How lethal" is a simple question which doesn’t have a simple answer.
There are too many variables to answer that question as written.

Who is getting shot?
Where in their body are they shot?
From how far away?
What was the position of their body as the bullet hit?
What is their overall physical condition as they are shot?
What is their mindset when they are shot?
What is the temperature of the location they are shot?
What clothing was being worn as they were shot?
What bullet was used?
These are a few of the questions that must be answered before such a question can be considered, and I am sure I have missed a few too.
 
JamesK said:
It did for an Archduke and started a World War. Pretty lethal, that.
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That was actually a .32ACP out of a FN 1910, not a .380ACP.

Considering the .32 is seen as even weaker than the .380, it took out a third rate member of royalty, kicked off a world war that itself killed well over 10 million people, gave the Bolsheviks in Russia enough support to topple the Tsars, produced a "peace" that set things up for round II less than twenty years later complete with the Holocaust (between WWII and the Holocaust we're probably talking somewhere in the 50-70 million fatality range), and none of this is even considering assorted purges in communist nations (remember, that all got started with the Bolsheviks- take that away and the world may have never seen a flat out communist government), well, that's some pretty impressive killing power out of a mouse gun cartridge.

The catch is, these rounds (.32, .380, etc.) aren't death rays, and although they can cause a whole heap of trouble, they may or may not stop someone from causing further harm.

It will work great on people who want to not get shot (or get shot again) more than they want to cause harm. If somebody is whacked out on something, then even the more powerful handgun rounds may be found wanting.
 
Wait wait wait, guys...

There is one absolutely, entirely, and 100% lethal handgun round, and we're all glossing over it.

The .45 ACP.

How do we know?

It's all over the internet how positively lethal it is, often even if it misses.

And if it's on the internet, it has to be true!

:p
 
The .45 ACP.

How do we know?

It's all over the internet how positively lethal it is, often even if it misses
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I hear that the shockwave alone with blow a man's eyes out through his ears

Between the 738 and the 10/22 - it depends on your intended use. Want a target gun - get the 10/22. Want a defensive gun, get the Taurus

I highly recommend the 10/22 - save your $ for a Bersa if you want a good inexpensive .380

ETA: But, understand that handguns are not really all that lethal to begin with, even the legendary and venerable .45 ACP that Mike blasphemed against;)
 
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The .380 is the smallest cartridge that most will carry for self defense. It certainly isn't a .45 acp, but the .380 lends itself to small pocket guns that allow you to carry a gun when larger guns won't do.

As with any gun, shot placement is key and a .380 gives you less of a margin for error than some of the more powerful handguns.
 
Wait, wait, wait Mike Irwin. I think you are behind the times. I hear-tell that the 45 acp is an old fart that can't kill a salamander. Nowadays, the internet tells me that the real savage is the 9mm. With the new-fangled bullet designs, it is better than anything out there. I understand that if you are attacked, you can shoot it the opposite way and it will go around the world and blow the guys head completely off from behind. I think if the 9mm had a proper name, it would be Chuck Norris.

Other than that supernatural round, the 380 obviously is lethal, but has penetration issues. I've got a box of Buffalo Bore 100gr FNHC that I keep in my 380 Mustang to give it as much "oomph" as possible.
 
After shooting feral dogs ,woodchucks, squirrels I was very UNDERimpressed and gave it up for a 9mm. Considering that there are now small 9mm pistols there's no need for a 380 !
 
In my younger days, I have shot a few animals when living on a farm in the summer. Dogs, racoons, ground hogs etc. I remember shooting a racoon that was up in a tree. I was the first living creature I had ever shot with a .357 magnum revolver. I expected it to get blown right out of the tree. I was really surprised when it took the whole cylinder full to get that racoon on the ground.

On the opposite end, I have shot 300 lb pigs in the kill pen with a 22 rimfire that dropped them where they stood.

It is where you make the hole that determines the lethality. I would say a .380 is quite lethal when you use it to make the hole in the right place.
 
Well I don't know about you all but I would rather have a .380 than have to throw sticks and stones. What people have to understand about ballistics is that its not the round itself that makes it lethal but more so where that bullet is placed and at what angles.
 
taurus 738 tcp (380) or the ruger 10/22

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I can't decide which one I want plz help... there both 199.99
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Get the Ruger 10/22.

The .380 acp is pretty much a .38 Special in a small compact semi auto package.
It's a step above the .32 acp and under the 9mm Luger.
Up until the last deacade, there wasn't all that much of a selection of small ".380 size" semi auto's in 9mm Luger to choose from.
That's changed and now there's quite a few 9mm's out there that are similar in size.

.380 ammunition is all sorts of crazy expensive compared to 9mm.
It's also somewhat unpleast to shoot because the guns tend to be on the small side and the .380 is a blowback action.

W/the 10/22, you'll get a whole lot mre bang for your buck.
You can shoot quite a bit while you put away money for something more substancial than a .380 - such as a sub compact 9mm.


lapetrarca53 said:
Interesting that this post comes up now. I'm considering getting a .380 for SD.
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Check out the small 9mm's instead.
 
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