Best 380 Ammo for Self Defense & Target Training [2025]

How to choose 380 Ammo for Self-Defense

A few things to keep in mind:

Barrel Length Matters

The pistol’s barrel length matters a lot when it comes to terminal ballistics. Generally, a longer barrel allows more time for powder to burn, which increases bullet velocity.  Higher velocity means more kinetic energy being delivered to the target, leading to deeper penetration and better expansion.

However, most 380 ACP ammo often fail to deliver both. So you end up with either 380 hollow points that penetrate deeply because they fail to expand (basically acting like FMJs) or 380 hollow points that penetrate shallow because they expand as designed. This happens because most .380 rounds don’t have enough powder to push the lightweight bullet fast enough to achieve both.

What this means for you is that some .380 hollow points may perform differently depending on your gun’s barrel length. In plain words, some HP rounds may show better terminal performance with shorter barrels than with longer ones. For example, if you’re using a micro pistol with a shorter barrel, certain hollow points that over-expand and underpenetrate in longer barrels might actually penetrate better in your gun—though this could come at the cost of expansion.

380 Ball Ammo for Defense?

Surprisingly, yes! If we were talking about 9mm or larger calibers, we’d strongly advise against using FMJ (full metal jacket) rounds for self-defense. FMJs don’t expand, and they can overpenetrate, potentially hitting something—or someone—beyond your target.

Read: Best 9mm Ammo for Defense and Target Shooting

But .380 ACP is a different story. We mentioned that .380 struggles to balance adequate penetration and expansion (with a few exceptions we’ll cover later) as well as that 380 hollow points that expand well often fail to penetrate deeply enough. But when it comes to self-defense, if you have to choose between reaching vital organs (penetration) or causing more tissue damage (expansion), penetration should always take priority. That’s why many people carry non-expanding .380 FMJs for self-defense. In fact, .380 ACP is one of the rare cases where ball ammo can actually be a good choice for self defense.

As far as ball ammo goes, you have two options. The first is traditional FMJs. Standard round-tip FMJ rounds feed most reliably of all bullet types and are usually the cheapest option. However, they do carry a higher risk of overpenetration depending on your pistol and where you hit the target.

The second option is flat nose 380 bullets. These may not feed as reliably in all guns, so you’ll need to test them with your specific pistol. On the plus side, they’re less likely to overpenetrate and tend to create a wider, more disruptive wound channel.

Some users opt for 380 ball ammo for winter carry, as it’s better at punching through heavy layers of clothing, while saving 380 HPs for summer carry.

+P 380 Ammo

+P ammo is loaded to higher pressure than standard rounds of the same caliber, which can improve terminal performance. However, not all guns are designed to handle +P ammo. For instance, the S&W Bodyguard 2.0 isn’t rated for +P, so it’s crucial to check your firearm’s manual before using it.

It’s also important to consider that +P ammo can be unpleasant to shoot, especially in small pistols. The increased recoil can make it harder to control, which takes away one of the main advantages of the .380 cartridge—its lighter recoil compared to 9mm.

Gun Malfunctions

Hollow point rounds are generally more prone to feeding issues than rounds that don’t have a cavity. On top of that, feeding reliability can vary from gun to gun—some pistols just don’t handle certain round designs well.

Always test your chosen .380 ammo with your carry pistol. Fire at least 200 rounds to ensure it functions reliably and doesn’t cause malfunctions.

Bullet Weight & Terminal Performance

Heavier bullets (e.g., 99 grains) tend to penetrate deeper due to their increased mass and momentum. Lighter bullets (e.g., 85–90 grains) may have less penetration but often achieve higher velocities, which can compensate somewhat by delivering energy more efficiently to the target.

Next, heavier bullets traveling at lower velocities tend to have more controlled expansion. On the other hand, lighter bullets may expand more aggressively due to higher velocities, but this can sometimes lead to over-expansion or fragmentation, reducing penetration depth.

Lighter bullets produce less recoil, making them easier to handle for shooters sensitive to recoil or using micro-pistols. However, recoil perception is subjective and is dependent on many factors like gun ergonomics.