Hornady’s .380 Critical Defense load didn’t fare well in our Frost Giant extreme gel test. Then again, we’ve yet to find a .380 load which does when presented with heavy winter clothing in a simulated cross-torso shot. Thus, the 90 grain .380 Critical Defense load’s poor results were not a huge surprise. .380 ACP has always been a marginal self-defense cartridge. Hollow point loads tend to penetrate too little, and FMJ can penetrate a bit too much in certain circumstances. What’s a person who chooses .380 for EDC or backup to do, then?
The main thing is to have realistic expectations when it comes to the Lilliputian .380’s ability to incapacitate an assailant in short order. To better understand this round’s capabilities, watch videos such as the one we have here. In it you will see how even a good .380 is thwarted by actual winter clothing. The FBI’s “heavy clothing” test is unrealistic and fails to simulate what people wear when it is well below freezing. Our Frost Giant test remedies this problem and simulates a worst case scenario: heavy winter clothing, a large-statured individual, and a cross-torso shot.
Get the popcorn, have a seat, and watch how the .380 Critical Defense performs–or doesn’t.
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