Best, most reliable SD ammo for the P380?

[Mokumbear]

What a difference using the right ammo can make with the P380!

My first 100 rounds were just problem after problem.
I wrote to Jay at Kahr tech support and he told me to only use
"brass cased, American made, factory new ammunition"

What a difference! I just switched to Winchester White Box and
rounds 100 through 200 had ZERO malfunctions! :D

The next step is finding the right self defense ammo and that's where you guys come in. Pardon me for posing two questions but...
I wonder if most of you use JHP or if there are many who use "ball ammo"
thinking that the JHP won't expand well in this caliber?

If I do go with JHP, what can you recommend that is "brass cased, American made, factory new ammunition" and very reliable in the P380?

Thanks in advance!

[jocko]

I carry the corbon power ball 380 in my P380. works every time.

corbon.com

[Bill K]

A lot of folks feel that the .380, especially out of a short barrel, makes a borderline SD round. Many feel that only ball ammo can be relied on to give sufficient penetration, especially during winter months when heavier clothing is being worn. Corbon Pwr Ball, which I've not used, and Critical Defense, which I have, may be the best of both worlds for the .380 in that their HP is plugged to get thru clothing before expansion. Well, actually I'm only guessing about the Power Ball but I know it is true about the Hornady Critical Defense round.

Corbon DPX in both 80 & 90 grain seems to have a big following. Speer, Federal, Remington and Black Hills all make a decent .380 hollow point round. Buffalo Bore makes some pretty hot .380 loads that the P380 should be able to handle if not used as a regular diet.

Take care,
Bill K.

[jocko]

the dpx IMO is a better round for defense and penetration. The all copper barnes bullet in the 380 willexpand 100% kand retain all of its bullet weight. I have carried it inmy P380 and lcp and it works good. I guess I just like the design of the pwoer ball for possable better feeding. I don't think it is as good as the dpx round, but again not sure the Btg will know any difference either.

[Mokumbear]

I am looking over your suggestions very carefully.
I would like to stay with Jay's recommendation of brass cases.

When you post, could clarify if that ammo has a brass case?

Case in point, I use Speer Gold Dot short barrel +P in
my Walther PPS 9mm but I think it has a steel case as opposed to brass?

Thanks!

[jocko]

Most all of ur american ammo is brassed cased or nickel, not much is aluminum and I know of none that make steel cased ammo. Brass or nickel/brass casings are ur best and all good defense ammo will be one or the other..

[Bill K]

All the rounds I mentioned are either all brass or nickel coated brass. Nickel coating, in my experience, does not tarnish like brass over time, is easier to see that the chamber is loaded and makes the casings a little easier to find on the ground. The plating might, but I'm speculating here, allow for easier chambering and extraction. I personally do not shoot aluminum or steel cased bullets.

Bill K.

[Mokumbear]

Has anyone here used Hornady Custom Ammunition 380 ACP 90 Grain XTP
in their P380?

I live in South Florida so people generally don't wear heavy clothing.
If I wear a light nylon windbreaker or a light sweater, that's about as heavy as it generally gets here.

I have seen some very good reviews but I also read that due to
"shortages of components, they will use brass from other popular manufacturers".

What do you think?

[jocko]

nickel cases are considereed the premium cases. IMO they might just be alittle smoother for ejection to. Just my opinion. Brass or Nickel is a winner, fear neither.

[jocko]

Has anyone here used Hornady Custom Ammunition 380 ACP 90 Grain XTP
in their P380?

I live in South Florida so people generally don't wear heavy clothing.
If I wear a light nylon windbreaker or a light sweater, that's about as heavy as it generally gets here.

I have seen some very good reviews but I also read that due to
"shortages of components, they will use brass from other popular manufacturers".

What do you think?



that critical defense is very very similar to the corbon power ball round. I carry it in my P380. It might not be the absoulute finest defense round when compared to a round like the corbon dpx but the bullet design tells me that if this round won't feed perfect then forget about any others. Not sure BG \will know much difference, cours e I have never seen where he has ever been asked either.:blah:

Not to informed on Harnady copany, they might not make their own brass and have to rely on purchasing brass from ammo makers. I would have no issues with that. We might be very surpirsed at the ammo makers who do not make their own brass, More than not I will bet on that . Companies like remington, Winchester, Federal, are major major ammo and brass mfgers, and I am sure they make casing with other companies names on the rim cases.

[Rainman48314]

I am looking over your suggestions very carefully.
I would like to stay with Jay's recommendation of brass cases.

When you post, could clarify if that ammo has a brass case?

Case in point, I use Speer Gold Dot short barrel +P in
my Walther PPS 9mm but I think it has a steel case as opposed to brass?

Thanks!
I'm pretty sure Speer is always brass. Some suggest that aluminum is a good choice because it weighs less than brass and that is critical in small pocket carry pistols.

[HadEmAll]

I'm pretty sure Speer is always brass. Some suggest that aluminum is a good choice because it weighs less than brass and that is critical in small pocket carry pistols.

Hmmm. I've been shooting CCI Blazer aluminum cased ammunition for many years in 9mm, .40, .45, and .357. It's the only aluminum cased ammo I know of. I've had nothing but good luck with it, and it's nice not feeling guilty about leaving the cases lay there. And the Blazer in the 9mm, .40, and .45 are loaded hotter than many of the FMJ loads I've chronographed it against. I actively seek out Blazer aluminum in those calibers. It shoots great.

The .357 is pretty mild as far as .357 magnum goes. I think they are worried about blowing out unsupported areas of the case in certain revolvers, and some lever action .357 magnum rifles.

But I've never heard anything like your last sentence. I'm not sure what you mean. Critical for what? Carry comfort? Performance?

Brass, either plated or not, is more lubricious than aluminum, thus comes out of the chamber easier, and the slight extra weight make the ejected casing fly away more robustly. I discovered this because the only pistol I ever had problems with with the aluminum Blazer was my Beretta 950 .25. It has no extractor by design. The only thing that gets the casing out of the way is the force with which it hits the ejector during slide recoil. The lighter Blazer cases did not fly away as robustly as the brass cased ammo. I had some stovepipe jams that disappeared when I went back to brass cased FMJ or JHP .25 ammo.

When my P380 gets back, and if it ejects okay with the brass ammo I have, I might try some of the Blazer if I can find some.

Currently, the only ammo of that I've tried that has had no stovepipe or premature lockback malfunction in my P380 is the Speer Gold Dot 90 grain JHP. I'm hoping its somewhat more versatile when it gets back to me.

[jocko]

nothing wrong with aluminum, just not a good reloadable casing, actually a terrible reloadable casing. I would hate to think one could actually tell the difference in mass weight of a gun with aluminuam over brass if all else was the same.

[HHB Guns]

Hello, I am new to this forum and the Kahr platform but not to guns and forums. I need some advice on ammo for my new P380 which I carry around the shop and to make nightly deposits. I will be completely honest in saying that I am seriously doubting my choice in a kahr. I had a LCP but wanted night sights and couldnt get over the fact of having a locked and cocked sig in my pocket so I went with the P380.

When I got it in from my distributor I also bought 300 rounds of winchester white box 95 gr to go break it in. From round 1-300 I had nothing but malfunctions. I have never cussed a gun so much as I did this one. I was getting stove pipes, FTF, and failure to go back into battery and about 7 times it went click when I pulled the trigger with a round in the chamber. I emailed Jay and he sent a call tag for repair.

I just got it back yesterday from Kahr and figured I would give some different ammo a try. I had some Armscor on my shelf so I took it along with some buffalo bore +P HP and FN hardcast lead. The armscor was stove piping every round so I gave up with it after two mags. I gave both the buffalo bores a try and it did great with two mags of each with one premature lock back even though there was still a round in the mag.

I guess my question is does anybody recommend another brand of everyday shooting ammo that will possibly work and wont break the bank? One of my customers has a diamondback and he shoots fiochi and it does great. I was going to give a box of that a try. I'm thinking it really liked the +P rounds but who can afford to shoot that everyday.

Hope to get to know all of you and thanks in advance!!

[Bill K]

I'm pretty sure Speer is always brass. Some suggest that aluminum is a good choice because it weighs less than brass and that is critical in small pocket carry pistols.

You can get Speer casings in both brass and nickel plated brass. I just looked at my .380 Speer Gold Dots and they have the nickel coated brass casings.

Ref. Nickel Coated: http://edsbrassandreloaders.com/9MM-Speer-Nickel-Casing-in-lots-of-1000-N9MMSpeer.htm

Ref. Brass: http://edsbrassandreloaders.com/9MM-Speer-Brass-Casing-in-lots-of-1000-B9MMSpeer.htm

Bill K.

[TominCA]

HHB Guns - Like you, I had trouble also - I found that the higher the recoil - the better the function. I have had good luck with Black Hills 100 g FMJ and also with Mag-tech +P hollow point ( I forget the weight offhand but think it is 85 grains) I have a couple of boxes of Buffalo Bore 95 grain on my bench and also a box of Speer Gold Dot HP to try next week if I have time. I had to take some material off of the slide stop for the Black Hills and suspect that rounds in the magazine are moving forward slightly under recoil and trigger premature lockback in addition to bullet profile. I expext that the Buffalo Bore +P will work just fine next week, but I have reservatoins about the Speer.

Okay, so the gun can shoot dollar a shot bullets - how about the cheap stuff?

So far I have had luck with Remington UMC - It's not +p and it is somewhat grip sensitive but it feeds 100% if I grip well. Why? I don't know, but I have noticed in my other pistols that REM UMC seems to recoil more sharply than other ammo. Perhaps it is a faster burning powder doing well in the short barrel?

The other one that does okay is Federal Red Box. This one is 100% only if grip is perfect. I've heard form a member of this forum that S&B FMJ feeds well in his P380 - I also have a box of that to try but don't have a lot of hope for it -

I tried Winchester White box. Besides being very dirty (these little guns do not function well dirty) it was just terrible and jammed 2 or 3 times per magazine. I also occasionally get a dud round with WWB. Suprisingly it is an ammo that will function 100% in my very finnicky Colt Gov't 380 and I have put several thousand rounds of WWB through it without any problems. Go figure.

[HHB Guns]

HHB Guns - Like you, I had trouble also - I found that the higher the recoil - the better the function. I have had good luck with Black Hills 100 g FMJ and also with Mag-tech +P hollow point ( I forget the weight offhand but think it is 85 grains) I have a couple of boxes of Buffalo Bore 95 grain on my bench and also a box of Speer Gold Dot HP to try next week if I have time. I had to take some material off of the slide stop for the Black Hills and suspect that rounds in the magazine are moving forward slightly under recoil and trigger premature lockback in addition to bullet profile. I expext that the Buffalo Bore +P will work just fine next week, but I have reservatoins about the Speer.

Okay, so the gun can shoot dollar a shot bullets - how about the cheap stuff?

So far I have had luck with Remington UMC - It's not +p and it is somewhat grip sensitive but it feeds 100% if I grip well. Why? I don't know, but I have noticed in my other pistols that REM UMC seems to recoil more sharply than other ammo. Perhaps it is a faster burning powder doing well in the short barrel?

The other one that does okay is Federal Red Box. This one is 100% only if grip is perfect. I've heard form a member of this forum that S&B FMJ feeds well in his P380 - I also have a box of that to try but don't have a lot of hope for it -

I tried Winchester White box. Besides being very dirty (these little guns do not function well dirty) it was just terrible and jammed 2 or 3 times per magazine. I also occasionally get a dud round with WWB. Suprisingly it is an ammo that will function 100% in my very finnicky Colt Gov't 380 and I have put several thousand rounds of WWB through it without any problems. Go figure.

Very good info. Can you explain what you mean by take some material off the the slide stop or where I can find material on this? You have my attention.

[TominCA]

HHB - Its pretty easy to modify the slide stop - First unlod the pistol and remove the slide.

Put the slide stop back in (no barrel - you want to look down from the top)

Next put in an empty magazine. Notice that the follower on the magazine hits a little tab on the slide stop which protrudes into the frame. This is how the slide is locked back on the last round. The empty magazine pushes up the slide stop which catches a notch in the slide.

Now remove the magazine and put one loaded round in it.

While looking into the frame from the top slowly insert the magazine. Watch carefully as the bullet moves past the protrusion on the slide stop. This is how the bullets move up as you shoot and empty the magazine.

If the bullet touches, or almost touches, the slide stop tab it will probably push the slide stop up while shooting causing a premature lock back. Take a file (or a stone on a Kahr which has very hard parts) and remove some of the metal so the bullet will clear the protruding tab. But remember, you must leave enough to catch the magazine follower so the magazine will cause the empty slide to lock back. If you screw it up the new part is less than $20 - so have fun.

The Black Hills 100 FMJ just touched on my P380 slide stop tab and would occasionally cause a lock back. Sometimes the rounds are not fully inserted in the mag. or may have moved a little so some distance is desireable. Also all bullets are not seated the same - so you might want to check a few rounds and use the longest one for a gauge cartridge.

Hope this helps!

[varnco]

I think it's ridiculous that someone would have to go through through these steps for slide lock - especially after he just got it back from Kahr Repair.

[jocko]

agree; ain't right but **** happens. He can do three things. #1 send it back. #2 call kahr and ask for a new slide stop lever which they will gladly send him. #3 I would still do number #2 but then I would modify my existing slide stop lever and always have a spare just in case.

[TominCA]

I've had to modify a slide stop on a lot of guns - They have to make them big enough to fit a variety of magazine and follower tolerances and also a variety of bullets. That 100 G Black Hills FMJ has a fat profile and if a few of those bullets are seated a little shallow - they bump the slide stop. I agree that in a perfect world one should get a perfect slide stop in a 100% gun. But it just doesn't always work out that way.

I also actually like doing stuff like taking a little off of the slide stop or polishing the ramp and chamber, to my guns - quite frankly I probably do about as much damage as improvement, but its a hobby and I do it for fun - Probably cheaper than booze and women!

[Rainman48314]

What a difference using the right ammo can make with the P380!

My first 100 rounds were just problem after problem.
I wrote to Jay at Kahr tech support and he told me to only use
"brass cased, American made, factory new ammunition"

What a difference! I just switched to Winchester White Box and
rounds 100 through 200 had ZERO malfunctions! :D

The next step is finding the right self defense ammo and that's where you guys come in. Pardon me for posing two questions but...
I wonder if most of you use JHP or if there are many who use "ball ammo"
thinking that the JHP won't expand well in this caliber?

If I do go with JHP, what can you recommend that is "brass cased, American made, factory new ammunition" and very reliable in the P380?

Thanks in advance!
I have a Sig in .380 (P238). Sig recommended Speer LE GDHP 53606 and test fired 50 rnds in my gun when they had it for feedramp polishing.