Colt 380 Govt.

[cbtengr]

I purchased a stainless model of the Colt 380 Govt back in 91, bought it for personal defense. At the time I purchased it the most popular automatics at the time seemed to be the high capacity 9 mm's. I have small hands and never felt comfortable with the grip of the 9mm's or even 1911 45, The 380 was the best fit. I have never fired anything other than FMJ rounds through it and am now starting to think about a round with more stopping power. I have been to several shooting forums and opinions on what to use are like..... well you all know. Some say Winchester JHP, others say Federal Hydra Shok also mentioned were CorBon JHP and then others say the FMJ is just fine. I know that there are some very knowledgable shooters out there on this site and I defer to you all's better judgment as to what I should try. In pricing the various types of ammo I have learned that there is a huge difference in cost between the plinking ammo FMJ and the JHP's. In the end I want to have what is going to be most effective for my needs.

[Dusty]

I have Hornady 90 grain Zombie Max in my LCP.

It's just a pocket "break contact" weapon, but it would prolly knock somebody out if you hit 'em in the head.

[The Reaper]

The most important thing is that the gun reliably feed and fire the rounds you select.

Better off with the FMJs and 100% reliability than the world's best JHPs and a malfunction every other round. The Colt Government .380s are not the most reliable pistols in the world and most will not feed JHPs reliably. If you cannot get at least a box or two of ammo through it without a malfunction, pick another round. You may be able to polish the ramp enough to get them to feed, but if you overdo it, you will leave an excessive amount of the case head unsupported and will risk blowing the gun up. If it comes right down to it, carry the FMJs and shoot till the threat is eliminated.

If it will feed them, any JHP from Federal, Winchester, Remington, etc. should be roughly the same performance. Pick the one that will run 100% reliably in your gun.

Note, the .380 is the minimum recommended caliber for a reason. It is more comfortable than the 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45ACP because it has less power and is less effective than those rounds. If you can put the rounds into the head of your opponent quicker than he can injure you, it is adequate. If not, it will probably take more rounds per target to put one down.

If you can hit what you are shooting at with something larger, I would opt for a larger caliber weapon, unless you are trying to carry concealed.

I carry a .380 when it is difficult to conceal a .40 or a .45. If I can carry a larger weapon, I do.

Best of luck.

TR

[oifcmb24]

I bought my wife the S&W bodyguard .380 and I've fed a hundred or so rounds of Remington Golden Saber through it without any problems. They were also pretty accurate as far as .380's go. However, I also have a Colt 1911 that is somewhat testy with certain ammo at times, so definitely run enough of whatever rounds you decide to use through the weapon to be comfortable that it won't cause it to malfunction. Nothing like pulling the trigger and nothing happening. I don't like that at the range let alone in a real situation.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by oifcmb24

I bought my wife the S&W bodyguard .380 and I've fed a hundred or so rounds of Remington Golden Saber through it without any problems. They were also pretty accurate as far as .380's go. However, I also have a Colt 1911 that is somewhat testy with certain ammo at times, so definitely run enough of whatever rounds you decide to use through the weapon to be comfortable that it won't cause it to malfunction. Nothing like pulling the trigger and nothing happening. I don't like that at the range let alone in a real situation.

I put many, many rounds of cheap hardball through that LCP before I fired a couple boxes of Hornady Zombie Max, and I've never had any type of failure. Same with my wife's LC9; this after so many reports of the lack of quality dependability in Ruger pistols; they're both accurate, to boot.

Each pistol has its own job and its own idiosyncracies, as does each bullet. As The Reaper says, your main goal is for the weapon to function when you need it; which is why I prefer HK over any brand of 1911 to shoot .45 ACP.

The .380 is a weak round, but if you can depend on your pistol to deliver it, it will do a good job within the capabilities of the round.

I suggest doing your own penetration tests, pick the round that always pops and cycles your slide, and be comfortable with your Colt. There are plenty of gunsmiths who are great at fixing Colts, because they get so much practice.

[Badger52]

Originally Posted by oifcmb24

Nothing like pulling the trigger and nothing happening. I don't like that at the range let alone in a real situation.

What TR said. MOO, many even picking one of the popular 9mm platforms would do well to validate the functionality while also doing some really explosive or other dynamic movement. (I've had to work with alot of "studs" who limp-wristed a Glock when shooting one-handed.) So-called weak-side (should you have one?) and/or one-handed or close-in to body testing should be done. You can make alot of rounds work when you're making that picture-perfect platform for the gun (and camera) at the range, less stable when the SHTF and you have to move. Camming action or straight blow-back, if you're gonna bet your life on it, test the hell out of it. And imo that's more than running a couple of boxes of vanilla FMJ from a static position & calling it good.

You've got to know.

[Dusty]

Originally Posted by Badger52

if you're gonna bet your life on it, test the hell out of it. And imo that's more than running a couple of boxes of vanilla FMJ from a static position & calling it good.

You've got to know.

Exactly.

If you're shooting at somebody, it's likely that they're trying to return the favor.