{"id":418223,"date":"2024-03-22T13:00:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-22T18:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/?p=418223"},"modified":"2025-10-08T12:32:30","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T17:32:30","slug":"why-id-rather-carry-a-22-lr-over-a-380-acp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/why-id-rather-carry-a-22-lr-over-a-380-acp\/","title":{"rendered":"Why I’d Rather Carry a .22 LR Over a .380 ACP"},"content":{"rendered":"

You might laugh at the idea of using .22 LR over .380 ACP for self-defense, but please give me a chance to explain. Admittedly, I wouldn’t choose .22 LR in every situation, but in a very specific scenario, I think the .22 LR is a better option than the .380 ACP. It might sound silly, but just hear me out. Before we dive into that, let’s talk about the general terminal ballistics that help handguns stop threats.<\/p>\n

Handguns, in general, suck at fighting. They are weak, have relatively poor penetration, and do not have secondary wounding characteristics. A handgun projectile wounds the flesh that it’s directly penetrating through. A large projectile cuts a larger hole, but that doesn’t matter nearly as much as where you can put the projectile. This is where the two most important considerations for handguns and self-defense come into play.<\/p>\n

\"Pocket
Micro-sized pistols are mighty tough to shoot well.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Those two considerations are shot placement and penetration. Shot placement is what the shooter can do. It’s your ability to put a shot where it matters. This means the brain and heart, but it could also include the spine and lungs. If you can accurately put a round in an important place, then you just need a round that can penetrate deep enough for it to matter. We need a round that can penetrate through at least 12 inches of properly calibrated ballistic gel.<\/p>\n

The little .380 ACP<\/a> does this pretty well and is the better penetrator for sure. However, the .22 LR<\/a> can also reach the required depth with the right ammunition. I tend to prefer CCI Velocitors and Federal Punch. That’s not to say that .380 ACP isn’t better ballistically than .22 LR.<\/p>\n

The Famed .380 ACP and What It Can Do<\/h2>\n

The .380 ACP can penetrate deeper, meaning if you shoot a threat at an awkward angle and the round as to penetrate through an arm, a hand, or something similar, then it will do it better. Additionally, the .380 ACP can be used with a jacketed hollow point, which means expansion. Expansion means a bigger bullet, and a bigger bullet means more damage. A bigger hole punched through the lungs is better than a smaller hole.<\/p>\n

\"Bore
The .380 ACP is a whole lot bigger than the .22 LR.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

However, when we get to the specific situation where I prefer .22 LR over .380 ACP, we start to see some of these advantages shrink. That specific situation is pocket pistols. Ultra-tiny guns like the Ruger LCP and KelTec P3AT that use the .380 ACP begin to lose their advantages.<\/p>\n

In a pocket pistol, you get a shorter barrel, which means a lower velocity. Even with JHPs, the velocity might not be enough to create a situation where the round opens and expands. With some projectiles, you might get the expansion but fail to get adequate depth. Even without expansion, we get a larger bullet, but that larger bullet comes with some serious disadvantages in a micro-sized pocket pistol.
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