Tag: .380 ACP

The .380 ACP, also known as the 9mm Kurz or the 9mm Corto, is a rimless pistol cartridge designed by John Browning in 1908. The words Kurz and Corto are the German and Italian words for “short.” Although the .380 ACP was invented in the US, it was more popular overseas, particularly in Europe where the primary semi-automatic cartridge was used by the law enforcement and military, until the rise of the 9mm Parabellum. Some countries, however, prohibit the use of the 9mm Parabellum, so that the civilians there would most likely pick up the shorter and less powerful .380 ACP.

This cartridge has a weak bolt thrust when fired. Because of this, it was used for early blowback pistols which did not have a barrel locking mechanism. The .380 ACP allows the barrel to be permanently attached to its frame, which results in good accuracy during shooting. The .380 ACP works particularly well with semi-automatic handguns and small submachine guns that have direct blowback and short recoil.

In recent years, there has been a resurgence in the popularity of the .380 ACP, which can be attributed to a clamor for more compact, highly concealable, simple-to-operate, and inexpensive handguns. Popular pistols that carry the .380 ACP are the Colt Mustang pocketlite, the Llama Firearms Micromax, and the SIG Sauer P238, among others. But the most popular handgun to use the .380 ACP is the Walther PPK, which was made famous by the fictional superspy James Bond.
For most armed citizens, the reason to carry the .380 ACP is to have enough defensive power to prevent or end an unexpected attack.