Sir, I do agree the 380 to be a minimal self defense caliber. Being a 30 year retired LEO I have seen many results of shootings involving a 380. One was the result of a contract “killing.” The bad guys started with a baseball bat and ended with, they thought, 2 shots from a 380 to the head. Unknown the type of weapon used but the bullet was the 90 grain FMJ. The first bullet entered the victim’s hand between his index and middle finger as he tried to protect his head. The bullet travelled about 2 1/2” and I could see the bullet just under the skin. The second bullet entered just behind his left ear at an upward angle. The bullet traveled around his skull and exited at the top of his head. I found the bullet sticking in the drywall of the ceiling. The most inflicted injury of this crime was from the baseball bat. I use the Lehigh bullet for its penetration ability but you do have to make sure it will function reliably in your chosen firearm.
Excellent ... again. Someone made the distinction between going into trouble guns (duty) and getting out of trouble guns (self defense). For the latter, I agree that .380 & Lehigh Defense is an effective combo.
I carry a XD-40 most days now but i carried a Bersa Thunder 380 CC for 9 years every day. I kept em loaded with Ye Olden Federal Hydrashoks. 8+1 out or a 3.25" barrel. I felt pretty damn safe and i walked to work and back 4 miles including nights. Now i do carry the 40 Speer Gold dot 165s now. But im not limited to work attire atm. Im a stay at home dad now (dont trust the public schooling system and wife is a CEO). So when i do go out its 12+1 of the 40. And its crazy people criticize peoples caliber choices. They even go after .40 as if its not potent anymore. Lol most of the 10mm loads are loaded down to 40 pressures so you're payijg for 40 at a premium; nice going. If you want a bear killer no one is stopping yall from getting a .44 magnum.
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jbwell with 380 thats very possible. Hell, the damn Spetznaz used 9x18 for years and the performance of modern 380 over those loads is superior! It'll do
I hve a 25 oz, 7" long .45 super, holding 8 rds. offering 700 ft lbs per shot, and I can get repeat hits wit it in .17 second, on a 10" circle at 10 ft. You dont have to go to the twice as heavy, twice as slow repeat hits 44. be non-concealable, etc, in order to have real striking force.
Excellent video! I agree with you about the .380 as pertains to a capable marksman. The older I get, the more I encounter people who want to carry but have physical problems with recoil and slide operation. If someone can't handle the larger calibers, they are better off with something they can handle, even a .22. I am hoping to see you do a video on lasers, especially the newer green variety. They are much easier to see than the red versions. I have been training with lasers since the 1990s and have found them to be very useful in instructing new shooters. Most of the videos I have seen show someone demonstrating how to use them while having the pistol at sight level. I use them differently. My strong position is a two-handed grip, elbows against my sides, and not even looking at the gun, just concentrating on the laser and the target. If in a bright light situation, I just follow the laser on the ground to the target or use the sights. My system seems to make it easier to learn the grip, trigger control, and then teach sight control to newbies. Dry firing with the lasers immediately shows shooters what they are doing wrong. It also saves on expensive ammo. Keep up the good videos!
Thanks for the kind words. I hope to line up some lasers for an episode when I attend the SHOT show next month. I have a Streamlight TLR2G flashlight/green laser on my .357 Magnum house gun (lever action). I'm like you, the best way I have found to use a laser is to keep the weapon just below the normal line of sight and concentrate on the target, with is pretty, squiggly laser dot.
I've found that the more you dry fire with your elbows braced against your body the less wiggling the green dot does. I discovered the elbows braced position while trying to defeat the wiggles. Also helps old eyes see the target and you can view all the scenery in front of you without the gun and your arms in the way. @@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb
I have a question, my rotator cuffs are very bad and cat raise my arms to use sites, is this what you're talking about about, two handed with elbows on your sides. Thanks.
I really appreciate your channel. You present the information and or your thoughts in a very straightforward manner. I agree with everything you said and like you, I believe that except for very limited and specific reasons, it’s prudent to avoid the .380 auto along with all smaller conventional calibers. Friends don’t let friends carry “mouse guns”.
I agree with everything you said and I'll add one caveat. In similarly sized pistols the 32 ACP is more pleasant to shoot than a 380 and the magazine capacity is greater. It's weaker than the 380, but far more potent than the 25 ACP and 22LR. For those who find 380 recoil unacceptable, the 32 ACP would be my recommendation if they prefer an automatic over a revolver.
I agree totally! The only problem with the Lehighs is that it doesn't always function in certain pistols. So you have to run a few mags to make sure they run in your pistol
The military classify the .380ACP capable of a kill-shot at 50 meters or 164 feet. Of course your sights are a factor as well as your skill at that range. Most HPs in this cal. Struggle to reach 10in penetration, should they open. As you displayed, the best cartridge is the Lehigh Extreme Penetrator in 90gr or $Xtreme Defenders in 65gr as all that I will carry in my G42. The human chest of a normal size person is from 8 to 10 inches on a frontal shot. That said, the skill in a small platform is more of a challenge.
A .22LR will kill at 100 yards or more, if it hits in the vicinity of the eye socket. I'll talk about the "mouseguns" in a later episode ... The CAN kill, but the circumstances have to be unique.
as a reloader with over 44years years experience and knowledge of many calibers I believe any calibers and pistol/revolver strong,,accurate, flawless operation is worthy of self defense except 22,22mag, 25auto mouse guns. I agree 380acp should be the minimum with no exceptions. some will probably get mad about my comments and that's ok. always carry a big enough gun and ammunition for the intended purpose and Liv longer. the three out of my gun safe is Taurus 605in 357mag, s w mod 10 in 38special and the one that is my first grab is my Taurus pt845 in 45acp+p that's 12 in mag one in barrel, I reload using starline 45super brass , gt bullets 255gr hard cast wide mouth deep hp at 950 fps ,with longshot powder . expansion in jug tests 7/ 8in across, retaining weights 244 to 246 gr. papa wishing you well. 😊
I have to wander how often u actually carry any one of those guns!? Do u have one on your persons right now?? I doubt it. I’ve got a .22 bobcat in my front pocket all the time. All the time. Even in my sleeping pants. I talk to a lot of ppl about carry guns they tell me about their gun and then I show em mine but they can’t show me theirs. Everyone thinks they will carry “when they need too” would I like a bigger gun ya until it’s pulling my pants off. I carried a g42 for yrs but this bobcat 21a is super accurate and I can shoot it fast and have extra mags. Also it’s a hammer gun with a momentum firing pin. It’s a very safe carry gun I just keep it loaded to fire it in DA
Just wanted to say I saw 2 pretty big guys drop like a sack of flower from one of them little 22mags(naa I think) one shot each to center of chest. It was at a dirt track race. 😮 I mean they collapsed like someone had hit them in the head with a knocker! (That's the image that comes to mind) just wanted to tell my story😊 Peace
I really enjoy this channel. First, it’s informative. Second it’s pro-police/military. One thing I have noticed lately is that a lot of 2A content has gotten extremely anti police, borderline anti military and in my opinion just plain crazy. Finally, the comments section seems to be filled with normal people. I’m not an advocate for carrying a .380, and I don’t own one. That said, in certain circumstances a .380 can be effective. I’m a detective and one of nastiest gunshot wounds I have seen was a .380 that hit a guy in the gut, bounced around and ended up by the collar bone. It was not pretty.
If police wouldn't be anti gun rights in a lot of states gun content creators wouldn't be anti police simple , as for military I dont know what you are talking about most creators are pro miltiary or have no opinion
I experienced three on-duty shootings during my 30 yrs. armed with an issued .38 revolver. First was w/a 158 grain standard pressure lead round nose, second was the same bullet +P power & the third was w/a 158 grain +P hollow point (FBI Load). The first incident dropped the suspect, the second took several rounds before the bad guy dropped & the third dropped the bad guy right w/one round center chest. In retirement my preference is a light weight J Frame but I’ll usually have a .380 LCP in a pocket holster. You’re absolutely right about the difficulty concealing a J Frame in the pocket wearing dress slacks.
Yes. The 380 Auto is a very good round for self defense. Anyone who says otherwise is closing their eyes to its history of getting the job done. No matter what pistol round is carried multiple shots are advised. When multiple rounds hit the bad guy, the difference between cartridges becomes insignificant. I will never criticize someone's choice of cartridge.
It can be significant if the hole it puts in vitals is bigger. So really yeah 380. Will stop the person but dont stick around if they have a gun also because there gonna be completely capable of shooting back a for a while
Carry what you will but I lost my enthusiasm for .380 after a conversation with a gentleman who told me he was shot twice in the back with one at close range and didn't realize he had been shot until some other patrons at the bar where the shooting took place informed him he was bleeding. Yes, all handgun rounds suck for effectiveness but some suck worse than others.
@@phishno2767I watched a UA-cam "prank" video where the prankster got shot point blank with a .380 and he also didn't realize he was shot. I'm sure it's happened with 9mm and up too but it does make one think.
John Brown was not dumb, and 'acceptable' pistol needs when it was invented like the 25ACP were different. To me I see the 25acp as invented as a 'card table' gun....380acp as concealed 'deal gone bad' range 5ft shot type range. I have a 380acp shoot 110gr cast to 1050-1100fps - no pressure signs no issues......is a handload like this really different than a 9mm??? its my boot gun if I ever need one
That's really good power for a .380 but most people probably don't reload or load that hot. Even so, the 9mm will always have an edge because the heavier bullets like 124 or 147gr. still have better sectional density which helps penetration or overall damage. But, comparing the 110gr hot 380 to a 115gr 9mm would be interesting experiment.
@@empireoflizards I love 9mm and just got a new 9mm PCC...I was just bringing up the 380acp 'originally' was a hotter round than todays book loads. The other thing going for the 380 is its low pressure so you have 'room' reloading. With 9mm you are starting high pressure and while you can go 9mm +P thats all the room you got. Heres an old load manual thats really worth the download - its old, so unless you shoot classic cartridges and powders, but its still one of the best out there - photos.imageevent.com/badgerdog/generalstorage/pdfpublications/complete_guide_to_handloading%20-%20sharpe%20-%201937.pdf
Marginal but it works for pocket carry which is what I prefer and will always practice. I find that with IWB or OWB there's a good chance I won't be armed. I live in a rural, low threat environment so that's a factor as well.
The old kahr Pistols and some of the Makarov/Walther/Bersa Pistols are excellent for iwb. Single stack is so much nice for carry for iwb as far as I'm concerned. I mean I haven't tried the newer model stuff but I am interested in the hellcats. They seemed pretty flat for double stacks
Im of the mind that (just about) every caliber has it's niche. It's good to have options and having a couple of featherweight guns around is a great idea. I do stick with fmj for anything under 9mm aside from perhaps a .32 magnum.
I had a job a number of years ago, 1984 I believe it was to be exact. Because of the nature of the job, I was dressed fairly semi-formal add a full-size firearm would not quite work, but I had recently acquired a Walther PPKs in 380 that had a metal life finish on it. I did Ultra in one way, I filed off the serrations on the trigger that would literally cut your finger by trying to pull that 20 lb double action trigger pull. The hard Chrome that had been put on the face of the trigger made those serrations even sharper than they already were. But when I got it nice and smooth and Polished it up, it actually was a very comfortable trigger at the time when I first started shooting that firearm the hottest load I could find for a powder that metered well, was about 3.2 grains of 231 but I noticed that when it ejected the shell it would barely get out of the gun more than just a few inches and fall almost at my feet. When the new book came out that year, it raised that by almost a full grain. A substantial increase to say the least. I had a little Dandy powder measure, and I would load up 90 grain Ciara hollow points with a near top load. And the extraction was much more vociferous. But I figured that would make at least a decent pistol for the place I was working which was where my brother had fallen ill and I was filling in for him for a bit so I carried at least three extra magazines because you can never have enough ammo, never had the necessity to use it, but I understood that 3 to 4 rounds may be necessary if I have to slow somebody down. Luckily the one time that there seemed to be an issue at this place, I was able to keep the person from the back room from coming out and kept myself separated from the floor manager so that without them being able to heard us together into a controlled space, they were not able to continue their actions of trying to rob the establishment. As it happened, about 20 minutes after leaving our place, they robbed a place about a mile away. A police officer who came into the operation later that night, said that there had been a robbery, and I gave him a written description of the car, the plate number, and the description of the three people who would come in and what I thought that the fourth person looked like. They were able to track these people down pretty quickly after that. The manager also never apologize for having excoriated me for not walking around and helping them and staying back in the corner where I had a defensible position. And I had also motioned to the girl in the back to stay in the back. She was not happy with me, but she never said anything after the police officer said that that was fit the description of the people who had robbed the restaurant about a mile away the best victories are from a battle you didn't have to fight.
A little late to the party on this one, but - I agree. My state trooper friends have talked about what they have seen with .380, and it's just not there. Like most of us, it has a place in our rotation as a pocket pistol, one you grab to run up to the local quick mart for a soda or something, or if you simply can't carry or conceal anything else because of size. But I don't really consider it much of a defensive caliber, even if I had to use it. And as far as performance, I WILL say that the Lucky Gunner Labs testing showed that Critical Defense *DID* (just barely) pass the FBI protocol. That's the only round I will carry in mine.
Will it do the job? I’d say yes, if you do your part, like with any other pistol round. I go back to one of your videos about bears and handguns. I think you said something along the lines of precision and penetration. I see the same parallel with CC pistol rounds, if that makes sense. Thank you for the video
As far as blowback designs are concerned, HiPoint has produced millions of 9mm, 40 S&W, 45acp &, now, even 10mm in their very reliable JXP pistols...! P.S. As you recommend, Lehigh (again?) has an answer in 380acp. When a double action, reliable budget 380acp with a generous 10+1 capacity is desired, the American-made SCCY CPX-3 has been a good option, IMHO.
forty years ago they were saying the 380 was like having more average 38 loads compared to 6 shot revolver you are right self defence or back up but the bottom line shot placement is everything with smaller calibers as one gun writer said better a hit with a pea shooter than a miss with a cannon
My mom carries a bodyguard, i wish she would go up in caliber but as you said, cops are more likely to have to fight off the " determined attacker " than average people, unless that person is the kind of person that is kind of a bully or just a major pos.
What most people fail to realize is that the 380 ACP is a 9mm Kurz (German for Short) and is 9x17mm and a German Luger (Normal called a 9mm) is 9x19mm. That’s a difference of only two millimeters. Put the brass side by side and you can’t tell the difference between the two without a digital micrometer.
Bill Willson at Willson Combat are now making the Lehigh solid bullets, and loaded ammunition. Bill has been doing a ton of ballistic testing on these, including rifle rounds....
You mentioned carrying a .380 at formal occasions when your clothing dictates what you can conceal. I’d suggest having a .380 with you is way better than having a .357 Magnum or .45 ACP left in the safe at home.
Nowadays with all the new powders, technology and bullets the 380rds are pretty close if not more powerful than some 9mm. With that being said l myself don't trust either one. I had a friend that was a police officer and he got into a fire fight with a bad guy and lost his life because of the 9mm. The officer shot 5 RDS into the bad guy. 2rds to the head,2 RDS to the chest and another round to the body. The bad guy shot 1 round and ended the offer's life. This was in 1984. After this happen l started carrying the 45acp with federal premium HTS ammo.
I personally rotate between the 9mm & the .45 caliber for EDC. I must say that the 9mm ammo has made huge improvements in stopping the bad guy!! I myself carry the HST 124 grain +P JHP out of a G48 4” barrel and I can tell you it’s absolutely deviating!! My .45 ammo is the HST 230 grain +P JHP out of a G30 & it’s a cannon!! In my personal opinion I would not ever want to get shot with either round!!!
380 was the preferred round of choice of the Shanghai Municipal Police during the warlord era, and the Colt 1903 was specifically chosen by the legendary Fairborn. Shanghai could give modern Chicago a run for its money any day of the week.
Chicago is a garden spot compared to my understanding of Shanghai in Fairbairn's time. And, despite the spelling differences, all "Fairburns" spring from the same Viking roots many generations ago.
LAPD’s official .380 authorized “duty” (back-up) round is the Speer Lawman 95gr TMJ. For LA Sheriff, their authorized duty round is the Federal HST 99gr hollow point. Both are really failures for bullets. The TMJ never expands, but penetrates generally over 18”. LAPD’s thinking is that all .380 HP’s are poor penetration failures. LAPD’s philosophy is that it’s better to have rather deep penetration with no expansion, than great expansion with shallow penetration. Whereas LASD believes that while the .380 HST will expand nicely, it only penetrates to about 10-11” in BARE gel. The FBI says this is a “fail.” However with clothing, which most police shootings involve someone wearing clothing and that HST round will NOT expand. When going through clothing first, the HST in .380 acts like a FMJ ad out to about 18”. So LASD believes their .380 choice is better than LAPD. Neither agency’s weapons training staff are fans of the .380 and I can see why.
I tried to write a comment on this session earlier but it seems to have been wiped out. My original question was why not include 9x18 Makarov in with the 9’s. It’s a step up in velocity and energy from the 380 with similar bullet weights. I’m not sure how factory ammo compares in cost at this time. Locally I’ve seen a couple of very nice one selling with ammo in the $400 to $600 range.
I know there have been quite a few Makarovs imported, but they never seemed to grab much of the market. Any power advantage the Mak has over a .380 is modest at best. The former Soviet surplus rounds are pretty inconsistent.
Nicely done video! I would make a few comments about some related issues. First, LEOs have a different goal than a citizen: the LEO is obligated to apprehend the perp; the citizen wants him to go away. So, the perp's motivation when fired upon is different in those circumstances. Second, I have never seen any statistics on how effective the .380 was in police use for many years in Europe. I suspect that information is not available, but unless we believe European police were dummies (they are not) there must have be some reasons why they continued to use that round. Gregg Ellifritz has provided data that show the overall effectiveness of he .380, 38 special, 9 mm, .357 mag, and .40 S&W are indistinguishable. Whether his observations and conclusions are pertinent to most of us remains to be determined. Finally. the .380 must be considered in the context of the firearm employed; a Ruger LCP with a less than 3 inch barrel and weighing less than 10 oz. is very different in use than a Beretta 80 series with a weight of 24 oz, and barrel length of nearly 4 inches. Notwithstanding all of the above, if I knew I was going to a gunfight my personal choice would be a 39 spcl +P, 357 mag, or 9mm
You say Walther PPK is not a reliable pistol. Is that because it’s picky with what it will feed and cycle or is it because you personally can’t use it effectively? I’m asking for real. Do you have some legitimate critique of it? I wouldn’t carry something that expensive personally anyway because it has a stiff enough price point that it Carrie’s the previous factor but other than magazine compatibility which you should work out long before you start toting it I have experienced no issues from 1. It’s picky though with it’s fixed sights some ammunition will go low left, some high left and so on and the old 90gn Federal Hydrashock is all I’ve been able to get dead on hits with. I’m sure there are other functional loads out there but so far it’s slow going buying a box here and there and being disappointed in them. I could chronograph the hydra shocks and work up a lid to match velocity and see how they shoot but I could also order them online.
I have handled several .380 caliber PP/PPks over the years and none of them have been perfectly reliable for me. They were available for senior police commanders when I ran an academy range, the newest American-made stainless-steel ones, and they were also not the best. They do OK with FMJ ammo but can be very finicky about a JHP they will feed, in my experience. Obviously, your experience may be different.
If it makes a hole it's good for self defense for me. Ever since hi point came out with the only 380acp rifleit has changed my view of the 380acp. Can you interview ppl that has been touched with small caliber bullets? Statistics don't give much information, just data.
Will the .380 do the job for Self-Defense? According to the Greg Ellifritz real world shooting cases data yes it is but it needs the right ammo. Ammo selection is critical for the .380ACP since it is the smallest caliber in the standard self defense calibers. The mouse calibers below it are not adequate for self defense but are better than nothing. The mouse calibers have high kill rates from popularity but they also have equally high failure rates for stopping threats. I will stick with my SIG P365 micro 9 or my Taurus 856 Defender +P three inch .38Spl. or any of my other sub compact 9mms. Let's face it though, the smaller the gun the harder it is to shoot so it requires more practice than larger guns. So it had better be comfortable enough to practice with.
Those high kill numbers from like .380, .32, .22 can be misleading because if you hit an attacker fatally, it won't help you much if he doesn't die for another 10 minutes and is still shooting back.
@@empireoflizardsPeople use the mouse calibers and they are popular because they conceal well and recoil less but they do that at the price of failing to stop threats.
Yes it will do the job if you can shoot the weapon. Ammo choice matters, but shot placement is far more important than caliber. If you carry one, or carry any handgun for that matter, you need to send the money on ammo to become proficient with your chosen weapon.
The only thing a 380 can't really do for self-defense is penetrate barriers like car windows and car doors, it will go through but it's completely ineffective once it does. A good load in 380 is very effective. I use the Second Amendment ammo cuz those are traveling about 1,000 fps out of a short barrel gun. I also use 50 gr Civil Defense staggered with 100gr hardcast flat nose in case I'm dealing with a car window or something minor, I'll still have a little chance of a few of them going through. I agree 380 is not good for the military or law enforcement officer but for a civilian I think it's fine for a concealed carry.
@jwchenard1 happened to my neighbor they were trying to shoot him with a 380 they come through the window and just laid right there in the floorboard he had a scrape across his head. How often do you try to be a jackass. Maybe you need to go ask Mommy for a little suckle.
.380 in a semi wad cutter is known to penetrate 18” in gel that flat nose is the best performer in .380 a round nose will not penetrate as they are high drag. so dont carry those with the semi wads available so cheap. They are believed to be better than a hollow point for .380 I load 4-4.2 grains of titegroup in a g42 using 124 grain projectiles with a long barrel . The action is important u want a pistol with delay blowback for .380 not just a blow back as they give less fps. These are good guide lines for max power in a 380 for as close to 9mm as possible. With these tips you’ll get full body penetration.
In other news, statistically, you'll never have to defend yourself with a firearm. But in the one in a million chance that you do, just showing the firearm will cause the bad guy to flee in 80% of cases. In the other 20%, are you seriously thinking that having a 380 won't be enough, while having a 45 would have saved your life or something? Exactly what is it you're expecting to happen where a 380 Auto would not be adequate?
I like my Springfield armory 1911 45 auto reliable and will do the job. I carry my Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum 5-inch barrel or my Ruger Vaquero single action 45 long Colt for trout fishing outdoors protection from 4 legged or 2 legged animals.
It's honestly difficult to tell if you're kidding or not. If you are kidding, you had me for a second. If you're not kidding, well... there are specialists who could help you out.
The criminals who would want to/try to victimize us are the same criminals the police face. If the minimum caliber for a cop is a 9mm, then that's the minimum caliber. My wife carries a 9mm because it's the maximum caliber she can proficiently handle (shoot quickly and accurately). I wouldn't want her carrying a .380, since the little .380 carry pistols are snappier than her 9mm and less effective... plus she puts 500 rounds through her carry gun every other Sunday and .380 is more expensive and harder to find. To me, the 9mm is the absolute minimum caliber I would accept, and I feel the only thing 9mm has going for it is capacity and maybe a little quicker follow-up shots. If I can have 16 to 18 rounds in the gun, 9mm will do, but I almost always carry something with 10 230-grain HSTs in it. When we go to the range, my wife will shoot 2 or 3 magazines through my 26 ounce .45, after that her 9mm feels really tame.
Just about every time I've seen a woman shoot a 9mm it looks like she's trying to tame a .44magnum, especially those micro 9mms. A p365 in .380 or Glock 42 in .380 is extremely soft shooting compared to the 9mm counterparts and women tend to perform much, much better with those larger .380s than a 9mm.
@@rustwins4442 Or... a 9mm that's a bit larger, but made specifically for people of smaller stature/weaker hand strength. The S&W Shield 9 EZ/Equalizer come to mind immediately. Soft shooting, easy to rack, easy to load, grip safety... A 62 year old woman... 5 feet even... ua-cam.com/video/dCGYCqGHN78/v-deo.html
IF a 22 was just as reliable about always functioning, I'd regard it as just as "effective' as factory 380 ammo because thats what has proven to be the case with live animal testing. You can get a controlable, 6" long,16 oz 9mm that hits twice as hard as any factory 380. On live animal tests, the Liberty Arms/50 gr solid copper 9mm hp,, 2000 fps from a 3" barrel, is a very solid performer. 450 ft lbs of power, no over-penetration of the torso, AP, and no more recoil than a hot 380. So you have to have your pants pockets enlarged by 1/2" or so in order to let you draw it as swiftly as possible, so what? sell a toy gun and use the money to help you be truly capable. If you're going to lug around a belt-gun, chamber it in 10mm , 45 Super or .460 Rowland and get 700 ft lbs of power, more and larger fragments, and deeper penetration (by a bigger, heavier base-segment of the bullet). 0
Honestly I feel like the 380auto is not a powerful round in todays world, but it was powerful when it was created, but because people now a days have a layer of blubber and gained weight.. the 380 is not powerful anymore like it used to be.
Sir, I do agree the 380 to be a minimal self defense caliber. Being a 30 year retired LEO I have seen many results of shootings involving a 380. One was the result of a contract “killing.” The bad guys started with a baseball bat and ended with, they thought, 2 shots from a 380 to the head. Unknown the type of weapon used but the bullet was the 90 grain FMJ. The first bullet entered the victim’s hand between his index and middle finger as he tried to protect his head. The bullet travelled about 2 1/2” and I could see the bullet just under the skin. The second bullet entered just behind his left ear at an upward angle. The bullet traveled around his skull and exited at the top of his head. I found the bullet sticking in the drywall of the ceiling. The most inflicted injury of this crime was from the baseball bat. I use the Lehigh bullet for its penetration ability but you do have to make sure it will function reliably in your chosen firearm.
Damn. Ain't that some validity? It doesn't work
@@Swampytheroot Guys have tanked Norma 10mm loads.
Excellent ... again. Someone made the distinction between going into trouble guns (duty) and getting out of trouble guns (self defense). For the latter, I agree that .380 & Lehigh Defense is an effective combo.
100%.
I carry a XD-40 most days now but i carried a Bersa Thunder 380 CC for 9 years every day. I kept em loaded with Ye Olden Federal Hydrashoks. 8+1 out or a 3.25" barrel. I felt pretty damn safe and i walked to work and back 4 miles including nights. Now i do carry the 40 Speer Gold dot 165s now. But im not limited to work attire atm. Im a stay at home dad now (dont trust the public schooling system and wife is a CEO). So when i do go out its 12+1 of the 40. And its crazy people criticize peoples caliber choices. They even go after .40 as if its not potent anymore. Lol most of the 10mm loads are loaded down to 40 pressures so you're payijg for 40 at a premium; nice going. If you want a bear killer no one is stopping yall from getting a .44 magnum.
Almost any load will do if your land center hits, and hit(S) are always better than a single hit, guess I didn't mention that.
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jbwell with 380 thats very possible. Hell, the damn Spetznaz used 9x18 for years and the performance of modern 380 over those loads is superior! It'll do
I hve a 25 oz, 7" long .45 super, holding 8 rds. offering 700 ft lbs per shot, and I can get repeat hits wit it in .17 second, on a 10" circle at 10 ft. You dont have to go to the twice as heavy, twice as slow repeat hits 44. be non-concealable, etc, in order to have real striking force.
I am looking forward to watching this series.
Excellent video! I agree with you about the .380 as pertains to a capable marksman. The older I get, the more I encounter people who want to carry but have physical problems with recoil and slide operation. If someone can't handle the larger calibers, they are better off with something they can handle, even a .22.
I am hoping to see you do a video on lasers, especially the newer green variety. They are much easier to see than the red versions.
I have been training with lasers since the 1990s and have found them to be very useful in instructing new shooters. Most of the videos I have seen show someone demonstrating how to use them while having the pistol at sight level.
I use them differently. My strong position is a two-handed grip, elbows against my sides, and not even looking at the gun, just concentrating on the laser and the target. If in a bright light situation, I just follow the laser on the ground to the target or use the sights.
My system seems to make it easier to learn the grip, trigger control, and then teach sight control to newbies. Dry firing with the lasers immediately shows shooters what they are doing wrong. It also saves on expensive ammo.
Keep up the good videos!
Thanks for the kind words. I hope to line up some lasers for an episode when I attend the SHOT show next month. I have a Streamlight TLR2G flashlight/green laser on my .357 Magnum house gun (lever action). I'm like you, the best way I have found to use a laser is to keep the weapon just below the normal line of sight and concentrate on the target, with is pretty, squiggly laser dot.
I've found that the more you dry fire with your elbows braced against your body the less wiggling the green dot does. I discovered the elbows braced position while trying to defeat the wiggles. Also helps old eyes see the target and you can view all the scenery in front of you without the gun and your arms in the way.
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb
I have a question, my rotator cuffs are very bad and cat raise my arms to use sites, is this what you're talking about about, two handed with elbows on your sides. Thanks.
I really appreciate your channel. You present the information and or your thoughts in a very straightforward manner. I agree with everything you said and like you, I believe that except for very limited and specific reasons, it’s prudent to avoid the .380 auto along with all smaller conventional calibers. Friends don’t let friends carry “mouse guns”.
I agree with everything you said and I'll add one caveat. In similarly sized pistols the 32 ACP is more pleasant to shoot than a 380 and the magazine capacity is greater. It's weaker than the 380, but far more potent than the 25 ACP and 22LR. For those who find 380 recoil unacceptable, the 32 ACP would be my recommendation if they prefer an automatic over a revolver.
I agree totally! The only problem with the Lehighs is that it doesn't always function in certain pistols. So you have to run a few mags to make sure they run in your pistol
The military classify the .380ACP capable of a kill-shot at 50 meters or 164 feet. Of course your sights are a factor as well as your skill at that range. Most HPs in this cal. Struggle to reach 10in penetration, should they open. As you displayed, the best cartridge is the Lehigh Extreme Penetrator in 90gr or $Xtreme Defenders in 65gr as all that I will carry in my G42. The human chest of a normal size person is from 8 to 10 inches on a frontal shot. That said, the skill in a small platform is more of a challenge.
A .22LR will kill at 100 yards or more, if it hits in the vicinity of the eye socket. I'll talk about the "mouseguns" in a later episode ... The CAN kill, but the circumstances have to be unique.
as a reloader with over 44years years experience and knowledge of many calibers I believe any calibers and pistol/revolver strong,,accurate, flawless operation is worthy of self defense except 22,22mag, 25auto mouse guns. I agree 380acp should be the minimum with no exceptions. some will probably get mad about my comments and that's ok. always carry a big enough gun and ammunition for the intended purpose and Liv longer. the three out of my gun safe is Taurus 605in 357mag, s w mod 10 in 38special and the one that is my first grab is my Taurus pt845 in 45acp+p that's 12 in mag one in barrel, I reload using starline 45super brass , gt bullets 255gr hard cast wide mouth deep hp at 950 fps ,with longshot powder . expansion in jug tests 7/ 8in across, retaining weights 244 to 246 gr. papa wishing you well. 😊
I have to wander how often u actually carry any one of those guns!? Do u have one on your persons right now?? I doubt it. I’ve got a .22 bobcat in my front pocket all the time. All the time. Even in my sleeping pants. I talk to a lot of ppl about carry guns they tell me about their gun and then I show em mine but they can’t show me theirs. Everyone thinks they will carry “when they need too” would I like a bigger gun ya until it’s pulling my pants off. I carried a g42 for yrs but this bobcat 21a is super accurate and I can shoot it fast and have extra mags. Also it’s a hammer gun with a momentum firing pin. It’s a very safe carry gun I just keep it loaded to fire it in DA
Just wanted to say I saw 2 pretty big guys drop like a sack of flower from one of them little 22mags(naa I think) one shot each to center of chest. It was at a dirt track race.
😮
I mean they collapsed like someone had hit them in the head with a knocker! (That's the image that comes to mind) just wanted to tell my story😊
Peace
I really enjoy this channel. First, it’s informative.
Second it’s pro-police/military. One thing I have noticed lately is that a lot of 2A content has gotten extremely anti police, borderline anti military and in my opinion just plain crazy.
Finally, the comments section seems to be filled with normal people.
I’m not an advocate for carrying a .380, and I don’t own one. That said, in certain circumstances a .380 can be effective. I’m a detective and one of nastiest gunshot wounds I have seen was a .380 that hit a guy in the gut, bounced around and ended up by the collar bone. It was not pretty.
If police wouldn't be anti gun rights in a lot of states gun content creators wouldn't be anti police simple , as for military I dont know what you are talking about most creators are pro miltiary or have no opinion
good presentation with good information
I experienced three on-duty shootings during my 30 yrs. armed with an issued .38 revolver. First was w/a 158 grain standard pressure lead round nose, second was the same bullet +P power & the third was w/a 158 grain +P hollow point (FBI Load). The first incident dropped the suspect, the second took several rounds before the bad guy dropped & the third dropped the bad guy right w/one round center chest. In retirement my preference is a light weight J Frame but I’ll usually have a .380 LCP in a pocket holster. You’re absolutely right about the difficulty concealing a J Frame in the pocket wearing dress slacks.
Sounds like a very eventful career. Thanks for your service.
Yes. The 380 Auto is a very good round for self defense. Anyone who says otherwise is closing their eyes to its history of getting the job done. No matter what pistol round is carried multiple shots are advised. When multiple rounds hit the bad guy, the difference between cartridges becomes insignificant.
I will never criticize someone's choice of cartridge.
Well said and spot on
It can be significant if the hole it puts in vitals is bigger. So really yeah 380. Will stop the person but dont stick around if they have a gun also because there gonna be completely capable of shooting back a for a while
Carry what you will but I lost my enthusiasm for .380 after a conversation with a gentleman who told me he was shot twice in the back with one at close range and didn't realize he had been shot until some other patrons at the bar where the shooting took place informed him he was bleeding. Yes, all handgun rounds suck for effectiveness but some suck worse than others.
@@phishno2767I watched a UA-cam "prank" video where the prankster got shot point blank with a .380 and he also didn't realize he was shot. I'm sure it's happened with 9mm and up too but it does make one think.
25 acp best self defense caliber made
Yea i seen this video on a liquor store robbery where the perp was shot in the heart but he was still able to shoot back but died a minute later.
Defiant Munitions Total Copper Expanding 380. Very good penetration and expansion, something very rare in 380.
John Brown was not dumb, and 'acceptable' pistol needs when it was invented like the 25ACP were different. To me I see the 25acp as invented as a 'card table' gun....380acp as concealed 'deal gone bad' range 5ft shot type range. I have a 380acp shoot 110gr cast to 1050-1100fps - no pressure signs no issues......is a handload like this really different than a 9mm??? its my boot gun if I ever need one
That's really good power for a .380 but most people probably don't reload or load that hot. Even so, the 9mm will always have an edge because the heavier bullets like 124 or 147gr. still have better sectional density which helps penetration or overall damage. But, comparing the 110gr hot 380 to a 115gr 9mm would be interesting experiment.
@@empireoflizards I love 9mm and just got a new 9mm PCC...I was just bringing up the 380acp 'originally' was a hotter round than todays book loads. The other thing going for the 380 is its low pressure so you have 'room' reloading. With 9mm you are starting high pressure and while you can go 9mm +P thats all the room you got. Heres an old load manual thats really worth the download - its old, so unless you shoot classic cartridges and powders, but its still one of the best out there - photos.imageevent.com/badgerdog/generalstorage/pdfpublications/complete_guide_to_handloading%20-%20sharpe%20-%201937.pdf
Marginal but it works for pocket carry which is what I prefer and will always practice. I find that with IWB or OWB there's a good chance I won't be armed. I live in a rural, low threat environment so that's a factor as well.
The old kahr Pistols and some of the Makarov/Walther/Bersa Pistols are excellent for iwb. Single stack is so much nice for carry for iwb as far as I'm concerned. I mean I haven't tried the newer model stuff but I am interested in the hellcats. They seemed pretty flat for double stacks
I agree completely about where you live ... I call my town Mayberry and what makes me comfortable here does not equate to what I carry far from home.
What about og federal hydra shoks ?
Im of the mind that (just about) every caliber has it's niche. It's good to have options and having a couple of featherweight guns around is a great idea. I do stick with fmj for anything under 9mm aside from perhaps a .32 magnum.
I had a job a number of years ago, 1984 I believe it was to be exact. Because of the nature of the job, I was dressed fairly semi-formal add a full-size firearm would not quite work, but I had recently acquired a Walther PPKs in 380 that had a metal life finish on it. I did Ultra in one way, I filed off the serrations on the trigger that would literally cut your finger by trying to pull that 20 lb double action trigger pull. The hard Chrome that had been put on the face of the trigger made those serrations even sharper than they already were. But when I got it nice and smooth and Polished it up, it actually was a very comfortable trigger at the time when I first started shooting that firearm the hottest load I could find for a powder that metered well, was about 3.2 grains of 231 but I noticed that when it ejected the shell it would barely get out of the gun more than just a few inches and fall almost at my feet. When the new book came out that year, it raised that by almost a full grain. A substantial increase to say the least. I had a little Dandy powder measure, and I would load up 90 grain Ciara hollow points with a near top load. And the extraction was much more vociferous. But I figured that would make at least a decent pistol for the place I was working which was where my brother had fallen ill and I was filling in for him for a bit so I carried at least three extra magazines because you can never have enough ammo, never had the necessity to use it, but I understood that 3 to 4 rounds may be necessary if I have to slow somebody down. Luckily the one time that there seemed to be an issue at this place, I was able to keep the person from the back room from coming out and kept myself separated from the floor manager so that without them being able to heard us together into a controlled space, they were not able to continue their actions of trying to rob the establishment.
As it happened, about 20 minutes after leaving our place, they robbed a place about a mile away. A police officer who came into the operation later that night, said that there had been a robbery, and I gave him a written description of the car, the plate number, and the description of the three people who would come in and what I thought that the fourth person looked like. They were able to track these people down pretty quickly after that. The manager also never apologize for having excoriated me for not walking around and helping them and staying back in the corner where I had a defensible position. And I had also motioned to the girl in the back to stay in the back. She was not happy with me, but she never said anything after the police officer said that that was fit the description of the people who had robbed the restaurant about a mile away the best victories are from a battle you didn't have to fight.
BTW, Diamondback DB9 is smaller than most 380's but hurts (me) to shoot.
A little late to the party on this one, but - I agree. My state trooper friends have talked about what they have seen with .380, and it's just not there. Like most of us, it has a place in our rotation as a pocket pistol, one you grab to run up to the local quick mart for a soda or something, or if you simply can't carry or conceal anything else because of size. But I don't really consider it much of a defensive caliber, even if I had to use it. And as far as performance, I WILL say that the Lucky Gunner Labs testing showed that Critical Defense *DID* (just barely) pass the FBI protocol. That's the only round I will carry in mine.
Well thought-out reasoning on the .380.
Thank you sir. Keep on keeping on please . 😜. 🙏💕
Will it do the job? I’d say yes, if you do your part, like with any other pistol round.
I go back to one of your videos about bears and handguns. I think you said something along the lines of precision and penetration. I see the same parallel with CC pistol rounds, if that makes sense.
Thank you for the video
It makes perfect sense and I always get good stuff from commentors I should have included. Thanks.
As far as blowback designs are concerned, HiPoint has produced millions of 9mm, 40 S&W, 45acp &, now, even 10mm in their very reliable JXP pistols...! P.S. As you recommend, Lehigh (again?) has an answer in 380acp. When a double action, reliable budget 380acp with a generous 10+1 capacity is desired, the American-made SCCY CPX-3 has been a good option, IMHO.
forty years ago they were saying the 380 was like having more average 38 loads compared to 6 shot revolver you are right self defence or back up but the bottom line shot placement is everything with smaller calibers as one gun writer said better a hit with a pea shooter than a miss with a cannon
My mom carries a bodyguard, i wish she would go up in caliber but as you said, cops are more likely to have to fight off the " determined attacker " than average people, unless that person is the kind of person that is kind of a bully or just a major pos.
If she has confidence in her pistol ... confidence is a power of its own.
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb well said and very true.
What most people fail to realize is that the 380 ACP is a 9mm Kurz (German for Short) and is 9x17mm and a German Luger (Normal called a 9mm) is 9x19mm. That’s a difference of only two millimeters. Put the brass side by side and you can’t tell the difference between the two without a digital micrometer.
Bill Willson at Willson Combat are now making the Lehigh solid bullets, and loaded ammunition. Bill has been doing a ton of ballistic testing on these, including rifle rounds....
You mentioned carrying a .380 at formal occasions when your clothing dictates what you can conceal. I’d suggest having a .380 with you is way better than having a .357 Magnum or .45 ACP left in the safe at home.
That is the way I think.
Nowadays with all the new powders, technology and bullets the 380rds are pretty close if not more powerful than some 9mm.
With that being said l myself don't trust either one. I had a friend that was a police officer and he got into a fire fight with a bad guy and lost his life because of the 9mm. The officer shot 5 RDS into the bad guy.
2rds to the head,2 RDS to the chest and another round to the body. The bad guy shot 1 round and ended the offer's life. This was in 1984. After this happen l started carrying the 45acp with federal premium HTS ammo.
I personally rotate between the 9mm & the .45 caliber for EDC. I must say that the 9mm ammo has made huge improvements in stopping the bad guy!! I myself carry the HST 124 grain +P JHP out of a G48 4” barrel and I can tell you it’s absolutely deviating!! My .45 ammo is the HST 230 grain +P JHP out of a G30 & it’s a cannon!! In my personal opinion I would not ever want to get shot with either round!!!
I recently got rid of my 380's, ammo price is ridiculous for that caliber.
380 was the preferred round of choice of the Shanghai Municipal Police during the warlord era, and the Colt 1903 was specifically chosen by the legendary Fairborn. Shanghai could give modern Chicago a run for its money any day of the week.
Chicago is a garden spot compared to my understanding of Shanghai in Fairbairn's time. And, despite the spelling differences, all "Fairburns" spring from the same Viking roots many generations ago.
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb 👍
@@lockloadwithdickfairburn-cr1jb that's funny your screen name is so long I didn't even notice the Fairborn part in it when I made the comment.
I'm a new gun owner I recently purchased a Tarius 38 special do you think that was a good idea.
I prefer S&W and Colt revolvers, but the Taurus wheelguns are solid performers.
Nobody's ever raped a .38!
LAPD’s official .380 authorized “duty” (back-up) round is the Speer Lawman 95gr TMJ. For LA Sheriff, their authorized duty round is the Federal HST 99gr hollow point. Both are really failures for bullets. The TMJ never expands, but penetrates generally over 18”. LAPD’s thinking is that all .380 HP’s are poor penetration failures. LAPD’s philosophy is that it’s better to have rather deep penetration with no expansion, than great expansion with shallow penetration. Whereas LASD believes that while the .380 HST will expand nicely, it only penetrates to about 10-11” in BARE gel. The FBI says this is a “fail.” However with clothing, which most police shootings involve someone wearing clothing and that HST round will NOT expand. When going through clothing first, the HST in .380 acts like a FMJ ad out to about 18”. So LASD believes their .380 choice is better than LAPD. Neither agency’s weapons training staff are fans of the .380 and I can see why.
I tried to write a comment on this session earlier but it seems to have been wiped out. My original question was why not include 9x18 Makarov in with the 9’s. It’s a step up in velocity and energy from the 380 with similar bullet weights. I’m not sure how factory ammo compares in cost at this time. Locally I’ve seen a couple of very nice one selling with ammo in the $400 to $600 range.
I know there have been quite a few Makarovs imported, but they never seemed to grab much of the market. Any power advantage the Mak has over a .380 is modest at best. The former Soviet surplus rounds are pretty inconsistent.
Nicely done video! I would make a few comments about some related issues. First, LEOs have a different goal than a citizen: the LEO is obligated to apprehend the perp; the citizen wants him to go away. So, the perp's motivation when fired upon is different in those circumstances. Second, I have never seen any statistics on how effective the .380 was in police use for many years in Europe. I suspect that information is not available, but unless we believe European police were dummies (they are not) there must have be some reasons why they continued to use that round. Gregg Ellifritz has provided data that show the overall effectiveness of he .380, 38 special, 9 mm, .357 mag, and .40 S&W are indistinguishable. Whether his observations and conclusions are pertinent to most of us remains to be determined. Finally. the .380 must be considered in the context of the firearm employed; a Ruger LCP with a less than 3 inch barrel and weighing less than 10 oz. is very different in use than a Beretta 80 series with a weight of 24 oz, and barrel length of nearly 4 inches.
Notwithstanding all of the above, if I knew I was going to a gunfight my personal choice would be a 39 spcl +P, 357 mag, or 9mm
You say Walther PPK is not a reliable pistol. Is that because it’s picky with what it will feed and cycle or is it because you personally can’t use it effectively? I’m asking for real. Do you have some legitimate critique of it? I wouldn’t carry something that expensive personally anyway because it has a stiff enough price point that it Carrie’s the previous factor but other than magazine compatibility which you should work out long before you start toting it I have experienced no issues from 1. It’s picky though with it’s fixed sights some ammunition will go low left, some high left and so on and the old 90gn Federal Hydrashock is all I’ve been able to get dead on hits with. I’m sure there are other functional loads out there but so far it’s slow going buying a box here and there and being disappointed in them. I could chronograph the hydra shocks and work up a lid to match velocity and see how they shoot but I could also order them online.
I have handled several .380 caliber PP/PPks over the years and none of them have been perfectly reliable for me. They were available for senior police commanders when I ran an academy range, the newest American-made stainless-steel ones, and they were also not the best. They do OK with FMJ ammo but can be very finicky about a JHP they will feed, in my experience. Obviously, your experience may be different.
If it makes a hole it's good for self defense for me.
Ever since hi point came out with the only 380acp rifleit has changed my view of the 380acp.
Can you interview ppl that has been touched with small caliber bullets? Statistics don't give much information, just data.
Will the .380 do the job for Self-Defense?
According to the Greg Ellifritz real world shooting cases data yes it is but it needs the right ammo. Ammo selection is critical for the .380ACP since it is the smallest caliber in the standard self defense calibers. The mouse calibers below it are not adequate for self defense but are better than nothing. The mouse calibers have high kill rates from popularity but they also have equally high failure rates for stopping threats. I will stick with my SIG P365 micro 9 or my Taurus 856 Defender +P three inch .38Spl. or any of my other sub compact 9mms. Let's face it though, the smaller the gun the harder it is to shoot so it requires more practice than larger guns. So it had better be comfortable enough to practice with.
Fun to talk about, though.
Those high kill numbers from like .380, .32, .22 can be misleading because if you hit an attacker fatally, it won't help you much if he doesn't die for another 10 minutes and is still shooting back.
@@empireoflizardsPeople use the mouse calibers and they are popular because they conceal well and recoil less but they do that at the price of failing to stop threats.
Yes it will do the job if you can shoot the weapon. Ammo choice matters, but shot placement is far more important than caliber. If you carry one, or carry any handgun for that matter, you need to send the money on ammo to become proficient with your chosen weapon.
I don't feel naked with my 12+1 LCP MAX or 12+1 p365-380.
Underwood has a +p 380
The only thing a 380 can't really do for self-defense is penetrate barriers like car windows and car doors, it will go through but it's completely ineffective once it does. A good load in 380 is very effective. I use the Second Amendment ammo cuz those are traveling about 1,000 fps out of a short barrel gun. I also use 50 gr Civil Defense staggered with 100gr hardcast flat nose in case I'm dealing with a car window or something minor, I'll still have a little chance of a few of them going through. I agree 380 is not good for the military or law enforcement officer but for a civilian I think it's fine for a concealed carry.
How often do you find that you have to defend yourself against car doors or windows?
@jwchenard1 happened to my neighbor they were trying to shoot him with a 380 they come through the window and just laid right there in the floorboard he had a scrape across his head. How often do you try to be a jackass. Maybe you need to go ask Mommy for a little suckle.
.380 in a semi wad cutter is known to penetrate 18” in gel that flat nose is the best performer in .380 a round nose will not penetrate as they are high drag. so dont carry those with the semi wads available so cheap. They are believed to be better than a hollow point for .380 I load 4-4.2 grains of titegroup in a g42 using 124 grain projectiles with a long barrel . The action is important u want a pistol with delay blowback for .380 not just a blow back as they give less fps. These are good guide lines for max power in a 380 for as close to 9mm as possible. With these tips you’ll get full body penetration.
In other news, statistically, you'll never have to defend yourself with a firearm. But in the one in a million chance that you do, just showing the firearm will cause the bad guy to flee in 80% of cases. In the other 20%, are you seriously thinking that having a 380 won't be enough, while having a 45 would have saved your life or something? Exactly what is it you're expecting to happen where a 380 Auto would not be adequate?
I like my Springfield armory 1911 45 auto reliable and will do the job. I carry my Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum 5-inch barrel or my Ruger Vaquero single action 45 long Colt for trout fishing outdoors protection from 4 legged or 2 legged animals.
It's honestly difficult to tell if you're kidding or not. If you are kidding, you had me for a second. If you're not kidding, well... there are specialists who could help you out.
I don't have anything against .380 other than ammo cost. Smaller pocket type pistols require more practice, which translates to $$$$$ in ammo.
It will do a good job, but for me I won’t go smaller than a 9mm that’s just me.
The criminals who would want to/try to victimize us are the same criminals the police face. If the minimum caliber for a cop is a 9mm, then that's the minimum caliber.
My wife carries a 9mm because it's the maximum caliber she can proficiently handle (shoot quickly and accurately). I wouldn't want her carrying a .380, since the little .380 carry pistols are snappier than her 9mm and less effective... plus she puts 500 rounds through her carry gun every other Sunday and .380 is more expensive and harder to find.
To me, the 9mm is the absolute minimum caliber I would accept, and I feel the only thing 9mm has going for it is capacity and maybe a little quicker follow-up shots. If I can have 16 to 18 rounds in the gun, 9mm will do, but I almost always carry something with 10 230-grain HSTs in it.
When we go to the range, my wife will shoot 2 or 3 magazines through my 26 ounce .45, after that her 9mm feels really tame.
Just about every time I've seen a woman shoot a 9mm it looks like she's trying to tame a .44magnum, especially those micro 9mms. A p365 in .380 or Glock 42 in .380 is extremely soft shooting compared to the 9mm counterparts and women tend to perform much, much better with those larger .380s than a 9mm.
@@rustwins4442 Or... a 9mm that's a bit larger, but made specifically for people of smaller stature/weaker hand strength. The S&W Shield 9 EZ/Equalizer come to mind immediately. Soft shooting, easy to rack, easy to load, grip safety...
A 62 year old woman... 5 feet even...
ua-cam.com/video/dCGYCqGHN78/v-deo.html
IF a 22 was just as reliable about always functioning, I'd regard it as just as "effective' as factory 380 ammo because thats what has proven to be the case with live animal testing. You can get a controlable, 6" long,16 oz 9mm that hits twice as hard as any factory 380. On live animal tests, the Liberty Arms/50 gr solid copper 9mm hp,, 2000 fps from a 3" barrel, is a very solid performer. 450 ft lbs of power, no over-penetration of the torso, AP, and no more recoil than a hot 380. So you have to have your pants pockets enlarged by 1/2" or so in order to let you draw it as swiftly as possible, so what? sell a toy gun and use the money to help you be truly capable. If you're going to lug around a belt-gun, chamber it in 10mm , 45 Super or .460 Rowland and get 700 ft lbs of power, more and larger fragments, and deeper penetration (by a bigger, heavier base-segment of the bullet).
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Honestly I feel like the 380auto is not a powerful round in todays world, but it was powerful when it was created, but because people now a days have a layer of blubber and gained weight.. the 380 is not powerful anymore like it used to be.
I would never consider it
I'm blind now lol