.380, alternating loadout?

[Arborigine]

Regardless of any discussions of brand, there seems to be many that either swear by, or against, hollow points of .380 cal. What do you guys think about alternating the rounds in the mag? Best of both worlds, or a mistake?

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[framedcraig1]

I think that I agree that regardless of how you feel about penetration..expansion..cavatation, or whatever... there is a legal problem. If you do have to use your weapon in a self defense situation, the lawyers going after you are going to have a treat having you explain your REASONS for carrying a mixed bag of loads in your mags. Think about it! You have just protected yourself...or others..and then you have to justify your reasoning behind mixing ammo types. This is the way lawyers think and influence jurys. Figure out your priorities ,and evaluation of the type of ammo you trust..and then stick with it. My carry round is the Hornady FTX critical defense load in my LCP

[Superhouse 15]

I don't see how you could resonably keep track of what was next, or know in advance what round you might need. I don't know of any agency or organization that allows it by policy, if you pay attention to those sorts of things. Pick whatever load you think is best and stick with one.

[Gene83]

I'm using Winchester PDX-1's in my Sig. I think they are more than adequate for the job.

[Burns]

Hornady critical defense for my LCP also.

[jblives2ride]

been loading with both Hollow and ball in my sig p238 since i've been carrying...

[VNvet]

Is not the purpose of using deadly force is to stop the attack on human life? I sure would not use it to save my iPhone. So, is not the choice of ammo or the alternating use thereof of kind or type of ammo also used for the purpose to stop the attack on human life? How about the kind or type of handgun used? Is Brand M more lethal than Brand N? Lawyers can say what they want. Nothing with stop them from doing so. Except our Vote. Don't forget people, We have the Power of Our Vote.

If I think Brand X, Brand Y, then Brand Z should be the sequence of my load, then I am thinking by the time Brand Z is used the attack should be over.

Me? I carry one kind of round in my pistol, but sometimes I may round out a magazine with the same type of round from different manufacturers.

My definitions: kind: round nose, hollow points, etc. type: ie type of round nose: lead, plated, semi plated, etc. type of jacketed, ie silver tipped hollow points, length of serrations etc.

Safe shooting,
Vv

[sgb]

Ball ammo only for .380

[claude clay]

you carry a gun as insurance ; its the last resort against when all else has failed and you are in fear for your life.

--streatching it a bit in court that with the above in mind, you have planned how this 'event' will occure.
rather it sounds to me that you are planning for how you intend it to happen.
not so good.

find what the local police, state troopers carry for ammo and get the same.
hard for a Prosecutor to fault you for having what 'his' people trust their lives to.

95 grain ball or silvertips warm months if they are reliable in your gun.

[bmcgilvray]

If it's important enough to alternate loads then it's important enough to use them in the proper sequence. Is a gunfight going to conveniently go down to accommodate this sequence? If two different loads are better than a single choice then are three different loads even better, or four different loads, or just make sure each separate cartridge loaded in the magazine is different and unique?

If it doesn't matter which one's coming up next then it's not important enough to alternate loads. One can chose the "best" load and stand by his decision.

It looks like a lame attempt to "hedge one's bets" on choice of loads and smacks of indecisiveness.

For the person who chooses to carry different loads in a magazine, lawyers are the last thing he needs to worry about if all the loads are legal to carry/possess. If it's ok to carry all of one brand and type and also ok to carry all of another brand and type then it follows that it's ok to mix it up with the two different loads.

[rammerjammer]

Don't be indecisive and pick 1. Either go with a full mag of hp or a full mag off fmj

[Blades]

Regardless of any discussions of brand, there seems to be many that either swear by, or against, hollow points of .380 cal. What do you guys think about alternating the rounds in the mag? Best of both worlds, or a mistake?

Maybe its time for a 9mm.

It is your .380, load it how you want, your the one who will be "afraid for your life" and have to stop a threat, but remember-- shot placement is key. More practice may be better then any bullet.

[Kilowatt3]

Regardless of any discussions of brand, there seems to be many that either swear by, or against, hollow points of .380 cal. What do you guys think about alternating the rounds in the mag? Best of both worlds, or a mistake?

While 'real life' data is in short supply, and the data that is out there is somewhat questionable, there is NO empirical data that suggests that FMJ is better than JHP. Alternating a less effective round (FMJ) with a good, modern JHP load makes no sense.

Regards,
Jim

[Arborigine]

One can chose the "best" load and stand by his decision. It looks like a lame attempt to "hedge one's bets" on choice of loads and smacks of indecisiveness..

I didn't think i would need to qualify my question here. I know that shooting an assailant with a T-shirt I would prefer to use hollow points. In the weather where I would usually carry only the LCP, light clothing is what most people will be wearing. That does not mean that an assailant will always be dressed lightly, such as a motorcyclist or lawyer, and could also be partially behind an object like furniture, so my prefence would then be a round nose. That is not "waffling" or a "lack of conviction", merely an intelligent assesment of the limitations of the tools used. Each is better than the other in certain scenarios. This is why I question that an alternation of hollow and RN might be more effective for an unpredictable need. You don't need to know which round is up next when they are h-r-h-r-h-r-h, since in a true self-defense shoot, one is not enough, and the shooting should continue until the threat is gone.
Since "self-defense" shootings seldom follow a script, being ready for anything is, I think, a wise method to accept. Knowing that in a "perfect shot" a hollow point will do the most damage, does not mean that any scenarios will necessarily allow that shot. Accepting that a .380 is never as efffective as a "Tackleberry .500", one must accept the limitations of the ammo used, and that the heat of battle usually decreases accuracy, no matter how much you train. When i can carry the big gun and keep it concealed, I do. The rest of the time I need to go small. Legal ramifications to not enter my reasoning, as all shoots should be intended to kill.

[Burns]

I didn't think i would need to qualify my question here. I know that shooting an assailant with a T-shirt I would prefer to use hollow points. In the weather where I would usually carry only the LCP, light clothing is what most people will be wearing. That does not mean that an assailant will always be dressed lightly

Hornady critical defense was made specifically for this. Obviously you don't have to in any way "qualify" to post a question here... but I found that people do appreciate when you do research before posting said question. Choose whatever you like but for legal issues like everyone said, choose 1 and stick with it.


There are also other posts about this topic, you can search them if you would like any more advice. Stay safe.