380 from 223

[moooose102]

can 380 auto cartrige cases be made from .223 brass? i found some SERIOUSLY damaged .223 brass, they have been crushed by vehicle tires. all of the damage is out by the neck, and they are so bad, they are just junk. but if i cut them off, it looks like they could work for 380 brass. has anyone tried this? i guess, in my puny little brain, the inside wall thickness would be the limiting factor. i am also wondering, that since it opperates at much higher pressure, if the strength of the brass (heat treat) would have any effect on bullet retention (amount of pressure to release the pistol bullet). i am always looking at ways to "save" things. it comes from being quite poor for the majority of my life. thanks,

 

[Walkalong]

I would think you would have to turn the "neck" area thin enough to work, but I have never tried it. I am sure it could be done if you want to badly enough. It can't be worth the trouble though. I have not reloaded .380 in some time, but if I can scrounge up 50 or 100 cases, I'd be glad to send them your way. I gave away a .380 and all the reloads I had at the time.

 

[ReloaderFred]

The cases would have to be inside neck reamed, which would involve removing quite a bit of material, and a lot of work. The resultant brass would also have reduced volume, due to the much thicker base and web.

There is lots of .380 brass around. I recently sold several pounds of it to a fellow THR member.

The damaged .223 brass is best placed in the recycle bin and the money used to buy .380 brass.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[ants]

Yes, you'll have to ream the neck and check case volume.

Like mooooose, I'm always looking for a smart way to extend resources.

Here's how you answer your question scientifically. Cut a .223 case down to the 0.680" maximum length of a 380auto case. Then use a graduated burrette or another calibrated device to determine 'useful case volume'. It must be 0.49 cc or greater (that's the standard case volume they use when working up load data tables). If it is less, it will not be safe to use published powder charge data.

So if case volume is too small, can't you stick with starting load data to make sure the pressure is kept low? Well, it's your gun and your face. You determine the level of risk to try to save a piece of brass.

 

[rcmodel]

This has nothing at all to do with internal case volume, although it would be greatly reduced.

The problem is as Fred noted. The thick case walls near the head on the .223 brass would prevent seating bullets unless the cut-off cases were inside neck reamed.
If not reamed, the bullet would swell the case so big it would not chamber.

.223, .45 ACP, 9mm:


.380 ACP:


rcmodel

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

Natchez has (maybe still do) .380 Federal brass - on sale - primed. save your time and effort for some target practice!

 

[Sunray]

There's 4 thou difference in the diameter of the case head and 2 thou at the base of the case body. The .380 is the smaller and it's a straight walled case. A cut down .223 is unlikely to fit in a .380 chamber.

 

[rcmodel]

Oh, they fit just fine.
I have cut them down and made .380 ACP shotshells out of them.



You just can't use them with bullets in them.

rcmodel

 

[moooose102]

VERY INTERESTING rc, now, how did you do the crimp??? and, how did you get them "necked down" ??

 

[evan price]

Scrap yellow brass = almost $2 a pound right now. .223 brass = 75/pound.

.380 cases, tumbled/shipped, will be around three cents each in 1000 lots typically.

Thus every pound of .223 junk brass you sell you can get 65 good fresh .380 cases. With no work. Even under 40 years old, my time is worth more than that.

 

[rcmodel]

I necked them down by turning off the outside in a lathe.
(See how much extra wall thickness you are dealing with in .223 brass?)

I did the star crimp by hand with a small screwdriver to get it started, then finishing it off in a cone shaped die I made.

rcmodel

 

[moooose102]

well, i guess that lets me out, i do not have access to a lathe, the closest i can come is a drill press. i guess i will just have to chuck them in the scrap bucket.