Do you trust .380 ACP?

[jtmcglothin]

If I get hit with a .22lr, I am done. Maybe not dead, but I am done doing whatever tf I was doing.

Same here, and I don’t know a lot of people that would stick around if they’re being shot at and hit with a projectile, even if it’s a small caliber.

Like @OK Corgi Rancher said.

“Most people who've been shot with handguns that I've encountered during my LE career didn't give a rat's a55 about the caliber they were shot with. They mostly just didn't want to get shot any more.”

 

[kingfish]

This is interesting. Kinda matches up with what a couple of retired LA cop buddies of mine had to say - ".380 kills a lot of MF"

https://www.tierthreetactical.com/a...gs-which-caliber-has-the-best-stopping-power/

I would have thought the shotgun would have separated itself from the rest of the field a little more.

 

[retrieverman]

I still have an Sig 238 and haven’t carried it in years, but I wouldn’t hesitate to go out in public with it. I always say that even carrying a 22lr is better than just having a sharp stick.

 

[okietool]

It’s like all the rest.
Does the gun work?
Does the gun work for you?
I had a Taurus that was miserable for me. I have a Beretta 84 that is great.
Good ammo and practice are important.

 

[jakeman]

First, I'd get the idea of "stopping power" out of your vocabulary when you're talking about handgun calibers. Regardless of what you carry, you shouldn't expect your handgun to stop someone right away. You may not even see any visible or immediate effect on the bad guy of the shots you've made whether you hit him or not.

I carry a .380 often. Once you decide to engage in a gunfight you need to be all in. Start shooting and don't stop until the bad guy stops. Most people who've been shot with handguns that I've encountered during my LE career didn't give a rat's a55 about the caliber they were shot with. They mostly just didn't want to get shot any more.

Your mindset is far more important than the caliber of your gun.

**In the Newhall shooting, all 3 officers who fired shots were using .357 Mag revolvers. The CHP trained with .38Sp ammo. After the shooting, they standardized on training and carrying .38Sp ammo. They also stopped having officers pocket their brass when reloading along with several other changes in how to deal with potentially violent or armed suspects. There were only two officers on scene when the shootout started. Two more arrived shortly after. That was another lesson learned...wait for backup if you can rather than try to search/detain potentially violent suspects 1 on 1 (or in this case, 2 on 2 which is basically the same). That incident and the Miami shootout were (and likely still are) referred to extensively when I went thru the academy back in the 80s.

One of the troopers killed in the shoot out with the 2 prison escapees in Bryan county in '78 was found with a hand full of empty brass at the back of his patrol unit. You revert to training when under stress. We dumped our brass on the ground when we trained.

I've said this forever and I'll continue to say it, the most important variable in stopping power is the ability to put rounds on target in a combat situation. You can't stop what you don't hit, regardless of caliber.

 

[okierider]

Part of the question is do you trust yourself to put rounds where they need to be. 38 has put a lot of people in the ground but you can say the same for 380. In Europe 380 is carried by police still today. I have a double stack Beretta 380 that I can put the whole mag in a fist sized group on paper at 21 ft...... Hope I never have to find out if I can do it when it matters.

P.S Sorry about covering what has already been said ......

 

[Aku]

I love to shoot .357 and .38, but after hand surgery, I'm only reliable for multiple rounds with my .380, .22, or a shotgun. Plus, I can carry my .380 fairly easily, and I can stow my NAA .22, in my boot, which I like quite a bit.

 

[Pstmstr]

I was in a pocket gun class last year and we tested quite a few different .380 rounds on cans of corn and gallon water jugs. The Federal HST was impressive for both expansion and penetration. So if you might be attacked by cans of corn or water jugs it would be my choice. As others have said, a .380 in a pocket is a better option than a larger caliber gun at home. Many .380's have poor sights and triggers so that's an issue to consider as well.

 

[snipes]

Same here, and I don’t know a lot of people that would stick around if they’re being shot at and hit with a projectile, even if it’s a small caliber.

Like @OK Corgi Rancher said.

“Most people who've been shot with handguns that I've encountered during my LE career didn't give a rat's a55 about the caliber they were shot with. They mostly just didn't want to get shot any more.”

This.
Was shot with a .25 in the early nineties and all I wanted to do was create distance.
Granted I was driving but never did I think I was going to chase him down

 

[busterheiney]

If I get hit with a .22lr, I am done. Maybe not dead, but I am done doing whatever tf I was doing.

Word.