Doing God's Work

... Testing ballistics that is.

I mentioned a few of the .380 gel tests a while back that are being put together over at Mouse Guns and Gear. Here is a recap of the more recent testing that they have put together since then.

Ruger LCP Kaboom

Oh my...

More pics at the link

In Response to the Guns.com Article About Derringers

The Case Against the Derringer

Yesterday over at Guns.com, David LaPell posted a great article entitled "From the Remington 95 to the Heizer DoubleTap: The Case for the Derringers". Its a very well written article, and it gives a nice look at the history of the Derringer as well as some compelling reasons why one might choose a Derringer.

Why would you carry one?  One word: summer.

While ideally one would like to have a gun on them at all times and it’s not always the easiest thing to do as the temperature rises and we lose layers of clothing. Ask yourself, how does one go about trying to concealed carry around a Glock on a really hot summer day? Few things can be more uncomfortable than trying to wear a sidearm in an inside the waistband holster when it's hot and sticky out.

Amen to that! My primary carry gun is the Glock 26, but being from the deep south I years ago came to the realization that carrying "a real gun" during the dog days of summer for any extended period of time is no comfortable task. I also had started to realize that there were times when certain clothing dictated that I pretty much had to go unarmed.

Taurus M380

Mouse Guns and Gear has a Review and Range Report:

Overall, I'm really pleased with this revolver.  Being the first acquisition from my 2012 Wish List, this could have gone either of two ways.  The first was that the revolver would be a huge disappointment due to my inability to shoot it with any kind of accuracy and it would end up as trade bait or put away in storage.  The second outcome would be the acquisition of a new pocket gun that I would actually end up adding to the carry rotation.  I can definitely say that the second outcome is reality.  I've actually had the M380 in my pocket since leaving the range this afternoon and it will be in my pocket as often as possible over the next week or so as we get adjusted to each other.

.380 Ballistics Gel Test

Mouse Guns and Gear has posted up some great info on some gel testing they did with the Kahr P380. There is video and pics and everything else that you need.... The testing was very well done, and the results were impressive.

The good news is that all 4 showed some expansion from the short barrel and for me, that's what is most important.

I really would love to see some more testing with .380 done similar to the test that I pointed out a while back that included the use of a rack of ribs. .380 does great in geletin (even with a denim cover, but penetration was severely hampered in that video when the bullet struck a rib. I would like to see it tested further to determine if that is a consistent problem or just a fluke.

Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380

The Haus has the best coverage I have seen so far on this resurrection of the classic (video too). It would have been much more profitable for them if they brought it out a year or two ago, but then again... Colt didnt really care about the civilian market a year or two ago.

New Pocket Pistol From Kimber - Micro CDP .380

The New Bersa Thunder .380 Combat from Eagle Imports, Inc.

Here is the press release:


Wanamassa, NJ – Eagle Imports, Inc., importers of the popular Bersa line of firearms, reveal the new Bersa Thunder .380 Combat pistol. Featuring a sleek, modern design and enhancements, the new Bersa Thunder Combat still has all the built-in reliability and accuracy the Bersa name is known for.

Colt Mustang Pocketlite

Richard Mann has apparently gotten his hands on one.... he says that it weighs in at only 12.5 oz. He also has a video up of an initial range test

Michael Bane has a sneak peak at the Colt Mustang

Over at his blog, he said that he got to handle one of the new ones... and that they will soon be showing up in a gun fun case near you.

Frankly, it is a much tighter gun than my original, and the SA trigger pull was excellent...again, arguably better than the one I carried for years. Sights were better, too. I think I'm definitely going to get one...I wish they'd remake one of the little Government Model .380s...9mm would be even better!

Hornady Critical Defense

Shooting Illustrated has a spectacular article up talking about these defensive rounds. It also covers some ballistic testing for .380, .38 Special, and 9mm.

I have always been intrigued by the design of these rounds, and have always felt that they are a great choice for winter months - especially in .380. Everything that I have ever seen of them shows that they have no problem what so ever going through heavy/thick clothing and while still getting adequate penetration and expansion.

Shelley on .380s

Shelley Rae gives us another interesting read over at Gun Nuts concerning her experiences with a few pocket .380s

Diamondback to offer .32 NAA conversion barrels for their DB380

Reports Richard Mann over at Empty Cases

Here is the link over to the Diamondback site with the news. Here is a link to Richards Gel tests of .32 NAA. So basicaly you are looking at $100 to convert your DB380 into .32 NAA... which is a very promising round. The only problem is that it is still basicly a "wildcat" and only Corbon produces ammo for it.

BTW - you could do a lot worse than Corbon as a defensive load. They are top notch.

Video: .380ACP Federal Hydra-Shok impacting ballistic gelatin

Gel tests galore

Golden Loki has some really nice gel tests for several pocket pistol calibers up to 9mm. These are very well done, and most importantly are done with small carry pistols. If you carry a small gun, then you need to spend some time checking these out.

Video: 150 Yards with a Ruger LCP

Kahr P380

Shooting illustrated has a look.......... here



Your mom protected you, now it’s your turn to protect her - Get her a TASER® C2™

380 ACP Wilson Combat 90-grain Hornady XTP

Shooting illustrated wrings it out here

Load	MV (fps)	PEN (inches)	EXP (inches)	RW (grains)
.380 ACP Wilson Combat 90-grain Hornady XTP	862	11.50	.46	90

Pocket .380s

Here is a nice discussion that sprung up over at Gun Nuts Media after  Shelley’s post the other day about the Rental counter Ruger LCP

Here is the way I look at it (From the comments section):

Dont be too quick to poo poo .380 as a caliber. You can get the full FBI 12 inches of penetration (If thats your thing) as well as reliable expansion up to .645 out of that little pipsqueak.

http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/380acp/gel380acp.htm

Now, if you truly feel like they are too difficult to shoot well, then drop down to .32 ACP. CorBon makes a great load that will get you 8 inches of penetration and reliable expansion to .435 – they are also now producing their DPX in .32 ACP which gives ya even more expansion. .32 ACP shoots like a .22 lr and you could probably limp d**k that thing and still shoot it well.

http://www.goldenloki.com/ammo/gel/32acp/gel32acp.htm

Make no mistake… mousegun ammo has come a long way and now they are “enough gun”.

As far as reliability and round count goes, I asked yesterday about what Ruger was going to do about those two range guns, and I am sure that if the gun shop sent them back for warranty work that Ruger would make it right. I would also bet that those two LCPs were in the same serial number batch… Even in a SIX Sigma manufacturing environment there are mistakes.

Hell, Kel-Tec pretty much has a no questions asked lifetime warranty and there have been many a case that I have read over at KTOG.org where high round count (and user abused ) Kel-Tec’s have been sent in for repair and Kel-Tec just sent them a brand new gun. I dont worry about round count on my Kel-Tec… If it breaks I’ll just be without it for the 3 or 4 weeks that it takes for them to get it up and running again or to send me a brand new piece. No worries!

New Colt Mustang Pocketlite .380 ACP

Military Medals