winter carry ammo advice

R

reaganmarine84

New member
I've been contemplating now for a few weeks on what ammo to use this winter for my EDC S&W bodyguard .380. My 'normal' carry ammo is Fiocchi 90 gr. w/Hornady XTP hollow point bullet. Due to my particular build,pocket carry is really my only main option. Plus,I don't yet own a small-ish single stack 9mm (i.e. Kel-tec P9,Ruger LC9,Taurus 709 etc.) Now,I live in the suburb of a large midwestern city. Needless to say the winter months here can be absolutely brutal. Hence,it involves lots of layers of thick clothing to stay warm when leaving the house. I'm talking underwear,thick sweatshirt or flannel,then a thick coat and sometimes a light jacket in between.

Considering what I have 'on hand' at the house. Should I stay with the Fiocchi HP or switch to a FMJ to have a better chance at getting through more layers?

Yes,I know I can go out and buy something like Critical defense or Critical duty ammo. And I still might decide to do that. But,funds are tight and I already have ammo available to me at home. Thoughts and ideas????
 
Concur with the Buffalo Bore hard cast flat-nosed lead. It's not going to expand but it will penetrate just fine and the flat nose will be more effective than FMJ.

It shoots and feeds without problems in my Bersa Thunder 380, and you can really tell the difference in recoil with their "+P" labeled ammo.

Keep in mind that there is no such thing as .380 +P so what you are getting is something loaded hotter than SAAMI specs. You might instead consider their standard pressure load in the same bullet type.

As far as using what you have on hand- if the JHP plugs up with cloth, then it will function like an FMJ anyway, so there's no real reason to change. The JHP isn't going to bounce off a winter coat. It just may not expand. Or, go with the FMJ, your choice really.
 
If you are going to buy BB might as well buy the Hornady rounds that you mentioned. I would take true SD ammo over fmj or hard cast any day of the week. Use your Fiocchi it will work just fine. Don't care what caliber it is, it's 2012 don't use bullet designs from the 1960's!
 
My Elsie Pea is filled with Hornady Critical Defense regardless of weather conditions. I do however carry a Springer XD40 Sub whenever possible in the coldest weather as my primary CCW firearm in addition to Elsie as a BUG.
 
Another vote for the above mentioned Buffalo Bore.

The Hornady can't compete with it in regards to penetration.

I keep my .380 loaded with it all year long.
 
Problem is, it needs to penetrate more than a few extra layers of clothing.

The OP should do some research about .380 penetration or lack thereof with most HP ammo.
 
I'd go with Fiocchi FMJ, in fact I just bought a box of Fiocchi 95g FMJ, and I don't even own a .380 pistol. Worse case, I'll sell it to my neighbor.
 
reaganmarine84: said:
Considering what I have 'on hand' at the house. Should I stay with the Fiocchi HP or switch to a FMJ to have a better chance at getting through more layers?
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If the 90 gr. XTP's hollowpoint cavity clogs with clothing and doesn't expand, it'll act (and penetrate) like a FMJ anyway.

I'd stick with what you have.
 
Sconnie cold

I live in Wisconsin and I'd agree winters can get brutal. Considering that fact, I still wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of any .380 round even with all my winter warm clothing on. Unless the crook your defending against has on 5 layers of Carhartt and then some I'd say your JHP or FMJ are going to do fine. For "fun" why not go to Goodwill and buy a Carhartt or another heavy material winter top. Cut it up and layer as it would be worn by someone then place it in front of some water jugs. Run your own ballistic test to see what you personally trust.
 
Don't care what caliber it is, it's 2012 don't use bullet designs from the 1960's!
Click to expand...

That's funny right there. My experience with lead bullets has been that for almost any jacketed bullet extant, the same performance can easily be matched or exceeded with well chosen lead bullets. But what do I know? I'm from the 60s too. :cool:

Go with the BB rounds that were noted for the uses you describe.
 
That's great! Glad to hear it. And while you're out paying 25 bucks for 20 rounds, I'll cast and load the same thing for about one dollar or less.:p
 
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