Posted on 02/12/2020 6:30:25 PM PST by No.6
OK, here I am again with another self-blog post. Again, too much to just quote my article, so I'm requesting people go travel to my free and very slow Azure WP site to go read it.
It's still unmonetized, no ads, no begs for money.
It's still not a caliber wars post; this is still the .380 ACP and not proselytizing to people who instead (or additionally) elect 9, .40, .45, 10, or whatever. Please enjoy; this is the end of this series unless an odd inspiration strikes.
If you consider the fact, in civilian defense, most aggressors target you because they expect you to be a soft target, the .380 is a perfectly good round. But if you’re able to carry concealed, you should be concerned about stopping an active shooter, and I would not want to go into that situation with a pocket pistol.
“But if you’re able to carry concealed”
Everbody is able to carry concealed.
Everbody.
It’s just a question of whether carrying legally is important to you.
Old white men don’t get pulled over, or frisked very often. In fact it’s rare. Damn rare.
The type of bullet helps too. I would prefer to carry a 9mm or larger but concealing is a lot more difficult. Even my LC9, which is very compact, is difficult to conceal.
I clean my pocket 380 more often. A pants pocket is a bad environment for a hand gun.
“A pants pocket is a bad environment for a hand gun”
Front waistband.
Always.
Fast (critical) and convenient.
Interesting is a good word. In the various ‘tube videos on LeHigh, much is made of neat effects that happen to gel.
It’s definitely, if not ‘barrier blind,’ barrier agnostic since it’s not made to expand.
Whether it “does not need to expand to be effective” depends on whether you think the gel correlates at all to stopping a living target.
Personally I’m going with “no” as nothing short of rifle velocities causes permanent cavitation in my reading, and there isn’t a body of self-defense use to suggest otherwise. Trying to measure it by FBI spec gets a big fail as most tests I’ve seen radically overpenetrate, and there’s zero expansion (by its own design, but there it is).
That’s just an opinion of “no” but ... with no duty shops running to embrace it, I’ll stick with a known quantity. I’ll let the FBI or a large PD decide it’s a magic bullet first, not YouTubers.
(Also, there are these monthly sales on HST in boxes of 50 in the duty calibers, so actually testing the carry ammo is feasible ... and here I’m off topic. As I wrote in Part I, choosing 9/40/45 etc. means nearly all the self-defense ammo will be effective; just avoid the wierd super-light or fragmenting stuff. That’s why I’m not doing this study on those calibers; not worth the effort.)
And if you have a modicum of common sense, you can reduce the liability to virtually nothing.
But therein lies the rub. With the gun laws we have, speaking specifically about California, you might save your life, but you are going to spend your retirement nest egg trying to keep your butt out of prison.
Unlikely that I’d be able to carry at work IWB. I’d be visible. My boss doesn’t like guns and I’d be fired. I work in an office environment. I’ve been carrying every day for five months and no one knows. And it is always on me. Even when I use the bathroom. Go to McDonald’s for lunch, go for a walk. I might be able to carry something bigger in my backpack or in my car but neither are a good idea because it is not in my possession 100% of the time. There is the risk of theft.
We have a Ruger 380 LCP. I don't really have any gripes against the round, but the little LCP... I think I've resolved to maybe find a different single stack 380 with better ergos.
After shooting 50 rounds with my 380, I switched to a 45. The 45’s recoil felt like a 22.
Most of the time I carry a 380 ACP or 9mm. In special situations I will carry a .357 Mag or if in the deep woods a .44 Rem Mag.
I have no concerns carrying a .380 ACP with a spare magazine full of ammo. The .32 AVP and .380 ACP don't get the respect they deserve.
“Front waistband.
Always.
Fast (critical) and convenient.”
I can’t do that. I have something I am not willing to destroy. Appendix carry is insane. Not really faster and far more lethal if a mistake happens. And I know everyone is Delta Force quality, and can do that cute Blackhawk Down, “my finger is my safety routine. But it’s unsafe.
It’s not unsafe with a good SA/DA pistol like the Sig P230.
You’d have to try to make it fire. Would not be accidental.
bkmk
Well, those stats sure go against the “If you pull your gun you need to shoot” threads.
> I’ve resolved to maybe find a different single stack 380
There’s are many to choose from. In the tiny size like LCP you might like the Pico (latest iteration has a 6lb spring) although from the study I’d only go with that size if pocket was the the only option. In the 3”+ group you might like a G42, Bersa, PPK(/s)?
Find what fits you, but hopefully the study helps you feed it.
Lucky Gunner recently posted a survey of their results in 22, 25, and 32.
Nota bene:
Before I wrote this, but after I collected the data, PoliceOne did a 3 part article of their own about the clear gel.
In the articles, I’d put reference lines up around the FBI 12” and 18” marks and expansion guidelines.
The article is convincing enough to me that I’ve put a caveat around assuming that these results are the same as lab-quality tests in the organic gel. The good news is I stand by the conclusions as the volume of data, compared to *itself*, supports “light expanding” rounds and 3”+ barrels as key factors.
Please just don’t say “well STB got 14” or Lucky Gunner got 13 so it meets FBI spec.” It might; but it’s not 1:1 for sure.
The .380 in your pocket beats the .45 in the nightstand every single time.
L
Absolutely! I didn’t do the legwork on this out of contempt for .380. I’m obliged to follow the truth here and so ping folks that this data crunch is not a formal FBI study.
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