JHPs FTW! I am not a huge fan of FMJ. Like many others have already mentioned, they have a tendency to zip right through with little deformation. You need something that will cause a lot of tissue damage/shock as it enters. Majority of bullets designed for hunting do just that (with the exception of big, big game rounds ie African game where the bullet is not designed to frag or expand as much so it can penetrate deeper).
Another thing is the FMJ can zip right through walls, which poses an entirely different hazard to surrounding people in other rooms, houses, etc. Just my two.
The .380 is also known as the 9mm kurz (German for "short") in other parts of the world.
I used to have an AMT Backup in .380 for carry purposes when I was a Stinkerton. However, since I really like to familiarize myself with any gun I'm going risk my life on, I put 50 rounds of +P through that nasty little bitch. It was no goddamn good for anything beyond 7 yards and it beat the shit out my hand way worse than any hand cannon I've shot, including my first handgun, a Ruger Super Blackhawk that I installed Pachmeyer neoprene grips on. (noob dumbass that I was...) I promptly traded the POS in on my first 1911... and my love of John Browning designs began...
j00Z (4|\|7 Ph1>< 57UP1D, 50 7|-|@ /\/\34|\|5 /\/\057 0Ph b(/\/\ 15 p3R/\/\4|\|3|\|7L'/ bR0|<3|\|.
I am quite suprised my wifes is very accurate up to 20-yards for a small gun its ok.
special thanks to: Marv @ C&M performance 262-993-6605
There are a couple of things not being mentioned here in regards to JHP ammunition. First of all, in something like .45ACP where the bullet doesn't have a lot of velocity (.45ACP is, for the most part, a sub-sonic round) most conventional JHP bullets fail to expand reliably. You need to get the more specialized rounds (+P and the big gaping hollow points like Golden Saber, Hydra-Shock, etc.) to get the most out of those slower moving bullets. Without some throating work, some of these rounds can jam, as they don't feed nearly as well as the FMJ rounds the gun was designed for. While FMJ bullets clearly wont expand going through soft tissue like a HP can, shot placement will more than make for any deficiencies in expansion. I like Glasers, especially in an auto loader, because they feed more reliably due to the round plastic tip and they don't so much expand as explode inside soft tissue...
Also, it was mentioned above about FMJ going through walls. So can a JHP, especially the ones that have rapid expanding large cavities. The bullet hits drywall, the cavity fills with plaster, and now you have a nice solid bullet traveling into your kid's room or your neighbor's kid's room... Once again, Glasers will most likely explode on impact with a wall, instead of going through it. Hence the name, "Safety Slug".
j00Z (4|\|7 Ph1>< 57UP1D, 50 7|-|@ /\/\34|\|5 /\/\057 0Ph b(/\/\ 15 p3R/\/\4|\|3|\|7L'/ bR0|<3|\|.
I had a Bersa, in .32ACP I believe, a long time ago. It wasn't a bad little gun, more of a medium/small frame piece. That AMT I owned was derringer sized and it had no sights to speak of. The grip was so tiny that it put all the recoil pressure on just a small area on your palm. If I'm gonna fuck up my hand, I'd rather do it with something more aggressive than a .380.
j00Z (4|\|7 Ph1>< 57UP1D, 50 7|-|@ /\/\34|\|5 /\/\057 0Ph b(/\/\ 15 p3R/\/\4|\|3|\|7L'/ bR0|<3|\|.
Hers is a Bersa thunder 380 its cool for such a little gun she likes to shoot it too
special thanks to: Marv @ C&M performance 262-993-6605
My SA Government 1911 and my Rock Island Officers 1911 have no problems feeding Remington 230 Gr Hollow points.....
The only thing I carry is a 1911, Cocked, and Locked.
John Browning....
King of Firearm design.
Chris
j00Z (4|\|7 Ph1>< 57UP1D, 50 7|-|@ /\/\34|\|5 /\/\057 0Ph b(/\/\ 15 p3R/\/\4|\|3|\|7L'/ bR0|<3|\|.
You do bring up some good points. As for jamming, every individual gun has its likes and dislikes with ammo. That's why reloading is so much fun, but that's a whole different topic. I also agree that shot placement is the most important aspect. FMJ or JHP, if it's placed in the right spot, it'll do the job.
I do agree that JHP can go through walls as well, but I think FMJ are more likely to. Certainly a lot of variables come into play. I have never shot any Glasers, but certainly something I'll look into.
This is a good Deference weapon.....
shot placement is not THAT big of a deal here....
230 Gr JHP with my .45.. tried and true.
Chris
My wife has a Bersa .380 too. It's basically a short 9MM round. She might have to empty the clip into someone... but there's always my .45 for backup. It's a great pistol for women because it has about the same recoil as a pellet gun and at least the projectile is bigger than a .22.
this is true.. in most self defense classes that they say most altercations are over in 3 seconds... and with a gun that doesnt have major kick and some stopping power you can get quite a few rounds off. and at that point in time it doesnt matter how quality you shot is its all about quantity
Well, I found that out pretty much target shooting with her .380. I basically turned the silhouette's chest into swiss cheese rapid fire. Whereas with my .45 I have to deal with a little more recoil. But, I figure a couple of well placed center of body mass shots with the .45 is all it's going to take.
My wife used to have a .380 Makarov and a .380 taurus Mil Pro. The recoil didn't seem that much less than a 9mm, I just don't get the appeal of them I guess because between the 2 I'd rather have the 9 . But yeah a bunch of .380's in a small area will make someone have a bad day
Jamie
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