Overwelmed with ammo options

S

Scatcatt

New member
I'm a newbie, I purchased the LCP custom. Now I'm looking for my carry ammo. I know most people carry with the Hornady Critical Defense but I've been looking at the Liberty Ammunition I seem to be drawn to it for some reason.

Designed for personal defense, the Liberty Ammunition Civil Defense .380 ACP 50-Grain Centerfire Handgun Ammunition features nickel-plated copper hollow-point bullets in nickel-plated brass cartridge cases. 250 ft.-lb. muzzle energy. 1,500 fps muzzle velocity.

I know you guys have it going on here. Anyone have any thoughts on this ammunition?
 
It's a gimmick fragmenting round. Inform yourself of the IWBA terminal ballistics performance criteria for handgun ammo. Here's a folksy presentation on the topic to get you started:

https://youtu.be/2dA36NYLqns.

For a .380 you may want to consider carrying FMJ, because most JHPs in the caliber either will not reliably expand, or those that do will not adequately penetrate. An informed YouTuber who is a member here, ShootingTheBull, did an extensive ammo test looking for viable JHP rounds, and few made the cut:

https://youtu.be/GNtPHYwcDts.
 
Let me clear up something for you regarding hollow point ammo. If you live in an location where it gets cold and people wear thick clothing a hollow point is only hollow until it starts to penetrate the thick clothing, it then starts packing up with material thus no longer being hollow and, starts shedding it's energy. Here in Northern Idaho I carry hollow point in the warm summer and when it's cool I carry semi wadcutters, Splat!

1st Marine division, 3rd Marines
 
Whatever I had "going on" is gone, but here's my .02 worth. First shoot the gun enough to determine that it functions reliably. Everything else comes after that. Whatever ammo you decide on, shoot enough of that to ensure your gun is reliable with it. Shot placement is key. Not what kind of super-duper galactic destroyer ammo is used....ymmv
 
There is one other thing to take into consideration regardless of which ammo is used. When a gun is shot not only does a bullet come out of the muzzle but there is also something called the 'Blast cone'. The blast cone contains 3 elements as follows:
1) Small particles which can 'Pepper' exposed skin, useful at only very close range.
2) A sudden percussion of energy, much like compressed air. Once again only beneficial at close range and usually won't injure but can compel one to flight instead of fight.
3) The sound waves. Shoot a gun without hearing protection one time and you'll probably experience discomfort. Now consider, the noise coming out of the muzzle is traveling away from you, imagine if it was coming toward you.
I wouldn't want to depend on 1 or any combination of those 3 alone to save myself or others but one should be aware they exist.

1st Marine division, 3rd Marines
 
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That stupid Liberty Ammo really bugs me. For some reason some dealers really hype it like it's too lethal for words. Probably because they make a better markup on it. Everything I have learned over many years of being interested in ballistics is that you want a bullet to do the exact OPPOSITE of what the Liberty nonsense does.

I know the choices are overwhelming, but when in doubt, start with tried-and-proven brands. Avoid gimmicks. Beware anyone who recommends just one brand. Fanboys are not objective.

That having been said:

I like Hydrashok, but may be switching to Gold Dot. I don't like Hornady Critical Defense because it doesn't do well in some tests, but I do like Custom, although I am suspicious of Hornady because of their stupid "Zombie" ammo. (How am I supposed to take them seriously?) I don't like Golden Sabre, for no real reason, but it is probably fine.

These are all high-end hollow point ammo, very similar to each other, but with minor differences in the jacket design which may or may not matter.

The "Shooting the Bull" guy is pretty thorough, and I like Lucky Gunner's tests a lot, too.

Good luck!

David
 
For anything in .380 ACP I prefer rounds loaded with the 90gr Hornady XTP bullet. Precision One, HPR, Hornady American Gunner, and Freedom Munitions all make good .380 loads with this bullet. As db4570 said, shootingthebull410 does some great reviews on .380 ACP carry ammo.
 
If you live in an location where it gets cold and people wear thick clothing a hollow point is only hollow until it starts to penetrate the thick clothing, it then starts packing up with material thus no longer being hollow and, starts shedding it's energy.
Click to expand...
Actually just the reverse happens. Once a conventional hollowpoint clogs, it penetrates much further than it would normally--it essentially turns into a non-expanding bullet and penetrates as expected for a non-expanding bullet.

The Hornady round, by the way, is somewhat different. The polymer inside the tip prevents it from clogging. It will cut through clothing like an FMJ round and still expand when it hits tissue.
 
There are so many choices that it is easy to be overwhelmed. New gimmicks, which come and go over the years, can be very attractive but probably not as useful as their sales presentations are entertaining. Here are what I take to be "bottom line" considerations:

1. The ammo must function in your gun. I know that defense ammo costs more but you need to know that it's reliable in your gun and you should be well-practiced with what you carry. Some guns, especially little pocket guns, can be finicky with what you feed them. It doesn't mean that yours will. It just means that you need to know.

2. Understand the limitations of your tool. The LCP is a little pocket gun. It's nice for what it is but it still is what it is. That means it will probably be more challenging to shoot accurately, especially over distance. Recoil will be more pronounced. It generally takes more practice to master a gun like this one. Being a "newbie", that means an obligatory recommendation to "practice, practice, practice" and consider taking some real lessons above and beyond anything that was mandated by state or local government. That said...

3. Shot placement is more important than ammo selection. Dovetailing with the second point, .380 isn't particularly powerful and that's especially true from a short barrel. That's why you've got all that discussion about penetration versus expansion in previous posts. Regardless of how powerful a round might be or what it does once it connects, where it connects is key. Sure, seeing a gun can deter some attackers. Sure, having a gun shot at them can deter others. Sure, the trauma of getting shot anywhere can stop a lot more. The surest stop is the vital shot that physically disables the attacker beyond choice. So again: "practice, practice, practice".

On a lighter note, have some fun! :) A great way to get a handle on real-world physics is to get out to the woods and shoot some stuff with different kinds of ammo. Obviously, phone books, water jugs, expired food items, or whatever else you want to shoot will not necessarily approximate the body of a bad guy. Neither will ballistics gel when all is said and done. That's not the point. It's more about developing an intuitive grasp of the physics of what you'll be carrying. That, and it's boatloads of fun! :D Just remember to keep a safe distance, wear eye protection, be wary of rocks and other things that promote ricochets, and practice basic safety while you do it.
 
Just like Cosmo said, there is no new magic, but there is always new magic being advertised, ie, the magic bullet. If you chrono the magic stuff in your gun you will find it's not what they say it is. First make sure it runs in your gun. Then check POA/POI at a reasonable distance, for the LCP probably 3-7 yards. Placement over power because the followup shot is always more difficult with a little 2 finger gun. Take shooting lessons from a LEO/ex LEO/competition shooter and get the fundamentals of pistol down first: stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control. Get a good gun belt and good holster, like a Wilderness Instructor belt and BlaceTech.

Here is a good review

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrE371hU8m4
 
I won't jump on the ".380 is for hardball only!!!!" bandwagon because only you know what your situation is. What I will second is the idea that this 50gr Liberty stuff should be avoided like the plague. Even if it could be made to penetrate deeply enough, I think you'll have reliability issues in such a small pistol. My own Keltec P3AT, of which your Ruger is a copy (albeit a slicker copy) will not function reliably with light bullets such as 71gr PowRball.
 
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