due to some discussions going on around here recently, i started doing some additional reading regarding .380 ammo tests and am slightly discouraged at what i found. i bought .380 that i was able to find locally, namely because buying online would have been VERY expensive, and believe i had read that several users happily use rem express 88gr jhps. so i bought what multiple stores had, which totaled up to being WWB and the remmy's. and then to read that the testing done by various people on the 88 grainers netted no expansion doesn't encourage me too much. (and a recent suggestion that fmj ammo is already lower velocity from JHP) so, for now, i've switched my little P3 to nothing but the JHPs until 1) i have enough money to find a new round and buy enough ammo, 2) i decide which HP i wish to buy. i am still entirely confident in my JHP that i have, although i do want something known more for it's expansion. plus, it's been added that AE FMJ is one of the hottest ball rounds out there, if i can find somewhere that's GOT the stuff, i'll continue my previous course of interleaving FMJ and HP. i read and understand those who choose not to, but yet again, it boils down to the "shoot what's comfortable". it's not that i'm cheap (with the "what's your life worth" argument), it's just that RIGHT at the moment there's really no money to buy ammo in the first place (i've got one box of carry ammo and one box practice ammo that have to tide me over til there's money to buy more). when the money comes, online will likely be the place to go, lord knows i've bought enough from natchez over the years. plus, does anyone know if there's a significant difference between the express 88gr JHP and the UMC 88gr JHP? since i moved, i'm much farther from any place that retails much ammo. WM is the only handy place and they don't have the express, but they do have UMC (at a much lower price than i was buying express for! ) i am indeed using UMC 115 gr JHP in the P11 for carry and have done some limited milk jug testing with it and was perfectly pleased with the results and expansion of that particular round, so i'm not afraid of UMC HPs. that is my rambling thoughts regarding my (somewhat foolish) choice of ammo selection. spence
FMJ = ample penetration with no expansion. JHP (good ones) = limited penetration with ample expansion. The Rem UMC might be a good compromise. If it doesn't expand at all, it will function like FMJ. If it expands a little, so much the better. It may be the best of both worlds. I believe we may over-thinking this anyway. For starters, what are the odds that you will ever have to shoot someone. Secondly, if you do have to put a few rounds in someone, what are the odds that he will be unimpressed with your carry ammo? ;D Oh yea, Corbon DPX here.
Spence, Back when I carried Rem Ex JHP I asked the same question. Why am I paying more for Ex, why not UMC? (I sill have Ex in the spare) After digging and digging this is what I found. There seems to be no difference in the bullet as the web site lists only one type of JHP. http://www.remington.com/ You are paying more for Expsress because of the sealed primer and the flash suppresant, UMC has neither. I also have some UMC 9mm JHP and man they have a flash way brighter than any other SD ammo I've tried.
tx - this is exactly why i'm in NO hurry to rush off and spent a hundred to a hundred and fifty bucks on ammo to find a new SD load. your words are exactly what was on my mind. if it plugs up in clothing or just plain don't expand, it'll do the same thing as FMJ. and that's the exact reason why i removed the WWB interleaved rounds from my mags. rubb - thanks! since i'm not overly concerned with sealed primers (i assume to seal out moisture?). i'm not too worried about flash, either, but you bring up a good point. the only night shooting i've done was deer hunting just before dusk (.308 has a helluva nice flash) and in the military with 5.56 thru .50 cal. and the gun club here won't let me shoot at night, one of these days i'll have to head back to the home range for some night shooting to see what things look like. at this point, if i need more ammo, i'll save a bunch of bucks and use UMC. like i said, it's what's in the P11. now i need to do more milk jug tests, or maybe a wet pack (substituted with magazines as i don't know the last time i SAW a news paper). i'm curious to see what additional results i can achieve myself. spence
hmmmmm... interesting idea. i think i could do a little testing at the gun club here. although it'd just be wet magazines, and i don't know that i have enough old ones here yet for a test (i know i still do at my parents... 150 miles from here). this is a good concept, and when i get the chance, i'll pick up a box of UMC and see what i can do!
