Reloading 380 - Questions

[synack2]

Hey all, I am getting ready to attempt loading some 380. It is my first time reloading. I have some basic stuff. A single stage press, a primer installer, a powder scale, some calipers. I think I am figuring it all out. I was looking a Vances yesterday for a small box of 380 bullets and couldn't find any. I am looking at some sites that list the 115Grain as 9mm or 380ACP, but most of my 380's have been 90 or 95 grain. Is 115 grain acceptable in a 380? It looks like the diameters are the same.

[mreising]

The 115 would be on the heavy end of the scale for 380 and you might have difficulty finding appropriate load data. I would think that the biggest problem might be maintaining a satisfactory, i.e., short enough Over All Length while not making the case volume so small that pressure becomes an issue. For many powders, you are looking a ~3.0 +/- grain charges (some less/some more), so the charges are small but so is the case volume. I have not loaded many 380 rounds so my experience with those is limited. For myself, I wouldn't use the 115s for 380, however if you already bought them they are fine for 9mm so you haven't wasted any money. You might want to wait to see if you get other responses.

[MyWifeSaidYes]

http://www.nosler.com/nosler-load-data/380-auto-acp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

115 gr. good to go.

[GlockMan27]

Along with the "basic stuff" you have listed, I didn't notice a reload manual. A manual or two or three is one vital and basic necessity of reloading. Knowing what components to use or not use is critical when rolling your own.

That being said, my Hornady manual shows using 90 or 115, Nosler shows data for 115, and Speer shows data for 90 and 95. Diameters are the same for 380 and 9mm with the 115 being at the heavy end for 380 and the low end for 9mm.

I do not load 380, at this time, so I can not be much more help then that.

[Javelin Man]

I've had trouble finding 95 gr. bullets but have been successful at gun shows when looking. I don't reload much .380 so that's been enough to satisfy my needs. I haven't reloaded any 115 gr for .380, just 9mm.

[JustaShooter]

Along with the "basic stuff" you have listed, I didn't notice a reload manual. A manual or two or three is one vital and basic necessity of reloading. Knowing what components to use or not use is critical when rolling your own.

^^^ This, in spades. I have the load books for each of the major bullet manufacturers as well as the Lyman 48th, Lee Modern Handloading and a couple of others that are more for loading cast lead bullets. (Those have been accumulated over time of course, and I update them every couple of years as new editions are released.) I also use the powder manufacturers' online loading references. And finally, I don't trust *anyone's* load data or load data found on the internet without verifying it against those published resources.

Especially as a beginner at reloading, that last statement should be rule #1 - or if not #1, certainly in the top 3.

Now, you don't need to fork out the money required to buy all that to get started. The Lyman 48th edition is a great resource that isn't bullet manufacturer specific, and would be a great 1st load book to get, and read the instructional guide over a couple of times. Maybe next, get the book for whatever your favorite brand of bullets happens to be - for me that was Hornady.

As you get more and more into reloading, your book collection will naturally grow, just like your collection of tools and dies, powders, etc.

I don't load .380 so I don't have much to say or add about that except I seem to recall it can be finicky, in large part because of the small case capacity - loads go from mild to over the top with very little change in powder. Start low and work up slowly. Seek the accurate load, not the fastest.

[synack2]

I some manuals that were my father in laws. He just did shotgun, but had manuals that covered rifle and pistol too. I haven't gotten them out yet. I am just trying to order some of the stuff I need. I will get them out. I ordered some 95 Grain and some 100 Grain Bullets (That were cheap). I have like a hundred different powders that were his and a lot of them say Pistol and Shotgun. So now I have to figure out which one I will used. My plan was to find one of the powders that is listed in one of the reload manuals and just go with that on the first round and load them towards the low end first time around.

I am just trying to make range plinking rounds, nothing special. I have just enjoyed shooting my Colt Mustang so much and the ammo is so much more than 9mm that I think I can save some money by saving my brass and reloading it. I have been saving my brass for a month or tow now and have about 2500 pieces of brass saved up.

[Morne]

X-Treme Bullets makes a 100-gr copper plated round just for this application:
http://www.xtremebullets.com/380-100-RN ... -b0250.htm

[Sevens]

I've rolled a few thousand in .380 and theres a few tips I picked up along the way.

Good idea to stick with a common weight -- not only is it much easier to cross-reference and triple check your load data, but it's just a better idea simply due to the tiny sizes you are working with. Those extra 15 or 20 grains of bullet can only be stored in ONE place, inside the combustion space... which is already prime real estate.

I found that a 0.970-0.975 COAL worked best for me. I used Power Pistol and Bullseye most often. Unique is supposed to be a great .380 powder... but good metering is CRITICAL.

Use as absolute little mouth flare as you can and don't be fooled in to trying to use a taper crimp to "hold" anything in place. Proper case mouth tension does that, not any taper crimp. It's been my experience that R-P headstamp brass is to be AVOIDED in .380 for exactly this reason.

[dl1911]

I've loaded .380s with some friends when they've come over with the components but found it a major pain. I use a Hornady Progressive LnL and am very happy with it (have loaded 10s of thousands of rounds with it in .380, .38Special, 9mm Luger, .40S&W, 10mm, .45ACP and starting 357SIG) but .380 was very picky. I use Dillon's dies and an RCBS or Redding expander die. I used TiteGroup and Berry's 100gr bullets for 380 (RNFB, Round Nose Flat Base) that we picked up at Cabela's (I try to get out to the Dundee, MI store a few times a year, especially if I've gone to Wauseon to shoot a match). Very little belling/expanding after sizing or the bullet would fall in but the cases were sometimes very thin and would crush when seating the bullet about 1 out every 20 times. Good luck. Take it slow, be consistent, and check all the measurements twice.

[techmike]

I load .380, several 1000 per year. I use Win 231 or HP-38 exclusively. Berry's (plated) bullets 100gn rn, and an 88gn JHP both work well in all of my mouse guns.

[natchezz]

I've chosen to use only Win cases and now notice that some are getting belled out more than others which I think means that my case lengths aren't consistent. I'm using the excellent Berry's plated like others have mentioned. My question - what .380 case trimmers are you all using and how do you like the results? All my cases pass the Midway case length gauge check.

[Sevens]

I would never use a case trimmer on .380 brass for any reason. I really doubt I could find .380 whose length was -so- far out of whack that it impacted the resulting ammo but if it did, my solution would be to scrap that brass rather than attempt to band-aid it.

In the situation you describe...
I would push forward anyway and know that the last die you use in the process (the seating die) is going to seat the bullet to the SAME (or extremely close to the same) COAL regardless of the length of the cartridge case... resulting in loaded round that may not be precisely, exactly, completely the same as all the rest... but so close that it doesn't matter.

It would be my opinion that if some of your brass (a couple, a handful or many) appear to be flared too much (because they are too long?) then it would be my opinion that you have your flare die set too deeply across the board.

Especially when loading plated/jacketed and having very little risk of scraping lead from the side of a bullet... less, less, less flare is BETTER. And in .380 as much as anything I've ever loaded, and I've loaded at least hundreds of rounds across well more than a dozen different handgun chamberings.

[natchezz]

Ok, I think my setup is good. Thanks for your tips. Makes sense that the 380, in general, doesn't generate so much pressure that case stretching is an issue. Out of the last 300 I loaded, there was only had two that refused to seat and mashed the case mouth. I found that when I cam across a stubborn case, trying another bullet worked! And the rejected bullet worked in the next case. I'm going to try the 100 gr hollow base soon as I like the idea that there is a little more area for the case to contact. The 3.2 gr of Win 231 is a great load. Been looking, but haven't found 231 or HP-38 to buy locally (Columbus).

[Klingon00]

Ok, I think my setup is good. Thanks for your tips. Makes sense that the 380, in general, doesn't generate so much pressure that case stretching is an issue. Out of the last 300 I loaded, there was only had two that refused to seat and mashed the case mouth. I found that when I cam across a stubborn case, trying another bullet worked! And the rejected bullet worked in the next case. I'm going to try the 100 gr hollow base soon as I like the idea that there is a little more area for the case to contact. The 3.2 gr of Win 231 is a great load. Been looking, but haven't found 231 or HP-38 to buy locally (Columbus).

Yeah that's my favorite powder as well and am in the same boat as you. Its about the only kind of powder I haven't seen any of since the whole panic thing started.