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192 Posts
Just picked up 200 rds. And I'm excited to see how they perform! Anyone here try them? Thoughts?
380 auto 99 gr. HST
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3,251 Posts
Until there's some actual documented shootings with this round no body can say how well it works.
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39,638 Posts
I haven't had the opportunity to obtain any and see how they feed & function in my LCP's, yet. Maybe as the availability and supply of my T-Series, Gold Dots and Golden Sabre loads shrink at some point.
I'd hope they would offer at least the same level of "performance" (predictable compromise of penetration/expansion) as the JHP's I've been using & carrying ... but I'd not expect them to turn my really diminutive .380's into a short barreled, standard pressure/velocity 9mm.
It's still going to be a .380 ACP.
Nice to see another of the major American ammo makers offer some improvement in hollowpoint rounds that might offer some deformation or expansion in the admittedly lower end, but venerable, personal protection caliber.
Still not going to replace me reaching for one of my 5-shot .38 snubs for retirement CCW in many situations, though.
I'd hope they would offer at least the same level of "performance" (predictable compromise of penetration/expansion) as the JHP's I've been using & carrying ... but I'd not expect them to turn my really diminutive .380's into a short barreled, standard pressure/velocity 9mm.
It's still going to be a .380 ACP.
Nice to see another of the major American ammo makers offer some improvement in hollowpoint rounds that might offer some deformation or expansion in the admittedly lower end, but venerable, personal protection caliber.
Still not going to replace me reaching for one of my 5-shot .38 snubs for retirement CCW in many situations, though.
This sums it up. Only thing to add is that other newer bullets like Lehigh penetrator work well but over-penetrate like ball ammo.
I use hornady custom XTP in my 42. I used to use hydrashoks in my LCP. For now it's XTP bullets for 380.
I do use HST for my 23 and 27.
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2,963 Posts
I agree. There are some brands (Precision One) that do manage to put an (moderately) expanded JHP into the 12-18 inch range, but they are often hard to find.
The problem is that "inadequate" and "acceptable" are hard to define in this context.
When a BG gets shot with any round and goes down quickly, the penetration was "adequate" in that situation regardless of how deeply that particular bullet penetrated the BG, or how the same bullet performs in gelatin testing. And a lot of people have been put down, quickly, by various .380 hollowpoints that seem to expand "too much."
The FBI likes at least 12" of penetration in gelatin; but people are a much different mix of muscle, bone, spongy lungs, soggy organs, etc.
It's very much a crapshoot; and the more I studied, the more I concluded that more "failures" were caused by underexpansion than overexpansion.
Tactics, alertness, shot placement, and plain old luck; will usually determine the outcome.
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11,715 Posts
There's the rub. As a BUG .380ACP should be just fine; as a primary the caliber is just doesn't have adequate street cred for quickly and reliably stopping a potentially deadly attack.
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39,638 Posts
A further "rub" is that if a particular weapon is deemed unsuitable to be a "primary" weapon, such as due to caliber or capacity considerations, but is considered acceptable as a "BUG" or secondary weapon ... if it's ever actually needed during an exigent situation, it's probably become the "primary" weapon.
Shades of meaning and context.
I'd obviously not consider carrying one of my LCP's as a "duty" weapon, nor one of my 5-shot .38's (although, I'd not mind being told I was going to have to carry a 6-shot .38/.357 again, so go figure) ... but neither do I lose sleep when I decide that choosing one of my LCP's as a retirement or LEOSA weapon (road trips) is a reasonably acceptable level of "risk" for many of my daily needs as a retirement CCW.
Some folks will seemingly choose to use a strict "red line" of caliber or ammunition capacity when selecting a dedicated personal defense weapon for CCW or off-duty carry.
Others seem more willing to take other factors into consideration, such as clothing choices (not wanting to dress around a weapon), their life's experience, training, the totality of anticipated circumstances (or at least their reasonably best guess), etc.
I've had a badge (full-time or reserve) for more than 30 years, and I've had some opportunity to gain some insight into what might best serve my needs. Even so, I try not to get too involved in being put into a situation where I'm essentially "making the decision" for someone else.
After all, I'm not the one who is going to have to potentially use whatever it is someone else is going to be carrying, right? As long as it's legal (for private citizens), and within policy (for LE), the rest is up to the individual.
I'm more concerned about the lawfulness, control and accuracy of the rounds sent downrange, followed by the safety and appropriate use of the carry method(s) selected and the individual's knowledge to actually maintain whatever it is they've chosen.
.Round and round the world spins, huh?
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8 Posts
some say a 380 round won't kill, I would not want to be on the receiving end to prove if that was true or not!
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15,009 Posts
I think your choice of Federal HST is excellent for anything other than the 380...the "current" wisdom among "Shootists" like Dave Spaulding, Massad et al is to try Buffalo Bores excellent hard-cast flat 90 gr flat-point round for the somewhat anemic 380...especially if you live in "col-country" where the assailant may be wearing several layers of clothing...just my humble opinion...
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