Got a box of Federal HST today and, along w/various FMJ rounds, fired about 65 - 70 rounds @ 7 yards. The little gun operated flawlessly and I was able to hold a 3 - 4 inch group center mass. I even mixed the mags w/HP & FMJ and Elsie continued to run absent any problems. Pretty good combat accuracy.
Best FMJ for every day carry?
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That's true of almost all the HP defensive ammo in this caliber. I've been reading some of the reports from homicide detectives as well as corners & ER docs re: FMJ three-eighty. Their experiences are it seems to work better in that it goes through intermediate barriers like an arm (victim's defensive posture) and reaches the vitals better than HP. Stephen Camp's 2010 book about the J Frame also talked a bit about the three-eighty and said the same thing about FMJ vs HP. I carried a KelTec P32 for awhile and kept FMJ in that.
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1+ to that. Given the conundrum of expansion being inversely related to penetration, have been keeping only FMJs in my KelTec P32. Seems like .380 auto is on the cusp of being able to accomplish a satisfactory blend of the two.
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Splinter--you may have already read this, but, before you close your mind to all .380 ammo, except FMJ, please read this and think about it. The 12'-18" of ballistic gel penetration figure was arrived at by a panel of experts who took into consideration the factors of bone, angled shots, arms, etc. being encountered by the bullet:
More on Bullet Penetration ? and Why We Don?t Use Bones When Testing Ammo in Gel | Shooting The Bull
This is why I am giving the "Penetrator" style bullet a serious second thought. And, don't forget that any panel of experts may not be aware of the many recent developments in both hollow points, such as the XTP and, now, the Penetrator. I suspect that to many of those so-called experts, "a hollow point is a hollow point is a hollow point".
More on Bullet Penetration ? and Why We Don?t Use Bones When Testing Ammo in Gel | Shooting The Bull
This is why I am giving the "Penetrator" style bullet a serious second thought. And, don't forget that any panel of experts may not be aware of the many recent developments in both hollow points, such as the XTP and, now, the Penetrator. I suspect that to many of those so-called experts, "a hollow point is a hollow point is a hollow point".
Thanks ETS, I have read this but it was helpful to read it again. I've also looked at some of the data on .380 one shot stops, HP vs FMJ (I've "been there" as a cop and realize what this really means). I'm actually looking at some of the better XTP HP styles but there's little selection at my LGS so I'm off to the internet. Many thanks to you and everyone else who has contriubted to this thread.
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So will you be the first to try Ammo Quest's best-performing .380 Auto round, Splinter? Curious minds want to know. (I'd try it myself but I picked up some CD when I bought my LCP and I haven't shot my way through that yet. When I do, Precision One's .380 HP/XTPs are right at the top of my list.)
My order came today, less than a week and $28.90/box of 50 but the killer was $14 shipping. That said I do like the fact that it comes in a 50 round box. I will test for function & accuracy as soon as I can get to the range, or when my wife lets me - whichever comes first! Stay tuned . . .
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I assume you're talking about Precision One XTP HP's?
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Will do. :fat:
ETS: Precision One, yes.
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At 86 cents a round that still seems steep, maybe I'm frugal or just lack faith in magic bullets but I don't get the warm&fuzzies from ammo.
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Nothing magical about Precision One ammo as far as I can tell. It simply performed best in a series of tests conducted by Ammo Quest. Given that the .380 ACP is considered by a lot of folks to be barely adequate as a self-defense round, some think that the best-performing .380 round they can get is worth the extra money, particularly if they plan to stake their life on it. YMMV.
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I paid a little over 30 ceints/rd. for my Fiocchi Extrema and just received eighty rounds of Lehigh Penetrators @ a little over $1.40/rd. Have not had a chance to check the reliability of them in my II, yet. The Ammo Quest test of the Lehigh included a single shot of the Precision One for comparison, which only penetrated 11.5":
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I'm just going with the round that came in first in the Ammo Quest tests, to wit:
https://youtu.be/wOwCXXpEP50
https://youtu.be/wOwCXXpEP50
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Am just suggesting that you watch the Lehigh test to the very end, and listen to Dan's comment about considering this round as being even better than the Prec. One. Remember, he decided to do this as an additional test after he thought he was through with .380 auto.
To quote: "It is my new favorite ammo".
Just trying to save you from using his second favorite ammo.
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