OAL on this load?

[leadchucker]

I have the press all set up. I practiced seating primers, using some cull shells and some of the old spent primers. I practiced setting bullets and crimping, on some unprimed empty shells. I'm checked out on the powder measure and scale. I have all the books and supplies laid out. I'm all set to start my very first load.

380 ACP, 100 grain Berry's plated FBRN, and CCI small pistol primers.

Berry's says to use equivalent weight FMJ load data, and stay in the starting to mid-range loads. I'm figuring on starting with 2.7 grains of W231, based on Hodgdon's recommendations for the 100 FMJ bullets. I'm also figuring on setting the bullets at .980 OAL.

To me, that sounds like a good conservative start. Too conservative? Can I get by setting the OAL any shorter? Any concerns with this? If so, by all means speak up.

 

[gamestalker]

With small AL cartridges it is pretty important to stay at or above the listed OAL. Pressures go up unpredictably high when you seat deeper. Working from the listed OAL as your minimum, I would either stay there or take the barrel out of your firearm and seat to where the bullet isn't touching the lands, and will still fit the magazine and feed reliably. I use a well know and trusted method as follows: With the barrel out of the firearm I drop the finished round in the barrel and listen for the distintive clink it makes when the mouth contacts the the barrel. I also put pressure on the head of the round using only my finger and rotate it. If it is contacting the lands it will either turn with obvious difficulty and resistence, or not at all, and will leave some very visable marks on the olgive.
The Speer manual I was using as my learning tool stated that a bullet that had been seated .030" deeper than listed SAMMI spec. produced more than double the maximum SAMMI pressures for 9mm, 62,000 CUP. The same trend can be expected with any bullet the deeper it is seated. A good rule of thumb is to never seat deper than listed OAL, while also making sure you are not touching the lands. Some where in between that fits the magazine and feeds well, is all that is necessary.
One more tip I would like to offer. When I'm working up a new load, or in your case, loading for the first time, I single load the firearm for the first few rounds and closely inspect my brass. This is just a safety measure I use in case a round should possibly produce excessive pressures, resulting in a blown case head, primer, or some form of critical failure I would rather have just one round to deal with if something goes wrong, rather than multiple rounds going bang at the same time.

 

[Sunray]

Hi. Not many people load .380.
"...stay in the starting to mid-range loads..." That's because plated bullets are loaded with cast bullet data. Plated bullets are not jacketed.
"...starting with 2.7 grains..." That'd be .2 under minimum for a 100 grain bullet. 2.9 is the starting load. .2 under minimum won't cause you any grief though.
Your OAL is fine. Leave alone. Too short will give you feeding issues.