Firing .380 in a non-.380 gun

[brufener]

To start, I understand that it is not a good idea to fire ammunition in a gun that it was not made for. Furthermore, I understand that you should NEVER fire a more powerful round in a gun that is made for a less powerful round - the gun will not handle the pressures/energies involved (thus failing catastrophically). This is a hypothetical only, and something that would only be put into practice in a TEOFWAWKI situation.


If you only had .380 (9x17) ammunition available to you, and your .380 gun was lost or broken beyond repair, could you fire .380 ammunition in a 9MM Luger semi-auto? Would the firing-pin reach? Would it load from a magazine, or would you have to load it single-shot? Would it cycle the slide? Any other problems I'm not thinking about?

How about firing .380 ammo in a 9mm Luger revolver?

What about 38 special ammo in a 9mm Luger revolver or pistol? Would it physically fit, or would the rim prevent it from loading/seating?

Thanks,

Bryce

 

[Vern Humphrey]

If you only had .380 (9x17) ammunition available to you, and your .380 gun was lost or broken beyond repair, could you fire .380 ammunition in a 9MM Luger semi-auto? Would the firing-pin reach? Would it load from a magazine, or would you have to load it single-shot? Would it cycle the slide? Any other problems I'm not thinking about?

The answer is probably no -- both the .380 and the 9mm Luger headspace on the case mouth. The .380 would probably go into the chamber too deeply. And if it did fire, you would probably get a head separation.

In addition, of course, since the .380 case is only .373 and the 9mm case is .380 in diameter, the case would also probably split.

How about firing .380 ammo in a 9mm Luger revolver?

That's in the realm of possibility -- if you're using half-moon clips or a similar device to headspace the cartridge. But again, the cases will probably split.

What about 38 special ammo in a 9mm Luger revolver or pistol? Would it physically fit, or would the rim prevent it from loading/seating?

The .38 Special is too long (1.155" compared to the 9mm at 0.754") to fit in the chamber. And the rim would prevent the slide from closing, even if you could jam it in.

 

[molonlabe]

I took my glock and sig P228 to and indoor range and in the poor lighting I accidently chambered a .380 into the glock. I bullseyed the target but the action did not cycle. I had no separation but I wont repeat that mistake.

 

[1 old 0311]

A .40 WILL fire in a .45. Case looks strange but it does work.

Kevin

 

[shermacman]

I ran about ten rounds of .380 through my Beretta 92 with the following results. It fired perfectly fine, accurate, no failures, no case splits. But it would not cycle the action.
I won't do it again, though.

 

[RyanM]

With most guns, extractor tension is sufficient to keep the case right up against the breech face. If you had a really light slide spring, you may be able to fire a few .380s through a 9mm. .380 isn't very similar to 9mm, though, since it's a shorter version of the .38 auto. Cartridges that are based on each other tend to work better. I've heard of people shooting an entire box of .40 S&W through a 10mm or .45 GAP through a real .45, before they noticed they had the wrong caliber.

 

[pete f]

nope

 

[MatthewVanitas]

How about firing .380 ammo in a 9mm Luger revolver?

Works just fine with a moonclip, though the Ruger moonclips don't hold onto .380 very tightly; you have to load it gently to make sure the rounds don't fall out of the clip.

I fired a few cylinders of .380 out of a Ruger 9mm SP101, and had no problems at all. Wasn't benching it or checking for accuracy, but it didn't shoot at all abnormally, just much less recoil. No split cases.

Then I read on THR that long-term .380 shooting isn't good for a 9mm revo for the reasons mentioned above, so I didn't try it again. But in an emergency, it works just peachy provided you don't try to carry the moonclips at the ready (just not tight enough for the Federal .380 I was shooting). -MV

 

[Borachon]

I've heard of people shooting .380 through a 9x18 Makarov barrel, but I wouldn't think it would be a good idea for 9x19 Parabellum designed barrels.

 

[TimboKhan]

While I think it is possible, other than an accident, I am not sure why you would want to do so.

 

[Moonclip]

I have done it with a 9x18 Makarov. Cases bulge and accuracy can be a little iffy as a .355 bullet is going down a .363 barrel. Only did one magazine and will not repeat. In 9x19 revolvers it is hit and miss, clips don't hold it well IIRC. A round or two can possibly be fired i a 9x19 autoloader. I've seen shooters get a round or two off when mixing up ammo by accident at a range.

 

[Whole Hog]

I once put about 25 rounds of WW white box .380 through one of my Glock 19s. After the first round I realized I'd picked up the wrong ammo, but decided to continue. Every round fed from the magazine when I cycled them by hand, and every round fired the first time. The accuracy was poor and they wouldn't cycle the slide fully, but not a single case split and 9mm ammo chambered just fine afterwards. I wouldn't recommend it, but if all I had was .380 ammo and a 9 mm pistol I'd do it in a heartbeat. YMMV.