Best 380 Ammo: Defense & Cheap Bulk for Sale

Bryan Hill / March 10 2021

1. .380 ACP Defense Ammo FAQ
2. Best .380 Defense Ammo on Sale
3. Cheap Bulk .380 Ammo FAQ
4. Best .380 Cheap Bulk Practice and Training Ammo on Sale

380 ACP Defense Ammo FAQ

Can a 380 stop an attacker?

Yes, if you get a vital shot within 10-15 yards. With pistols, shot placement matters most.

What has more stopping power .380 or 9mm?

9mm defense ammo reliably expands to a 20% larger diameter than .380. 9mm also penetrates more to the FBI standard of 12-18 inches than .380: only a few .380 defense rounds make it 12-13" on average, while 9mm goes 13-17" while expanding more. ^{[2] [3] [13] [14]}

9mm ammo has more stopping power than .380.
That said, always remember: With pistols, shot placement matters most.

Can a 380 kill a bear?

With perfect shot placement and hard-cast or solid-copper bullets, yes. There are documented cases of .380 killing black bears. However, a .380 bullet is likely to be stopped by the bones of larger bears like Grizzlies and Polar bears.

What is the best 380 self defense ammo?

The absolute best is the Underwood Xtreme Defender 65gr (+P or +P+ optional), but if you can't get that, these hollow point rounds are the runners-up:

• Sig Sauer Ammo Elite V-Crown 380 ACP JHP 90 Gr
• Hornady Critical Defense 380 ACP FTX 90 Gr
• Federal .380 HST 99gr JHP

For reference, a .380 bullet is 0.35" in diameter. We only recommend the above rounds for their strong expansion while meeting the FBI standard of 12-18 inches of penetration. For more info, see our Defense Ammo Guide.

Best .380 Defense Ammo on Sale

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Cheap Bulk .380 Ammo FAQ

Why is .380 ammo so expensive and hard to find?

The demand for guns is sky high, and so is the demand for ammo. It's like toilet paper in early 2020.

In this case, manufacturers can't keep up with demand. The companies who supply the manufacturers also can't keep up, so even if ammo manufacturers built more factories, it wouldn't help much. When demand is way higher than supply, prices go up.

Best .380 Cheap Bulk Ammo on Sale

^{Disclaimer: I get a small commission on purchases through the price links above, at no extra cost to you.}

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References

1. 2019 Solid Copper defense Ammunition Wound Ballistics Test #2 (2019)
2. .380 ACP Ballistic Gel Test Results (2019)
3. 9mm Ballistic Gel Test Results (2019)
4. Why Ballistics Gel Works and Caliber Arguments are Dumb (2019)
5. .380 Auto (ACP) Ballistic Test Results (2015)
6. 9mm Luger (9x19) Ballistic Test Results (2015)