More manageable recoil improves its shot-to-shot accuracy potential. This assumes accurate shot placement. The 9mm is a taller round and offers more power, which leads to higher muzzle velocity and requires a deft hand to control. The 9mm Luger is 9mm … The 9mm projectile is more likely to travel completely through someone than the .380 ACP ammo (or any of the other more popular self-defense rounds ). Though ballistically in the same general ballpark, each round brings with it certain advantages as well as negatives. The.380 has less recoil so is popular with concealable handguns while the 9mm is more powerful and has more recoil. The .380 was developed as a pistol cartridge by the legendary John Moses Browning as a straight-walled pistol cartridge for semi-automatic pistols – and first used in the Colt M1908. The .380 ACP is the brainchild of one of the world’s most prolific firearms designers, the esteemed John M. Browning and is also known as the 9mm Browning, 9mm Short, and 9mm Kurz. These cookies do not store any personal information. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. Elderly, infirmed and a number of other individuals with diminished hand strength, for instance. And next to adequate caliber and reliability, size is generally considered the most important factor of a backup gun. But with some considerations, the caliber is still a practical one. Don’t scoff. In that pistol we can see a perfect use case for the .380: concealment. Elwood Shelton is an online content developer for Gun Digest. The main difference between the .380 ACP and 9mm Parabellum is the size of the casing, rather than the bullet. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Are they a numerous as 9mm Luger? If sheer stopping power is what you need in a firearm, or you want to ensure the cheapest per-round cost of ownership, the 9mm is generally the way to go. In the gun world, ballistic knowledge is power, so let’s take a look at how the .380 ACP performs in gel tests and wound studies. Recoil shy know which side they take in the .380 vs 9mm debate and the lack of kick it’s no small advantage to them. It’s also the primary competition to the venerable 9mm when it comes to CCW pistols, so we’ve set out to answer a common question: why choose a .380? These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. In terms of sheer stopping power, the 9mm (assuming all things equal) will be the more powerful of the two rounds: it holds more kinetic energy and will deliver more punch to the target. The first thing that happens is; it will prove your argument for choosing a 9mm over a .380 gets shot all to hell! We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Except, now 9mm pistols are as compact and easy to carry. .380 vs 9mm: Manipulation Dovetailing off recoil is how simple most .380 pistols are to run away from the trigger. With that said, .380 firearms are hard to beat when it comes to concealability. Head to head, the LCP II is only marginally more pocket-sized than the P365 or micro 9mm Springfield Hellcat. Less room for powder means a smaller bang, which means less energy. First, the caliber in no way limits your available firearm choices. For some, the 9mm Luger proves too lively to accurately make hits shot to shot. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. The .380 cartridge itself is only about 2mm smaller, hence one of its names, the 9mm short or 9 x 17. 9mm pistols have more recoil and a larger footprint, but in particularly small guns the .380 can still be a little snappy. Physics dictates nothing less. Most pistols chambered in .380 ACP are small, subcompact to micro size. He writes about guns and gear. It is narrow enough with the right amount of firepower behind it to cause over penetration. Self-defense oriented hollow point rounds will stop your target just as well in both .380 and 9mm calibers. The maximum velocity(1000 FPS) and energy ratings (148 MPa) of the .380 are about 40% below a 9mm, both using JHP+P type loads. The 9mm has a maximum velocity of 1,400 FPS and an energy rating of 2465 foot pounds, and is by all measures a more powerful cartridge. It was introduced in 1908 with the Colt 1908 Pocket Hammerless model. This is due to the shorter .380 case and lighter bullet weight. 9mm Luger, which we’ll refer to as 9mm for the duration of this article, was introduced in 1902, and is essentially a .30 Luger cartridge that was necked up to accept a .355 diameter bullet. Al Capone carried one in his coat pocket, Bonnie Parker smuggled an M1908 into the jail holding Clive Barrow and used it to break him out, and bank robber John Dillinger was carrying an M1908 when he was shot by FBI agents on July 22, 1934. Regardless of caliber choice, training is a must. Less room for powder means a smaller bang, which means less energy. You’d be hard-pressed to find any firearms instructor worth his or her salt suggesting the .380 ACP over the 9mm. It is not to be confused with .38 ACP, 9mm Ultra, 9mm Makarov or 9mm Parabellum. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. But we think there’s a little more to the story when defining effective stopping power. Nearly as small .380 options, yet more powerful—you almost have to be plum loco not to level up. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. The usability of a pistol designed for self-defense is often the most important consideration. If you can carry a cell phone, you can carry a .380 ACP. These kinds of considerations make defining the “best” round a little more nuanced than simply looking at raw power output. The power of .380 ACP guns is noticeably below that of 9mm weapons. In most cases, there’s a marked difference in bullet mass and the velocity it’s moving. They’re generally considered easier to handle than the bigger 9mm, making them very friendly for new shooters, women, or people with compromised grip strength. But how about your aged mother or arthritis-stricken grandparent? The wrinkle here, if you choose a .380 ACP ammunition homework is imperative. It came up again while working a gun show last weekend. He is a gun owner and avid reloader from Colorado. lbs. The lack of recoil energy, when compared to 9mm cartridges, means it’s controllable even when used in very small firearms. .380 vs 9mm: Backup Gun While the 9mm has encroached on the .380’s turf as a primary carry option, the smaller ‘nine’ still cuts the more dominant figure as a backup gun. Is the .380 vs 9mm debate over? The .38 Superwasn’t introduced until 1929, some 27 years later. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. To avoid confusion, I will mention that Underwood loads a 90-grain version of that same Lehigh Defense bullet in the 9mm Luger but calls it Xtreme Defender. Since accurate hits carry more weight than other variables, anything enhancing it—even if it's for a certain segment—has to be counted as a plus. .380 vs 9mm: Ammunition The 9mm has and will always have a power advantage over the .380. The cartridge holds a bullet the same diameter as the 9mm (.355”) but in a smaller case with diminished capacity (roughly speaking, 15% less than the 9mm in … designation). That means for encounters with adversaries only a few feet away. However, the .380 vs 9mm, with its matching bullet diameter of .355 inch, the issue becomes more complex. For example, if you are facing a home intruder, either weapon will serve you well. The .380 is designed as a backup option for police and undercover operatives as a last measure of self defense. However, the 9mm has a considerably longer shell than the .380. Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest.com. Ballistic Gel Testing .380 VS 9mm: Origins The origins of.380 vs 9mm are a quite different, though they occurred close to the same time. The 9mm predates .380 ACP – 9mm was designed by Georg Luger in 1901 and entered production in 1902 – and has a landslide of ballistic advances to back it. Additionally, the 9mm cartridge benefits from longer barrels due to the additional powder within the case, so 9mm pistols tend to be larger – whereas the .380 does just fine in smaller form factors. The .38 Super r… ), .40 S&W (447 ft. Disclosure: Some of these links are affiliate links. Other names for .380 ACP include .380 Auto, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, 9×17mm and 9 mm Browning Court (which is the C.I.P. Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. Most can agree, the .380 isn’t the top choice for concealed carry or self-defense. While the 9mm is often thought of as a modern cartridge, it’s actually old enough to be the .38 Super’s father. But they exist, making the caliber more viable for self-defense … at least relative to the past. Both rounds are more than adequate for concealed carry – a Glock 42 in .380 or Glock 43 in 9mm will both deliver rounds on target to good effect in properly trained hands. The .380 bullet maxes out around 115 grains, though the standard has long been between 85 and 95 grains. Lighter recoiling cartridges require lighter recoil springs, the side benefit, the slide is that much easier to rack. Diminished, the good old .380 still has some fight left. The most powerful commercially available load for the.380 ACP on the chart so far, Buffalo Bore’s 380 Auto +P HC-FN (non-jacketed hardcast flat nose) uses a 100-grain bullet (just 15 grains shy of typical-weight 9mm bullets) that can go as fast as 1,150 feet per second (only 30 feet per second slower than standard 9mm velocities). Yes, the diameter for both the cartridges is 9mm. We think there are several very good reasons to pick a .380 as your carry gun. You simply have to decide if it’s sensible for you and your particular circumstances. Even a single .22 caliber bullet is sufficient to kill a person. Learn how your comment data is processed. 380 ACP. A third reason is a kind of counter-intuitive one – .380 ammo is usually a little more expensive than 9mm. Side by side on the table were several 38 Special revolvers by Smith & Wesson and Taurus with the same brands of pistols chambered for the “9mm Short” a.k.a.
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