Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Anyone here believe a .380 is inadequate?

Got it, you are an ingenue. Everyone else got it too.

380...…….it has enough power to start a helmet fire.

10 gauge 4buck

"Got it, you are an ingenue. Everyone else got it too."

I wish you would quit judging me based on yourself. I am sure you are " one of a kind."

Adequate but maybe right on the margin.

I suppose that you could grow one up a little with Glaser or Magsafe ammo, but I did shelve my Colt Government .380 in favor of a 12 ounce Scandium J-frame shooting .38 Special + P for everyday carry. The house gun is a double stack .45 ACP Para with night sights. "A man has got to know his limitations." (Clint Eastwood 1971)

I have a 380 Auto. An LCPII. It is a powerhouse.

Intuition tends to lead us to that conclusion, but the latest, large sample size, statistical analysis indicates that once you get to the power level of 380 ACP/.38 Special, the difference between all common self defense handgun calibers is negligible with regard to the factor studied, and that factor was a round's ability to stop an attack from being completed, without regard for number of rounds landed solidly on the attacker.

Now, below .380 ACP, e.g., .32 ACP, .25 ACP, and .22 rimfire, all drop precipitously on this factor in terms of ability to stop an attacker before he delivers his attack, without regard for number of rounds solidly landed. .380 ACP seems to be the cut off (that and .38 Special), for serious stopping power. It starts a plateau shared by it and all other commonly used, more powerful, defensive rounds, e.g., .357 Magnum, .44 Special, 9mm, .40 S&W, on up to .44 Magnum. It's actually roughly on the same level as those in this clearly defined category. Whereas .32 ACP and below mark a completely different, and significantly lower, plateau on down to .22 rimfire, for the same factor.

Now since there isnt anyone on here that could ever make a less than adequate, get it theres that big word "adequate" shot. Lets pretend that one did make a poor shot on an advesary, would you want a 380 Auto, a 9MM, a 40 S&W or a 45 Auto with good expanding bullets? Again I know no one on here would ever make a less than adequate, theres that word again "adequate", shot.
Lets see how this can be twisted by the twisted twisters.

Big bore centerfire guns scare me.

I'm comfortable with the Glock 17 9mm for my daily carry. Nice balance of power, shootability, reliability, and ammo capacity.

Yes I have more powerful stuff. 40, 45, 357 Mag, 357 Sig, 44Mag, 45 Colt.

I don't believe a bigger round will make up for poor shooting.

I believe in a double-tap, and one to the head.

Shane,

I like your answer.

It's ponderous how many people don't realize that the first rule of gun fighting is to avoid them.....

And if you can't avoid them, have a rifle. As Clint Smith reminds us, "Every gunfight is a rifle fight. Some people bring fists, some bring sticks or rocks. Some bring pistols or shotguns. But if you brought a rifle to the gunfight, you can stand off at a protected distance, and still dominate the fight."

I'm a big fan of airstrikes.

Hasbeen I am pretty sure that it has been proven that the .380 is within a few percentage points of the 9 or 45 regards effectiveness.

Let keep both feet on the ground. We are not talking about military strikes, filling the surrounding air with lead, ventilating the shootee so he will look like the bottom of grannys four sifter. We dont carry shotguns or rifles stuck inside of our pants.

I can fire and hit with a 42 faster as the recoil is non existent.

this is a thoughtful reply--based on good, critical thinking.

the Ruger LCP is a great pistol, but the short barrels in these types of pipsqeak rigs lose considerable velocity, making them less than ideal as a regular carry piece--even though they are quite accurate--providing consistent accuracy at up to 25 yards.

if forced to rely on a .380 auto for self defense use, i'd go with the Beretta model 70s Jaguar, carried cocked and locked. all steel, quite accurate, extremely reliable, and giving greater velocity due to the longer tube. however, the reality is--when you get to a pistol of this size, you might just as well tote a smaller 9mm rig.

it baffles me why Glock does not import their .380 pistol--it would be great for recoil shy shooters, and great for training women. a mystery, as they could sell a fair number of them here.

while most any cartridge will suffice in a pinch, i think the 9mm Parabellum serves as a good, "bottom cut-off line" for more effective results. it is a remarkable cartridge, especially when you consider the small case size. while there is much better ammunition available today, the old-school 115 grain Federal 9mm BPLE (+p+) fired in a HK USP will churn up 1350 FPS, making it share the rarified air of the venerable .357 magnum when fired from snub to 2 3/4 inch length barrels. truly remarkable....

Lots of Euro-polizei used the 7.65 or the 9mm Kurz - it's all they had and more than a few perps were dropped at the shot without crying out "But it's not a .45!!"

I use Remington 2 1/2 Magnum primers in my 45 Auto and that gives the 3.0 grains Bullseye a boost to push the 230 grain bullet to a velocity that equals the muzzle energy of the 380 Auto.
Now I am set.

Seriously? But we do run into five macheteros, presenting themselves at 20 second intervals, armed with only 5 rounds of ammo?

OK, if you say so.

That was an example that suppose to be used to illustrate who had confidence in what caliber. IT WAS JUST A PLAYFUL SENARIO JUST TO GET SOME ONE THINK. Nothing else.
It was mo more stupid than any number things Ive seen on forums. Maybe not as stupid.