Atomic 380 Ammo

by Sarge , Central Misery, Wednesday, November 13, 2013, 10:13 (4033 days ago)

For my folks who carry 380's as backups, I recently ordered some .380 ACP Atomic Ammo using the 90 grain Hornady XTP bullet. Advertised velocity is 1100 fps.

http://atomicammunition.com/380acp.htm

We fired a couple of magazines through two LCP's and we didn't have any malfunctions attributable to the ammunition. I didn’t have time to set up a chronograph, so I filled a couple of windshield washer jugs with warm water and backed them up with a phone book. These are heavier plastic than your typical milk or water container.

The Atomic XTP ripped a 3” exit ‘gash’ in the first jug, apparently entered the second expanded and stretched a bullet-shaped divot in the back of the second. The phone book prevented it from exiting, the cover and a few pages being torn by the impact. The bullet was recovered in the bottom of the second jug.

The rolled-back petals and the fact that they’re flat against the bullet shank, tell me that the bullet still had plenty of terminal velocity after expansion. I’ve shot enough water jugs to consider this good, solid performance from JHP 380 ammunition. This exactly why I specified the XTP bullet for this ammunition.