Yes the case wall thickness would need to decrease about .009" for the bullet.you would have to thin the case mouth to make room for the bullet
Maybe? Or why not reduce the amount of powder? and just ream out for the bullet.You'd have to take out a lot of brass from the base of a .223Rem to make the volume match a .380ACP
I would think if you had a lathe it’s doable.Maybe? Or why not reduce the amount of powder? and just ream out for the bullet.
The inside diameter of a sized 380acp case is about .351-.352" the tricky part would be the reaming. My thought is making a reamer/cutter from a .35 cal Lyman case trimmer pilot.
I doubt I will never need to pursue such a thing, but ya never know The same could be possible for 45acp from .308 Win. ???
Not yet, but the way things are going.... who knows.Wow, are 380 cases really that hard to come by
Not yet, but the way things are going.... who knows.
Enough is never enough, one should have more than enough so he can shareI have enough brass for my lifetime
I use it but take it as a set of helpful suggestions of what to look for, not the final word. Example being 9mm Makarov. The conversion is a lot less complex than the guide suggests.^^^ It's always nice to have options.
I actually just got my copy of The Handloader's Manual of Cartridge Conversions, after someone mentioned it in another thread here. It's definitely a great reference to have in my reloading library.
At my favorite range there’s seldom ANY brass of any kind in the cans. I’m surprised there’s not someone there catching brass as it’s ejected. Even have some guys that come out just to dig lead out of the backstops.You wouldn't know there's an ammo shortage at the range I shoot at. I usually come home with at least a half of a 5 gal bucket of brass each weekend. I have enough brass for my lifetime.
I have trimmed down Winchester 9x19 to make 9x18 Mak brass it works very well. I chose Win. brass as it was one of the lightest 9x19 cases I had, and I have a lot of it.9mm Makarov
Oh, it works alright. I’d done it before, years ago. Just couldn’t quite remember how. That’s what happens when you start to get old. I had to refresh my recollection because what the guide says was a lot more steps than I thought ought to be. It’s a good guide, don’t get me wrong, but the authors kinda assume you have access to a full machine shop. If you don’t... well, it can be a little frustrating.I have trimmed down Winchester 9x19 to make 9x18 Mak brass it works very well. I chose Win. brass as it was one of the lightest 9x19 cases I had, and I have a lot of it.
Do you remember exactly what went wrong? Might be helpful to the OP. And I’m just a little curious.I attempted this once upon a time. It proved to be a total waist of time. Would be less work to swage & trim a 9x19.
Trimming 9x19 Luger brass to 9x18 Makarov brass just requires a case trimmer, pretty easy just takes a bit of time.the authors kinda assume you have access to a full machine shop. If you don’t... well, it can be a little frustrating.
I attempted to ream out the case w a drill press. Ended up w crooked case that was too thin towards one side. You might be able to make a reamer or a cutter to do that, but drill bits would always drift. Perhaps a lathe would work, but till you count your time, you end up w cases costing more then the gun.Do you remember exactly what went wrong? Might be helpful to the OP. And I’m just a little curious.
Yup, and there’s the first thing that gets a little frustrating: cartridge bases aren’t trued. Trying to true them up THEN inside bore is a tedious, time consuming process. I kinda like the idea of using a trimming tool sized for the job - but now you’re talking grinder work.I attempted to ream out the case w a drill press. Ended up w crooked case that was too thin towards one side. You might be able to make a reamer or a cutter to do that, but drill bits would always drift. Perhaps a lathe would work, but till you count your time, you end up w cases costing more then the gun.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying it can't be done, or even that it shouldn't be done. All I'm saying is, there's maybe a lot more to it than just cutting the front half off a rifle case to make a pistol case. I'd hate to see somebody eat a slide because they forgot to compensate for a change in volume. That's all.Trimming 9x19 Luger brass to 9x18 Makarov brass just requires a case trimmer, pretty easy just takes a bit of time.
Getting on to original topic regarding reaming the inside of the case mouth of the cut down 223 Rem case to load 380acp could get a bit fiddly.
I understand and I think a lot of folks probably agree but you have to admit, it's an interesting and useful set of skills to acquire Thing is, once you have those skills, if you don't use them you lose them.I would just give up the 380 before I would even consider doing this. I am not that fond of the cartridge anyway. I like to make things, fix things, tinker with things, but this one is completely outside my interest range. To those of you that want to give this a try---good luck and be careful, very careful.