per my tags on boxed up ammo its been almost a year since ive loaded 380. I sat down tonight to load up some plated bullets for the first time. I had been loading using 102gr cast bullets over 2.7gr hp38 for some plinkin ammo that wont hurt bad out of a 10 ounce gun.
Bullets are extreme 100gr rnfp .355" bullets. I measured a sampling when I first got them, they checked out but my caliper batteries have since died. First issue I ran across was that the amount of flair the lee autodisk measure applied to fully charge the disk was atrocious...
I started loading some with the largely flared out cases. slowly seating them trying to find the max for my TCP... well, chamber on that gun is pretty loose combined with the light rifling in the barrel, I couldnt seat the bullet above max so I backed the oal down to what looked "normal" compared to some factory flat point and rnfp ammo. crimp was just enough to take out the flair in the cases... each and every one failed the push test
Then I used some cases with just a slight bell, just enough to sit the bullet in. varying lengths, same result. Then used cases with no bell in the mouth. bullets seated easily yet still failed the push test :banghead:
I cranked up the crimp- same result. I really cranked up the crimp... to what appears as a moderate/heavy roll crimp? (do lee 3 die 380 die sets have a roll crimp rather than a taper crimp?) This helped but about half of em still failed the push test.
the shellplate on my press just barely kisses the sizing die. cases have always resized just fine.
Im lost. Ive had good luck loading lead. not sure why im having trouble with these plated bullets. They are a bit small but I might just say screw it and work up some 38spl loads with them... or melt em down and cast some bullets.
Bullets are extreme 100gr rnfp .355" bullets. I measured a sampling when I first got them, they checked out but my caliper batteries have since died. First issue I ran across was that the amount of flair the lee autodisk measure applied to fully charge the disk was atrocious...
I started loading some with the largely flared out cases. slowly seating them trying to find the max for my TCP... well, chamber on that gun is pretty loose combined with the light rifling in the barrel, I couldnt seat the bullet above max so I backed the oal down to what looked "normal" compared to some factory flat point and rnfp ammo. crimp was just enough to take out the flair in the cases... each and every one failed the push test
Then I used some cases with just a slight bell, just enough to sit the bullet in. varying lengths, same result. Then used cases with no bell in the mouth. bullets seated easily yet still failed the push test :banghead:
I cranked up the crimp- same result. I really cranked up the crimp... to what appears as a moderate/heavy roll crimp? (do lee 3 die 380 die sets have a roll crimp rather than a taper crimp?) This helped but about half of em still failed the push test.
the shellplate on my press just barely kisses the sizing die. cases have always resized just fine.
Im lost. Ive had good luck loading lead. not sure why im having trouble with these plated bullets. They are a bit small but I might just say screw it and work up some 38spl loads with them... or melt em down and cast some bullets.