.380 reloads

[Ironicaintit]

For what it's worth, I like 90gr bullets motivated by Bullseye, at the top end of what the books say is okay. Ive clocked them @ 950-1000fps from a Sig 238

 

[markr6754]

so i take it that you should separate your empty brass out by manufacturer

I do that. Have done the same since I first started loading as I had accumulated over 6K of fired 9mm. I started saving my 9mm brass about 20 years before I started reloading...in the hope that one day I'd find a mentor (never did). I could kick myself for throwing away all of the 390 Auto cases I picked up by mistake. When I started loading 380 Auto I had to purchase brass for the purpose. However, I received gifts from shooters in another forum that started me with over 700 380 Auto cases.
I saved a pile of plastic trays from microwave meals and use them for brass sorting...yeah...it's a lot of, perhaps, unnecessary work, but it works for me. As I process brass I move from bulk dirty, to sorted clean, to primed cases waiting their turn in Berry's 100 rd ammo boxes.

 

[OLDE RETIRED COASTIE]

I already do a lot of work some would say I do not need to do, I separate by manufacturer, especially my 45-70 cases and pistols cases. Especially my 38 super cases. I have found every manufacturer uses a different thickness on the semi rim, and since colt and others headspaced on the semi rim, accuracy was out to lunch. In 1983 I reworked my COLT 1911 38 SUPER, replaced the barrel and bushing with a BAR STO MATCH BARREL AND BUSHING, and it headspaces on the case mouth like a 45 or 9mm, Accuracy has vastly improved, I have found the 45-70 brass has different thickness , based on whoever manufactures the brass.

 

[Byla]

Yes, the secret is to have tiny fingers! I don't, and yes, I do reload .380.... with much cussing when I drop a case charged with powder.

Heck after loading 45 Colts for the last few months, going back to 9mm seems tiny. I offered to load some .380 for my bro but he just bought ammo in bulk and didn't feel it was worth his time. Me, I enjoy reloading as a hobby.

 

[Walkalong]

Is there any secret to reloading .380 compared to other auto reloads, like 9mm, 38 super, or 45 acp?
I just acquired a 380 and was wondering,

Nope.

 

[Radom Guy]

Is there any secret to reloading .380 compared to other auto reloads, like 9mm, 38 super, or 45 acp?
I just acquired a 380 and was wondering,

To date I still currently load 380ACP on my Turret Press with no bullet feeder. The one thing I suggest, if you have "fat fingers" like me, is Berry's Hollow Base 95 grain bullets. The reason is that because of the hollow base, the bullet length is longer than other bullets used for 380ACP. Easier to pick up off the bench and put in the flared case for seating for my hands and fingers.

 

[OLDE RETIRED COASTIE]

45 colt and 45 acp seem to have hugh bullet compared to 380, 9mm, and 38/357. I do not have really hugh fingers , but have never loaded anything a small as 380

 

[OLDE RETIRED COASTIE]

funny part is the smaller bullets can be loaded in 380,9mm, and 38 super. In fact in Germany 380 is called 9 mm kurtz (short)

 

[Radom Guy]

funny part is the smaller bullets can be loaded in 380,9mm, and 38 super. In fact in Germany 380 is called 9 mm kurtz (short)

Yup! I also load 32 ACP, obviously smaller than 380ACP. It goes slower on the turret press for me as it is a little more challenging to manipulate those little bullets but so worth it. Both 380 and 32 are awesome to shoot, especially with Beretta Cheetahs.

Enjoy your new 380ACP pistol!

 

[rfwobbly]

✸ For me, the problem with loading 380Auto in a multi-caliber environment is sorting the brass. In any handful of "380 brass" I continually run across several 9x19 Luger cases and maybe even a 9mm Mak or a 25ACP. This is bad enough when you manually load the brass into your press, but it can be fairly disconcerting when you use an automatic case feeder. To avoid this issue, I visually check/sort my brass using a 40 cal plastic ammo tray to compare case lengths before starting. This is shown in the following video....




✸ It can also be frustrating to sort by head stamps because what Americans know as "380Auto" is called by different names around the world. In Europe it is also called "9mm Kurz" or "9x17". This is another reason sorting by height can be so important.

Hope this helps.

 

[12Bravo20]

In Europe it is also called "9mm Kurz" or "9x18"

This is incorrect information and can cause issues. 380/9x17 is NOT the same as 9x18. In fact trying to resize a 9x18 case in 380 dies could lead to a stuck case. The 9x18 uses a 0.365" diameter bullet versus 0.355" or 0.356" diameter bullets that 380/9x17, 9mm, 38 Super, and 9mm Largo use. And if you manage to size a 9x18 case without issues, it will most likely be too long to properly headspace in a 380 chamber without trimming first.

 

[EMC45]

This is incorrect information and can cause issues. 380/9x17 is NOT the same as 9x18. In fact trying to resize a 9x18 case in 380 dies could lead to a stuck case. The 9x18 uses a 0.365" diameter bullet versus 0.355" or 0.356" diameter bullets that 380/9x17, 9mm, 38 Super, and 9mm Largo use. And if you manage to size a 9x18 case without issues, it will most likely be too long to properly headspace in a 380 chamber without trimming first.

Good catch.

9X18 = 9MM Makarov.
9X17, 9MM Kurz, 9MM Corto, 9MM Browning = .380 ACP

 

[OLDE RETIRED COASTIE]

I have a friend used to load 32 acp and 25 acp, and those are really small cases. Now he is not loading because his eyes are going bad. Plus he complains of the cost of primers I know here locally, primers are back to 25 to 40 dollars per 1000, slightly above the cost pre covid Here they were between 28 to 33 dollars pre covid, and now are between 35 to 42 dollars per 1000, depending on where you get them

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

I loaded a batch of 380 last night.

 

[Rick1234]

I use Titegroup, AA#5 and Zip for my .380 ACP ammo .... 90/95 grain bullets

I have aa2 and RMR fmj .355dia. 95 gr. Bullets For my lcpmax, how much of the bullet will actually be inside the case? I see oal from .960 to .980 and thats for same fmjrn bullet, shouldn't we measure what goes inside instead of coal? Confused

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

What i do to see how much the bullet goes in. I'll put a bullet next to one that is loaded. And check.

 

[Shivahasagun]

It's common and cheap enough that I'd rather just buy it, like 9x19.

I'm more of a fan of .32, and have a good stock of it.

I do reload .25 a little, and don't have much trouble finding the cases on the ground.

But .32, (7.65x17) .380, (9x17), 9x18 Makarov, and 9x19 are very hard to tell apart from eachother when you're standing up and looking at them on the ground.

And .40 hard to tell from 9x19.

.45 and 10 mm a little easier to find among the others. Unless someone has been dumping .38 spl, or .38 Super, or .357 mag because they can look like 10 mm.

So....45 acp and .357 sig are probably the easiest to spot.

Anyway, .380 is only 2 millimeters shorter than 9x19. I think if one can handle 9mm they can handle 9mm Short.

 

[12Bravo20]

I usually line up 100 cases at a time on my bench next to the press when reloading. This is a quick and easy way to tell if there is any 9x18 or 9x19 cases mixed in with your 380 cases. The longer 9x18 and 9x19 cases stick out like. sore thumb.

 

[Dudedog]

But .32, (7.65x17) .380, (9x17), 9x18 Makarov, and 9x19 are very hard to tell apart from eachother when you're standing up and looking at them on the ground

If you own a 9mm MAK (9X18) you learn to spot them from distance because they try to hide
Once you learn to spot MAK brass, finding .38 Supers for the guys at matches is easy.

 

[NMexJim]

a double charge of w231 will overflow the case, fyi.

murf

But not AA2. You can get in some trouble w/ really fine powder if you're not careful. After all, you're only dealing w/ 24,000 psi.

 

[GooseGestapo]

I worked up a LOT of different load’s for the .380.
Settled on exactly One.

Lee 95gr RFN-TL powder coated and sized .357” (6-cav mold!)
3.2gr of HP38 (Win231).
Mixed brass.
Shoots GREAT from a S&W BodyGuard and Beretta M85BB.

Had problems with 90gr Gold Dots and XTP’s being undersized in many makes of brass, particularly Win USA brass… Loose necks…

 

[Dudedog]

a double charge of w231 will overflow the case, fyi.

murf
But not AA2

Don't know without checking if a double of either will overflow but AA#2 is less dense than HP38/W231
AA#2 VMD about .102
HP38/W231 VMD about .093

Later this evening I will check to see if a double at start charge of either fits or overflows.

 

[Dudedog]

Checked real quick
Federal .380 case

To the top of the case
AA#2 7.6gr
HP38 (=W231) 8.3gr

The previous VMDs I listed are a hair off for my current lot of HP38 and AA#2
AA#2 7.6*.102 =.775cc
HP38 8.3*.0931=.772cc
but to 2 decimal places I get a case vol of .77cc
so the VMDs are both close but not exact, HP38 is denser than AA#2 which the VMD #s reflect.
I would have filled the case with water to check its vol, but it is primed and a primer is a terrible thing to waste lately

Hodgdon does not list loads with the same bullet for both powders but using their data for 2 different 95 FMJs
HP38 start 2.9 MAX 3.2
AA#2 start 3.3 MAX 3.7

So at start charge with this data a double of either would fit and not overflow.....
(and of course a double would be bad news)

If you are worried about a double fitting maybe Unique? (don't have any on hand to check, so just a guess, also I like something that meters well for .380, and while Unique has it's positives, good metering is not one them)

 

[Walkalong]

AA #2 is good stuff in .380, and meters as good as it gets. W-231 is also very good though, I'd be happy with either one. Both are lightly colored and easy to see in the case when looking for mistakes before seating a bullet.

 

[NMexJim]

AA #2 is good stuff in .380, and meters as good as it gets. W-231 is also very good though, I'd be happy with either one. Both are lightly colored and easy to see in the case when looking for mistakes before seating a bullet.

Ronald, I agree with Walk that AA2 is very good, and I too use it in .380. I just wanted to be sure you understand that the amount of case fill isn’t always a good indicator of charge. If you use a powder cop, the amount of AA2 that will take you from mid level to high pressure is almost not enough to show. If you don’t have a lot of experience with fine powders, then use something with a larger grain. In the case of AA2, you might use AA5 instead although 5 is fine enough on its own.

If you go to http://www.natoreloading.com/9mm/, there are some good photos of powders - mind that these recipes are for 9mm rather than .380.