Dudemeister
Member
I have about 250 .380ACP 95gr. Jacketed Hollow point bullets (unknown manufacturer) as well as almost 1000 Barnes 100gr hollow base round nose bullets.
I still have a Llama .380 Model IIIA, but I have over 1000 rounds already sitting in boxes, and I doesn't look like I'll be shooting them any time soon, so I'm thinking about loading these bullets in .38SPL cases.
I measured my current Berrys 148gr 38 bullets, and they vary between .356.5" and .357.0". The Berry 100gr. hollow base measure .355" to .356", and the "generic" 95gr. hollow points .355" to .355.5".
I'm pretty sure I can crimp the mouth to get proper retention, but there won't be a heck of lot of bullet inside the case. The ogive on both of these start about .213 from the bottom of the case, so even if I was to seat them to the ogive, there's less than 1/4" of neck contact. Would that be enough?
The other silly thing I was thinking about, is flipping the hollow base around and seating it flush with the case mouth, like a wadcutter. The only concern is the fact that the bottom of the bullet is now a round nose. Will the case split as gases get deflected around the round nose? How is that going to behave as it's making it's way through the barrel? will it cavitate and tumble in flight? IS IT SAFE?
So this is a call to the experienced reloaders, and ballistic gurus. What say you?
I still have a Llama .380 Model IIIA, but I have over 1000 rounds already sitting in boxes, and I doesn't look like I'll be shooting them any time soon, so I'm thinking about loading these bullets in .38SPL cases.
I measured my current Berrys 148gr 38 bullets, and they vary between .356.5" and .357.0". The Berry 100gr. hollow base measure .355" to .356", and the "generic" 95gr. hollow points .355" to .355.5".
I'm pretty sure I can crimp the mouth to get proper retention, but there won't be a heck of lot of bullet inside the case. The ogive on both of these start about .213 from the bottom of the case, so even if I was to seat them to the ogive, there's less than 1/4" of neck contact. Would that be enough?
The other silly thing I was thinking about, is flipping the hollow base around and seating it flush with the case mouth, like a wadcutter. The only concern is the fact that the bottom of the bullet is now a round nose. Will the case split as gases get deflected around the round nose? How is that going to behave as it's making it's way through the barrel? will it cavitate and tumble in flight? IS IT SAFE?
So this is a call to the experienced reloaders, and ballistic gurus. What say you?