.380 vs 9mm AMMO DEBATE:

One is the easiest to carry concealed; the other packs more punch.

by Richard Mann

The current trend with concealed-carry handguns is to go small. The reasons should be obvious; the smaller a handgun is, the easier it is to conceal, and, therefore, the more comfortable it is to carry. The two most popular cartridges for small, selfdefense handguns are the 9mm Luger and the .380 Auto. If you’re trying to help your customer decide which one might be the best option for them, there are some things about both cartridges that you both should know.

9mm Luger

The 9mm Luger has been with us for 120 years. It began life as a cartridge for the German military, and it wasn’t until after World War II that it began to find real popularity in the United States. In 1967, the Illinois State Police adopted the Smith & Wesson Model 39—chambered for the 9mm Luger—as their issue sidearm, and other agencies soon followed suit. The cartridge remained very popular with law enforcement until the 1990s when the .40 S&W entered the scene. The .40 was the premier law-enforcement cartridge up until just a few years ago when the FBI switched back to the 9mm Luger. American law enforcement remains greatly influenced by the FBI, and now the 9mm Luger is once again commonly found in the holsters of policemen.

.380 AUTO

Though often called the .380 ACP, the correct name for this cartridge is the .380 Automatic or .380 Auto. It was designed in 1908 by firearms genius John Browning, who also designed the .45 Auto several years prior. The bullet diameter of the .380 Auto is 0.356 inch, and the bullet diameter of the .45 Auto is 0.452 inch. Interestingly, it appears that with the .380 Auto, Browning simply reduced the case dimensions of the .45 Auto cartridge by the same degree as the difference in bullet diameter; the .380 Auto is almost exactly 22 percent smaller than the .45 Auto in every way. Early on, the .380 Auto was also known internationally as the 9mm Kurz (9mm Short) and was quite popular in Europe, especially in the Walther PPK. But the cartridge did not really find its legs in America until the interest in concealed carry spiked toward the end of the last century. Today the cartridge is quite popular in sub-compact semi-automatic handguns.

Capacity

The 9mm Luger cartridge is minutely larger in diameter than the .380 Auto cartridge, but the difference is only 0.017 inch and is not enough to cause a capacity difference in singleor double-stack magazines with similar-sized handguns. However, the 9mm Luger cartridge is about 2 ⁄10 inch longer. This can translate to a slightly deeper grip in 9mm Luger pistols. When pistols of the same size are compared, magazine capacities are generally identical. However, because the .380 Auto operates at a lower pressure and is slightly shorter, .380 Auto pistols can be smaller and lighter than 9mm Luger pistols of the same basic size. The Glock 42 is slightly lighter than the Glock 43, and

WHITHER THE .45?

some .380 Auto pistols can even weigh less than 10 ounces.

Terminal Performance

Terminal performance can be looked at in a variety of ways. Some people like to compare kinetic energy while others are more interested in penetration combined with how much the bullet will upset. The best you can expect in kinetic energy from the .380 Auto is about 250 foot-pounds at the muzzle. With its best loads, the 9mm Luger can exceed 400 foot-pounds. The 9mm Luger’s extra power gives it an advantage in the penetration and bullet upset category as well. The best-performing .380 Auto loads will penetrate to between 8 and 12 inches and bullet diameter will increase by about 1.5 times. With the 9mm Luger, bullet upset will be similar or slightly more, but penetration generally ranges from 14 to 18 inches. The 9mm always hits harder and penetrates deeper.

The .45 Automatic pistol cartridge has been with us for more than a century. It has a mythical reputation for stopping bad guys and helped win two World Wars. Many consider it the best cartridge for a self-defense pistol. They believe its larger diameter and heavier bullet gives it an edge. It can, but those are not the only important considerations when it comes to arming yourself for personal protection. For most who want to carry a pistol for self-defense, the .45 Auto is not the best choice.

When selecting a self-defense pistol, the totality of the circumstance must be considered. In addition to terminal performance, things like recoil, capacity, and handgun size, matter, too. Individuals must weigh each consideration so they’ll end up with a handgun that will be effective at stopping a threat and be one they can wield nimbly and with confidence.

From a terminal performance standpoint, the best .45 Auto loads can exhibit around a 15 to 20 percent advantage over the 9mm Luger. But these loads are generally of the +P variety, meaning, in comparable handguns they’ll deliver nearly twice the recoil. In compact pistols so popular for concealed carry this can create an unpleasant shooting experience. More importantly, even with very experienced shooters, it can increase the time between accurate shots by as much as 30 percent.

The compromise answer to this performance and shootability question was offered 30 years ago. It was called the .40 S&W. Coast to coast, law enforcement agencies flocked to the .40 because it split the difference in terminal performance, recoil, and capacity between the 9mm and the .45. However, as law enforcement agencies diversified to better represent the population, they found that just as with the .45, officers did not shoot the .40 S&W as well as the 9mm. For these reasons, the FBI—which was instrumental in the adoption of the .40 S&W—and almost every other major law enforcement agency, has switched back to the 9mm.

During the past 30 years we’ve learned that when it comes to stopping a fight, shot placement matters most. The .45 Auto load offers a substantial terminal performance advantage, but is just too difficult for the average civilian—and police officer—to shoot fast and accurately. In the end, only hits—multiple good hits— count because misses don’t matter.

The .380 Auto (left) is sometimes called the 9mm Short. Not only does this reflect the actual size of the cartridges when compared to the 9mm Luger (right), but also indicates the .380 Auto is also short on power.

Recoil

The best way to compare the recoil between these two cartridges is to compare similar guns, like the Glock 42 and 43. Fully loaded, the G42 .380 Automatic pistol weighs 15.87 ounces; the G43 9mm Luger pistol weighs 20.64 ounces. If both are being fired with standard self-defense loads, the nominal recoil energy of the G42 will be around 3.63 foot-pounds and about 5.71 footpounds for the G43. From a recoil standpoint, that is a tremendous difference that will not only affect shooting comfort, but it can also impact the time required to accurately fire multiple shots on target.

AND THE WINNER IS…

You would really have to stretch your imagination to say that the .380 Auto is as effective at stopping bad guys as the 9mm Luger. There’s a reason the duty guns for most American lawenforcement officers are chambered for the 9mm as opposed to the .380. It is worth noting, however, that the .380 Auto is a popular chambering for back-up guns for cops. This is because .380 Auto pistols can be very compact and easier to carry in ankle or pocket holsters.

Although duty use seems to be the forte of the 9mm Luger, when it comes to ultra-deep concealment, the .380 Auto has the advantage. Miniature semi-automatic pistols chambered for the .380 Auto can weigh less than one pound fully loaded and are almost as easy to conceal as a cell phone. This gives the .380 Auto immense appeal for those who want to carry a concealed handgun as comfortably as possible.

The .380 Auto’s lack of recoil is also appealing to some. Novice shooters, recoil-sensitive shooters, and those with limited hand strength will find that with guns of a similar size they can shoot the .380 faster and more comfortably and accurately. Fortunately, with both cartridges there are a lot of excellent self-defense and practice loads available for shooters to choose from.

 The 9mm holds the edge over the .380 Auto in terminal performance.

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