Buffalo Bore 380 Auto 90gr JHP – Smart Standard Pressure Carry Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 380 Auto 90gr JHP is the standard pressure hollow point in Buffalo Bore’s 380 range. 90 grains at 1025 fps produces roughly 210 ft-lbs, with no +P pressure involved, which makes it a candidate for pistols that should not be fed the hotter loads. Twenty rounds per box, item 27G/20.

• Buffalo Bore 380 Auto 90gr JHP Overview
• Standard Pressure 380 Hollow Point Ammo Ballistics
• What To Expect From A 90 Grain JHP Defense Bullet Here
• Specifications
• Carry Notes For This Low Recoil 380 Auto Carry Load

Buffalo Bore 380 Auto 90gr JHP Overview

This is a conventional lead core jacketed hollow point. Nothing unusual in the construction, and that is fine, because what decides how a 380 hollow point behaves is almost entirely the velocity it arrives at rather than the cleverness of the design.

At 90 grains it sits at the light end of the calibre, which is the sensible choice when you are not using +P pressure. A lighter bullet is the only way to get meaningful speed out of a standard pressure 380 case.

Buffalo Bore’s own framing is worth noting. They describe the Buffalo Bore 380 Auto 90gr JHP in terms of penetrating deeply enough to reach the spine or brain from any angle, rather than in terms of dramatic expansion. That is a more honest way to talk about the calibre than most marketing manages.

Standard Pressure 380 Hollow Point Ammo Ballistics

The published figures come from real pocket pistols. A 3.75 inch Browning BDA gives 1061 fps, a 3.5 inch Walther PPK gives 1049, a 2.75 inch Colt Mustang Pocket Lite gives 970, and a Kel-Tec gives 949 fps.

Those work out to roughly 225, 220, 188 and 180 ft-lbs. The +P version of the same bullet runs 1200 fps nominal and makes about 288, so you are giving up something like 60 to 70 foot pounds depending on the gun.

Where that matters most is expansion. A hollow point needs velocity to open, and standard pressure 380 hollow point ammo sits closer to the threshold than the +P version does. From a 3.5 inch barrel at 1049 fps you have reasonable margin. From a 2.75 inch pocket pistol at 949 fps you have considerably less.

What To Expect From A 90 Grain JHP Defense Bullet Here

It is worth being straight about what a 90 grain JHP defense bullet can and cannot do at this pressure. Expansion at these velocities is possible but not guaranteed, particularly from a very short barrel or through heavy clothing. Anyone who tells you otherwise is selling something.

What you get in return is a load that any sound 380 can shoot. Plenty of good pistols in this calibre are older blowback designs, or very small guns, and their owners are rightly unwilling to feed them +P. An older pistol friendly 380 ammunition option is genuinely useful.

Buffalo Bore’s own emphasis on penetration rather than expansion is the right way to read this. Treat it as a bullet that will reach the vitals reliably and may also open up, rather than as one whose whole case rests on expanding. That framing sets sensible expectations.

If your pistol is rated for +P and you want a 90 grain JHP defense bullet with more margin for expansion, the +P version of this exact load runs 175 fps faster and is the better choice. This one exists for the guns that cannot take it.

Specifications

Carry Notes For This Low Recoil 380 Auto Carry Load

Check whether your pistol is +P rated before settling on this one. If it is, the +P version gives you more margin for the same bullet. If it is not, or if you are unsure about an older gun, this is the load to buy and there is no shame in it.

Confirm feeding with a box. Hollow point profiles feed differently from the ball ammunition most small 380s were proofed with, and these pistols are individually particular. One box through your own gun is the only proof that counts.

Barrel length matters more here than with any other load in this family. A low recoil 380 Auto carry load relies on velocity for expansion, and the difference between a 3.5 inch Walther and a 2.75 inch pocket gun is about a hundred feet per second.

It is pleasant to practise with, which is not a small thing. Standard pressure 380 hollow point ammo in a light pistol is manageable enough that you can shoot a full box without developing a flinch, and a gun you shoot well beats a load that looks better on paper.

Older Pistol Friendly 380 Ammunition Availability

This older pistol friendly 380 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 the +P version instead, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. If your pistol is rated for it, the 380 ACP +P 90gr JHP runs 175 fps faster. For a non expanding bullet at this pressure, see the 380 Auto 100gr hard cast, or browse our full ammunition selection.