[LONGHAIR]

I GOOGLED ...Stopping Power of a .380 ...WOW...They have pages of people with allot of idea's about witch one is better..and I think placement is the most important...A .22 can kill as well as a .45 .....If placed right ??...

[orangello]

.380ACP

I'm not sure "stopping power" should really apply to anything south of buckshot.

[JonM]

only round i know of that has anything resembling "stopping power" is the 50bmg or maybe a 155 howitzer. stopping power is a 80's gunrag bs myth cranked out by such idiotic rags like guns and ammo to sell 9mm doublestack handguns.

its just one of those things that has become entrenched in gun lore with no basis in reality.

the best defensive handgun is the one you know inside and out, one you also can land shot after shot centermass, and goes boom each time the trigger is pulled. caliber is the last thing thats important. if you can satisfy all that with a 454 casull great if the biggest round you handle in such a fashion is a 380 thats good too. rounds on center mass quickly and accurately are all that matters.

[Polygon]

I have to agree with Jon here.

Also, ask yourself this....

How would you like to be shot six, possibly seven times with .380? I sure as hell wouldn't want to be shot even once with a .22, let alone .380. I think that people that believe .380 is inferior and can't "stop" anything are delusional.

[trex1310]

Recently there was a police officer here killed in a domestic violence call. He
was shot once with a .380. I think Jon is spot on. I was shot once in the
left foot in 1968 and damn well guarantee you that it stopped me.

[synical]

Yeah I just bought a Taurus TCP .380 for a pocket pistol. I know I dont want to be shot with it! So I agree it will stop them!

[sweeper22]

380acp can be a very carry friendly and adequate defense round. But the following two shortcomings can work in concert to make it less than ideal:

1) It's a pretty weak caliber, so simply aiming "center mass" might not always cut it.

2) No matter how accurate the pistol may be, many 380s come in packages that make for difficult shooter precision.

So it's a round you'll want to be precise with, in a package often makes doing so challenging. This is why I chose a micro 9mm for now.

[Sniper03]

Obviously there are a lot better calibers to carry than the 380. But with it being easy to conceal and also smaller in size, you are probably more likely to have it on you all the time even when wearing light summer clothing and at other times. My wife has a Browning BDA 380 that she carries. In addition the recoil of the 380 is very light. But carry good defense ammunition! I have instructed her if she ever has to use it for self defense. Do not stop at firing one round only!
I advised her never to shoot less than two rounds at a time and preferably three. And then asses the situation. And react accordingly. I think the real key as mentioned is placement and it all goes back to you will react (do) as you have trained. This is not a situation where you have time to think through before you react. SO placement and firing 2 or better 3 is the key! I would recommend that with any pistol caliber. In my opinion is if you and I have to use it we only plan on one testimony "Ours!"

03

[big shrek]

I'll go that one further, with a 9mm, or smaller, always triple-tap and repeat until the bad guy stops moving.

I've seen a 350-pound druggie take 19 rounds of 9mm, including three shots to the head...
yet he was only dropped by two shotgun slugs while charging the officers poking him with 9mm rounds.

Sometimes its the round, sometimes its the target...its why I use a 10mm for concealed carry...
but to do so, I often have to plan out my wardrobe quite carefully, and use alternative carry methods (diaper bag-I've got twin boys).
(why do your babies have earmuffs on?? Just in case I need to shoot a bad guy )

[esteban_cuy]

no matter what the size of the bullet, they all leaves holes where they shouldn't be.