Ammo Showdown: Buffalo Bore .380 vs Hornady

By Josh Wayner

Hornady Critical Defense .380 ACP, left, versus Buffalo Bore .380, right. (Photo: Josh Wayner/Guns.com)
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In the world of pocket pistols, the .380 ACP reigns supreme. Once upon a time, the .380 was considered to be weak and underpowered; but thanks to advanced bullet technology, the .380 has a new life in the modern world. We’ll be taking a look at two different .380 ACP loads — one designed around advanced expanding bullet technology and the other that adopts an old-school approach to achieve incredible penetration.
A Little History
The .380 ACP loads in this article are designed around two different perspectives on what yields effectiveness. The first is one you’ve likely seen in the form of the Hornady 90-grain Critical Defense. This load features a proprietary jacketed hollow point with an FTX polymer tip. It is not a stretch to say that this load is what helped escalate the popularity of the .380, catapulting it to a modern self-defense mainstay. The FTX bullet technology allows for the projectile to pierce heavy clothing and minor barriers without deforming or clogging.
Its competitor in this showdown is the Buffalo Bore 100-grain +P hard cast. This load is essentially

Source: Guns.com