In the .38 vs .380 debate, let me ask you a few things:
Which has a higher initial velocity? Which has a higher velocity at 10y? 20y?
Most .380s on the market right now are using about a 3.75" barrel.
How does that compare to the common 2"-2.25" snub nosed revolver that's the typical .38 carry gun these days?
For your accuracy debate:
How does velocity affect accuracy in a handgun? We aren't talking distances were wind matters much...so how much effect does it really have? Should sub-sonic .22s be less accurate than standard pressure .22s? Should a .357 magnum have tighter groups with magnum rounds over +P rounds over standard pressure .38s? Why?
Point of impact may vary, but why would group sizes open up?
I'm off to the prosecutor to screen a case, look forward to your answers later today.
Ive got a question for the OP (nice post by the way) ...anyway have you ever seen a wound from a 10mm? Im just curious what kind of performance in real life shootings that would have. You can watch ballistic testing in gelatin all day, but its just not the same. Not that I carry one or anything just curious for use while on a big game hunting trip as a last ditch effort against a monster grizzly charging me...I just rather have the ammo capacity over some big revolver that is hard to shoot.
Aaron welcome and thanks for your information. I will never say I know or have seen it all but have been involved in LE for 26 years so I've seen a lot. and a lot of folks would be amazed by the amount of people in the Federal Prisons across the country that are walking around with 38,9mm,40 S&W, 5.56mm even 12 ga OO buck in them and they are still walking around so while you neve can have to big of a gun it's not a gaurentee either. Sometimes it seems like nothing will kill them. Also I am a Lead Firearms Trainer on the FED's side and we were made aware of this a few years ago but but of a different source but some here might find it interesting as well on what your up against in the thug mentality.
Aaron, I'm wondering if you have taken note of the caliber and the type of ammo used. Such as if the FMJ .380 has had a different affect than a JHP .380. I'm interested in that caliber because I have family members who carry it. I carry a .45
I'm also considering what you said about a .22.... very interesting.... it sure is easy to shoot and Ruger now has a LCR 22 mag
thanks!
Good read. Thanks for the info. I have never carried a .380 but had thought about it for my wife. I will go ahead and skip that. A nice single stack 9mm would work just as well if she ever gets her permit.
Nice post, thanks for the information. Now I am thinking if i should carry my .380 when working or my 9mm.
I work outside doing lawn care and the .380 is smaller and would be easier to carry.
I know that .40 cal and beyond begin to create hydrostatic shock in a target at close range, but not very well.
let me google that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrostatic_shockWhat is "hydrostatic shock?"
"Hydro" means water. "Static" means at rest or in constant motion, i.e., no acceleration. "Shock" can have many meanings, even when limited to clinical definitions.
So, what is "hydrostatic shock?"
I recommend a Kahr 9mm for the ladies who want to conceal a small weapon. It's reasonably accurate, reliable, and puts a 9mm down range. It'll take some breaking in though. Out of the box that slide is stiff.
let me google that. Hydrostatic shock - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
What is "hydrostatic shock?"
"Hydro" means water. "Static" means at rest or in constant motion, i.e., no acceleration. "Shock" can have many meanings, even when limited to clinical definitions.
So, what is "hydrostatic shock?"
Disagree very strongly!
My experience with students' Kahrs has been 100 percent unacceptable. Multiple stoppages. The guns were new, with good factory ammunition, and the shooters were holding and firing the guns correctly. Therefore, it was the gun.
One--just one--stoppage is totally unacceptable, A defensive firearm must run flawlessly right out of the box. Nonsense about break-in periods is just that: nonsense. It must perform pefectly from the very first shot, or it is a big mistake to trust one's life to such a gun.
... how you determine the cal. in these shootings. Of course, having the extracted round is a big help, but many thru-&-thrus look alike. My $ØØ.Ø2 worth. Very good apocryphal, non-forensic evidence. Keep on it*!@
THIS^^^^ Because crack/meth heads and zombies wont go down with anything less other than a shotgun lol..45 ACP...we practice at 25 yds. play at 50 and ring steel at 100 pretty well.
Hydrostatic shock is when the bullet strikes your body with enough force that the energy being transfered from the bullet does more than just tear the tissue the bullet comes into contact with. The "shock wave" if you will, of the bullet causes the body fluids (made mostly of water) to be pushed outwards away from the bullet against arteries, capillaries, organs, etc and tear through them. Thus the energy transfer from the round turns your own body fluids into a weapon against you.
Most handguns rounds don't do this, though I understand that .40 cal and above begin to do it at close range. (Which would account for why they seem to have a stopping percentage that is disproportionate to their size advantage when compared to a 9mm) Long guns are going fast enough to do this far more consistently, which is why a .30 cal rifle does so much more damage than a .45 pistol even though it's coming into contact with a smaller surface area of the body.
Think Fluid Hammer. lol
Wow really? My understanding from engineers is that guns, like all mechanical devices, are designed for their "middle" lifespan. Typically stoppages occur within the first 200-300 rds. I know several Kahr owners, my mother included, who have fired lots of rounds with no stoppages right out of the box.
I can attest to theory of "break in" periods. I've had many new guns in my lifetime that had a few stoppages in the beggning and then performed flawlessly for years afterwards. If you're having constant stoppages though that's a factory issue. The slides definitely do "break in". I know that because I've compared guns out of the box to the same type of guns that have been fired with a 1000 rds through them. The new ones are often more stiff. I'm sure you can find an exception. Not every gun in the factory is created equal.
The stuff about a gun performing flawlessly out of the box is nonsense. It's made by man. It will fail no matter how well it's made. No matter the gun, you're going to have a stoppage if you shoot enough. It may be the gun, it may be the ammo, sooner or later you'll see stoppages caused by both... Period. This is why professionals, and really anyone who wants to survive a gun fight, will train to clear type 1, 2, and 3 malfunctions flawlessly via muscle memory. You have to assume stoppages will happen.