.380 Winchester 95 grain FMJ- FP for Defensive Carry ?

Greetings to the Defensive Carry group. I'm new to CC and have only had my Oklahoma SDA license for about 4 months.

My every day carry is now a Ruger LCP with Lasermax and I carry it with seven Winchester "white Box" 95 grain FMJ FP's. My main reasoning for choosing this round is for the possible penetration advantage of the FMJ in .380 auto. I've put about 300 rounds of this WWB thought my LCP with not one malfunction.

My question is this. Does anyone else use the .380 WWB FMJ FP for their main self defense ammo? If so, do you have any concerns about
over-penetration or the potential risk of a FMJ ricochet and injury to an innocent person if, God forbid, it ever had to be used for self defense.

Thanks in advance your replies.:smile: .

That's what I have been carrying for mine. I figure if I need to use the weapon, ricochet's and pass through from this diminutive caliber are the least of my concerns. Besides if you hit anything solid like bone I would very strongly doubt it would pass through with a ton of energy left if it even passed through.

Tim Sundles (I believe that's his name) from Buffalo Bore suggests having one hollow point in the chamber followed by a magazine of FMJ-FN's...I prefer to get straight to the point.

Thanks Foo909,
Having a hollow point "in the pipe" backed up by the six WWB FMJ FN's makes sense to me. I guess I'll get some .380 Federal Hydra-Shok JHPs for that- one in the pipe round.

I currently use Critical Defense in my LCP but I'm planning to switch to Gold Dots. I am concerned about using fmj ammo for carry. My main concern is if, God forbid, I did have to draw what legal issues I would have to deal with. I believe that the premium defense rounds are the best compromise. I think that the fmj that you have is better since it is a flat fmj. I think that if you want to avoid using a HP I would think if you used a lead round nose you could get the best compromise that u are looking for. Buffalo Bore makes 2 but one is a +p so it shouldn't be used on your LCP. I think you could argue that the lead should expand unlike a fmj.

I use WWB FMJ-FP in my LCPs for the reasons stated. You get 16-17 inches in gel, and penetration is second only to shot placement. Most JHPs in .380 struggle to make 12 inches, which is the FBI minimum.

You can check the tests done at www.goldenloki.com with a P3at, which is very similar to the LCP.

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Originally Posted by Okie765

Greetings to the Defensive Carry group. I'm new to CC and have only had my Oklahoma SDA license for about 4 months.

My every day carry is now a Ruger LCP with Lasermax and I carry it with seven Winchester "white Box" 95 grain FMJ FP's. My main reasoning for choosing this round is for the possible penetration advantage of the FMJ in .380 auto. I've put about 300 rounds of this WWB thought my LCP with not one malfunction.

My question is this. Does anyone else use the .380 WWB FMJ FP for their main self defense ammo? If so, do you have any concerns about
over-penetration or the potential risk of a FMJ ricochet and injury to an innocent person if, God forbid, it ever had to be used for self defense.

Thanks in advance your replies.:smile: .

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The Winchester .380 95 grain FMJFPs @ 900fps (+/- 25fps) routinely produce less than 19" of penetration which is only one inch more than the maximum amount of penetration (18") recommended by the FBI, so I am comfortable with them in that role.

It's up to you to decide for yourself if that is suitable for your needs.

JHPs, if they expand, rarely penetrate past the 10" mark, which might be a problem if your round has to pass through the upraised arms of an armed attacker or if a shot must be taken against an attacker at something other than a perfectly unobstructed frontal presentation.

I personally prefer JHP, mainly 102gr Gold Saber. I am not a fan of mixing rounds in a gun. If I was going to use an FMJ for a defense load, I believe I would use something other than WWB. It doesn't have the best reputation for quality.

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Originally Posted by Superhouse 15

I personally prefer JHP, mainly 102gr Gold Saber. I am not a fan of mixing rounds in a gun. If I was going to use an FMJ for a defense load, I believe I would use something other than WWB. It doesn't have the best reputation for quality.

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I haven't had a problem out of WWB out of what I have fired anyway. I agree mixing rounds is a bad idea as well... however I'm going to have to advise against the golden saber in .380 at least. Out of all the ammunition tests I have read or watched the golden saber in .380 either doesn't expand at all OR the jacket separates completely waaaaay more commonly than all the other choices.

I have a 380 for a conceal carry right now while I'm on the hunt for a .40. But I used HP. I don't want them to just penetrate I want them to tear stuff up as they go through.

As far as causing tissue damage, I'm reasoning that the WWB FMJ, with that Flat Point, would tend to make a hole similar to a wad cutter round. My targets are just paper but I've noticed that the WWB FPs slice out a nice round hole every time they hit. I can't for certain say that they would do significantly more wound damage than a round nosed FMJ bullet though. I guess penetration is now the deciding factor for me to continue to carry the WWB FMJ- FPs for self defense especially after what I have read here.
Thanks to everyone for the great information. :smile:

I just tested some .380 rounds in the wifes LCP.. I tested some Winchester PDX-1 and was very impressed with the expansion I got a depth of right around 9.5 inches .. Ive tested some Hydroshocks and also some Ranger T's and was not happy with those esp the Ranger T's some failed to expand ...

Here is something to read.
Pocket Guns and Gear: The Great .380 FMJ & JHP Ammo Test - The Results

Look around at his site, there is some good info that could help you pick a carry load. Remember that you have to be comfortable with what ever you carry. Whatever you believe is best for you is what you should carry.

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Originally Posted by lyodbraun

I just tested some .380 rounds in the wifes LCP.. I tested some Winchester PDX-1 and was very impressed with the expansion I got a depth of right around 9.5 inches .. Ive tested some Hydroshocks and also some Ranger T's and was not happy with those esp the Ranger T's some failed to expand ...

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I'll have to test Hydra-Shok in the clear gel. Based on my two SIM-TEST tests, I considered it the pick of the litter in 380.

Pocket Guns and Gear: Another Realistic 380 ACP vs. 9mm Test with Federal Hydra-Shok

Pocket Guns and Gear: Denim and Gel Testing 380 Ammo

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Originally Posted by 481

The Winchester .380 95 grain FMJFPs @ 900fps (+/- 25fps) routinely produce less than 19" of penetration which is only one inch more than the maximum amount of penetration (18") recommended by the FBI, so I am comfortable with them in that role.

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http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ps9c12757c.jpg

Winchester flat points don't come close to making 900 fps. In short barrels, it's more like low 800's. I tried the 100 count, 50 count, and Win Clean varieties. I decided to use the Remington UMC Leadless Flat Point instead. They are harder to find, but I feel the performance improvement is worth it. The data sheet is from my comprehensive 380 velocity testing done last summer.

Pocket Guns and Gear: The Great .380 FMJ & JHP Ammo Test - The Results

Federal HydraShok is what my .380 is loaded with, Federal HST goes in my 9 and 45's.

I figure a .380 pocket gun is going to be an up close and personal encounter, I'll take the greater expansion of the HydraShok over FMJ.