gino: again, what you will get with an expanding bullet is the possibility that either it will not expand or possibly expand before it can impart the necessary debilitating effect. If it doesn't expand it will act like ball ammo. If it expands prematurely it won't penetrate sufficiently. I have shot some of the cor-bon ammo but it isn't anything that you can't brew up yourself from some of the current loading manuals. Please don't forget that cor-bon, as a commercial ammunition manufacturer, must contend with liability issues and as such must keep their loads to within acceptable pressure limitations. So, their boolets can only go just so fast and depending on time of year, amount of clothing, etc, may not get you the end result you need.
Ball ammo however will always act like ball ammo. I would think that about the only way to really improve the consistent performance of something like the 380 would be to use a flatnosed slug (as long as it feeds properly in your gun). There used to be a 90-95 gn swc type bullet for the 38 spl that could be sized to shoot through the 9mm bbl of the 380 and you could move that to the same velocity you could move any 380 load - only question is its feeding reliability. Once you have that question answered you will/would know what to carry in the gun.
But, I'm opinionated. There are times when I think I may not always be right but I'm never in doubt about it. So, I will stand for a critique, opinion bashing or even widespread criticism. But, I hth. Mikey.
