Is a .380 an effective caliber for self defense?

[Bedwin]

Just wondering what anyone thinks about the lowly .380 for personal defense. I have an old Beretta that needs some work, but don't know if it's worth the investment. Does the caliber have enough stopping power to be considered for concealed carrry?

 

[RJ_Whitlock]

Yes a .380 is fine for SD with the right ammo. A lot of people carry .380's, I myself am looking at buying a S&W Bodyguard .380. What it really comes down to is shot placement, a .22 would work you just have to be able to hit what your aiming at.

Hope this helps!

 

[Purple]

I carry a .380 with Hornady Critical Defense 90gr Ammo. It's perfectly fine for self defense.

 

[24ever]

Yes and yes. Most all modern defense loads have adequate penetration. Stopping power is a misnomer. Stopping the threat does not necessarily mean "knocking the subject down". Unless under the strong influence of a controlled substance, most assailants will stop when shot at, or actually shot. Opinions vary, of course. I summer carry a Ruger LCP .380 (or Ruger LCR .38). The most important factor is that you are 100% confident in the dependability of the firearm. I used to own a Kel-Tec .380, and never felt 100% confident. Finally hocked it and bought a Ruger LCP. I broke it in with 226 rounds of ball ammo, jhps, and 2 different popular defensive loads and no issues. If you are interested, here is a study conducted with over 10 years of data on actual shootings (1,800) that measured "stopping power".
Results are very interesting. Good luck and stay vigilant!

 

[The_Outlaw]

Just wondering what anyone thinks about the lowly .380 for personal defense. I have an old Beretta that needs some work, but don't know if it's worth the investment. Does the caliber have enough stopping power to be considered for concealed carrry?

A .380 on your person is a hell of a lot better than a larger caliber firearm left at home.

 

[somewhatliterate]

I agree with the consensus and especially with RJ Whitlock. A .22 is deadly in the hands of a man who knows how to use it.

 

[Mark Chitty]

My wife carries a .380 because she can shoot it easily and accurately. That's a whole lot better than her having a 9mm that she has difficulty doing anything with.

 

[chiroman]

My wife carries the Ruger .380 LCP with hollow point hydra shock ammo. It will def. do the job if needed.

 

[Hawkeye638]

For your main carry NO. For a BUG, YES but only with FMJ's. For any round you need PENETRATION, hollow points will not do the job in that small of a round.

 

[RJ_Whitlock]

For your main carry NO. For a BUG, YES but only with FMJ's. For any round you need PENETRATION, hollow points will not do the job in that small of a round.

Pretty sure the Hornady Critical Defense would disagree with you on that one.

 

[Bikenut]

Often times folks ask

"Is the -insert some caliber here- effective for self defense?"

but they are asking the wrong question.. the correct question is...

"How large a caliber can I hit what I need to hit with reasonable accuracy firing rapid fire (no one stands in a range perfect stance carefully lining up the sights as they slowly squeeeeeze the trigger when they are peeing themselves as they try to save their arse!)... in what size gun I can actually carry around with me?"

The size of gun varies for each person's body size or their mode of dress. What one person can conceal another can't. And what one person can tolerate for weight (this applies to open carry too) another person can't.

The caliber that results in reasonably accurate "hits" on the target also varies from one person to another. Some folks can handle a large caliber's recoil well enough to get those reasonably accurate hits... others can't.

So... which "caliber" is an effective caliber? The caliber in the size gun YOU can reliably and reasonably accurately hit what you need to hit... under adverse conditions. Let me stress that "adverse conditions" thing.... bad guys do not stand still like paper targets on the range do... and bad guys don't wait for their victims to get into a perfect stance, then carefully aim, then squeeze off a perfect trigger control shot. Practice responding to a bad guy that you have to shoot at in compromising positions... like sitting on your arse (bad guys have been known to knock victims onto their arses)... or one handed sideways while walking/running/moving... think up your own scenarios but try to make them as real life realistic as possible because real life is NOT perfect stance carefully squeezing off shots like folks do at the range!

And if you can't get reasonably accurate hits (center of mass) with the gun you have in the caliber you are shooting........... get a different caliber.. or a different size gun in the same caliber... or a different gun in a different caliber...

Because...

I don't care what anyone says about how big bullets make big holes... bullets that miss make NO HOLES!

And even a little hole is better than a great big miss that made... nothing but noise. Not to mention went who knows where maybe to hit an innocent bystander.

So what folks really need is a caliber they personally are accurate with in a size of gun they can carry. Because even if that caliber is a small caliber every small hole is still better than all the big misses that make no holes.

 

[Purple]

For your main carry NO. For a BUG, YES but only with FMJ's. For any round you need PENETRATION, hollow points will not do the job in that small of a round.

We all await patiently for you to throw up some facts and data to support your statement.

 

[cluznar]

Have no doubt a .380 can do the job. Carry a Bersa Thunder .380 IWB and trust it completely. Use good ammo for carry like Hornady Critical Defense, Corbon Pwrball, or Buffalo Bore +p. Never volunteer to let someone shoot you in the chest with a .380 because you will be sorry.

:dance3:

 

[azrock]

a primary carry should always have the number 4 in the caliber.

 

[CharlesMorrison]

Pretty sure the Hornady Critical Defense would disagree with you on that one.

So would I. Just sayin......

 

[Hawkeye638]

We all await patiently for you to throw up some facts and data to support your statement.

There are always doubters. According to this study by the FBI:

HANDGUNS WOUNDING FACTORS AND EFFECTIVENESS
FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

It is essential to bear in mind that the single most critical factor remains penetration. While penetration up to 18 inches is preferable, a handgun bullet MUST reliably penetrate 12 inches of soft body tissue at a minimum, regardless of whether it expands or not. If the bullet does not reliably penetrate to those depths, it is not an effective bullet for law enforcement use.

FBI Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness - FirearmsTactical.com

You would be hard pressed to find a .380 JHP that meets this criteria. I have not researched ALL .380 ammunition so there might be something out there that consistently penetrates 12 inches in a JHP but I choose not to take the chance. The FMJ's give you best chance for satisfactory penetration so if you carry this small of a round use what will give you the most penetration. If it is not good enough for the police why should it be good enough for me? Is that a good enough fact for you?

I understand that many are satisfied with small caliber rounds but I am not one of them. If you want to use a .22, 25, .32, .380, whatever, then go ahead but I choose not to for the reason I have stated.

 

[CharlesMorrison]

Often times folks ask

"Is the -insert some caliber here- effective for self defense?"

but they are asking the wrong question.. the correct question is...

"How large a caliber can I hit what I need to hit with reasonable accuracy firing rapid fire.

Uuuuuuuuhh... No, it's not the question the OP wanted an answer for. His question was on the effectiveness of the .380 round as a defensive round. The OP wasn't asking about the maximum or minimum larger caliber round or guns and our thoughts on it.

But ahhhh , tell us how you really feel on the subject. By all means...

Just pointing that out.... Sorry!

 

[SGB]

There are always doubters. According to this study by the FBI:



FBI Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness - FirearmsTactical.com

You would be hard pressed to find a .380 JHP that meets this criteria. I have not researched ALL .380 ammunition so there might be something out there that consistently penetrates 12 inches in a JHP but I choose not to take the chance. The FMJ's give you best chance for satisfactory penetration so if you carry this small of a round use what will give you the most penetration. If it is not good enough for the police why should it be good enough for me? Is that a good enough fact for you?

I understand that many are satisfied with small caliber rounds but I am not one of them. If you want to use a .22, 25, .32, .380, whatever, then go ahead but I choose not to for the reason I have stated.

I agree ..........


.380 ACP vs. .38 Sp by DR Gary Roberts

Handguns chambered in .380 ACP are small, compact, and generally easy to carry. Unfortunately, testing has shown that they offer inadequate performance for self-defense and for law enforcement use whether on duty as a back-up weapon or for off duty carry. The terminal performance of .380 ACP JHP's is often erratic, with inadequate penetration and inconsistent expansion being common problems, while .380 ACP FMJ's offer adequate penetration, but no expansion. All of the .380 ACP JHP loads we have tested, including CorBon, Hornady, Federal, Remington, Speer, and Winchester exhibited inconsistent, unacceptable terminal performance for law enforcement back-up and off duty self-defense use due to inadequate penetration or inadequate expansion. Stick with FMJ for .380 ACP or better yet, don't use it at all. The use of .380 ACP and smaller caliber weapons is really not recommended for LE use and many savvy agencies prohibit them.

While both the .380 ACP and .38 sp can obviously be lethal; the .38 sp is more likely to incapacitate an attacker when used in a BUG role.

The Hornady Critical Defense round in .380 shows some promise but it's just not quite there, maybe when or (if) they bring out a .380 Critical Duty round the .380acp may become a more viable choice.

 

[The_Outlaw]

For your main carry NO. For a BUG, YES but only with FMJ's. For any round you need PENETRATION, hollow points will not do the job in that small of a round.

Ummmmm, sorry, but that's not very good advice i.m.h.o.
Even .380 FMJ's are 'very likely' to overpenetrate and then hit someone 'beyond' your intended target.
Get ready for a real lawsuit and probable jail time if that ever happens.

I believe that the 2 following video clips will help to prove my position on this matter...

Here is the .380 FMJ, Notice the overpenetration;

 

[The_Outlaw]

Here is the.380 JHP.

Notice the very good expansion & larger wound channel as opposed to the FMJ round.
Also notice the adequate amount of penetration without overpenetration;