Mitch Rosen   CrossBreed Holsters   Kahr Shop   Tommy Gun
Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 26

Thread: What ammo works and what doesn't work in CW380

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    39

    Default What ammo works and what doesn't work in CW380

    I don't know if this has been done to death, but I thought it might be useful to recount what has worked well and what hasn't worked well so far in my CW380. This gun has had a few hundred rounds through it at this point, and has been mostly smooth running. Here's my experience:

    Hornady Critical Defense 90 grain FTX: No problems at all, very smooth all the time, no failures to feed, eject etc.
    Precision One 90 grain HP/XTP: No problems, very smooth. My current carry ammo (switched after watching the ShootingTheBull 380 ammoquest results)
    Winchester FMJ 95 grain flat nose: No problems
    Independence 95 grain FMJ: Frequent problems with slide staying back after firing, even though mag is not empty.
    Buffalo Bore +P JHP (sorry, can't remember the grain): Not good, way too snappy, unpleasant to shoot, couple of problems while firing, though I can't remember now exactly what happened - all that stayed with me was "I won't use this again".

    Perhaps others could post their experiences. I know it would be useful for me when I am browsing at Sportsman's Warehouse and see that they suddenly have a few boxes of range ammo that I've never used before, and I'm not sure if it'll work well or not in my particular gun.

    It would be most useful if this thread could be specific to the CW380 (not the P380 or other models), because it seems that each model has its own eccentricities.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2012
    Posts
    1,114

    Default

    After the 150 round break-in I used Precision One HXT for the same reason you did, and no problems. Ran 2 boxes of Lehigh ammo (40) rounds no problems except must slingshot first round to chamber bullet. Still runs well, but my Daughter liked it so much she now has it. It fits her small hands and short fingers better and drops into her purse and ankle carries well.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Dec 2013
    Posts
    197

    Default

    Mine eats anything except fiocchi extrema xtp. The bullet is longer any hasn't fed in any 380 I've owned.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2014
    Posts
    129

    Default

    Remington UMC ball and hollow point,winchester white box flat nose,PMC Starfire.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2014
    Posts
    1,899

    Default

    Honestly I think it may vary from gun to gun. Only the Fiocchi seems to be a no-go in any Kahr 380. Some CW380s will cycle flat nosed ammo and some won't. Some have problems with Federal Hydra Shok and some don't. Hornady Critical Defense seems to always be good.

    muggsy: Let's face it, being shot by a .380 will ruin anyone's day.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Apr 2014
    Posts
    795

    Default

    Most every handgun I own takes kindly to ball ammunition. It's only when hollow point ammunition is used that the guns can get "picky". If you're going to carry and use hollow points, be sure to check out your ammunition thoroughly at the range before you start packing. You don't want to find out your gun doesn't like the ammunition in the middle of a firefight. Just my two cents.
    Life member - NRA
    Life member - CA Rifle & Pistol Assn.
    SW desert rat

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Is there any consensus on the Precision One HP/XTP .380ACP in general? I'm just curious if there are opinions beyond the ShootingTheBull 380 ammoquest youtube video, which I'm sure everybody who has the slightest interest in 380 ammunition choices has seen by now. I'm curious as to why Precision One would do a better job with Hornady's own XTP bullet than Hornady themselves. Also, was the ammoquest conclusion fair? Precision One got top marks of the bunch, which I would imagine probably did quite a lot for Precision One's business. The cynic in me, who distrusts everything he reads online these days (always ask yourself "who benefits from this story being told in this way?"), wonders if there was any kind of kickback or other "arrangement" in return for basically handing over the 380 self defense ammo crown to Precision One. That said, I am a little comforted by the fact that ShootingTheBull seemed to not like the results from Precision One's 9mm offering, so perhaps it is all "for real". Sorry, not trying to cast undue doubt on ShootingTheBull's integrity, it's just that, like I said, everything you read or watch online these days, you have to question.

    Sorry for the verbosity... short version: Is Precision One HP/XTP all it's cracked up to be? Apart from shooting smoothly in the CW380, which is obviously nice, does anyone have any other data to support this as a self defense ammo choice, as opposed to, say, Hornady Critical Defense (which also shoots nice)?

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Posts
    1,228

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by pr42 View Post
    Is there any consensus on the Precision One HP/XTP .380ACP in general? I'm just curious if there are opinions beyond the ShootingTheBull 380 ammoquest youtube video, which I'm sure everybody who has the slightest interest in 380 ammunition choices has seen by now. I'm curious as to why Precision One would do a better job with Hornady's own XTP bullet than Hornady themselves. Also, was the ammoquest conclusion fair? Precision One got top marks of the bunch, which I would imagine probably did quite a lot for Precision One's business. The cynic in me, who distrusts everything he reads online these days (always ask yourself "who benefits from this story being told in this way?"), wonders if there was any kind of kickback or other "arrangement" in return for basically handing over the 380 self defense ammo crown to Precision One. That said, I am a little comforted by the fact that ShootingTheBull seemed to not like the results from Precision One's 9mm offering, so perhaps it is all "for real". Sorry, not trying to cast undue doubt on ShootingTheBull's integrity, it's just that, like I said, everything you read or watch online these days, you have to question.

    Sorry for the verbosity... short version: Is Precision One HP/XTP all it's cracked up to be? Apart from shooting smoothly in the CW380, which is obviously nice, does anyone have any other data to support this as a self defense ammo choice, as opposed to, say, Hornady Critical Defense (which also shoots nice)?
    I wouldn't attribute any bias to the Ammo Quest reviewer. However he did admit to having lots of trouble getting Hornady CD to test and that he got somebodies last box, so it might not be representative. The Mouse Gun Addict had very different result with Hornady CD, using a Kahr P380 as the test pistol. That is a blog worth checking out re 380 ammo.
    Rest in peace Muggsy

    "Individual Muslims may show splendid qualities, but the influence of the religion paralyses the social development of those who follow it. No stronger retrograde force exists in the world." Winston Churchill 1899

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Nov 2014
    Location
    Oregon
    Posts
    39

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by SlowBurn View Post
    I wouldn't attribute any bias to the Ammo Quest reviewer. However he did admit to having lots of trouble getting Hornady CD to test and that he got somebodies last box, so it might not be representative. The Mouse Gun Addict had very different result with Hornady CD, using a Kahr P380 as the test pistol. That is a blog worth checking out re 380 ammo.
    This is something else that has occured to me in the past with regard to these test reviews: People who do the tests tend to do only a few shots, often all from the same box of ammo. And then we all draw these broad conclusions from that tiny sample. It would be so much more representative if the tests could be done with a greater number of shots, over a greater number of randomly sampled production runs. This would help to eliminate the possibility of just getting a bad batch, or some other random factor that has nothing to do with the ammo itself. It would also say something about the variability in quality control - i.e. how many duds or substandard rounds there are per 100.

    I dunno, I'm just a bit leery of results that everybody now takes as gospel, from so few actual test shots. What if Hornady Critical Defense in 380 is now being seriously short-changed as a result of that ammoquest video? Here I am switching over to Precision One on the basis of it, and I'm probably not the only one, so I would guess that Hornady is probably losing business as a result of that video. But is the difference real?

    Also, what if Precision One's quality control suffers now that the spotlight is on them, and they are (presumably) having to ramp up production in order to keep pace with the increased orders that have resulted from the 380 ammoquest video? What if, ironically, now that everybody is buying it, that ammo isn't what it was before. I'm not saying that's the case, but it just came to mind. Anytime a company is forced to up production dramatically, you have to wonder if quality will suffer as a result.

    I wish there could be more ongoing, unbiased, standardized testing by an independent body, rather than relying on the goodwill and resources of these individuals who happen along to post the odd youtube video... products change over time, so these tests really need to be conducted on a regular basis. Who's to say that the ammo I am looking at in a youtube video posted a year ago is the same in terms of quality as the box (with the same name) that I will buy today?

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    North Carolina
    Posts
    446

    Default

    I got some precision one when they first got supply in Sept. I purchased 4 more boxes more recently. Imagine my surprise when I took the mag I've been carrying, and began to fire it as if I needed to and after four rounds I get 'click'. I took about 75 rounds to the range yesterday and got 5 misfires. Not good for defensive carry! They all fired the second time. I checked my remaining two boxes and found a couple where the primer looked deformed.sent pic to precision today. FMJ fired okay in my sweet P380. So their ammo is on the sidelines until they can restore my confidence...or it turns out my gun is at fault.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Tommy Gun Shop   Crimsontrace   Xssights   Magnum Research new