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Looking for the recommendations for Smith and Wesson 380 defense ammo. I got some for the range but all other ammo was out of stock so I'm looking online now and I'm a new gun owner. Also best recommendations for a Remington 870 shotgun ammo too for defense. Thanks in advance!

~ Shan
 
Good question! I don't know. I'm waiting 10 days to get my handgun so I can't even look at the gun to tell me it's ammo.

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The handgun. Which S&W 380 model do you have on order?

The reason I as is because the 380 is a lower power round, so defensive hollow points which expand out of a 3.6" barrel may not when shot out of a 2.75" barrel.
 
Personally I like the Hornady 90grain offerings for a 380. The Hornady XTP offers both adequate expansion and penetration out of a 3.5" or longer barrel. Hornady Critical Defense are similar to and slightly more expensive than the XTP, but include a polymer tip to keep the hollow point from geting clogged by a bad guys clothing.
 
I conceal carry an S&W Bodyguard 380 and similar to @Nick Burkhardt I also use the Hornady rounds, but have the Critical Defense rather than the XTP in 90 grain. I have no doubt either is fine and when it's said and done, the 77 grain Magtech you are looking at will probably do the job with less recoil (but also less stopping power). But if the lower recoil makes it easier to shoot, then you can put two in the bad guy. ;)
 
Winchester PDX-1 .380 90 gr or Federal HST .380 90 gr.

Be prepared though, because .380 ACP Ammo isn't necessarily cheap, typically 50% more than 9mm for example. Has more to do with popularity than anything else.
I'll note that. Oh well! I picked the gun I felt was best. I have small hands so a glock was a bit too big for me to flip the clip switch on.
 
I conceal carry an S&W Bodyguard 380 and similar to @Nick Burkhardt I also use the Hornady rounds, but have the Critical Defense rather than the XTP in 90 grain. I have no doubt either is fine and when it's said and done, the 77 grain Magtech you are looking at will probably do the job with less recoil (but also less stopping power). But if the lower recoil makes it easier to shoot, then you can put two in the bad guy. ;)
I took a class today on basic handgun defense and the recoil on the various guns didn't bother me after I shoot one gun with more recoil than the others. I did think "oh beep" (are we allowed to cuss on here?) because it was unexpected but I got used to it after a couple of shots. I will be doing a private shotgun class too. It will be good to get advice on how to use it properly and help help on how the recoil affects me. I'm 5'3 and obviously a woman so I don't have the chest muscles like men do so we will see what the kick on this shotgun is like. I'm not afraid or anything but advice and help is good and I moved here to Washington just July so it's not like I know a bunch of people who know guns.
 
You'll find quite a variety of ammunition to choose from, and it's a good idea to test each brand or type of ammo you're interested in using. Sometimes a particular firearm won't cycle certain brands/types of ammunition. So, as you learn about your pistol and investigate types of ammunition, allow yourself time to test-fire each kind, before you start carrying it. You definitely don't want to have your gun jam if you ever have to use it.

Here's a link to an ammo-tester on YouTube. The round he's testing in this video looks interesting, but you'll definitely want to see if your pistol will cycle it or not.




This fellow has an article online that I'll try to find for you.
 
You'll find quite a variety of ammunition to choose from, and it's a good idea to test each brand or type of ammo you're interested in using. Sometimes a particular firearm won't cycle certain brands/types of ammunition. So, as you learn about your pistol and investigate types of ammunition, allow yourself time to test-fire each kind, before you start carrying it. You definitely don't want to have your gun jam if you ever have to use it.

Here's a link to an ammo-tester on YouTube. The round he's testing in this video looks interesting, but you'll definitely want to see if your pistol will cycle it or not.




This fellow has an article online that I'll try to find for you.
This is very helpful. I admit I'm feeling lost although we did cover ammo in the class so I've got a very basic understanding of it.
 
I took a class today on basic handgun defense and the recoil on the various guns didn't bother me after I shoot one gun with more recoil than the others. I did think "oh beep" (are we allowed to cuss on here?) because it was unexpected but I got used to it after a couple of shots. I will be doing a private shotgun class too. It will be good to get advice on how to use it properly and help help on how the recoil affects me. I'm 5'3 and obviously a woman so I don't have the chest muscles like men do so we will see what the kick on this shotgun is like. I'm not afraid or anything but advice and help is good and I moved here to Washington just July so it's not like I know a bunch of people who know guns.
Gotcha. My wife is about your size and she prefers the S&W over my Glock for the same reasons you do. Just better for her smaller hands and easier to handle. Plus more confidence which is a big deal.

As far as the shotgun, much smarter/more experienced people on this forum than me, but what little advice I can give you is to hold the butt tight against your shoulder (so it doesn't get a running start before it hits you) and be careful of putting your thumb over top of it (trigger hand). I have to keep my thumb alongside, or else when the gun kicks, my thumb hits my nose and makes my eyes water... :D Might just be because I have a big nose?.... lol
 

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