Should you even bother with JHP's in .380

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I have heard a lot of people say that they would not even bother with a JHP in a .380 BUG and instead would opt for a +90 grain FMJ. But there is far from a consensus on the matter.

Discuss.
 
Yeah, both arguments have their points. In the wintertime especially, when BG's have more layers of clothing, FMJ's make more sense to me... I feel I have a better chance for at least SOME internal penetration. Put together with optimal feeding success and courtroom advantage, I'm favoring FMJ's.
 
I just use FMJs now regardless of what time of year it is now. I liked the Buffalo 100gr HC +P load, but it just wasn't as reliable in my PK380 so I'm back to WWB or Remington FMJ.
 
FMJ is my preferred bullet type for the .380 and below.

Pros:
Cheaper - you can practice with your carry ammo all the time
Penetrates to the 12" FBI minimum
More reliable feeding

Cons:
Doesn't expand - but expansion is worthless if it doesn't reach vitals
 
I have thought of this also. At what point do you consider a HP round reliably expanding? 900 fps, 1000 or 1100 fps. Those who favor FMJ, do you prefer it because of reduced velocity or the smaller caliber?

I load my PPK/S with a Buff Bore HP in the chamber then Remington FMJ in the magazine. Does a bullet expand reliably at 1000 fps or is it more? I think at 1000 fps you CAN get good expansion. Does that mean that a 44 Special or 45 Colt that have a velocity around 800 to 900 fps won't expand reliably so lead semi wadcutters should be used for the best stopping power?
 
Corbon DPX is pretty much the most consistent .380 hp load I've seen. No matter what it goes through it still expands and penetrates consistently. If I had to carry a gun in a caliber I "had" to use fmj for it to perform I would not use it for personal defense. Speer Gold Dot is another very consistent load. Hornady's Critical Defense also look promissing.
 
Does a bullet expand reliably at 1000 fps or is it more? I think at 1000 fps you CAN get good expansion. Does that mean that a 44 Special or 45 Colt that have a velocity around 800 to 900 fps won't expand reliably so lead semi wadcutters should be used for the best stopping power?
Click to expand...

It depends on the bullets design. Most manufactures are designing bullets for self defense loads that are unique to that load so that means that each bullet is designed differently for a given load that has a given velocity and certain characteristics.
 
Wikipedia article,,,

There is a performance chart that shows a lot of info on 6 different cartridges.

Last week I finally got to try out a few .380's,,,
Ruger LCR,,,
Bersa Thunder 380,,,
And a new Walther PPK.

The owners of the guns all told me the same thing,,,
None of them had found a hollow-point round that always fed properly.

I might tend to do what Trigger Finger does,,,
Load one round of nasty HP in the pipe,,,
Then follow up with a mag of FMJ.

Then again,,,
My Model 36 feeds anything. ;)

Aarond
 
Take a look at the Corbon DPX. That's my defense load for the .380.
It seems to penetrate and expand through most media the civilian would need it to.

To answer the question, I would only carry hollow-points in any defense round.

BTW, My Bersa is now 8 years old and has feed EVERYTHING I have fed it. From Russian junk and gun show reloads and about every factory round one can think of.

Peachy
 
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I use just FMJs in my .380 guns for several reasons.

a) They are much more available than JHPs. I can get the same WW flat point FMJs from many shops.

b) They are well tested in reliability. The practice ammo IS the carry ammo! I don't have to shoot 50 rounds of VERY EXPENSIVE AMMO to test reliability.

c) Ditto for the sights. Practice ammo has the same ballistics as the carry ammo and thus shoots to the point of aim.

d) Yea penitration. I know even if they wear a coat or denim or whatever the FMJ will reach what is needed to be reached.

and e) I don't kid myself into thinking my 380 is a 9x19 +p+ pistol!

My .380 for backup is a TCP. It uses flat point Winchester 'winclean' FMJ ammo. That's all I use. Gun goes bang everytime and it know just where it shoots.

Deaf
 
"Should you even bother"?

Not if you are stuck in 1977. New technology, new design, new materials all are good things when it comes to bullet design. I use to think I should go to FMJ for winter carry but now I just go with a bigger/more powerful caliber. It's easier to carry a bigger gun when the weather changes, so I go bigger. If I could find cor-bon power ball then I would carry that in .380 during the winter.
 
Im glad I read this thread cause i got my gf a walther pk 380 about a month ago and with looking at the ballistics and what the charts say, I think she would be better off shootin a heavy fmj. Man I love TFL
 
Bought my wife a Sig P232 a number of years ago, been a while since I shot it, but as I recall there were never any feed failures with it. I've always loaded it with Federal Hydroshocks which were very reliable. Been a while since I've bought ammo for that gun, haven't been keeping up on new defense ammo.
 
At what point do you consider a HP round reliably expanding? 900 fps, 1000 or 1100 fps.
Click to expand...
This will vary from one bullet design to the next. If in doubt, as the manufacturer. I recently contacted Barnes asking about the necessary speed required to expand one of their bullets (I am considering loading some of my own), andtheir response was quick and concise.

A well-designed JHP will expand at the velocity that is realistic for the chambering, e.g., a .45acp will expand at a lower velocity than a .357 Mag.

My LCP is loaded with Remington 102-grain JHPs, and the spare mag is filled with Cor-Bon DPX. It feeds both of these, and everything else as well.

Of course, I seldom carry the LCP, so in my mind the real question is "Should you even bother with a .380?" :)
 
I've owned four Sig .380's, a colt, llama, walther and a kel-tec and only the kel-tec was finicky about what HP ammo it would feed. Never had a problem with any of the others.
 
I test every bullet i carry from the gun it is intended for. A bucket full of wet newspaper is a cheap testing medium. My A.M.T. .380 backup specifies hardball but every name brand hp i tried expanded to some extent. As far as feeding goes the hp's are a no-go. Don't rely on word of mouth, every brand does different in every gun, test it! My sons Sig opens some bullets better, The cheap A.M.T. does better with others. The Sig has a longer barrel yet fails to open bullets that the A.M.T. will open. Others open wide when the A.M.T. just spits them on the floor. Even a longer barrel does not ensure performance And even a pipsqueak can be reliable. (I know that wet paper is not a scientific test but if a bullet wont even open in wet paper, it's not going to open in a more variable medium like a crook's derriere!)
 
I have a Ruger LCP and I too carry the WW flat point FMJ rounds. I just don't have the confidence in such a short barrel with the .380 round. I would prefer penetration over expansion. A more powerful round is a different story. I tried many JHP's in the LCP and I never had any feeding issues with Horandy, Gold Dots, or Corbons. My fear is that they will expand just as they are intended to and not penetrate deep enough. At least with the flat point FMJ's, I hope the flat point will cause more damage than a round nose. Just my two cents...
 
Yeah, this is a topic to which there is no end on these gun boards. But I'll toss my 2 cents in also.

I always lead in with JHP in my pistols, regardless of caliber. That's what they are loaded with anyway. I have spare mags or speedloaders with FMJ for them at the ready. In other words, in case the SHTF in my home, I lead with JHP and then reload with FMJ, regardless of what pistol I am using.

The only exception is with my little .32 Beretta Tomcat. It doesn't handle JHP very well (even though they are suppose to be designed for Winchester Silver Tip). It has a tendancy to jam with those. So it's loaded with FMJ as are my spare mags for it.
 
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