Is 380 Auto a Good Round for Personal Defense?

Personal Defense Ammunition

The age old question, does the 380 Auto have enough stopping power to make it an effective personal defense round? Fifteen years ago the equation was a bit different. Back then choosing the right weapon for personal defense was 80% the gun and 20% the ammunition. However, with the recent advances in ammunition and ballistics the equation has swung back to 20% the gun and 80% the ammunition.

Concealed carry and personal defense ammunition has been redefined with the introduction of such rounds as the Hornady Critical Defense and Mag Safe P+ Max. These new rounds change everything. Lots of people will tell you ‘size matters’ and they are correct, but physics can’t be fooled and velocity matters just a tad bit more. In an apples to apples comparison a .45 auto will have more stopping power than a 9mm or 380 Auto every time. Nobody will argue that the .45 is a terrific round, but it doesn’t lend itself very well to concealed carry. I suggest that we look at more of an apples to oranges comparison that takes into account certain trade offs when dropping to a smaller caliber gun.

The 380 Auto or 9mm Kurz as some will call it has become one of the most popular caliber choices for personal defense and has sparked a debate almost as big as Ford vs. Chevy. Big caliber fans cry out that the 380 lacks stopping power and traditionally that may have been true. The new ammunition that has been developed changes things dramatically. Looking at the ballistics of a pretty standard 9mm round, the XTP JHP, yields a muzzle velocity of 980 fps with 313 ft*lbs of energy. A similar 380 XPT JHP round yields a slightly higher muzzle velocity of 1,000 fps but with lower energy of  200 ft*lbs.

Stepping up to modern ballistics designed with increased stopping power in smaller calibers, we look at the 380 MagSafe 380+ P+ Max. The muzzle velocity of this round is an incredible 1,720 fps with 342 ft*lbs of energy! Numbers like these now make the 380 caliber something to be considered for every day carry. For example, in the Strasbourg Tests, MagSafe’s .380 beat every .45 ACP slug, every 10mm, every 9mm (including police-only ammo), every .40 caliber – no matter who made it. These are truly impressive results.

There are many, many factors to consider when choosing a round for concealed carry and personal defense. For me, the most important consideration must be will I carry this round? Second consideration to consider is will I train with this round? And the third consideration is will this round have enough stopping power?  If you choose a round that is loaded so ‘hot’ that it stings your hand every time you fire your weapon, you are not likely to either buy the round again or train with it regularly.

The primary goal in any personal defense scenario is to ‘stop the situation’. Choosing a round that matches that criteria should be your primary consideration. Other considerations to factor in are will I need a round that won’t penetrate drywall for in-home situations, will I need a round will low muzzle flash for night time situations. The considerations can go on and on.

Now I am not implying or even suggesting that the 380 auto is the best caliber available, far from it. But what I am suggesting that a properly loaded 380 pistol is perfectly adequate for personal defense and if the 380 auto comes in a size that you are comfortable carrying day in and day out instead of leaving the bigger, more powerful handgun in the drawer then the 380 hands down is a winner.