By 1944, normal copper core cartridges were produced. But during WWII to conserve lead, it was made using iron core jackets. Designed with military use in mind, initially the 9mm Luger was lead core. It was adopted by the German Navy in 1905 and the German Army in 1906.

In 1903 he presented 3 prototypes to the US Navy. In 1902 he presented it to British Small Arms Committee. The 9mm Luger was designed by George Luger from his earlier 7.65X21mm Parabellum. It was designed with a relatively weak bolt thrust for early blowback pistols which lacked barrel locking. 380 ACP by John Browning was introduced in 1908 by Colt and was marketed as a self defense weapon. But during WWII, it was made using iron core jackets to conserve lead. Despite the name, the guns do have a hammer, but it is concealed inside the housing, which prevents the hammer from snagging on clothing and makes the gun easier to withdraw from concealment.ĭesigned with military use in mind, the 9mm Luger initially had lead core. The only modifications to the gun were to the bore size and magazine. 32 ACP Pocket Hammerless pistol released by Colt in 1903. Choosing one over the other depends on whether your priority is power (the 9mm) or ease of use and concealment (.380 ACP). 380 ACP round is cheaper to use and easier to handle, while the 9mm is more powerful in every metric. The rounds are shorter and less powerful, meaning the pistols that fire them can be smaller and easier to conceal than when using 9mm rounds. 380 cartridges are better if concealment is a top priority. 380 generally has less recoil than the 9mm cartridge, although this varies with the characteristics of the gun used. 380 Auto and 9mm Luger cartridges, showing differences in both length and diameter.īeing the shorter, less powerful round, the. 380 versus 13 inches for the 9mm.Ī side-by-side comparison of the. 380 has less penetration power than the 9mm round: 9 inches for the. In single-shot or long-range scenarios, it mostly comes down to user skill. 380 cartridge fires with less force gives it the advantage of being more accurate, particularly in rapid-fire situations, as there is less force to contend with while attempting to keep the shots on target. The video below tests the performance of the. 380) is a stronger recoil, lowering overall accuracy in rapid-fire situations. The downside of this additional power (when compared to the. The 9mm has a maximum velocity of 1,400 FPS and an energy rating of 2465 foot pounds, and is by all measures a more powerful cartridge.

380 is less destructive, it also performs with less of a recoil, making it a more accurate weapon in short-range, rapid-fire use. 380 are about 40% below a 9mm, both using JHP+P type loads. The maximum velocity (1000 FPS) and energy ratings (148 MPa) of the. 380 ACP guns is noticeably below that of 9mm weapons. 9mm pistols are more expensive, and most budget guns start closer to $300. A compact budget pistol can be found for under $200. 380 pistols are generally cheaper than 9mm weapons. Due to their smaller size and simpler construction. This is due to the high supply of 9mm cartridges from various manufacturers, and a surge in demand for the less ubiquitous. 380 ACP cartridges are currently more expensive than 9mm cartridges. It is also a popular self-defense cartridge for civilians where permitted. The 9mm Luger has become the popular caliber for US law enforcement agencies due to the availability of compact pistols with large magazine round capacity using this caliber. Its primary use remains that of self defense for civilians, as its small size allows for easy concealment and it can hold a relatively high amount of rounds. 380 as a primary weapon, American police and military forces see it as a backup weapon, as it lacks the power of similar-sized pistols like the 9mm and.

380 vs 9mm