[jamain]

Hi Guys


I wantend to know what carry Ammo should i use in my 738?
I use Winchester white box to practice with and just woundering
why not to use it for carry also? is this because of the penatration ?
if so should I use hollow points instead to carry with?also where can
i ready about this on line?


Thank You so much for the help
Jeff

 

[SixFalls]

Interesting question. Can't wait to see the post. I carry an 85UL, so my answer really wouldn't help much. IF I had a .380, I would probably carry Hornady, XTP 90gr.


At the moment however, 125gr American Gunner by Honrady.

 

[olfarhors]

Hi Guys


I wantend to know what carry Ammo should i use in my 738?
I use Winchester white box to practice with and just woundering
why not to use it for carry also? is this because of the penatration ?
if so should I use hollow points instead to carry with?also where can
i ready about this on line?

Thank You so much for the help
Jeff

Use what functions 120 % of the time in your weapon!
Simple as that, If more than 1 does this then see what is the most accurate and comfortable to shoot for you and your gun.
I actually have several carry rounds for my 380's, Gold Dot, COP All Copper, and Hornady XTP
I like the all copper and the Hornady XTP as they have consistent expansion and not to much penetration but enough, and they function in every 380 semi auto that I have.

 

[stuz92]

"The author of the website "Shooting the Bull" has gone through the trouble of testing a ton of .380 ammo since the ultra-compact .380 pistols are very popular and published his results in late 2013. If you choose to carry one of these, you may as well try to carry the best there is. The data collected is nicely documented and there are indeed some very decent choices available.

"The best performer, overall, were the Precision One XTP rounds. However, all the XTP rounds performed very well, and any of them would be a fine choice. In addition to the XTP’s, the Federal Premium Hydra Shoks were a great performer, so all four of the XTP’s and the Hydra Shoks all made it into “the winner’s circle”, with the Precision Ones being the overall best performer, and the Hydra Shoks and Fiocchi Extremas being named the “best big-brand-name alternatives” for those who don’t want to rely on a small-name company but are more comfortable using brand-name ammo."##Precision One XTP
##Federal Premuim HydraShok
##Fiocchi Extrema XTP
##Hornady Custom XTP
##HPR XTP
"
Here's the website that the above quote is from:
Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

I'm carrying the Fiocchi Extrema XTP at the present. As others have stated make sure you test any ammo in your firearm for function. Also remember that penetration is a problem with most .380 hollowpoints , so any fmj is always a choice.

 

[AOCM.RET]

Use what functions 120 % of the time in your weapon!
Simple as that, If more than 1 does this then see what is the most accurate and comfortable to shoot for you and your gun.
I actually have several carry rounds for my 380's, Gold Dot, COP All Copper, and Hornady XTP
I like the all copper and the Hornady XTP as they have consistent expansion and not to much penetration but enough, and they function in every 380 semi auto that I have.

What he said! It does not matter what .380 round performs the best in any test, it is which one of those performs flawlessly in your weapon.

 

[Fishinkeylargo]

Here is a good starting point:

 

[Peacemakr40]

Here's the website that the above quote is from:
Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

just as an aside. Look at the listings for the .45 ACP. Who's listed as top? TAURUS

 

[seafra]

Excellent video suggested above by Fishingkeylargo. I carry 9mm HST 147gr largely due to that reviewer....and I believe that round is even Fishingkeylargo's avatar.

 

[Lmstncwby]

Don't use Winchester White Box for carry ammo. Find a round will open each and every time and expand. I carry Hornady Critical Defense in my carry guns (they are .40 S&W).

 

[rexherring]

Reliability,Reliability,Reliability,Reliability,Reliability, with a .380 the most important thing.

 

[brotherbrian]

Lehigh makes a looks-to-be fabulous performing 380 round for PD:

 

[jtg452]

What cycles and functions with 100% reliability through your gun?

Of the loads that meet the criteria of question 1, what shoots the straightest through your gun?

That's what I'd suggest you use as a carry load.

The only way to find out the answers to those questions is to go shoot some different ammunition through your gun and find out. Every gun is different. What works best in one may be the worst choice in an identical gun. I've seen matched pairs of pistols that were consecutively serial numbered that liked 2 completely different loads.

Narrow it down a bit by deciding what bullet weight you want to use and try a few different loads using that bullet weight.

 

[jamain]

Thank you Stuz

 

[jamain]

Thank you Brian

Awsome video
Jeff

 

[jimb1972]

I have used Remington Golden Sabers almost exclusively for years, the shape of the bullet is closest to FMJ ammo and has always fed and functioned reliably for me. I am sure there is a bunch of other good ammo out there, but I found one that works for me in all my guns and am loath to change.

 

[Divebum]

Find out what the local LEO's carry, and carry a version of that (as long as your gun will eat it). Reason? If, God forbid, you have to use your weapon in a SD situation, a stock weapon, non-exotic ammo and the like will obviate a slick prosecutor's accusation of "cowboy, vigilante, cop wannabe" status. That can be several brands. Most of the guys in my neck 'o the woods are carrying Hydra Shok and Critical Duty. That's what I use in my carry weapons. Golden Sabre and Gold Dot are usually pretty good bets as well. Personally, I'm partial to the Hydra Shok for a number of reasons, but one of the major reasons is that Federal has been very very good to our 4-H Shooting Sports program. And of course, they manufacture outstanding ammo.

 

[olfarhors]

"The author of the website "Shooting the Bull" has gone through the trouble of testing a ton of .380 ammo since the ultra-compact .380 pistols are very popular and published his results in late 2013. If you choose to carry one of these, you may as well try to carry the best there is. The data collected is nicely documented and there are indeed some very decent choices available.

I'm carrying the Fiocchi Extrema XTP at the present. As others have stated make sure you test any ammo in your firearm for function. Also remember that penetration is a problem with most .380 hollowpoints , so any fmj is always a choice.

The only thing that I would make is the thought of this is remember to look closely at the feet per Second that these rounds performed. modern hollow point projectiles can act very differently depending the speed when it hits an object.
so to fast an it gives up penetration to slow and it gives up expansion.
in most cases I think you will see that the 850-900 FPS offers the best of both worlds in most of these projectiles.
SO faster isn't always better!
Notice the FPS as you look at shooting the bulls test, notice the velocity of the different projectiles.
as he used all factory ammunition thats not Plus P, this reveals very good choices in factory ammo in short barreled 380 weapons.

 

[olfarhors]

just as an aside. Look at the listings for the .45 ACP. Who's listed as top? TAURUS

Which IF memory serves me correctly was jobbed out and was actually manufactured by PMC?? And used the Barnes all copper hollow point projectile.
but it is very good round as is everything I have seen in the Barnes loadings.
It was discontinued quite some time back however.
Same with the Fiocchi XTP rounds, loaded to same specs as the hornady and uses the hornady XTP projectile at about a 40% savings over the hornady brand.

 

[olfarhors]

Find out what the local LEO's carry, and carry a version of that (as long as your gun will eat it). Reason? If, God forbid, you have to use your weapon in a SD situation, a stock weapon, non-exotic ammo and the like will obviate a slick prosecutor's accusation of "cowboy, vigilante, cop wannabe" status. That can be several brands. Most of the guys in my neck 'o the woods are carrying Hydra Shok and Critical Duty. That's what I use in my carry weapons. Golden Sabre and Gold Dot are usually pretty good bets as well. Personally, I'm partial to the Hydra Shok for a number of reasons, but one of the major reasons is that Federal has been very very good to our 4-H Shooting Sports program. And of course, they manufacture outstanding ammo.

The problem with this are several.
First what a police officer needs for carry duty and what a civilian needs for carry protection are considerbally different, now days more so than before as Duty ammunitions re specifically designed for police work--ie Higher penetration, more velocity, generally more muzzle jump and muzzle flash and recoil.
and most Police /sheriffs departments change carry ammo at the end of each contract time, so one would need to change carry ammo (do more test on your gun and keep abreast of things changing to fall within the scope of your analogy, and finally prosecution by over zealous district attorneys pretty much fairy tales in justified shootings.
and thats my opinion and am sure several have differing points of view.

 

[TexasAviator]

Reliability,Reliability,Reliability,Reliability,Reliability, with a .380 the most important thing.

I'd take that a step farther and say not just with a .380.

Carry what you like and what functions well.


Ball, JHP who cares, thats a personal choice.

I have a .45 acp that prefers ball, and another that works well with Winchester PDX1 HP's. I dont feel anything is wrong with either.

Others will disagree, but thats part of what makes life fun!