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.380 Auto (9mm Browning Short) VS 44 Black Powder

Head to Head Comparison

.380 Auto (9mm Browning Short)

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50%

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44 Black Powder

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0 Reviews

MSRP:

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MSRP:

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Used Price:

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New Price:

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Gun Specifications

Specifications

.380 Auto (9mm Browning Short)

44 Black Powder

Height

0.68

0.00

Average FPS

980

Average Grain

91

Average Energy

194

Recoil

0.41

0.00

Ballistic Coefficient

96.34

Gun Stats

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.380 Auto (9mm Browning Short)

44 Black Powder

Gun Descriptions

.380 Auto (9mm Browning Short)

About The .380 ACP Ammo is a rimless, straight walled cartridge designed for pistols introduced in the year of 1908. Ever since it was released into the market, it has been very popular in the self-defense department and has been widely used in numerous handguns. The .380 ACP Ammo is considered a misnomer since it doesn't strictly conform to cartridge naming conventions that are named against the bullet's diameter. Using the standard naming process, the .380 ACP Ammo should be named .355 ACP Ammo since it uses a cartridge .355 in diameter. The .380 ACP Ammo, because of its low blow-thrust, delivered a soft recoil to the shooter. The overall length of the .380 ACP Ammo is 25mm, while the bullet diameter measures 9mm. The 45-grain variant of the .380 ACP Ammo can travel at a velocity of 1,835 feet per second while creating an energy level of 337 ft.lbf.  Manufacturer John Browning designed the .380 ACP Ammo in 1908, and Colt's Manufacturing Company manufactured it in the same year.  Uses The .380 ACP Ammo has experienced a wide array of uses over the years. At least FIVE European nations picked it up as their standard pistol ammo before World War II. The .380 ACP Ammo is light and compact and delivers a short-ranged shot, creating less stopping power. The .380 ACP Ammo remains a popular cartridge for self-defense purposes. 

44 Black Powder

44 caliber cap & ball revolver loaded with a 140-grain round ball over 30-grains of 3Fg Goex black powder only generates 242 ft/lbs of energy. In comparison, a 124-grain, 9mm round produces 304 ft/lbs of power. Based on that, when we are looking at cap & ball revolvers, we should ensure that they hit with at least the power of a .380. If we look at a .380 round that pushes a 90-grain bullet at 1,000 feet per second, we'll see that it develops 200 foot/pounds of energy. So, if we are going to depend on a cap and ball revolver to save our lives, it needs to hit with at least 200 ft/lbs of energy. And that is the power floor set by both sets of researchers for a reliable self-defense round. The fact is, loaded with an 80-grain round ball and 22 grains of 3Fg Goex black powder, the .36 caliber Navy only generates 166 ft/lbs of power. To get close to the .380 power floor, you need to load it with a 150-grain conical bullet over 18 grains of black powder, and even that load only hits with 198 ft/lbs. But, as Marshall and Sanow discovered, bullet performance is at least as important as power. Cap and ball conical bullets tend to drill right through a body. That over-penetration means the bullet leaves most of its energy in the wall behind your assailant instead of in his body. For that reason, I recommend you only use .44 caliber revolvers for self-defense.

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