Why bother reloading 380acp?

[wankerjake]

wankerjake: I have no trouble believing Clark's numbers. He is a long-time hot-rodder, with a known history on at least two forums, and a fair number of firearms in remnants.

I see. I can't wrap my head around how he could fit enough powder into that little case before fitting the way over-sized bullet in there, let alone how the frame of that poor Colt can handle the pressure... I came up with a name for it though; the 380CI, or 380 Clark Improved

No, even pushing the absolute limit there is no way he is getting the velocity that he claims. If he wants to fly out here and show me on a chrony, I will publicly eat crow and buy him a steak dinner! Also I want 10% marketing rights if the caliber goes into production. After all, who wouldn't own a pistol the size of a 380 with the performance of a 357?If the gun blows up, no deal.

 

[KosmicKrunch]

By keeping a decent reloading log of how many rounds you have reloaded over and over until you exhaust all of your first reload supplies you really would not know how much each round of .380 or any other caliber would actually cost. I think in the end, a person could justify the costs Vs. savings and/or how much shooting you can get in for that end cost. Then take that end cost and value it out to new ammo. You would have to do an end count of what you have on hand left as through normal shooting attrition, there will be a loss of some basic components.

I only keep a log of two calibers. They are .38 special and 30-30, the two calibers I shoot the most. For the 38 special I am at about 40% savings over new ammo. The 30-30 is at about 63% savings over new ammo. So, based on that, yes, I would think that reloading .380 lets say over 1000 rounds worth of components is worth it for the added amount of shooting you can do for the same cost as new ammo. It may take up to 4000 rounds reloaded to amortize the cost of equipment, but 4000 rounds is really not that many to some shooters. So to answer the ops question, yes it is worth it to reload .380 IMHO if you can shoot often enough.

 

[cfullgraf]

Hello folks!
I'm a new member and gun owner. I purchased a Sig P238 and now I'm thinking about buying a lee turret press so I can save $ on ammo. At least that's what I thought, because after adding up the price of brass, bullets, primer and powder it seems that I might be saving just a few bucks, like 3 bucks, vs buying factory 50rd boxes. I called the local shops and browsed online for prices and can't find a really good deal yet. Am I missing something or is just not worth it to buy the press and reload my 380? If you know of a place online where I can buy brass, bullets and primes really cheap please let me know. For the powder, amway charges an extra fee for hazardous material so it's not worth it to buy it online if all online sellers have this fees for powder.
Any suggestion on how to make 380 reloading considerably cheaper than factory, please let me know.
Thanks a lot

Lots of good comments and information. Yes, you can save money on reloading 380ACP. You don't need to be huge amounts of components to save money, but you will save more buying in bulk. If you buy in bulk, figure in the cost of money as well.

If you are not already reloading, or not planning to load other cartridges, it probably is not worth the expense for the reloading equipment. Folks just don't shoot much 380ACP over time as compared to other guns/cartridges.

Although, a Lee Loader is an economical way to load small quantities of one cartridge. Labor intensive, but low capital expense. I used one on 380ACP 30 years ago when i got started in reloading.

But, reloading can be an enjoyable hobby. There are lots of reasons to reload other than saving money.

Have fun.

 

[HOWARD J]

I got into reloading to save money--We had an Uzi & the kids were shooting like crazy.
They could dump a 32 round mag in 3 1/2 seconds (timed )from our semi-auto.
Now I reload as a hobby--came in handy when everybody was hording ammo.
Get into reloading--a time will come when you will really enjoy it !!!!!!!---

 

[RandyP]

One other consideration. You presently own the one handgun in .380. Granted it is not the most economical caliber for a range plinker yet may not justify adding a second hobby (reloading) to your shooting budget and that's fine too. One request....save your once fired brass and e-mail me for my address - lol

I mostly plink at the range with one of my .22s or .22LR conversion kits on my other centerfire pistols. But when I do want to make noise and larger holes in paper zombies, reloading helps me afford it.

 

[rodinal220]

I get alot of my brass from folks leaving it on the range.Believe it or not many still leave valuable brass on the ground.I cast alot of my own bullets.I get the lead for a couple of cases of beer a year.

If you have a big box store like a Cabelas watch their sales and use the coupons.Find the gun shows and see what the locals are charging.if you have to buy via the net.get a group of buddies together to maximize the order due to haz-mat and insane shipping rates.

If you only shoot a few boxes a year,reloading may not be a valid option.

 

[Clark]

I got an LCP at the show Saturday.
It looks very much like a P3AT clone.

My previous chamber support [feed ramp intrusion] measurement was .270" for the P3AT.
Today I am measuring .280" for that pistol. Maybe I picked up a piece of brass that was .010" longer

Anyway, the LCP measured .250", so the Ruger is better than the Kel-tec for case support.

My hand loaded ammo that is right on the threshold of a guppy belly case bulge for the Kel-Tec then went straight into the Ruger without a work up and functioned well.

Here is some old article comparing 9mm to 380.
http://hunting.about.com/od/guns/l/aast9mmv380a.htm
He is getting 900 fps with a 90 gr bullet in a 380.
That is ok for factory ammo, but...
The lowest mass slide and worst case support 380 can beat that with handloads.

 

[scalper]

Personally, I reload all my 380.

I believe discussions about difficulty due to its small size are over-rated. Remember, it is nothing more than 9mm "short". If you reload 9mm, 380 is no different, at least for me.

 

[cfullgraf]

I believe discussions about difficulty due to its small size are over-rated. Remember, it is nothing more than 9mm "short". If you reload 9mm, 380 is no different, at least for me.

The operative word is "short". The 380 ACP is not difficult to load, but the shorter case creates some difficulties in handling when compared to larger or longer cases. For one, there is not as much case extending above the top of the reloading tray for my fingers to grasp.

Also, I have been converting my handgun reloading to a progressive and the short case of the 380 ACP has problems with the powder measure. At least for now, I charge the cases off line then seat and crimp in the progressive.

I could machine an extended drop tube for the measure just for 380ACP, but I do not shoot enough 380 ACP to justify the time. Unless, of course, I just want to generate some chips on the lathe.