Just a simple question on .380 and 9mm ammo . . .

B

bedbugbilly

New member
I say a "simple question" . . maybe it's a "dumb" one but I'm curious.

I have a 9mm and I just picked up a Bersa 380 Thunder Concealed the other day at my usual gunshop that I frequent. I went to get a couple of boxes of .380 ammo and was fased with "sticker shock". Is it me, or is .380 more expensive than 9mm? If so, why? A .380 is basically a 9mm "short" isn't it? The case may be a little shorter but in essence, there's not much difference in regards to components - case, primer, powder and slug. I seem to be able to find 9mm and a reasonable price if I look for it and when I find it on sale, I usually pick up a few hundred rounds to have on hand. I'll do the same now for .380 but I was just wonder if it was me or is there a difference in price in general? If so . . why? Supply and demand? Thanks. :)
 
9mm is indeed cheeper than 380.

9mm is the cheapest center fire ammo out there. Just because ammo is smaller does not mean it is cheaper.
 
To put it simply 9X19 is used by nearly every army in the world. It is the standard size for NATO forces. That means that the level of production is far higher than other calibers. You get to piggy back on the economy of scale created by the military. 380 is popular among civilians but it still is not manufactured on nearly the same scale.

The price of .380 ammo is why I haven't bought a Walther Pk380 fo my wife yet. I'm actually going to see if I can find a range where she can fire a CZ 2075. If she likes that it will be the next gun to come home.
 
Last edited:
Do a search for "economies of scale".

Or, to use a somewhat outdated but still relevant example:
Go to Auto Zone/NAPA/O'Reilly's auto parts and ask about the price of a small block Chevy/small block Ford water pump or alternator.

Then ask about the equivalent part for a 2006-2010 Focus or Malibu.

Bottom line--if you can sell 20 bazillion of a certain part, year in, year out, the price is somewhat predictable and somewhat reasonable.

If you have to stock many low-demand, limited sales parts, it's gonna cost you.
 
Just to echo what others have said most of the price difference is likely due to how many use the 9 so they produce more. It really stinks because although what others say I think it is a great round. More power then the .32 or .22 mag but you can still get it in a tiny gun. I also hear a lot of people questioning it's stopping power. I feel that since I am not a LEO and spend most my time at an office job or in the suburbs it is plenty for my needs.
 
Ha! That is one of the reasons I traded my Ruger LCP .380 for a Kel Tec P-11 9mm. In addition to the crappy sights and very tiny grip on the LCP, the ammo was just too much.
 
I bought my .380 rounds for about $13/50 from lucky gunner (this includes shipping costs). I didn't think it was that bad. The remington ammo is considerably more at around $22/50 at the local gun shop.
 
Also, ammo factories don't load all kinds of ammo all the time. They keep some lines of the most common ammo running, but other ammo shares resources, so they will run off a batch of, say, .32 ACP, then change the line over to run a batch of .380 ACP, then a batch of .32 S&W Long, etc.

The sale of those small size .380 pistols caught ammo makers by surprise. A cartridge that once had been used mainly in old Colt pocket models and WWII souvenirs suddenly was in huge demand, and it took them a while to catch up.

When a given caliber is hard to find, those who have it will sometimes raise the price. Even local dealers may raise the price if they have to call around trying to locate some.

Jim
 
Thanks for the replies and comments - all good points. When I pucked up my used Bersa, the gal that waited on me had some experience with the Thunder 380 CC. She said that she had found it would eat most anything as long as it was "round nose". She also suggested getting some of the cheapest ammo to get used to it. On their shelves, they had probably 5 or 6 types/brands. I picked up two boxes of Fiocchi FMJ 95 gr. It was $17.99 a box of 50. When I was looking oveer the other brands, the prices seemed to range anywhere from the $17.99 a box of 50 all the way up to $24.95. Of course they were different brands, etc. I just found it interesting that there was such a wide variance in prices. I don't plan on going through a lot of rounds in the Bersa - probably a 100 or so to get used to how and where it shoots and then a few every so often to keep familiar. The price of the .380 isn't going to "break" me for what I'm planning on shooting - I'll still be shooting my 9mm, 38 spls and 22s. I primarily shoot 38 spl and will be getting a reloading outfit for that fairly soon to cut down on the cost of that - especially since I save all my brass. The .380 is primarily for CC when I wnat it to be easy to carry and small. Otherwise, it's the 9mm. Thanks again to all for your input and comments - now it makes a little more sense. :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top