The Underwood Extreme Penetrators is all I carry in my 42. I’ve done informal testing on 2x4s, water bottles etc, and love em.
I guess after that I’d do the xtp’s followed by a fmj.
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Some good choices here: http://www.black-hills.com/shop/new-.../380-automatic
Like @Port, I'm carrying Underwood/Lehigh XP 90gr in my LCP 1 Gen2. They chronoed at 1023 fps.
Hornaday XTP load in my Ruger LCP custom. It is not a primary and that load has proven reliable and remarkably accurate out of that gun.
If you go to your local big box store and open a bunch of boxes of .380 JHP, you'll notice that the 90gr XTP hollow point is much smaller than the rest. It seems to be the only one where they didn't just strike it with a 9mm design. Instead, it's tuned to open reliably but not as much, so it doesn't dissipate as much of its energy with bullet deformation, and it tends to penetrate farther than other HPs, while still opening.
Doc has indicated it still doesn't reliably meet FBI specs in correct gel media, hence his general recommendation for FMJ, but in all the testing I've seen, it's the most consistent and best .380 JHP in existence.
In theory, I like Winchester's (Browning is identical) 95gr FMJ flat point, but you need to hand select it at retail, because the bullet nose forms are totally inconsistent. A wider, flatter nose with a crisper corner is theoretically better for terminal ballistics, but also may lead to feeding issues in some guns. Also, Winchester brass is often wildly inconsistent and not to spec, so you need to carefully inspect every round for defects, especially in the crimping and extractor groove areas.
Hornady FTX Critical Defense and Sig V-Crown offered the best combination of penetration and expansion in Luckygunner's gel test.
https://www.luckygunner.com/labs/sel...-tests/#380ACP
And what relevance does that test have, since it used tissue simulant that has NO correlation with real tissue and that has been rejected by all major wound ballistic research facilities as being inaccurate? It is sad that the results are not useful, given the great visual presentation and how much work was otherwise put into the project.