best .380

[senior]

I know as soon as I ask, there will be some who will question WHY .380 instead of 9mm. Please refrain from doing so as .380 is the load i'm interested in! What, in you guys opinion, is the best of these three .380 JHP? 1. Federal personal defence low recoil, 2.Hornady Critical Defense, or 3. Carbon DPX? Thank you

[Barbicatter]

I like this one too: Winchester Supreme Elite PDX1

[biohazurd]

The hornady loads work great in my bersa as well as corbon dpx. No feed problems yet... Not sure which is more of a man stopper but i think 8 rounds of either would give anybody a headache or "deadache"

[senior]

Yep, I have all 3 and that DPX is sure expensive stuff now, i had forgot i had it till i was looking. With todays improved 380 ammo, i sure dont feel undergunned with IT anymore!

[RJay]

There is nothing wrong with either a .32 or .380 for concealed carry. Of the the three loads you have listed , the most imported thing is, which will feed and fire reliably each and every time you pull the trigger. Every thing else is secondary.

[ice monkey]

I think all three are great. I like the Corbon and it feeds well when shooting - but racking the first one sometimes takes more force than normal.

[Steam Boat]

Why would you want a .380 ? Because most .380 pistols are very easy to conceal, especially my Sig. P 238.
I use Federal Hydra Shoks for carry Ammunition, it is completely reliable in my Sig even after shooting 150 -200 rounds of target ammo per range visit, I put 15 - 20 rounds of Fed. Hydra Shoks through it to confirm reliability and I never get a jam or miss fire.

[Brian48]

Since the weather is warm, I'm currently using Speer Gold Dots in my PK380. Feeds reliably, good reputation, and seems to be a little hotter than any of the other .380 ammo I've tried. I'd probably switch back to FMJ when it gets cold again in the winter months.

[TXGunNut]

Federal because that's all the PD ammo I have on the shelf. Last time I checked it was more than my Cabela's had on the shelf. Anybody know whose bullet Cor-Bon is using these days? Haven't seen Hornady's new stuff, will try it when I do.

[Gary L. Griffiths]

I carry Cor-Bon DPX in my LCP, and consider it the best round available in .380. It's been 100% reliable in my handgun. :cool:

I like the concept of the Hornady Critical Defense round, but would like to see some test results before I'd consider switching.

[Chesster]

As long as it is reliable in YOUR gun, any listed should do.

[S&W-Keeper]

I do own a couple of .380's, so I can voice my opinion. Figure out which round your .380 likes, and stick with it.

[michael t]

. Corbon DPX,Critical Defense, or Corbon JHP .

[JakeSnakeSlim]

Michael_

How about speer gold dot

Kinda late to ask cause I just ordered some from cabelas for my arm and leg. Could find nothing recommended above local and all are scarce on line also. Was thinking about Buffalo Bore but decided to stay away from so-called +p for the 380 as the rating thing is unresolved. This 380 ammo shortage does not pass the smell test.:mad: No decent range ammo out there at all and hardly any PD either. I'll be saving the cases and looking into some 380 dies for my press, currently reload only 38's and 357 but it looks like if I'm going to carry the 380 I'll have to roll my own to practice with.

Reviews I read on gold dot were good. What do you think:confused:

[Dallas Jack]

Of the three mentioned I would choose the Hornady Critical Defense.
Dallas Jack

[CWPinSC]

Bersa Thunder 380 and Corbon DPX.

You're not under-gunned with that combo.

My wife and I each have one.

The gun is light and easy to carry. Ours have been totally reliable and VERY accurate. A nice feature is the decocker safety. Since the first trigger pull with the hammer down is DA, this gun allows you to carry one in the chamber with the safety off.

[Jack Bauer]

I use Hornady Critical Defense, because that's what my local Cabela's had, and it works in my LCP.

[td9323]

Ive got three Bersas and an LCP. I use Corbon DPX in all with no issues ever.

[Glock_19]

I only have experience with the 9mm but I love the Hornady Critical Defense. I would guess it works similarly in the .380

[IanS]

When I had a .380 I loaded with FMJ. I was concerned about lack of sufficient penetration and I had doubts about whether even these high tech bullet designs would expand at such low velocities through clothing. Feed reliability with FMJ's esp. from .380 autos which tend to be more finicky (though I couldn't find fault with my SIG Sauer P232) was also another nagging concern for me. Personal choice.

[Wrothgar]

None of those - Buffalo Bore 90 grain JHP +P.

[bikerbill]

Don't have a .380 ... but I carry Hornady Critical Defense in the guns I carry and in my house gun ... one reason is the bullet design makes feeding less of an issue; another, all reviews I've read indicate it expands very reliably ... there apparently is an issue with penetration, but on balance, I find it to be the best of the bunch (at the moment) ...

[Bigjim3]

speer gold dots in my Colt mustang.. :p:p

[Stiofan]

Back when I bought my LCP a guy on the Keltec forums tested about 7 different HP rounds for penetration and expansion. The Remington Golden Saber came out near or on top in all tests. So I use it. It's about 10% heavier than the others as well, can't be all bad, and it works great both in my LCP and PPK/S.

But if anyone want to see some actual tests for just about any ammo made, here's a list. http://www.ktog.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1199737660

There are links to over 60 or 70 comparison tests for the .380 there.

[Lokpyrite]

I'd suggest using the Hornady since it has that little red bit that's supposed to help it expand.

[proscene]

My Sig-P238 likes Speer Gold Dots:cool:

[RickE]

Are any of the the JHP defense loads of the "truncated" style? Some tend to hang up in the clip, or FTF for other reasons. And when they run $25 to over $30 for twenty, are they that much better than a FMJ with a hotter load ( Fiochhi etc)?

[Dallas Jack]

Are any of the the JHP defense loads of the "truncated" style? Some tend to hang up in the clip, or FTF for other reasons. And when they run $25 to over $30 for twenty, are they that much better than a FMJ with a hotter load ( Fiochhi etc)?

Go to the web site of the round you are interested in and look at the designs they offer. I agree with you about not spending a bunch of money on a round that may not feed in your gun.

I think that a JHP SD round is better but a FMJ that always feeds is much better than a JHP that may not.
Dallas Jack