380 brass is thin...

[gonoles_1980]

with my fat fingers I don't always completely center the brass when depriming. Sometimes I ht the outside off the die and reprime and size.

When I do that with 380, the outside of the brass crumbles, making it unuseable.

That makes me think 380 brass will start to spilt much quicker than other brass.

 

[Reefinmike]

The light 380 cases have a small footprint and tend to move around in the shellholder much easier than say a 38spl or 45. I still have had issues with larger cases moving around so i always keep my thumb on the base of the case as I guide it into the die.

I wouldnt say the cases are more prone to cracking. Ive lost far more due to my own mistakes at the press.

 

[Mad Chemist]

Remember, they run at much lower pressures than your 9x19 stuff.

I have never had a .380 case split but I always lose the little bastards long before they wear out:banghead:

 

[njl]

.380 brass is thin and it does crack. I've picked up very little (comparatively) .380 brass, but easily as much cracked .380 brass as any other caliber.

 

[Gearhead Jim]

.380-
Some of the early Blazer Brass cases, and most of the Speer brass (not nickeled) cases in my pile; have a step in the inside of the case that was apparently intended to prevent bullet deep-seating in the factory loading. They might be more prone to cracking at that step but I haven't reloaded them more than once so far.

My 100 gr Xtreme plated FN bullets sometimes seem to "hit" the step and slightly bulge the case at my OAL of .950", but they pass my rather loose Dillon case gauge ok and feed properly in the gun. Not sure if that damages the base of the bullet enough to cause any accuracy issues, but my Glock 42 ain't a sniper rifle.

 

[JimKirk]

I have no problems centering the .380 brass in the sizing die on my Forster Co-Ax as the jaws pretty much do the job ... placing and holding those tiny 90 gr XTP and keeping them on the brass until seated is a challenge ... I like to bell as little as I can get by with... I could just imagine loading .25 ACP ...

 

[cfullgraf]

That makes me think 380 brass will start to spilt much quicker than other brass.

I have on occasions shot and reloaded lots of 380 ACP. Case splitting was not different than any other handgun round I shoot and reload for.

The case walls are thin but there is not much oomph in the case to work the brass much.

Like others, loss of a 380 ACP case is my most frequent "failure" mode.

 

[rcmodel]

+1

I can never find the same one enough times to wear one out!!

rc

 

[joneb]

Make sure you have the correct shell holder for 380 acp it is different than 9x19. And as rc told me once "easy peasy"

 

[rcmodel]

I did??

But that's still good advice for .380, if I really said it!!

rc

 

[gonoles_1980]

It is the shell holder that came with the 380 dies. It is my fat fingers.

 

[Blue68f100]

It's easier using a brass feeder on a AP so you don't have to handle those little raskels. I have always had a dislike for small caliber rounds due to handling and load charge gives little room for error.

 

[ants]

That makes me think 380 brass will start to spilt much quicker than other brass.

Well maybe, I guess it depends mostly upon you.

When I try to push max load with heavy bullets in 380, it does split the case mouth more easily, especially in one of my guns (a Colt with fatter chamber). I split quite a few in that Colt.

But if you keep it in the moderate range, the brass lasts quite a few cycles. Unless you crush it on the press.

 

[gonoles_1980]

Sounds like I am more likely to crush on the press. I will load hot enough to cycle, it's for my wife's 380 I bought her for Christmas. She was whining that her 9mm is too large for her smaller purses, so I got her a Beretta Pico. Or should I say, she picked it out and said, this will be my Christmas present.