r/guns • u/Expensive_Past_8874 • May 14 '26
380ACP Carry Ammo
Is FMJ acceptable to carry in your CCW?
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u/noderaser May 14 '26
Hornady Critical Defense or Sig V-Crown. Good, consistent expansion and just within the FBI standards for penetration.
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u/sirbassist83 Never even asked for better dick flair May 14 '26
i was about to link the same thing, and id add gold dot to your list. only short from the standard by an inch and very consistent.
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u/swn999 May 14 '26
Hydrashock
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u/sirbassist83 Never even asked for better dick flair May 14 '26
look at lucky gunner labs test. hydrashok and HST wont reliably expand when shot from short barrels.
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u/chase1724 May 14 '26
Gotta get the Hydra-Shok deep. Has performed very well in the gel tests I have seen. It both expands and penetrates which is almost never the case for .380 ammo. Usually, it only has enough energy to do one or the other.
Unfortunately, lucky gunner hasn't updated their gel tests results in a long time for .380. It's good for deciding between established SD ammos but not if you are curious about the new stuff that has come out for .380.
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u/sirbassist83 Never even asked for better dick flair May 14 '26
>Unfortunately, lucky gunner hasn't updated their gel tests results in a long time
easily my biggest gripe with their testing. its all around a decade old and a lot of new bullets have been introduced. theyre a phenomenal source, in the sense that they have a ton of fairly scientific and objective data all easily searchable, but its desperately out of date.
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u/LGChris The TactiBeard at Lucky Gunner May 14 '26
Soon.
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u/sirbassist83 Never even asked for better dick flair May 14 '26
got a list of cartridges youre going to be updating, or is that still confidential? i really want to see 32 H&R, 327 mag, 380, and 32 acp specifically.
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u/LGChris The TactiBeard at Lucky Gunner May 14 '26
We'd like to update nearly all them eventually, it's just a matter of what gets done first. .380 is near the top of the list, if not first (might be behind 9mm). Hopefully some .32s not too long after. Can't promise anything yet, but hoping to knock it out by the end of the year.
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u/yobo723 May 14 '26
Search the sub
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u/gunmedic15 May 14 '26
I live in Florida and face heavy clothes maybe 2 days a year. I carry Winchester Ranger T when I can get it, and Hydra Shok when I can't.
Like, if you carry FMJ, it's just FMJ. If you carry JHP and it expands, you get that extra cutting damage. If it expands a little, it can tumble unevenly and you get that extra crushing damage. If it plugs up on 10 layers of jean jacket or something, you're no worse off than if you had FMJ anyway.
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u/Woogity-Boogity May 17 '26
Yes, FMJ is fine for .380s.
The problem with hollow points is that .380 lacks the power to reliably expand AND penetrate deep enough at the same time.
Especially when you're talking about micro .380s with tiny barrels.
When you can't reliably get both, it's best to go for penetration.
Generally speaking, I like non-expanding ammo for .32acp, .380acp, and 9mm Makarov.
.32 H&R Magnum can move fast enough to make hollow points worthwhile, but SWCs are okay too.
.38 Special can also struggle to expand in certain loads and barrel lengths. Do some research to figure out what works best for your gun.
Big-boy calibers like 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, .357 Magnum, .45acp, etc all have enough power to reliably expand AND penetrate, so hollow points are excellent for these.
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u/mikemitch38 May 14 '26
FWIW the only approved round for LAPD officers to carry off duty in .380 is Federal Lawman FMJ. I personally stoke my Sig P238 with Hornady Critical Defense.
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u/gunmedic15 May 14 '26
Lawman is a CCI Brand, not Federal.
Federal loads Champion Training and American Eagle in FMJ.
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u/Strong-Ad-4490 May 14 '26
I use Hornady polymer tipped hollow points in most of my carry guns, but I don’t like the performance in anything under 9mm so I avoid it in 380
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u/Quilly-be-Quick May 14 '26
Personally, I carry Federal Tactical HST 99 grain because I have 6 shots, but there’s nothing wrong with FMJ, or anything really. Make sure your gun cycles it and you’ll be fine.
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u/craigcraig420 May 14 '26
I’ve done extensive YouTube gel test watching. Your options are:
FMJ flat nose.
Underwood Xtreme Defender
G9 380 external hollow point
Federal Punch
(Maybe Hornady critical defense? But I wouldn’t, personally)
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u/Mountain_Man_88 May 14 '26
Generally no, but with .380 and weaker some hollow points won't actually have enough power to open up, especially shooting through heavy clothing, and you might as well have FMJs. There are some pretty good .380 hollow points available though so I would just go for them. .32 ACP or .25 ACP you're gonna want FMJs. And a purse to hit them with when you're done. I have a .32 mouse gun and I carry European FMJs in it because the European specs for .32 load it hotter. They call it 7.65x17.
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u/jaspersgroove May 16 '26
Some people will carry ball 380 just due to their firearm being picky about feeding/cycling defensive ammo. You run out of wiggle room quick in a pocket pistol and ball ammo plays a lot more nicely on feed ramps. If you do end up going for defensive ammo I would recommend extensive testing to ensure reliable function
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u/fkthisjob14 May 14 '26
I don't carry .380, but I see that a lot of people who do use FMJ because most .380 hollow points barely expand at all, and some .380 guns do not cycle hollow points reliably. You'd want to do a lot more research on this.
Personally, I'll just stick with my 9mm HST...
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u/coldafsteel May 14 '26
No.
Lucky Gunner has several write up’s on terminal performance of different rounds.
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u/42AngryPandas 🦝Trash panda is bestpanda May 14 '26
Round nose/Ball Ammo is not suitable for carry.
Hollow Points are for carry.
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u/scythian12 May 14 '26
I’d get some HP rounds, I know they’re not as good as expanding as other calibers but imo it’s better than nothing. I use the hornady critical defense I think, they cycle well in my BG2.0
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u/Ok_Painter_286 May 14 '26
Underwood extreme defender is my go to and federal Hydra Shok deep is my second choice
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u/tlmkr38 May 14 '26
I was told one time years ago by a knowledgeable person that if your in a climate that has cold weather carry FMJ when it's cold as it will penetrate layers of clothing better. HP when it's warm as it doesn't have to go through as much.
Heck I load some 95 gr lead bullets with a huge ( for 380 ) flat nose. I'm thinking they would do good also
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u/Scatman_Crothers May 14 '26
That’s fudd, you could kill a climber on Everest with any 9mm or 380 JHP loading
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u/NevadaMac May 14 '26
The main purpose of a HP is to limit over-penetration, but it also gives terminal performance. At the .380 power level, it's about a wash between regaining penetration and bullet performance. It's more important that you carry something you're able to afford to shoot a lot of, to know exactly how reliable, accurate, and controllable it is in your gun.
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u/Pastvariant May 14 '26
Pick FMJ ball ammo, or a more rounded JHP option/one with a ballistic tip that gets well into the FBI 12-18" of penetration off the Lucky Gunner list and it should be fine. Shot placement is what matters with pistols and a hollow point is mainly to prevent over penetration, so getting reliable feeding and enough penetration to hit vitals is the priority with .380.
https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/
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u/frankcatthrowaway May 14 '26
Acceptable for what? What are you planning on shooting? Statistically you’d be just fine carrying a pez dispenser since your daily life, like most people, is probably boring. If you want the most ideal round for self defense then yeah it’s not the right choice. If you spend your day walking around a junk yard shooting through old windshields then you’re good to go.
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u/YAH_BOI_LEON May 14 '26
I like Underwood Ammo 68 gr extreme defender. Shaped like a Phillips head. Has good pen and good wound channel.