Buffalo Bore 380 ACP +P 80gr TAC-XP – Terrific Pocket Pistol Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 380 ACP +P 80gr TAC-XP takes the standard criticism of the 380 Auto, that it is too slow to open a hollow point, and answers it directly. An 80 grain solid copper bullet at 1275 fps produces roughly 289 ft-lbs, and the flash suppressed powder means a pocket gun fired in a dark stairwell does not blind you. Twenty rounds per box, item 27H/20.

• Buffalo Bore 380 ACP +P 80gr TAC-XP Overview
• 380 ACP +P Defense Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 80 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Opens In A Pocket Gun
• Specifications
• Carry Notes For This Lead Free 380 Pocket Pistol Load

Buffalo Bore 380 ACP +P 80gr TAC-XP Overview

The bullet is a Barnes TAC-XP, turned from solid copper with a deep hollow nose and no lead core. Copper petals are cut into the bullet during manufacture rather than relying on a jacket to peel back, which is why it opens at velocities where a conventional 380 hollow point often will not.

At 80 grains it is very light for the calibre. Standard 380 loads run 90 to 95 grains and a few go to 100. Buffalo Bore went lighter on purpose, because speed is what a copper bullet needs to expand, and the Buffalo Bore 380 ACP +P 80gr TAC-XP has very little case capacity to make speed with a heavy bullet.

There is a nice piece of engineering in the cartridge itself. It is loaded long, around 0.940 to 0.950 inches, which puts a slight bulge in the case that resists bullet setback during feeding while still fitting standard magazines. Setback in a 380 is a genuine pressure concern, so that matters.

380 ACP +P Defense Ammo Ballistics

The published real gun figures are honest about what pocket pistols do. A 3.75 inch Browning Double Action gives 1231 fps, a 3.5 inch Walther PPK gives 1235, a 2.75 inch Kel-Tec P3AT gives 1130, and a 2.53 inch Kahr P380 gives 1136 fps.

Even the smallest guns are still over 1100 fps, which is the number that matters. That is about 229 ft-lbs from a 2.53 inch barrel, against roughly 195 for a typical 90 grain standard pressure load. In a calibre with this little to spare, a gain of close to twenty percent is not trivial.

The nominal 1275 fps figure works out to 289 ft-lbs. That is the top end of what 380 ACP +P defense ammo can reasonably produce, and it comes with the usual caveat that your own pistol will land somewhere in the range above rather than at the headline number.

Why The 80 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Opens In A Pocket Gun

The 380 Auto lives on a knife edge. It has just enough velocity to open a well designed bullet and not quite enough to open a mediocre one, and a hollow point that fails to expand is simply an expensive round nose. That is the whole reason the calibre has a mixed reputation.

An 80 grain TAC-XP copper bullet is designed around that problem rather than in spite of it. The petals are machined into the copper, so expansion does not depend on a jacket peeling back, and the light weight buys the velocity the design needs to work.

Weight retention then does the rest. With no core to separate, an 80 grain TAC-XP copper bullet keeps essentially all of its weight after opening, which is how a very light bullet still reaches useful depth. A fragmenting lead core bullet at the same speed would not.

Flash matters more in this calibre than most people think. A 380 is a gun you carry because it disappears in a pocket, which means it is the gun you will have at night. Flash suppressed 380 Auto ammunition keeps your vision when a standard load would not.

Specifications

Carry Notes For This Lead Free 380 Pocket Pistol Load

There is no SAAMI specification for 380 Auto +P, so treat the designation as meaning simply above standard pressure. Use it in a sound, modern 380 pistol in good working order. If your gun is an older or well worn blowback design, or you are unsure, ask a gunsmith before you make it a steady diet.

Test feeding in your own pistol. Buffalo Bore reports completely reliable feeding in over the counter test guns, and the long loaded cartridge is part of why, but 380 pocket pistols are individually fussy and a box through your gun is the only proof that counts.

Expect noticeably more recoil than practice ammunition. A small blowback 380 has no real recoil system to speak of, so pressure goes almost straight into your hand. This 380 ACP +P defense ammo is manageable, but it is not the same gun you shot with cheap ball.

Rotate your carry rounds rather than chambering the same one repeatedly. The case bulge in this lead free 380 pocket pistol load resists setback better than most, but repeated chambering is still the habit that causes setback in any small autoloader.

Flash Suppressed 380 Auto Ammunition Availability

This flash suppressed 380 Auto ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another lead free 380 pocket pistol load from the Buffalo Bore catalog, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For the same copper bullet in larger calibres, compare the 9mm +P+ 95gr Barnes TAC-XP and the 38 Special +P 110gr TAC-XP, or browse our full ammunition selection.