380 vs 9mm comparison size

Will need more hits than a. The 9mm is a versatile cartridge used by the military and police. Great for defense, competitions, and range use. It fires a 0. This cartridge is also popularly known as 9mm short or 9mm Kurz. An advantage of these pistols is their simple and cost-effective design since there is no need for a barrel locking mechanism.

The round is more than a century old and has been very popular the entire time. Initially, it was adopted by a few European militaries but later lost its shine around WWII when more powerful options became available. It is a short and light cartridge that allows it to be used with compact and even subcompact handguns. The stopping power is quite little when compared with modern handgun loads for combat.

However, the controllability of these rounds is top-notch, especially where recoil-sensitive shooters are concerned. The 9mm cartridge was developed in the year by famous Austrian designer Georg Luger. It is a rimless, tapered cartridge made to be used in handguns, revolversand submachine guns. Even today, the 9mm holds the record for the most popular handgun cartridge of all time.

Being a flat autoloader cartridge, the 9mm rounds can be easily stacked in flat magazines which eliminates the problem of carrying extra ammo with concealment. Due to its power, high magazine capacities, and ample stopping power, the 9mm popularized the use of semi-automatic handguns. The first transitions were seen among U. S police departments during the s when many officers switched their revolvers for the quick reloading and high mag capacity handguns chambered in the 9mm.

As far as the military is concerned, again the controllability and ammo carrying capacity gave it more preference over heavier rounds like the. Being widely popular also means there is a lot of bullet options and data available out there. However, the. This means a microsecond of faster cycling time for the. As you can see in the table, the.

Plus, the highest bullet weights reach only close to grains. This translates to lower recoil, lesser noise, and better controllability. Along with more space for extra rounds in a handgun of comparable size. On the other hand, the 9mm is a heavier bullet with a ton of options for ammo to choose from. Since it is widely used by military forces across the world, you can find almost 12 different types of bullet options to choose from.

Due to the smaller base diameter, 9mm bullets can be used easily in double-stack magazines, allowing the user to carry more in a similar space. Comparing the ballistics of handgun cartridges can seem a bit less useful to some people. So there is not much distance that can affect the range, trajectory, velocity, and energy of a bullet.

But you can use the information below to determine the potential of each caliber. From the graph below you can see that the 9mm, even with a heavier grain bullet is faster by fps at the muzzle. The speed does drop off faster with the 9mm at first, but at about 40 yards it loses velocity at about the same rate as the After about 40 yards there is about fps difference.

So how does velocity affect the bullet trajectory of these rounds? You can see that the higher speed of the 9mm gives it a flatter trajectory than the Though the difference here is pretty marginal until you get to about yards. So was the extra velocity in the 9mm worth it then? Since the 9mm bullet is heavier and faster, it has an advantage over the when it comes to bullet energy.

Similarly to the velocity, within 40 yards the 9mm has much more energy, around ft-lbs more. After 40 yards the difference in energy retention remains about the same, with the 9mm having about ft-lbs more energy. From 0 to yards, the has Usage Although some foreign police use the. A side-by-side comparison of the. Related Comparisons 9mm vs.

Share Follow Cite. Share this comparison via: If you read this far, you should follow us: ". Related Comparisons. Contribute to Diffen Edit or create new comparisons in your area of expertise. Log in ». Terms of use Privacy policy. Primarily for self defense. Used as a backup weapon by some armed forces. Due to recent and 380 vs 9mm comparison size ammo shortages, there has been a significant rise in ammo costs.

Things do appear to be settling down from a cost point of view not back to what prices were, of course! However, there is still a noticeable difference between the cost of these two rounds. Broad brush examples in two categories are — for target practice purposes, 9mm owners can purchase a box of rounds starting from around 35 cents per round. In terms of self defense rounds, 9mm owners can expect prices to start around the 77 cents mark.

As mentioned, these are general examples and are based on low end per round costs. Rest assured, you can and quite likely will! With such price fluctuations, it really does pay owners of either handgun to shop around. Look out for special offers and bulk purchase deals. Even so, it is clear that 9mm ammo is the cheaper option. It is also highly unlikely that these differentials will change at any time in the future.

Being familiar with any gun you own is key to responsible firearms use.

380 vs 9mm comparison size

This means drills and firing practice exercises must be carried out as regularly as possible. It is also worth making the point that regular practice with either can have very different effects on an individual. Any 9mm owner who finds that recoil makes their practice sessions uncomfortable or painful is less likely to practice. This should not be the case for those who own a.

Because since felt recoil is vastly reduced, your practice shooting sessions should be far more enjoyable. Obviously, shooting when feeling comfortable and enjoying the experience will surely make you more proficient. With that in mind, before jumping in and buying either a 9mm or. Pay a visit to your local range, gun shop, or certified training center to feel as well as fire different models under professional supervision.

This will help you to decide which type of gun best meets your needs. Well, to start with, in these troubled ammunition supply times, check out my informative Beginners Guide to Reloading Ammo. The bottom line on whether the. Some will take to a 9mm like a duck to water, and that is absolutely fine. Others will be far more comfortable knowing that they have the ability to effectively and confidently use the.

As for those who can confidently handle the heavy recoil of the 9mmthere is no reason not to opt for it. One thing is for sure, well-placed shots using either the 9mm or the. Gary is a U. He followed in the honored family tradition with his father serving in the U. Navy during Vietnam, his brother serving in Afghanistan, and his Grandfather was in the U.

Army during World War II. But he still enjoys writing which allows him a creative outlet where he can express his passion for firearms. He is currently single, but is "on the lookout!