.380 ACP - What's the big deal?

[Cleveland Steamroller]

I work in a gun shop, so naturally, I deal with every Tom, d**k, and Harry coming in looking for all the hot-ticket items; AR's, AK's, and the ammo to go with them. Things like 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP also sell like hot cakes (and by hot cakes I mean by the thousand).

Lately, however, there has been a huge run on .380 ammunition. We haven't been able to keep it in. We'll buy anywhere from 2,000 to 5,000 rounds of it at a time, and it goes within a matter of days. I understand that several concealed carry "pocket pistols" are chambered in .380, but buy a few boxes of JHP's, and you should be set for years! It's not like you're going to be shooting people in self-defense on a regular basis xd What is so endearing about .380 that one would have to buy so much of it?  

[Floyd]

The price for one thing.

I'd love to shoot .45ACP on a regular basis. But not in a home invasion robbery situation.

My Bersa Thunder is more than enough to make a significant mess out of someone when fed a diet of hollow points. And the range of a .380 means I wouldn't be risking punching big holes in my neighbor's house in a firefight.

And there are plenty of Walther PPks out there.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104145530AAwb8qi  

[I am an eggplant]

Could be people breaking in their pocket pistols.
You're generally supposed to run 200+ rounds through them to work out the burrs and ensure that the pistol is reliable enough to trust.

Range time with your carry gun is also a good thing.  

[Inquisitor Brock]

Floyd

The price for one thing.

I'd love to shoot .45ACP on a regular basis. But not in a home invasion robbery situation.

My Bersa Thunder is more than enough to make a significant mess out of someone when fed a diet of hollow points. And the range of a .380 means I wouldn't be risking punching big holes in my neighbor's house in a firefight.

And there are plenty of Walther PPks out there.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104145530AAwb8qi

Reverse this thinking for me.  

[uryu ishida]

Several factors.

A Major Gun Rag ran an article about how the .380ACP was an under-appreciated round that isn't given it's credit in SD scenarios when using the proper ammunition. When that ran, a great number of people ran out and bought ammo for their old.380 pistols, and plenty bought new .380s as well and ammo to feed them. It's bad enough, NONE of the distributors in my area can even get .380 to any of the smaller shops at all, including my favorite. He can get .223 ALL DAY, but not .360ACP or .45ACP. The order-taking woman at the usually most reliable distributor laughed at him when he asked if they had any .45ACP to send his way.

Then, this DOUBLED when the run on firearms and ammunition happened upon the election of Obamy. It was never that highly in production, so they were completely unprepared for the huge run on it.  

[Floyd]

Inquisitor Brock

Floyd

The price for one thing.

I'd love to shoot .45ACP on a regular basis. But not in a home invasion robbery situation.

My Bersa Thunder is more than enough to make a significant mess out of someone when fed a diet of hollow points. And the range of a .380 means I wouldn't be risking punching big holes in my neighbor's house in a firefight.

And there are plenty of Walther PPks out there.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104145530AAwb8qi

Reverse this thinking for me.

My logic as it applies to my neighborhood.

Do I want to engage in a fire fight with the odds of killing or wounding a neighbor? This was one of the key reasons I chose a shotgun as my new primary home defense gun. I still want something to shove into a pocket that can perform a head shot at 10 feet once I've run out of ammo in the Remington.

I don't mind the fact that my personal possessions would be trashed in a home invasion robbery. What I won't be a part of is killing someone wholly outside the event with .45ACP or assault rifle rounds flying through the walls. That blood will be on the hands of those holding such weapons.  

[Fresnel]

Floyd

Inquisitor Brock

Floyd

The price for one thing.

I'd love to shoot .45ACP on a regular basis. But not in a home invasion robbery situation.

My Bersa Thunder is more than enough to make a significant mess out of someone when fed a diet of hollow points. And the range of a .380 means I wouldn't be risking punching big holes in my neighbor's house in a firefight.

And there are plenty of Walther PPks out there.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20071104145530AAwb8qi

Reverse this thinking for me.

My logic as it applies to my neighborhood.

Do I want to engage in a fire fight with the odds of killing or wounding a neighbor? This was one of the key reasons I chose a shotgun as my new primary home defense gun. I still want something to shove into a pocket that can perform a head shot at 10 feet once I've run out of ammo in the Remington.

I don't mind the fact that my personal possessions would be trashed in a home invasion robbery. What I won't be a part of is killing someone wholly outside the event with .45ACP or assault rifle rounds flying through the walls. That blood will be on the hands of those holding such weapons.

This is the main reason I'm buying frangible rounds for my .223 as soon as I have the cash.  

[OberFeldwebel]

Unless I'm using steel core rounds I don't really have to worry about hitting a neighbor with a stray.
But I would like to limit structural damage to a minimum.