The last 5 Posts were moved here from Ammunition by Armenius.

JMOfartO:

I would echo what Dibs50 said in his first statement..

RELIABILITY....

I know the age old argument  of "expansion" vs "penetration" and I'm of the opinion that IF you have a particular round that works for you it really doesn't matter much if that round is a jhp or fmj in a close up personal encounter such as we all fear..

My thinking (probably incorrect, but I'm old and opinionated and facts sway me very little) is that FOR MY NEEDS any self defense shooting will be very close up and IF the cavity in the nose of my jhp round of choice (Speer Gold Dot jhp's feed like corn thru a goose in my LWS380) gets clogged up with debris from any outer garment it will then just magically transform into a fmj round and go on about it's business.

Or, my first, second and probably 3rd priority in my self defense weapon is RELIABILITY, and everything else is of lesser concern.

In the first place most "knowledgeable" gun "experts" will tell you that a 380 round is basically worthless for self defense anyway, and anything less than a 45ACP round is just designed to upset (can't say "piss off" ) the shootee..

And to those esteemed experts I say I've yet to find a way to successfully, comfortably, and realistically conceal carry a 45ACP on my small frame.  Add the heat and humidity factor here in S.E. Ga. and it's simply not a choice, for me.

Hey, I have one, a very nice (imo) CS45 and if I plan to drive thru any neighborhoods or areas who's streets are named for a deceased Baptist preacher I try and bring it along..  But without an outer garment (shirt/coat/etc.) it STILL cannot be carried concealed.

I CAN take my Seecamp LWS380 anyplace, anytime, with none the wiser, and in complete comfort. 

I'm not a brain surgeon and do not profess to have any skills in rocket science, but I DO believe that 7 380cal. Gold Dot jhp's available in my pocket are worth much more than the 7 flying ashtray rounds in my CS45 back at home..

I would suggest you find a good self defense round that works reliably in your weapon of choice and go about your business.  JHP/FMJ?  Just a toss-up as far as I'm concerned.  I cannot use fmj's in my Seecamp anyway, but if I had the choice I think I'd still stick to jhp's.

I'm a big believer that having a reliable pistol of ANY caliber on you when needed is light years better than not..

With my small caliber self defense weapons I practice from 3 yards, max...  If you shoot someone from further out you open yourself up for criticism from those who would say you should have retreated rather than firing.. 

Most of regular folks (non leo's) will never have to shoot someone in defense of our lives.  IF and when we do tho, it will probably happen very quickly, from very close up and if you are very, very lucky you might have time to just pull your weapon out, point it in the general direction of the threat and pull the trigger..

It'll be strictly "point and shoot" and if you have lots of practice from close up and personal range it just offer you the skill of actually hitting what you are being threatened by.

Generally in such a situation regular folks need a little luck, and an absence of "Murphy's Lsws" to come out a winner. 

But simply HAVING a weapon available puts you heads and heels ahead of those folks who love a "cocked and locked" 45ACP choice, but had to leave it at home, or in the car.

Just personal opinion, no offense intended to anyone, and sorry to ramble, but it's what I do. 

Best Wishes,

Jesse

Armenius mentioned some good JHP loads. But, IMO, you also, with .32 acp AND with .380 acp, cannot go wrong with ball FMJ which will give you more penetration with these less than .38 special and 9mm loads.

old codger wrote on Oct 20^th, 2009 at 8:44pm:


I like your comments. I agree. Speaking with some experts lately has validated my contention that caliber does not make as much of a difference as the factors of bullet placement, the psychogenic shock of being shot, the mental sets of the attacker and of the defender, and the quickness and ruthlessnes of the defender's response.

Dibs 50 and Old codger hit the nail on the head.
Reliability is the number one concern with ammo. in a semi-auto pistol. I fire at least 100 rounds through my carry gun and it must function each time. I have been to numerous autopsies and spoke to numerous doctors. They almost all agree that the wounds / damage they see is hard to determine caliber. You never know for sure what a bullet is going to do when you shoot someone with it and you never know what the person is going to do. If you can hit an eight inch target 5-6 times in 2 - 2 1/2 seconds from seven yards; caliber probably doesn't matter......... if you can't hit the target ....well, caliber probably still doesn't matter!
What do they say....its not the size of the dog in the fight that matters.....but the size of the fight in the dog!

The FBI testing (from what I recall) suggests that the 380 falls just short of what they consider the minimum penetration necessary with HP ammo to be reliably effective. I believe they consider 12" penetration in ballistic gelatin the minimum.

One one hand, we are not the FBI. We are just typical folks. We won't be shooting through car bodies or windshields in self defense, like a cop or agent might.

On the other hand, we could use FMJ, which would probably give the adequate penetration at the expense of a smaller wound channel.

Hotter 380 loads have the same energy available as "cooler" 38 Special loads, and about the same diameter bullet. (0.355" in 380 vs. 0.358" in 38 Special)


________
"Be not the first by whom the new is tried. Nor yet the last to lay the old aside."
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FMJ is for paper

HP's are for people.