I WOULD NOT stand in front of a round of JHP defense .380 (;

I'd stay away from FMJ too.

According to some, the answer is no because even the 9mmx19 is not truly a man stopper. regardless of bullet selection, 9mm or 380 is too small.

Along these lines one thing I've always wondered is 9mm vs 357sig. From what I understand, the biggest draw be to 9mm being a true man stopper is that it over pentrates. And it over pentrates because the speed relative to bullet diameter is too high. However, usually the same people who make this claim also tend to say 357sig is a superior caliber. Now if 9mm and 357 is the virtually the same bullet and the 357 is faster, then how is the 357sig superior in stopping power????

I say all the above with a slight bit of sarcasm. At the end of the day, I agree with the cute girl on the video. I'd rather have either than nothing. And I add that when I carry, I'm on the mind set of self defense and creating opportunities for me and mines to leave the situation. I'm not LE and in no way interested in necessarily man stopping.

I carry a 380 sometimes, that KelTec is just too easy to conceal and has never had a failure in my shooting of it. Would a bigger round be better, probably but there are times a bigger gun would not be nearly as easy to conceal.

For the 357 Mag, the 125 grain hollow points have an excellent track record. There is no reason the 357 Sig with simular HP bullet should not be just as good. Thank God I have no experience using any of them in a defense situation but will say at 10 yards a 140 lb whitetail buck was no match for a 357 Sig and a 125 gr speer gold dot.

After M made James Bond give up his .25 Beretta, he was issued a Walther PPK in .380. Killed lots of bad guys in the Bond books, he did.

Can it be....yes. In the hands of most no. You had better be able to put the round within an inch or 2 where you want it....under pressure. Remember this? http://www.therightscoop.com/awesome-older-man-shoots-robbers-at-internet-cafe-in-florida/

It will probably stop this man..

Man stopper? Not in my eyes, do I carry one sometimes? Yes, but not often since I shot 2 pigs in a trap between the eyes (about 3') and both just backed up and looked at me.

Do I want to be shot with one? NOPE!

If you take a small-caliber pistol defense course, you will be taught to COMPLETELY EMPTY THE MAGAZINE with a 380 or less, then reload, then take appropriate action as necessary, but above all else, get that first magazine off ASAP. I love my 380, heck, I even carry a Walther PP in .32acp sometimes.... but the .40 is what is usually on my side.

This video explains what happens to the human body when shot better than anything I have ever read or seen on firearm forums.

.380 a man-stopper, yes. There was a good article written Sept 2012 in American Rifleman by Richard Mann called Handgun Stopping Power – Sizing Up Your Options. He fired 100 handgun loads of various calibers and bullet types into ballistic gel and measured velocity, penetration and expansion. His article reports the results…. In brief (according to the article) the two determining factors for stopping power are penetration and expansion. A bullet that will penetrate and expand 1.5 times the unfire diameter have a high correlation with large wound cavities in ballistic gel.

There have been other articles written that the .380 is not a good round due to lack of expansion. In some cases where retests were done and shirt cloth or denim material was placed in front of the gel, expansion was no longer a problem with the bullet expanding to nearly the same diameter as it’s bigger brothers.

Look up the article - it is a good read and not terribly long…….

BTW – I love those James Bond guns… they will fire thirteen shots from a six shot clip and have no bullet drop at 50 yrds….

A BB has been known to kill someone when it got caught in the major vein of the arm and was carried to much more important organs. That doesn't mean it is a man killer. The .380 is at best marginal as a man stopper. It can best be used to fire into the intruder and then run like Ben Johnson to get out of the area. The only reason I give it any credit at all now, is that there are some really great bullet tips out there that perform good enough to make even the little 380 a gun that might be able to stop an intruder. Me - I carry the 45 acp.

I put a 380 through a downed cows skull at 15 yards and it dropped.

Maybe I got lucky or all bullets aren't created equal...

Regardless id rather have a pocket 380 then a 454 or heavy pistol.

Chances are ill never need it God willing, and chances are if so idiot endangers me thats over 15 yards im hauling arse anyway. .. but under that im 100% confident in the 380 saving my life

If anyone has a nice 380 to sell pm me

I think with the hogs, the shot was off and missed the brain, kill most pigs that are in the trap with a 22 revolver and shorts, which are much less than a 380.

I'd have to opine that the 380 is a man killer whether its a man stopper or not. I once had a friend killed with a 32acp.

.380 is definately a man stopper!!! I have relevant personal experience to base my claim. I have several former friends that against my strong advice purchased a .380 for personal defense and concealed carry. In every case, all stopped being MEN on the date of purchase. .380 = Mouse Gun = Loss of Man Card

You FAIL!

My 380 is like my knife. It is meant to get someone off me or my family We don't want on us.
Personal Protection!
Me, My Wife and MIL. It will make an unwanted person get from us quickly!

Last night we watched video cams of several LEO gun fights. One LEO was hand to hand with bad guy. Both had a gun in their hand. LEO missed a shot at point blank then missed with 17 more shots as the bad guy broke and ran.

If you think you are better than the average LEO, then a 6 shot 380 might work out. You had better practice.

I can make the same argument with a .22 cal pistol. A gun is a gun and generally strikes a level of fear in an attacker. Still don't get your Man Card back.

Rusty, When I started as a LEO, We carried revolver and 2 dump pouches or 12 loops on your belt. 18 total rounds. We had those cheap flashlights, 2 D-Cell, no personal body armor and maybe not even a walkie talkie. The ammo I was required to carry was 158gr lead round nose. No magnums allowed. No AM radios in the cars and the last 2 patrol cars had flashing pancake lights on them. The best of the bestest was the Twin Sonic rotating beacons (Twin Bubble Gums) and a federal electronic siren. Patrol cars had cheap nylon tires because the Feds had determined radial tires would get you killed in a high speed pursuit.
I'm no Joe Friday or Broderick Crawford, Officers Muldoon or Toody, Reed and Malloy. One Adam 12!
A 380 can go along ways when you have nothing else available.
I am too banged and mended to fight and possibly get hurt, so if I have to shoot to get someone off me, my wife or MIL I will use whatever is available. Adapt, Improvise and Overcome!
Never Give Up...Don't fight fair, fight to live!

MagicGlock summed it up better than I ever could have. For many years the 380 was referred to a "girls" or "ladies" gun and I'm thinking it still holds that distinction. Sorry guys.

If I'm coming home late my wife sleeps with her .380 on the bedside table. I announce myself as friendly before I get close to the door because I don't want to be shot with that ladies gun any more than I do a 45.

I carry a .45 just because it's a .45, but there isn't THAT much difference in the holes they punch.

I believe the confusion is in the definition of the term "Man Stopper". If it stops the person from what their doing or attempting to do it's a Man Stopper, nothing changes your attitude like getting a hole punched into you. I watched live as a young woman fired 6 shoots from a snubnosed RG-22 and drop two men instantly and put the third in the ER. A study by the FBI I believe of hundreds of officer involved shooting pointed to one simple fact, most people when shot instantly drop it's a natural reaction. You punch a hole in somebody no matter the caliber and you get their full undivided attention and their either going to drop or flee. The mere fact that the person knows you have the capability to inflict that type of damage is a game changer. Watch all the video's on youtube of shootouts such as robberies and you get a good idea of a criminals reaction. Once the victim pulls a weapon they have a tendency to head for the doors. The grandma video on here is a prime example, once she started shooting all five went for the door and stacked up like sardines trying to get out.
I'm saying it's not that important what you shoot, it's that you have the ability to shoot and defend yourself and that makes any gun a manstopper.

So when did you get your first Model 19 and what did you think of that?