Rant on 380

[jdownj]

Do all 380 weapons toss the brass wildly? I have 2 Bersa Thunder 380s and a Makarov, so I realize that it's a small sample size, but from these weapons it is a royal pain to recover much more than 50-60 percent... Time to build a brass catcher of some kind I think...

 

[rcmodel]

Yes, they do.

Fairly powerful cartridge, and many of the guns such as yours are straight blow-back operated.
Then, there is the fact that the little cases are real hard to see in the grass or gravel.

If your guns throw them in a somewhat similar place, pick up a big patio umbrella and turn it upside down on the ground where the brass is landing.

I got one free from a restaurant we eat at when the beer company gave them new ones.

rc

 

[SHR970]

Blowback's tend to do that....my Walther PP 32 tosses brass all over the place. But they aren't as bad as some guns. What makes them so annoying is the small size of the brass makes them harder to find. Semi autos can toss the brass in a seemingly random way. To compound that the 3 axis spin makes the brass bounce in various directions when they first hit the ground sending them in random directions.

Mini 14's have a well deserved reputation for hurling their brass into the next zip code. AG42 Ljungman's send them into the next county.

 

[Bull Nutria]

i have seen guys place a big cheap plastic tarp down and stand in the middle of it so the brass fall on the tarp. another guy built a coverwagon style bunch of hoops he covered with netting stood under the hoops to make the brass stay where he was . just some ideas if you want to recover more of your brass.

all reloaders hate losing brass!!

i shoot revolvers and bolt guns i don't lose much brass!!

Bull

 

[Hanshi]

All semi-autos seem determined to hide their brass from me. I made a portable shooting bench with a removable brass catcher which works quite well.

 

[jdownj]

There is a guy who shoots a 1911 at the range who loads pretty hot... He has something built out of PVC pipe and what appears to be some kind of fishing net... Seems to work well... I might have to try something like that...

 

[4thestars]

Sometimes it does seem as if brass likes to burrow into the ground when you aren't looking.

 

[jdownj]

Sometimes it does seem as if brass likes to burrow into the ground when you aren't looking.

That's the truth! I really couldn't bring myself to shoot 380 at the prices for loaded ammo, but I'm gonna have to get better at recovering the brass...

 

[rcmodel]

Get your wife, girlfriend, or kid a butterfly net and teach them to catch them!

rc

 

[jdownj]

Heh... That could work

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

Pretty annoying chasing brass. I think I have mellowed a bit as my supply of empty brass has grown.

.45's I dont even worry about it any more. I usually come back with more than I took.

.380 I decided at the range if I get back 70% I done good.
At home in the grass if I get back 50% I am happy to save the gas driving to the range.
And I buy empties when ever there is a good deal.
I think I have 3000 empties under the bench now.

Just the nature of the beast.

 

[jdownj]

Heh... Ammo economics is a weird subject... For loaded ammo at Wally World, WWB el cheapo is $21/100 in 9mm, but $38/100 in 380.. So I really like loading this stuff!

 

[cfullgraf]

Yes, my 380 ACP pistols toss brass to the four winds.

My Walther PPK gets them all pretty close together but they are still in the next county.

 

[Clark]

When Kel-Tec came out with the new P3AT 380, I bought one as soon as I could, loaded some hot ammo and drove to the range.

I was anxious and excited about the tiny gun with big power.

The first round bounced a case off the wall, came back and hit me in the head.

 

[J_McLeod]

My LCP throws brass everywhere, including at my forehead.

 

[Timmypage16]

My ppk380 only eject them a few feet. Most of them land nicely by my feet.

 

[Walkalong]

.32's are just as bad, and the brass is even smaller. I lose more .32 brass than anything else. It just goes "poof", and disappears.

 

[A Pause for the Coz]

My ppk380 only eject them a few feet. Most of them land nicely by my feet.

Keep that gun in a special place. You have some thing special there. Definitely not the norm.

 

[Hootus]

My LCP threw brass so far I couldn't find hardly any of it. My first time on the range it peppered a shooter four whole bays away. I tried installing stronger Wolff recoil springs and that cured the problem. I think a stock LCP recoil spring is 9lb; the Wolff springs I tried were 12 and 13lb. I settled on 12lb and they eject nicely a few feet away. The felt recoil is less and it still feeds 100%. I don't know what Wolffs are available for other .380s but you might want to give them a try if available for yours. For only $20 it's worth a try.

 

[cfullgraf]

.32's are just as bad, and the brass is even smaller. I lose more .32 brass than anything else. It just goes "poof", and disappears.

I guess I am lucky, my 32ACPs are not too wild. I lay out a large drop cloth and both keep the cases in about the same area of the drop cloth.

I'd never find them if they got in the grass though.

In general, I feel lucky if I find about 90% of the 380 or 32's that I shoot.

 

[JEB]

i have an LCP and some will land at my feet, some behind me, in front of me, 8 feet away, and the rest just evaporate before they touch the grass...

 

[56hawk]

I don't have that problem with my Beretta M1934. It ejects the brass straight up. Of course that can be pretty distracting when they come back down.

 

[nyc71]

My LCP threw brass so far I couldn't find hardly any of it. My first time on the range it peppered a shooter four whole bays away. I tried installing stronger Wolff recoil springs and that cured the problem. I think a stock LCP recoil spring is 9lb; the Wolff springs I tried were 12 and 13lb. I settled on 12lb and they eject nicely a few feet away. The felt recoil is less and it still feeds 100%. I don't know what Wolffs are available for other .380s but you might want to give them a try if available for yours. For only $20 it's worth a try.

I solved the brass issue the same way.

 

[CookeMonster]

I will say that the wife's Kahr P380 ejects very predictably. I usually squat down about 7 feet away at her 4:30-5:00 and catch her brass by hand (if I don't she won't pick it up, and the old range-scrounge that constantly patrols with his box full of brass will get to it first).

 

[papaairbear]

In browsing I didn't see a link to this:
http://www.ctkprecision.com/brasscatcher.aspx
I use this one and it works well. Like anything new, there is a learning curve (where to position the net opening) for your style. But it sure saves on lost brass!