Should i get a 380 or 9mm

It has less drop at both 50 and yards, which suggests it could be more reliable for long-distance target shooting. The 9mm is known for smooth operation, but if light recoil is a top priority, the.

Both of these rounds are used across the country for personal protection, including home defense and conceal-carry purposes. For this reason, load capacity the number of rounds you can carry in one magazine is a significant concern for many people choosing the 9mm Luger or. Firearms chambered for the 9mm Luger are more readily available. Most of the. To get an idea of which round is better equipped for self-defense, we took some Federal HST ammo to the range 99 grain ACP rounds and grain 9mm rounds.

We fired rounds through a 4-layer cloth barrier into Clear Ballistics gelatin. Our testing protocol followed similar procedures to how the Federal Bureau of Investigation tests ammunition. For our tests, we used a Glock 42 and a Glock We attempted to pick incredibly similar firearms so we could attempt to isolate the caliber as the primary variable.

The ammo is outlined with the blue box. The 9mm ammo is outlined with the red box. Our test results for this article were quite similar to what we saw from these loads when fired with other concealed carry pistols. Our 9mm test shot penetrated slightly farther. Our round traveled When it comes to expansion, our 9mm came in with about. I know there are revolvers they have 4 to 6 in.

Good article! I agree that a. Especially for people who may need something easier to handle for their use cases. A 22 cal to the brain is more effective than a 44 mag to the ear. I recently came across a case where a person committed suicide with a pressed against his right temple. A hollow point was used and there was no exit wound!

Also no blood spatter was found to exist. Does this make sense? Would Blow Back Exist? Please folks help me out with this… I have a hard time believing this… Thanks….

Some of you have some really great observations on the topic above and throughout. What gives with THAT? May God be with you particular few… tsk tsk. Thanks for all the great information. I am a newcomer to handguns and a paraplegic. I may not always be in the best position to defend myself. Thank you so much for your help in making an educated decision. My guess is that if I hit you in the heart with a. I believe it is how good a shot you are that really matters.

With the improved. Check out the newest ammo Quest videos with these two. Any caliber gun accessible by a non shooter is a recipe for disaster. There are more accidental discharges And collateral damage than home invasions and personal attacks.

A gun is a handicap without training and practice. I shoot with a Ruger LCP. Hi, Victoria. The penetration of a personal defense round into the human body depends on a lot of factors such as caliber, bullet weight, powder load, etc. How the bullet reacts once it enters the body also depends on many different factors such as angle, bone, muscle or fat, etc.

However, that is largely impractical. Thirteen rounds in a compact gun that I could shoot the ticks off a dog with. Still have it, still love it and tend to carry it in the winter when more bulky clothes will ensure there is no printing. While not illegal in my state CO , because of people being scared due to mass shootings, printing is something I really try and avoid.

Unless I wear an overly large shirt, its also easy to expose the handle if I reach for something or bend over. All of these things create problems. I finally settled on a Kahr CW with extended mag. All of which feed well and reliably through my Kahr CW In the real world, there are so many factors that effect how bullet works and how a person reacts to getting shot, that its best to get rid of expectations. I knew a Vietnam vet that was at the Tet offensive, his position was over run.

He emptied his into a charging VC without any effect. In the end my acquaintance ended up having to stab the man to death with his knife. I have a good friend who was a collage football player. He was on drugs and involved in a car accident. He was hell bent on pulling the other guy out of his car and beating the crap out of him. He had the guy half way out the window when the man pulled out a. That single shot stopped my friend cold.

The body is an amazing thing. Sometimes the littlest thing can stop or kill a person. Other times a person can survive the most horrendous wounds and keep on functioning. The truth that I have found out is that handguns are crappy for stopping people when compared to a rifle or shotgun. No matter how well a bullet is designed and performs in tests, in the real world it can fail. The body is composed of skin, muscle, bone, and even hollow spaces, all wrapped in a layer or layers of clothes that can and does effect how a bullet preform regardless of caliber, grain, velocity, or kinetic energy.

In a high stress situation fine motor skills tend to go out the window and gross motor skills take over. I am a survivor of several potentially deadly violent situations including guns and knives. I have been shot at multiple times and in each event my only thought was to dive for cover and stay there. Even if I had a gun at that time, I would have most likely stayed behind cover, only shooting any threat that came around the corner or over the wall.

After decades in the martial arts and surviving violent confrontations I have learned that if cornered I will fight, but given the opportunity I will run. My Sense always talked about having zones of engagement and options. I carry pistol, a knife, and if all else fails, I can use my body to fight.

I suffer no delusion that I am Jack Reacher or some other invincible character ready to battle it out. At the end of the day I just want to go home to my family and carrying an easily concealable gun that I can deploy quickly without anybody knowing its there until I have to use it means more to me than carrying around something heavy, bulky, and harder to control in a high stress situation. Anyway, just my two cents.

Carry what works for you and what your comfortable with. Never underestimate the power of confidence in a violent situation. Jim, I agree with you. I have never heard someone say I wonder if a 10mm is powerful enough to stop a human, and that is what I carry.

Concealing a Glock 20 is not that hard. Hit the nail on the head. In your opinion, how would a. Hi, Mike. When choosing a defensive round it is generally recommended to select a modern bonded hollow point that is heavy for the caliber from a major manufacturer. However, with the. When I started seeing news items of churches and meetings being shot up by radicals, I decided to start carrying. So, I convinced friends and relatives to loan me their pistols, all different calibers from.

We went out to the local range, and I tried them. In order to be confident about being able to protect myself, I realized I would have to shoot or rounds, at least, to be sure. And another 50 rounds every so often. I was able to shoot one clip of. I managed to shoot the. So, guess which pistol I purchased. But I am confidant that I can protect our church at a range of 4 feet to 75 feet yes, I am a sheepdog at church.

But I am confident that I can, and will, if necessary, with a. Excellent article. They deliberately chose not to. In an EDC gun, the. Very good article. Just exactly what I was looking for. This enforces my opinion. I once really admired the in a 45 cal which I still think is a great setup, just not for me.

I will avoid a shooting if at all possible. I would expect 25 or thirty feet to be more likely and feet highly likely. I have a Ruger LCP and i can put all 7 rounds in the head from 10yards an attacker will nost likely be alot closer in a matter of a few seconds.

I carry the LCP Ruger. A Sig compact with a 15 bullet clip. Great protection lots of shots. LCP Ruger is shot very concealable with pocket holster.

Rapid fire will do the trick. Ruger LC 9 mm compact shot is concealable but heavy. The reason I switched to a small 9mm, was not the stopping power but the cost and availability of ammo. Maybe that will change with our new president. Unless your in a gunfight with individual in dense thick clothing at 20 feet or more ill take the , with ball ammo. I have 9 mm handguns. I used to weigh around , I lifted daily, boxed and played competitive Judo.

Those days are gone. That means it never goes away, 24 x 7 x , I have a migraine. So, at the weight and height I am, carrying one of my 9 mm handguns is very difficult, without it showing. I carried it in a shoulder rig along with 2 extra mags. I shot with a rifle and shotgun always. I got my first rifle at age 11, it was a. So I learned to shoot handguns in the military and this was before we abandoned one of the best handguns ever designed, the Colt It was the Murder Capital of the US, at the time and I wanted to make sure my clients were safe and that I went home at the end of the day.

People stop talking to cops, but to some innocent appearing bystander, with the right line of BS, people will say an awful lot. So I told all of that to get here.

I generally wear cargo pants and the fits in a pocket holster in my right front pocket. I live in an area without a lot of crime. I mentioned that because we have a range here at the farm. We shoot everything from skeet and trap to a very nice Mauser K We have about 20 guns here and shoot a lot of them pretty regularly.

I will say this, obviously a 9mm has better ballistics than a. I shoot Hornady. Also, the wife was nice enough to buy me a 10 round magazine for my little Bodyguard. The Bodyguard has a seriously heavy trigger pull, which in one way of thinking is bad, but when you consider having a round in the chamber is good. The chances of you shooting yourself in the femoral artery of your right leg pretty slim. If you consider the real life use of the gun in a PD situation, getting the gun out and in a ready to fire position must happen very quickly.

The average distance in those situations is pretty short. So, being ready to fire, in a brief time, is critical to using a gun of any size or caliber in a self defense situation. I can have the Bodyguard out and firing in less than 2 seconds from my pocket. Additionally, due to the lack of recoil, I can be ready to fire the second round quicker than I can any of my 9 mm handguns.

So agree with the author, Grant Cunningham, there are times when a. What would be some recommended. Have had my wather ppk for 37 years. I use premium ammo and practise when I can. Important thing is to practise. I always fire 3 shots starting low. Works for me so far. It depends on where you are going and how you are dressed. You can hide just about anything if you dress off the rack at goodwill.

Sometimes I cram my 9mm or my Kahr CW9 the same way. Hell, nobody looks at your butt anyway. Most all defense ammo is designed to penetrate 12 to 18 inches. My mm? My Glock 19? Just pick a quality brand, make sure it works in your piece. Practice until you can put all rounds in the eye at 4 yards. I can consistently do that. Whether its on my ankle or in a wallet holster, I can always count on it be concealed.

I can draw it quickly and put all 7 rounds in the kill box everytime. Especially running high end ammo, no reason to have it not on you. You cant always lug a. I own both. When my dad said not to carry a I took a large bowl we eat popcorn out of and mixed a 50 round box of each, both Magtech brand, in the bowl and told him to separate them.

I ended up having to help him because the only way you can tell the difference is by looking at the small print on the bottom of the round. Btw getting hit with a marble or frozen paintball at fpa can still kill you.

The End!! This article was amazingly helpful! Lots of articles suggested a 9mm, which I started leaning towards, with. My beau has been suggesting a. At 15 yards King Kong would be hurting. It holds 7 rounds and is a tough molded pistol and heavy. Too large, cumbersome and not all that conducive to getting a hold of it. We were convinced on the 9mm SW Shield, but, handling tipped the scale to the. Thank you and God bless!

My wife developed arthritis in the hand and found the gun very uncomfortable to shoot. I bought her a Beretta Brigadier 9mm; less recoil, more comfortable and controllable. I just developed some arthritis also and for carry I just purchased a Sig P With the laser sight on the LCR the first shot was a bulls eye but I flinched every time after that. I watched a test between the and 9mm where a guy set up two identical blocks of clay at 25 yards.

The blocks were 12 inchesx12inches. He shot the first block with a 9mm, small hole going in, larger hole approx. He shot the other block with the and it totally destroyed the block. The difference…the 9mm has the power to go all the way through transferring little energy.

The however is slower and transfers all its energy to the target hit… same as a 45ACP. For self defense and raw stopping power the is an excellent round, not to mention it will cause little collateral damage by going all the way through your target. The Europeans have carried or 9 Makarov for decade upon decade very effectively. If its good enough for James Bond its good enough for me..

What a great discussion!!! You hit all the nails on the head. With the full size there was minimal recoil, but alot of power. You might scare them with the noise a 9 makes but how would you control it.

Sounds good, makes alot of noise but can you hit the barn. Hopefully, people will get to read your discussion before they make a big mistake. I like the idea of the 10 shot mag.!!!

I pocket carry a Ruger LPC its my work an on the job pistol. You are correct about recoil, I also shot higher caliber pistols. I think the is great!! Double stack magazine takes 13 rounds plus one in the pipe. Fits nicely in a cargo pocket or car console. My concern for home defense is missing an intruder and killing a neighbor.

All rounds were similar hollow points. At home we both keep a handy. My friends are dieing fast enough without my help.

I bought my. I did my homework and got an A-…. If I can't solve my. I normally carry a Glock 17 and a 32apc KelTec. In some situations, crowds at the mall for example where over penetration is an issue could be a reason to go for the pimp gun, mouse gun instead of the 9mm and a might be another good choice.

The REAL question is ….. What is the largest caliber that you are Comfortable with and that you will Practice with in order to become a proficient shooter …….. I believe your points are right on the money. Caliber, gun, and ability all need to be weighed. Truthfully, is rather carry by XDM 4. Practice with it. Now, when and if they make a 9mm in same gun, hmmmm, ….

I was always told and even read and heard that a 22 cal carried was better than any other left at home. I taught the wife to fire a 22 Sig then had her transfer to a to carry. Needless to say after firing the 22 caliper and then the she prefers to carry the cause it is a smaller gun and yet she can handle it and keep it on target.

But I pity anyone who tries to attack her as she shoots a little low and they would be screaming from pain before they drop dead with her third shot. She can hit what she wants. For someone who had not handled a pistol before me teaching her she is dead accurate. I like both. INcedentally, I could not hold a. The bullet is what makes the wound, and the gun is a delivery system. And, they tell us the often do not expand. But any bullet that hits a critical part of the body will cause serious damage and lead to disabling the attacker.

So, accuracy still trumps, even in 9mm, 40cal and 45cal, but definitely use the best 9mm ball or HP. I use the Hornady Critical Defense and Ball mixed. So, improved recoil control will help if you practice enough. I own a P, a P and carry a compact CZ75 in 9mm. I find the P a fantastic gun from an accuracy point of view while moving and strong hand only.

However, once the distance gets over 15 yards, accuracy is very difficult unless you are expert who practices often. The P is also a fantastic gun, but it is harder to get accurate hits at speed compared to the P The other issue with these smaller guns is the number of rounds that fit in the gun. Now while most self-defense gunfights are 3 rounds, some are much more. They end up using the gun as a rock or drop it and use knife or hard hands at that point.

In either case make sure you use the best ammo available…modern designs work much better. I have tested the Hornady Critical Defense in various materials and it does really well. I carry a small 32, seven rounds, hollow points. I have a and a 9mm, but I have found them to be difficult for me to conceal. The law now allows me to open carry, but with my traveling with a seeing eye dog, the open carry drew to much attention to me. Even with my vision disability, I am a fairly good shot.

I hope I never have to find out. I agree completely, especially when it comes to pocket guns. One thing I think you should have mentioned though is that great strides have been made in. Yes, in the past the. But with modern advances in powder and bullet technology, the gap between the 9mm and the is not what it was in the past and it may one day all but disappear. These constant advances in round technology, must not overruled by old outdated ideas and beliefs from yesteryear.

There are many ballistic gel test available on this round out there that show that this round meets all FBI requirements for a personal defense round, even through two layers of denim.

One thing that also bares mentioning is that, there is such a thing as Too Much Power when it comes to personal defense. This is why there are minimum and maximum standards for personal defense rounds. The bottom line is, there are now. At the end of the day, the best defense weapon in the world, is the one you have with you when you need it. While 9mm have gotten small, they have not gotten small enough to be kept in your pants pocket comfortably without being noticed.

This is a niche held almost exclusively by the. While we would all love to have a nice full size 9mm on us at all times that would give us maximum stopping power, comfort, and control; life does not always afford us that privilege, and this is where the.

Just a little comment, the best carry gun, is the one you will carry. I have meat hooks for hands and a small 9 is harder for me to control than the , I can hit my target rapid fire much better with it and I am always thinking about getting to my 9. I got my wife a Glock 44,. My wife likes it because of the less recoil than a 9mm or a 40 cal. She can put more rounds at a target, than I can with my Glock 22 40 cal. Thank you for your excellent comparison of a.

How Does the. Pistols chambered for it generally use lighter recoil springs, thus are easier to manipulate. Cambered in some of the smallest pistols, it's more suited for a backup gun role. Advancements in ammunition have improved its terminal performance.

Target grids and bullseye sizes are in MOA. Ideal for long-range shooting! Get Free Targets. Springfield Armory Waypoint Review. It is obvious that the author has never been involved in a real gunfight. Please enter your comment! Please enter your name here. You have entered an incorrect email address! Six major concealed carry insurance programs are now available to the millions of Americans who carry concealed.

Best 6. Get The Magazine Get 12 Issues a year of the country's best firearms writing. Subscribe Now. Get The Newsletter Get the latest news and reviews from Gundigest. There has been an error with your Email Subscription. Please try again. Buy Now. Information About Us Contact Us. Contact us: [email protected]. The 9mm Luger has become the popular caliber for US law enforcement agencies due to the availability of compact pistols with large magazine round capacity using this caliber.

It is also a popular self-defense cartridge for civilians where permitted. This is due to the high supply of 9mm cartridges from various manufacturers, and a surge in demand for the less ubiquitous.

Due to their smaller size and simpler construction,. The power of. While this means the. The 9mm has a maximum velocity of 1, FPS and an energy rating of foot pounds, and is by all measures a more powerful cartridge. The downside of this additional power when compared to the. The video below tests the performance of the. The fact that the. In single-shot or long-range scenarios, it mostly comes down to user skill. Being the shorter, less powerful round, the.