testtest

Questioning the Effectiveness of the .380 Auto Cartridge

Those who are squeamish will not want to read the following.

I know the 9mm Kurz and Parabellum are favorites of the gang community.
The Kurz is so popular because of its easy concealability in tiny platforms.
I believe it seems as effective as it is because it gets used so often in point blank, execution style shootings.

The Nazis used subcaliber handguns to execute thousands of prisoners by holding the muzzle to the back of the head and firing. The subject then fell into a ditch and was buried along with others whether he was still alive and dazed or actually dead.
Using results obtained from shootings like these, one could get the idea (mistaken) the 380 was 100% effective.

Sure, a 380 is far better than "harsh language" but it is far from an acceptable combat caliber.

This article ranks the 380 as a better fight stopper than the 45???

Bean counters being what they are, following this line of reasoning the United States military would have been using the 380 since WW1.


Where I come from there is a saying, "Don't **** on my boots and try to tell me it's raining."
 
I carried a .380 AMT Back-Up for years as an off duty and second gun. One day I fired it into a 4 inch piece of foam insulation. The round did not penetrate the foam. I stopped carrying the gun after that. Still carry it once every other blue moon as they claim ballistics for new rounds are much better. Just my 2 cents.
 
Susquash said:
I carried a .380 AMT Back-Up for years as an off duty and second gun. One day I fired it into a 4 inch piece of foam insulation. The round did not penetrate the foam. I stopped carrying the gun after that. Still carry it once every other blue moon as they claim ballistics for new rounds are much better. Just my 2 cents.
Click to expand...
As a backup, it may make sense. Like I said, it's better than shouting "Trick or Treat!"
 
My only concern with carrying .380 acp guns had more to do with capacity than ballistics. I carried a Ruger LCP II as a backup for years. It was the only gun I would carry when exercising or working outdoors, or if my wardrobe would only allow for a pocket gun. It served it's purpose well, but 6+1 rounds of .380 acp was not my preferred loadout.

I just replaced the LCP II with the new 10+1/12+1 round LCP Max. I've found myself carrying the Max as my only gun on several occasions, and have not felt under-armed (if that's a word). I would have always been open to carrying a .380 EDC with sufficient capacity (ex. Beretta 84, Bersa Thunder Plus), but those guns were always as large or larger than many 9mm options.
 
Years ago we issued Walther PPK/S in .380 for a while to undercover officers so they would have a non standard gun.. The guns were excellent quality but ammo was puny and terribly unreliable. We abandoned them due to reliability issues. I agree the .380 is unacceptable as a defensive caliber given what is available today.
 
HayesGreener said:
Years ago we issued Walther PPK/S in .380 for a while to undercover officers so they would have a non standard gun.. The guns were excellent quality but ammo was puny and terribly unreliable. We abandoned them due to reliability issues. I agree the .380 is unacceptable as a defensive caliber given what is available today.
Click to expand...
….your last sentence was pretty much my line of thinking. If one can get a .380, one can get something better.
 
With today’s defensive ammo for the .380, I see no problem with it as a backup gun or defensive gun it that’s all you have access to, right now since my surgery I can’t wear jeans or belt yet so I can’t carry my Bulldog .44special, so I picked up an original Ruger LCP to carry in my sweat pocket, I feel quite secure carrying this little .380 till I can start carrying my Bulldog again.
 
Having more first hand knowledge of gang minutae and activity than I care to, I can assure you the .380 and other sub guns are NOT their weapons of choice these days. Not in St. Louis anyway. Last time I was shot at we found 15 .45 ACP casings in the street afterwards. I had a young punk apologize to me ( I suppose for being about to kill me) while he was trying to retrieve an AR pistol out of his sweatpants. It didn't want to come out which gave me enough time to smack him in the head with a shovel and run like hell. Large capacity handguns, ARs and AKs are the weapons of choice.
 
Bassbob said:
Having more first hand knowledge of gang minutae and activity than I care to, I can assure you the .380 and other sub guns are NOT their weapons of choice these days. Not in St. Louis anyway. Last time I was shot at we found 15 .45 ACP casings in the street afterwards. I had a young punk apologize to me ( I suppose for being about to kill me) while he was trying to retrieve an AR pistol out of his sweatpants. It didn't want to come out which gave me enough time to smack him in the head with a shovel and run like hell. Large capacity handguns, ARs and AKs are the weapons of choice.
Click to expand...
Smack him a few more times so the coroner comes for him and not the bail bondsman
 
It was more than thirty years ago that I bought a little .380 pistol because it caught my eye at a pawn shop. I bought a box of ammo and stopped off at the county dump where I used a big tree stump (for a backstop) that had been repeatedly set afire by the dump keepers to get rid of it. I'd shot there before, mostly .357 and .44 magnum revolvers.
Anyway, a couple of times I thought I heard a ricochet go by my head!
Pop-WHOOOAAA!.... Pop..WOOOOOO.!.. I realized the little hardball was all bouncing off that old tree.

Modern ammo is better, and it's a good thing.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top