Corner Pocket
Member
Due to the scarcity of .380 ammo, I started reloading this caliber a few months ago. I've done some experimentation since I first began and have settled on a couple of loads that use 95gr FMJ bullets. I've now loaded and shot about 1K of these, and they work very well.
I bought some 100gr Lead RNFP bullets the other day, just to see how lead shoots in this little Bersa .380 pistol. These bullets are exactly the same length as the FMJ that I've been loading, so I thought that using the same OAL of .975 would work fine for these lead loads. But when I loaded a dummy round a moment ago, I see that the single lube band on this bullet is not positioned down inside the casing when at .975. For the lube band to be all the way inside the case mouth requires that I shorten the OAL to .940.
If I were to use an OAL of .940, would I reduce the powder charge, say 10%, to compensate for the higher pressure brought about by the shorter OAL? Or is an OAL of .940 too short to use safely? Your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!
Corner Pocket
I bought some 100gr Lead RNFP bullets the other day, just to see how lead shoots in this little Bersa .380 pistol. These bullets are exactly the same length as the FMJ that I've been loading, so I thought that using the same OAL of .975 would work fine for these lead loads. But when I loaded a dummy round a moment ago, I see that the single lube band on this bullet is not positioned down inside the casing when at .975. For the lube band to be all the way inside the case mouth requires that I shorten the OAL to .940.
If I were to use an OAL of .940, would I reduce the powder charge, say 10%, to compensate for the higher pressure brought about by the shorter OAL? Or is an OAL of .940 too short to use safely? Your thoughts and suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!
Corner Pocket
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