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.380 vs .32 - Make mine .32!

Winchester67 said:
Exactly Bigfoot. Annihilator I have not done ballistic tests on .380's. But I have been around some tests and Ballistic Gel is a mess and it STINKS. Lucky Gunner is nice enough to provide a lot of info. If you look at the .380, basically the hollow points that open up start to show lessor degrees of penetration some tragically shallow, but with expanded bullets the marketing department love to photograph. Add a leather jacket and a flannel shirt and long johns in the winter, and it would only be worse. Gel is interesting, and it allows one to compare ammo performance against each other in a controlled fashion, but it is not anything like shooting humans. I stand by my original stance. In lessor calibers, sub .38 Special, penetration is key to stopping the threat. And with that in mind, I want to add an extra hole with the .32 acp over the .380 acp. And I also think that unless there a physical reason for only carrying a small handgun, one should start with a .38 Special in a Smith and Wesson J frame or the much lamented and long discontinued Colt Detective Special/Cobra/Agent/Police Positive. The front sight is MUCH thicker than the J Frames, so I prefer the Colts. You noticed the Police Positive I snuck in there. Worthy of a whole new thread, I will get to that!

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Yea, ammo tests hardly ever mention that about what you mentioned about leather coats and clothing, I agree about mixing the gel, it is a mess snd and a pain, anyway good article you posted.
 
I have had a few .380's pass thru the collection over the years. I have won a grand total of THREE Ruger LCP's at Friends of the NRA events, one with a Laser. Kept that one. I also got a Beretta 84 for my Long Suffering Wife. She is not a handgun person. It is pretty with nickel plating and walnut grips. Thought that might woo her. But she still didn't like the semi auto. She actually carries a S&W Model Ten with a round butt and a four inch barrel! Loaded with 158 Grain +P 38 Special Semi Wadcutter Lead Hollow Points. The old FBI Load that works well, and without a jacket expands well. Buffalo Bore is the brand we use. Remember, all your older fixed sight S&W .38 Specials were regulated to shoot point of aim with 158 grain bullets. When getting a handgun for your wife or girlfriend, get one SHE wants, not you. Got my wife a Browning Hi Power too, come to think of it. After she said no to semi autos. Well, as you guys will testify, my heart was in the right place.....

She does shoot in a sporting clays league every week and is absolutely Hell on Wheels with a Shotgun. Even an NRA Certified Shotgun instructor so she can volunteer with the Boy Scouts and Four H to teach the next generation. Recoil for her is manageable. But she just does not like a semi auto pistol. Shoots a revolver well and is confident with it. So for her that is the right answer, even though that 13 Shot Beretta is cool and because of its size, just a little smaller than a Glock 19, you can really pour out the lead accurately. Too bad it is a .380. :)

As an aside, as a girl that grew up in KC she carried a blackjack when I met her! Old school for sure. Her grandfather had given it to her and instructed her in its use. I realized right away I had to get to know her better!
 
Winchester67 said:
even though that 13 Shot Beretta is cool and because of its size, just a little smaller than a Glock 19, you can really pour out the lead accurately. Too bad it is a .380. :)
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As l alluded above , Barrel length in .380 can be a big deal . "Big" .380's actually have niche as an Orthopedic gun , for those who truly have physical limitations for minimum recoil . The extra 100 or 150 fps over the micro guns can make a difference in bullet performance.

Winchester67 said:
As an aside, as a girl that grew up in KC she carried a blackjack when I met her! Old school for sure. Her grandfather had given it to her and instructed her in its use. I realized right away I had to get to know her better!
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Sounds like a keeper .
 
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