Of course the Gold Dot in 9mm is going to perform well but the big surprise to me was the 380 getting 11+'' and pretty good expansion. That type of performance in 380 isn't easy to get.
I would recommend to anyone that uses FMJ to switch to the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo. Even if you believe it doesn't work (it does!) you're much better off with a round that "might" work as opposed to a round that we *know* doesn't work worth beans! Yeah, they're a lot more expensive so I have to fall back on the old "what's your life worth?" Friends don't let friends carry FMJ! The stuff is nearly worthless... barely better than throwing rocks! Cheers, jc
@@jmichaelcarbonniere9549 I usally carry 357sig or 40S&W, the 380 is seldom used. But I agree on the Underwood being better. You know you're screwed if ya catch 1 of those😅
My every day carry is a Glock 42 with Trijicon HD XR Night Sights and a 9 round ETS magazine fitted with an XGRIP for a full three-finger grip. I load the magazine with 8 rounds maximum, plus one in the chamber, to ensure 100% reliability. Ammo of choice is Underwood Extreme Penetrator 380+P. This combination has very little recoil, is very controllable and EXTREMELY accurate! I carry it 24/7 in a DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster and honestly it's so light and compact that I forget it's there. The best self-defense pistol is the one you never leave home without!
Good test, but the only .380 I have is an AMT Backup with a tiny barrel! I have found no hollow point, including the Gold Dot, that will open with any reliability. It was basically a safe queen until I discovered the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo. Now I occasionally carry the Backup when it's really hard to conceal anything else. The sights are as basic as they come so there won't be any 40 yard shots but as a belly gun, it's pretty hard to beat. I can cover the gun completely with one hand so it's pretty small - and only holds 6 rounds including the one in the chamber. It's definitely a tool of last resort! Cheers, jc
The Extreme Defender is far and away the best .380 carry ammo. My LCP Max is a safe queen too, cuz I can usually conceal my normal EDCs just fine-- but at least I know it's good to go whenever I need a much small carry gun
@@drewmunny That's what I carry in my LCPII too. In all the testing I've seen and done on my own it (Underwood Extreme Defender +P) seems to perform as well as possible for a 380 load. The big + is I've found with this round is that it seems to be very consistent unlike some of the HP loads.
I think comparing .380 to 9mm is lame they are not even close to the same on power. But as far as people comparing them you sir did the best you could do to level the playing field unlike most people do. I think it's like comparing an F-450 V-8 diesel Dooley to a F-100 300/6 2wheel drive in a pulling contest. The F-100 does good for what it is but there is no contest.
Thanks for the test and comparison. I see so few actual gelatin used in tests which most going with the clear stuff. I wonder do you do the BB calibration on your gel?
Sorry I'm late to the party. 1rstly, thanks for the video. Very good. Here's what I personally really appreciate with this effort. It's the fact that you did this test with these barrel lengths. My "guess," my "assumption" whether it be right or wrong, is that generally speaking most people that carry .380 are in fact using these itty bitty guns. Not all, but most. I know I have no use for .380 outside of having to pocket carry an LCP gen 1 because I just cannot carry anything else but that gun for certain reasons. Should I have been able to carry something else, I would have and do. Therefor it's good to see that these 90 grain gold dots actually do pretty well "considering" it's A-.380, and B- it's a tiny gun with a tiny barrel. I also appreciate demonstrations that exemplify what 9mm. works in these sorts of short barrel 9mm. Luger pistols. These Sig's, the Taurus like the one shown, the Hellcat, there's a boat load of these 3" barrel 9mm. Luger guns abound and not all loadings work so well with them. How many 3.1" Shield variations are there now floating around after 12 or more years of production? A lot. Millions I've heard. So, thanks for doing tests here that realistically represent what tons of people actually carry on their persons daily.
I consider that performance ideal, right in the Goldilocks Zone for penetration. I'd carry both and feel well armed, but I would hafta order them. I can find HST in Academy. Nice work! Thanks for all you do! I have a wonder. What if...we fired every failed 380 hollow point out of a 4 inch(or longer) 9mm barrel, or a Glock 25 for that matter. Would the extra velocity make them open up as intended?
The longer barrel only works "sometimes" so that it's not always a reliable thing. As in, you might not want to stake your life on it without some serious testing. Testing of your gun, not someone on u tube! My .380 is like that, not reliable with any .380 ammo except the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo, which is all I carry in my Backup .380! Cheers, jc
Bro you are a good shot. I shot my bosses LCP , couldn't hit shit with it and had to reposition it after every shot like it was trying to fly out of my hand. 167 ft lbs lol😂
It's tough! I always end up low with my LCP Max and it's super frustrating. It's also uncomfortable to shoot so I've never put in the time to be great with it hahah. But for sure I could hit a man sized target at a reasonable distance (it just might be an accidental gut shot 😬) I basically never carry it so it's not super important lol
Hey bro can you test the UW 124gr XTP 9:52 357 sig? They replaced the 124gr Nosler ASP with the Hornady projectile and said it's going to be 1 to 1.5 years before they get it back😢
Very thorough. And if I'm ever really pissed off at a gelatin block, I'll know whether or not to spend a little extra on premium ammo. Out in the real world, in the one in a billion chance that you are involved in a self-defense shooting incident, the chances that hollow point 9 mm will be any more of a deterrent than 380 ball are remote. Taken together, that means that the chances that you will ever be involved in a self-defense shooting in which your choice of ammunition makes a difference is perhaps 1 in 10 billion. Your chances of being struck by lightning are about 10 thousand times more likely.
Surprised the 380 opened fully. Did you see 22Plinkster's video on the difference between Clear Ballistics and FBI organic gel? Is your supergel FBI spec or beyond?
a .380 flying at 912 fps is just like a subsonic 9mm so I guess it's still pretty good for home defense.
Of course the Gold Dot in 9mm is going to perform well but the big surprise to me was the 380 getting 11+'' and pretty good expansion. That type of performance in 380 isn't easy to get.
100%
I carry the 115 GD in my shield plus... good to see it does well from short barrel
That 380 surprised me. I usally just use FMJ type ammo in 380 because HP is a coin toss on working. Good comparison 👍
I would recommend to anyone that uses FMJ to switch to the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo. Even if you believe it doesn't work (it does!) you're much better off with a round that "might" work as opposed to a round that we *know* doesn't work worth beans! Yeah, they're a lot more expensive so I have to fall back on the old "what's your life worth?" Friends don't let friends carry FMJ! The stuff is nearly worthless... barely better than throwing rocks!
Cheers,
jc
@@jmichaelcarbonniere9549 I usally carry 357sig or 40S&W, the 380 is seldom used. But I agree on the Underwood being better. You know you're screwed if ya catch 1 of those😅
My every day carry is a Glock 42 with Trijicon HD XR Night Sights and a 9 round ETS magazine fitted with an XGRIP for a full three-finger grip. I load the magazine with 8 rounds maximum, plus one in the chamber, to ensure 100% reliability. Ammo of choice is Underwood Extreme Penetrator 380+P. This combination has very little recoil, is very controllable and EXTREMELY accurate! I carry it 24/7 in a DeSantis Nemesis Pocket Holster and honestly it's so light and compact that I forget it's there. The best self-defense pistol is the one you never leave home without!
Ets mags suck
Your too old, reflexes too slow for self defense my friend.
Good test, but the only .380 I have is an AMT Backup with a tiny barrel! I have found no hollow point, including the Gold Dot, that will open with any reliability. It was basically a safe queen until I discovered the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo. Now I occasionally carry the Backup when it's really hard to conceal anything else. The sights are as basic as they come so there won't be any 40 yard shots but as a belly gun, it's pretty hard to beat. I can cover the gun completely with one hand so it's pretty small - and only holds 6 rounds including the one in the chamber. It's definitely a tool of last resort!
Cheers,
jc
The Extreme Defender is far and away the best .380 carry ammo. My LCP Max is a safe queen too, cuz I can usually conceal my normal EDCs just fine-- but at least I know it's good to go whenever I need a much small carry gun
@@drewmunny That's what I carry in my LCPII too. In all the testing I've seen and done on my own it (Underwood Extreme Defender +P) seems to perform as well as possible for a 380 load. The big + is I've found with this round is that it seems to be very consistent unlike some of the HP loads.
Thank you for this test bro! Goin w/ da 9 iron here I think. Would be really cool to see .22LR/.22MAG vs. .380.
.22short as well .25ACP, 32, 380ACP are all designed for upclose work😉
yes
Great test , i carry both rounds at different times and feel like both will do the job no problem !
Really enjoyed the vid. What you see is what you get without the 5mins of the standard yt shpeeal. Subbed
@@eheproductions5744 Thank you very much, I really appreciate that and the support!! Plenty on the way my friend😁👍.
I think comparing .380 to 9mm is lame they are not even close to the same on power. But as far as people comparing them you sir did the best you could do to level the playing field unlike most people do. I think it's like comparing an F-450 V-8 diesel Dooley to a F-100 300/6 2wheel drive in a pulling contest. The F-100 does good for what it is but there is no contest.
Thanks for the test and comparison. I see so few actual gelatin used in tests which most going with the clear stuff. I wonder do you do the BB calibration on your gel?
Pretty decent 9. Not bad at all for a 380. Thank you sir.
380 Speer Gold Dot did really well... for a 380. 9mm was good as usual.
Sorry I'm late to the party. 1rstly, thanks for the video. Very good. Here's what I personally really appreciate with this effort. It's the fact that you did this test with these barrel lengths. My "guess," my "assumption" whether it be right or wrong, is that generally speaking most people that carry .380 are in fact using these itty bitty guns. Not all, but most. I know I have no use for .380 outside of having to pocket carry an LCP gen 1 because I just cannot carry anything else but that gun for certain reasons. Should I have been able to carry something else, I would have and do. Therefor it's good to see that these 90 grain gold dots actually do pretty well "considering" it's A-.380, and B- it's a tiny gun with a tiny barrel. I also appreciate demonstrations that exemplify what 9mm. works in these sorts of short barrel 9mm. Luger pistols. These Sig's, the Taurus like the one shown, the Hellcat, there's a boat load of these 3" barrel 9mm. Luger guns abound and not all loadings work so well with them. How many 3.1" Shield variations are there now floating around after 12 or more years of production? A lot. Millions I've heard. So, thanks for doing tests here that realistically represent what tons of people actually carry on their persons daily.
Thank you for this excellent comparison.
Great video thanks.
@@chetwilson3149 Thank you🫵!!
Really enjoyed the video! Subscribed.
@@kaiki8318 Thank you very much I appreciate that and the support!! Plenty on the way😁👍.
I consider that performance ideal, right in the Goldilocks Zone for penetration. I'd carry both and feel well armed, but I would hafta order them. I can find HST in Academy. Nice work! Thanks for all you do! I have a wonder. What if...we fired every failed 380 hollow point out of a 4 inch(or longer) 9mm barrel, or a Glock 25 for that matter. Would the extra velocity make them open up as intended?
The longer barrel only works "sometimes" so that it's not always a reliable thing. As in, you might not want to stake your life on it without some serious testing. Testing of your gun, not someone on u tube! My .380 is like that, not reliable with any .380 ammo except the Lehigh Xtreme Defender ammo, which is all I carry in my Backup .380!
Cheers,
jc
More penetration is better
Apesar de eu não entender o seu idioma , gostei muito do teste dos calibres e das respectivas muniçãoes, bom trabalho 👏👏👏👏👏
Bro you are a good shot. I shot my bosses LCP , couldn't hit shit with it and had to reposition it after every shot like it was trying to fly out of my hand. 167 ft lbs lol😂
It's tough! I always end up low with my LCP Max and it's super frustrating. It's also uncomfortable to shoot so I've never put in the time to be great with it hahah. But for sure I could hit a man sized target at a reasonable distance (it just might be an accidental gut shot 😬)
I basically never carry it so it's not super important lol
Nice work bud👊
good video !!!! love my lcp max
Hey bro can you test the UW 124gr XTP 9:52 357 sig? They replaced the 124gr Nosler ASP with the Hornady projectile and said it's going to be 1 to 1.5 years before they get it back😢
nice
Excellent presentation. Thank you.
Very thorough. And if I'm ever really pissed off at a gelatin block, I'll know whether or not to spend a little extra on premium ammo. Out in the real world, in the one in a billion chance that you are involved in a self-defense shooting incident, the chances that hollow point 9 mm will be any more of a deterrent than 380 ball are remote. Taken together, that means that the chances that you will ever be involved in a self-defense shooting in which your choice of ammunition makes a difference is perhaps 1 in 10 billion. Your chances of being struck by lightning are about 10 thousand times more likely.
how about trying two identical bullets in 380 vs 9mm Underwood uses a 68gr Lehigh Defense Xtreme Defender in both calibers.
Nice job as always. That 9mm almost resembles a federal hst a bit. .380 may need a bit longer barrel or a spicier round…
Why do .380s look like squirt guns?
Surprised the 380 opened fully. Did you see 22Plinkster's video on the difference between Clear Ballistics and FBI organic gel? Is your supergel FBI spec or beyond?
ua-cam.com/video/y7ErmuJ4rJY/v-deo.htmlsi=gtN92wmcCw92CyeW
Actual fact checks…