I've never used +P .380, so curious if anyone has general thoughts. But I'm specifically wondering if the P230 can handle it?

I used only standard pressure ammo in the P232 I carried for several years as a BUG. So no real experience. But if I wanted to go +P, I would test for reliability with 25 rounds or so and then if trouble free, I would use +P for carry and standard pressure for practice. A limited use of +P shouldnt be detrimental to the gun.

I would not. It makes no sense to push the limits of a 380 that small when there are 9mm pistols about the same size. There will be no more new 230/232 pistols. There will be many more 365's and similar.

While I would think the P230/232 would be capable of handling a limited diet of +p ammo, I most likely wouldn’t mess around with it. Being a true blow back design, the springs are tuned to reliably work with standard pressure slide velocities. To a lot of people a blowback design is already snappy enough. Once you start pushing the slide back faster than it was designed to go, it start rebounding back faster than it was designed to do, which may cause issues when stripping the next round. There are many choices to get a more powerful and reliable pistol in a 380 sized platform, something that didn’t exist 30 years ago. While I no longer carry 380 handguns as my primary CCW, I have in the past and still get some range time with them. I’m confident that I can place multiple shots down range at speed if all I had was my P230.

There are no "official" standards for +P .380 Automatic ammunition according to SAAMI. They (SAAMI) regulate ammunition specs & pressures here in the USA.

Here on page 16: https://saami.org/wp-content/u...roved-12-13-2022.pdf
Scroll through the pages, 9 - 21 and you can see what pistol/revolver cartridges have official +P standards.
.380 Automatic +P is NOT on that list.
Look at page 1 & 2, active cartridges and chambers.
A quick glance there on pages 1 & 2 shows only about four pistol/revolver cartridges with actual +P specifications.

If you are buying .380 Automatic +P ammunition, it is being manufactured to unknown and potentially untested specifications.
It might be lower performance than standard pressure ammunition.
It might also blow up your gun.

I think it's not a good idea for a .380 blowback. Now, a locked-breech design like the G42 for instance, sure, go ahead.

380+P doesn’t even exist

Anything loaded as such is out of spec. Nothing I’d use. Just a marketing gimmick

Your statement makes no sense. First, you say 380 +P doesn't exist, then you say anything "loaded as such" is out of spec, which is what we're talking about, hair-splitting of terminologies aside. Then, you say that this loading of 380 (which, according to you, does not exist) is something you wouldn't use.

Which is it? Do overpressure loadings of .380 ACP exist, or do they not? Buffalo Bore and Underwood loadings of this cartridge seem to indicate they do.

SAAMI specifies 21,500 PSI as being maximum .380 ACP chamber pressure. Whether or not these hot loadings of .380 exceed that pressure, I haven't been able to determine, but the OP is asking about the wisdom of using these loads which are referred to by their manufacturers as +P.

And the answer to the question is, I believe, that these loadings are perfectly safe in locked-breech pistols, otherwise a shooter may risk a case-head separation.

It makes perfect sense. Doesn’t exist in my mind, means a standard loading doesn’t exist. SAAMI specs don’t exist. Just like 44 Mag+P, 9mm+P+ and several others.

Sure, companies load out of spec ammo, but as I stated, it’s not something I’d ever use or see any value in whatsoever. I can see a use for a hunting load in 44 Mag being over spec for use in certain firearms. However, the duty calibers seem absurd when it’s easy to step up to a cartridge designed for the next level of muzzle energy.

Companies also don’t generally “rate” their guns for out of spec ammo.

If some of you guys want to run ammo with no pressure standards, more power to you.


I do agree that if you’re going to run out of spec 380, don’t do it in a blowback.

quote:

Originally posted by bac1023:
It makes perfect sense.

Oh, OK.

You're splitting hairs. The man is referring to overpressure loads. Forget about the +P designation. Everyone here knows what he means.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:

quote:

Originally posted by bac1023:
It makes perfect sense.

Oh, OK.

You're splitting hairs. The man is referring to overpressure loads. Forget about the +P designation. Everyone here knows what he means.

That’s fair Para

But ammo companies come up with all sorts of crazy out of spec loadings. Never understood it, but obviously they’re making money.