Federal 30 Super Carry

[mRad]

What is your background with regard to working trauma?

Not a loaded question so don’t take it as such. I’m just interested and sure others would be too… as well as knowing would also lend some weight and credibility to your post(s).

I’ve worked emergency and critical care at the only trauma center in the area. The hospital I spent the last several years at sees an average of one GSW per day. My role is RN, BSN with TNCC. I’m not a CT surgeon or anything like that, but I’ve been involved in about 100 GSW cases—I’m the guy pushing meds, titrating drips, and monitoring and dressing wounds.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mRad]

I got into a debate with a coroner once who recommend .25 ACP because he saw so many dead people who'd been shot with 25 ACP being the gun of choice by gang bangers and such in his area. Of course he didn't understand the difference between death and stopping the threat, and if the dead person had killed anyone in the exchange and bled out a mile down the the road...

Exactly. Many of the people that are killed can inflict a massive amount of damage before expiring.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mRad]

There are people that have been peppered with 9mm and survive.

I’m not going in a war zone with a 380. I just want something to give me an edge in getting out of a situation. Actually, I wouldn’t go in a war zone with a pistol anyway. I’d bring a rifle.

Perhaps, but a 9mm is significantly more effective than a .380. In a life or death situation, I’m not choosing “marginal” when the inconvenience of carrying 9mm is insignificant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Alaskapopo]

Perhaps, but a 9mm is significantly more effective than a .380. In a life or death situation, I’m not choosing “marginal” when the inconvenience of carrying 9mm is insignificant.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Guns are tools there is a place in my opinion for small pocket 380s.

[Alaskapopo]

According to who? Not those those who research/test terminal ballistics for a living, that's for sure. .380 bullet designs seem to be improving, but the advice to carry FMJ due poor expansion/penetration of JHP still stands far as I know. As all handgun loads in common duty loads are poor man stoppers, it behooves one to at least carry those considered acceptable by SME's on the topic for SD/Duty. Better than throwing rocks? Sure, but that's not the topic/issue really.

actually the older FMJ advice no longer applies to the 380 as they have rounds like the 99 grain HST that penetrate 12 inches and get .55 or so expansion.

[Alaskapopo]

Super light but haven’t weighed it honestly

Answering Rons question on the weight of a Ruger Max 380

[WillBrink]

actually the older FMJ advice no longer applies to the 380 as they have rounds like the 99 grain HST that penetrate 12 inches and get .55 or so expansion.

Formally third party tested? I have seen some YT vids and such, no testing using standardized protocols under controlled conditions.

[Alaskapopo]

Formally third party tested? I have seen some YT vids and such, no testing using standardized protocols under controlled conditions.

Little embarrassed I just did a search and found one test where the 380 HST failed to meet 12 inches in 8 of of the 10 bullets tested. Still worth it to me for some very limited situations. Not many though.

[WillBrink]

Little embarrassed I just did a search and found one test where the 380 HST failed to meet 12 inches in 8 of of the 10 bullets tested. Still worth it to me for some very limited situations. Not many though.

If I was gonna risk my life on .380, I'd still go FMJ personally. This new rnd may offer close to 9mm terminal ballistics in .380 sized pistols, making .380 even more obsolete than it already is.

If that proves to be true beyond the claims made by the manufacturer under formal third party testing, could be a rnd that's not a solution in search of a problem but would fill a legit niche in need of fillin'

[1168]

Nobody wants shot with anything but working trauma, it’s a pretty “meh” round. Even saw somebody survive one to the heart from one.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Nobody was removed from said fight.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The problem with anecdotes is that this has also occurred with an off-duty female cop that was ambushed at her home (driveway) and shot in the heart with a .357 Magnum, perforating at least one ventricle (I don’t remember which or both), and more or less destroying the apex of her heart. She returned fire and prevailed in the fight. Coded multiple times, but survived. I don’t think anyone would use such an anecdote to demonstrate that .357M is inadequate…. would we?

In case someone would like to take this the wrong way, I’m not endorsing carrying .380, even though I sometimes do, on the “its better than harsh language” logic. My own anecdotes out-of-hospital have been rather unimpressive, even for a pistol round. Also, many of the .380 guns don’t make as much sense today except as collector’s pieces, in comparison to 9mm carry gats.