The lightest jacketed hollow point in this .380 set is Federal's Train + Protect, an 85-grain VHP, or Versatile Hollow Point, at 1,000 fps for 189 ft-lbs, sold as a personal-defense load. Power factor is 85; nothing in this caliber gets near the 125 minor floor. From a 25-yard zero the bullet is 1.9 inches low at 50 yards and 13.8 inches low at 100, so a .380 is a close-range pistol. The brass case is reloadable, and this is the softest-recoiling hollow point of the six compared here.

Speer Gold Dot 90-grain is the fastest standard-pressure load here at 1,040 fps and 216 ft-lbs, 40 fps and 27 ft-lbs ahead of the Federal, with about 20 percent more recoil energy in the same pistol. Hornady Critical Defense and Hornady American Gunner, both 90-grain at 1,000 fps, match the Federal's speed with 11 ft-lbs more, for about 12 percent more recoil. Remington HTP 88-grain is the closest match: 990 fps, 191 ft-lbs, about 5 percent more recoil. Underwood +P 90-grain is in another bracket at 1,200 fps and 288 ft-lbs, 99 ft-lbs more with about 52 percent more recoil energy.

Buy the Train + Protect if you carry a small .380 and want the lightest recoil a jacketed hollow point gives here. If recoil matters more than energy, Black Hills HoneyBadger 60-grain at 1,150 fps and 176 ft-lbs has about 37 percent less recoil energy than the Federal. If you want more muzzle energy at standard pressure, the Gold Dot's 216 ft-lbs is the top of this set. For practice, PMC Bronze 90-grain ball at 961 fps produces about 5 percent more recoil energy than the Federal in the same pistol, close enough to stand in for it.