# What is your preferred .380 defensive Ammo?



## JohnnyFlake (Jan 30, 2008)

I have been carrying .380 Winchester Silver Tips for the last four years. I have not seen much new information on .380 ammo, but I have not been looking that hard either. Several years ago, the .380 Silver Tip was commonly recommended by many of the experts. I suspect that things may have changed, as I expect that improvements have been made, over the last few years, with both powders and bullet design.

Johnny


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## nukehayes (Sep 22, 2006)

I personally carry 102gr. Remington Golden Sabers. They have excellent expasion as well as weight retention even through heavily clothed gelatin. about .55" expansion and 14" penetration in water. Cor-Bon makes an excellent 80gr. DPX round (solid copper=perfect weight retention) and federal makes a 90gr. HydraShock that's always good. Keep in mind that as bullet weight goes down, so does penetration, and in .380auto you need all you can get. 102gr. is the heaviest commercially available round that I know of. The Winchester 85gr. Silvertip offers good expansion, and flies really fast, but tends to lose some weight through test media and also doesn't penetrate as well as GoldenSabers do. There are good rounds out there, but none are miracle bullets, especially for a .380, you really have to do your part. Just my $0.02:smt023


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

I carry Hydra-Shoks in my PPK/S. They're about all you can find where I live. Still, they shoot and feed well enough that I haven't felt the need to change.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I been using different one 90grs Magtech Gold HP's and Winchester Silver mostly.


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## nukehayes (Sep 22, 2006)

I don't know what firearm you are using Baldy, but on Hi-powers and handguns, Steven Camp found that the Magtech guardian Gold didn't expand reliably out of his Bersa T380. Just some food for thought.


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## JohnnyFlake (Jan 30, 2008)

Thanks for the replies so far guys. Some good information above. The 102g Gold Sabers sound interesting. Also, I was talking with a friend from Florida last night. He also carries a Colt Pocketlite, however, his is a Mustang and mine is a Pony. Anyway, he was explaining that he had recently complete some half-ass tests, taking shot into clay and water jugs. He tested the Silver tips, Double Tap Gold Dots, Cor-Bon 90g HPs and Speer LE Gold Dots.

From what he could tell, from his, not too scientific testing, is that the Silver Tips did well, nice expansion but less penetration that the others. The Double Taps had better penetration but tend to come apart. The Cor-Bon were much like the Double Taps, with decent penetration but they also came apart, most of the time. The Speer 90g LE Gold Dots, did the best, very good penetration, nice expansion and never once lost any pieces. Have any of you out there had any experience with the Speer LE 90g Gold Dots.

Also, a question that my friend and I discussed as well. From what he tells me the Double Tap Ammo uses the 90g Speer Gold Dot Bullet, but it's rated at about 100/125 FPS faster than the Speer round. Is that enough difference, in speed, to cause that bullet to come apart, because that's what was happening with the Double Tap rounds? The actual Speer rounds did not come apart at all.

Johnny


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## PhilR. (Apr 25, 2007)

I carry Hornady XTP's in my P3AT, mostly because I can find it locally, and of course it feeds perfectly.

I keep 14 rounds of Cor-bon around for my PPK/s, just in case I ever decide to carry it. No problems with them in my Walther, but I have not tried them in my K-T.

I like the Golden Sabre brand too, using them as a carry load in my Glock 26, P7, and P6.

PhilR.


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## forestranger (Jan 20, 2008)

There's lots of test data out there on 380 penetration and from my own tests, I don't know which round is best. I carried GS in my p3at for a year.
Bought a chronograph and decided to check velocity and wet pack test various 380 rounds. Can't find my wetpack data but do remember about half of the GS bullets deformed some but didn't expand much...some none. DPX penetrated about like the GS and expanded everytime. I did find my chronograph data and GS averaged 787 fps while DPX averaged 1020. Right or wrong, I decided to go with DPX after another 40 rounds to check POI, accuracy, & reliability.


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## benzuncle (Aug 29, 2007)

+1 on the Golden Sabers. I saw a impressive test done by a member on the North American Arms forum that showed the expansion and penetration of 6 different 380 rounds: Corbon DPX 80gr copper bullet, Corbon 90gr JHP, Federal HydraShok 90gr JHP, Remington GoldenSabr 102gr JHP, Speer GoldDot 90gr JHP a the Winchester SXT 95gr JHP. The penetration was into a wet pack fired at 6ft. All rounds penetrated 8 to 9 inches. The Golden Sabers opened the most and were real ragged. Hence, my choice. Then, when I took my concealed weapons class, the instructor, a gun shop owner in Miami told me the Air Marshals carried Golden Sabers.


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## Mdnitedrftr (Aug 10, 2006)

I use Winchester Ranger SXT's in my PPK.

When Winchester had to pull their black talons, they dropped the name, and made more efficent bullet.


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## nukehayes (Sep 22, 2006)

Sweet picture:smt023


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

Jesus, that thing looks like a saw blade. Ouch!


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## Maximo (May 26, 2006)

I usually carry Speer Gold Dots in all my guns but I have been known to carry Cor Bon Pow R Balls in my .380.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

nukehayes said:


> I don't know what firearm you are using Baldy, but on Hi-powers and handguns, Steven Camp found that the Magtech guardian Gold didn't expand reliably out of his Bersa T380. Just some food for thought.


Thanks Mr Nuke I didn't know that. I'll pick up something else and see how it runs through my pistol. Thanks again.:smt1099


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## fivehourfrenzy (Aug 12, 2007)

I think Chuck Hawks recommends Hydra-shoks in .380ACP.


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