U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Caliber arguments seldom result in anything definitive as they tend to drift off into, “what if” and, “I heard” arguments generally fueled by participants defending what they own. Not looking to self-rationalize we wanted to be as fair as possible and look at a classic debate that has quieted somewhat since the advent of the “wonder nines”. The American, Browning-designed .380 ACP against the German, Luger-designed 9mm. There is only two millimeters’ difference between the two calibers’ case length; .380 ACP being 9x17mm and 9mm being 9x19mm.
What are those two millimeters worth?
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It should be noted that the standard caliber for quite a few European police was 32 ACP or 7.65 mm Browning Short.
ReplyDeleteNobody is going to volunteer to stand in front of either at any shootable distance.. I own both 9mm and .380 as well as 9mm Mak. I prefer the Mak cause I can hit anything I want with it. Now as for what I carry, that all depends on the weather and what I'm wearing.
ReplyDeleteAll of those foot pounds, from the lowest to the highest, will kill you just as dead.
ReplyDeleteThe gun you have is better than the gun you left at home because it was too big.
ReplyDeleteNot really a valid argument. I carry a compact 1911 in 45 ACP. With the right holster, it's very comfortable (I carry it 16-18 hours a day every day) and completely concealable even with a loose t-shirt.
DeleteAlways carry the biggest gun you can shoot well.
All my edc are in .40 so I don't have a dog in this discussion
ReplyDeleteJD
Dang, just when I though all us .40 folk were banished to Molokai.
DeleteNo surprise, 9mm is more powerful than .380.
ReplyDeleteMaybe better to compare .380 and .38SPL.
A .380 semiauto has certain advantages over, say, a .38 J frame- including concealability, capacity and quicker reloads.
One of my "peashooters" is a highly regarded PPK/S. There are 9mm pistols of similar size available these days but I'm very fond of the Walther.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wA0h7VH_aA
For the record my carry choice is a .45ACP Officer-size 1911.
=TW=
Lcp .380 is what I carry. It was good enough for Trayvon, its good enough for me.
ReplyDeleteSteve in KY
My daughter is not a very big woman and firing a 9mm is uncomfortable for her. She is much happier with a 380, so that's what she carries. I either carry a Officers 45 ACP or a Model 60 357.
ReplyDeleteMy Officer's Model was my first 1911. I've still got it but now I carry a Colt Defender. A better pistol in my opinion.
DeletePersonal experience. I am a reloader for over 40 years. I can tell you to be VERY sure you do not get any .380 brass in your 9 mm loading machine. It will, sometimes, run through, it can be reloaded with a 9mm appropriate powder charge, it will be reloaded to 9mm length overall. It WILL burst if fired in your 9mm Sig.
ReplyDeleteThe .380 brass is much thinner and weaker than 9mm. That's appropriate considering their lower chamber pressures.
I carry a .380 LCP II sans laser sight in a sticky holster.
ReplyDeleteI carry a CZ 83 in .380 and it shoots accurate and is comfortable to shoot and can shoot the hottest factory loads. Shoot in big bad tacticool guys in teh knees and they go down screaming like lil' girls and then pop one in the head. A .380 does fine. A .25 does fine as long as ya know your limits ala Dirty Harry!
ReplyDeleteLets go one step further. 9mm vs. 10mm.
ReplyDeleteI carry a J frame at work because its light and the rounded profile makes it less likely to snag when I'm squeezing my fat ass through tight spaces. The rest of the time I carry a S&W9c or a Glock 22.
ReplyDeleteMy wife, a very small woman, works for a company that would fire her if they knew she was carrying. So she packs a Springfield 911 at work and a Bersa Thunder .380 most of the rest of the time. She can handle rapid fire with the Bersa .380 better than with a 9MM of the same size. And of note, she is not a firearms novice. Her father is a (now retired) gunsmith and she has been shooting since she was old enough to point a gun safely in the right direction. When we first me, she taught me a thing or two about shooting.
The moral to the story is, a full size, full power pistol doesn't work for all people at all times. Carry what you can, in the environment that you can. Just know the limitations or the round, the gun, and your ability with it.
My EDC is the S&W 380 EZ. Why? Because I can shoot great with it. Funny thing about bullets, every single one of them is magical and bullets hitting humans is not an exact science.
ReplyDeleteI carry my Kimber 5" every day. If it prints under a tee shirt, fuck 'em. Never had a complaint in 30 years.
ReplyDeleteSummer is the Colt Mustang .380 stainless, colder times is Remington R1 .45. I am very comfortable with both of them.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
ReplyDeletehttps://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/ Great ammo info.
ReplyDeleteMy left hand is not working properly do to a long ago accident. So I carry a 8 shot 22lr. If I can I carry my turus 607 I just barely shoot left handed but the 22 is a good idea for my hand. I carry both when I can.
ReplyDeleteAll incoming bullets have the right of way
ReplyDeleteI carry a better pistol, but my truck pistol is a P-64 in 9mm Makarov. Basically a .380, but better than nothing--just not by much.
ReplyDeleteI do love hearing people, like some of the commenters in the article, bitching about the P-64's recoil. I don't find it difficult to handle at all, & I can hit well with it; I cannot say enough bad things about its DA trigger pull, though.
--Tennessee Budd