.380 powder charge

[ppw2436]

i have a Ruger .380 acp and want to reload but i find there are so many different powder charges ( 90 g jhp) If i load 3.6 g of Unique one book says thats ok another says it to much another says i can do more. Anybody got any suggestions. I have the latest Lyman reloading book ,an old speer. Also total length .98 that won't cycle out of my .380 there to long have to keep them around .95 does that make a difference? thanks.

 

[230RN]

Several folks have noticed that the newer loading manuals have much less "aggressive" loads than the older ones.

My son first pointed this out to me when he went over the old manuals from the 1960s and 70s I had given him and compared the charges with modern ones from the same brand manuals for the same cartridges, powder and bullet styles/weights.

I guess the best recommendation is to stick with the newer, lighter loadings from "official" manuals because there must be some reason the manual-makers got more conservative.

Besides, if you blow your hand off, you have someone with deeper pockets to sue than the Joe Sixpack who recommended some sooper dooper powder charge on the interwebz and probably even got the powders he used mixed up.... "Oh, sorry, I meant blue dot when I wrote red dot."

As far as your feeding problem goes, "every gun is a law unto itself," and it's a case of cut-and-try sometimes. One of my .380s will not feed one brand of commercial hollow points, no matter what, and another one eats the same brand ammo like they were M&Ms.

Terry, 230RN

 

[g.willikers]

Have you looked at the reloading date for this caliber at the powder manufacturer's web site?
That's what I use.
http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloaders/Powder.aspx?powderid=3

 

[mahansm]

1. Be conservative. Start with the lowest listed charge, load 5 or 10 with that charge, increment by .1 or .2 grain, load more. Repeat until you are approaching max.
2. Go to the range. Start with lowest charge weight, check for function and accuracy.
Move to the next charge weight. When you find one that works well, stop.
3. Pull down the higher charge weight cartridges. Load away.

This post would probably do better in the handloading and reloading subforum.

 

[ku4hx]

I thought about Unique but went with Ramshot Trueblue and will likely be developing a load for Ramshot Silhouette. My Dillon 550B does fairly well with Unique, but with such small charges as the .380 ACP requires it just wasn't nearly consistent enough. Hence the use of a spherical powder such as Trueblue.

My favorite load for a 100 grain plated bullet with TB is 4.1 grains. In our Glock 42 guns and the Walther PPK/S we once had it ran perfectly. Ramshot has several loads for the .380 including 90 JHP as do most powder makers.

As has already been advised, start low and work up carefully.

Published cartridge overall lengths can be though of as a guide unless you use the exact same components used by the source. What you want is short enough to work through your magazines, but long enough to facilitate proper feeding without impinging on the rifling. Generally there's a sweet spot that satisfies both criteria. That may take a little finagling but in the end you'll get a round that shoots well and passes the "plunk" test. A properly sized cartridge should drop into the barrel's chamber with a nice little "plunk" sound and then drop freely out when the barrel in inverted. Pay close attention to loaded round neck diameter. Too great and it'll stick in the chamber; too small and it might chamber improperly and slip in too deep. Always taper crimp a .380 ACP; roll crimps don't work well.

 

[ppw2436]

thanks for all the info, its a great help

 

[joneb]

In post #4

increment by .1 or .2 grain,

I found that .1 of a grain can make quite a difference in this cartridge, I would only use powders that meter very well.
If working up a load in cold temperatures, be aware it can change when the weather is warmer.

 

[Potatohead]

I'll tell you some of the finest advice Ive ever heard, and I heard it right here at THR:

Start low and work up.

 

[Artofgolf]

... but went with Ramshot Trueblue and will likely be developing a load for Ramshot Silhouette.....As has already been advised, start low and work up carefully....

+1 ^^^^^^^^^^

 

[ATLDave]

One further comment. If gun/magazine demands require you to load shorter than the legnth listed in your load manuals, remember that this will increase pressure. Your max load will actually need to be a little short of book max.

Also, FWIW, even with current data, Speer often (though not always) tends towards the higher/hotter end for many cartridges.

 

[Garrobo]

.380

Depends n the pistol. If it is a quality pistol I wouldn't worry about it. If it's one of those $59 imports I'd just use it for a paperweight and forget about shooting it.