.380 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol)
(9mm Browning Short)
(9mm Kurz)
(9mm Corto)
Introduced by the Belgium firm FN in 1912,
the 9mm Browning short is one of several pistol cartridge designed by John
Browning. In some European countries, this cartridge has also been designated
as the 9mm Kurz and 9mm Corto, but in the United Sates it goes by the name
of .380 Automatic or .380 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol)
Although the more powerful
9mm Parabellum
has enjoyed greater popularity over the years, thousands upon thousands of
autoloading pistols have been manufactured in .380 ACP. Many American and
foreign arms makers have offered or continue to offer compact pistols in
this caliber including Colt, Savage, Remington, Llama, Star, FIE, Browning,
Walther, and Beretta. Various European police departments have adopted the
.380 and it has even gained status as a military cartridge in countries such
as Sweeden, Italy, and Czechoslovakia.
In the United States, the .380 ACP is classified as a cartridge best suited
for self defense. This is as it should be simply because the pistols available
in this caliber aren't designed for sporting use. The .380 cartridge is powerful
enough for taking varmint sized game cleanly at close to medium ranges, but
the relatively poor accuracy of most pistols in this caliber limits its effective
range to about 15 short paces.
Due to the extremely limited capacity of the .380 case, a relatively fast
burning powder such as
HP38 is the best
choice for handloaders. Bullets weighing from 88grains to 100 grains at 900
to 1000 fps duplicate the performance of most factory loads.
Source: Hodgdon Data Manual, 26th Edition
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