380 recipes.

[stormvet]

[hambam105]

I've been loading 380acp, 9x17mm, since the early 1980s. I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Standard primers...No flat points...No plated bullets. Here is why:

Flat points & small semiautos equals function and cycling problems as opposed to using cast
or jacketed round nose.

The big issue most guys have with 380s is bulged cases.

I've always used powder charges for the .380acp on the high side and never had an powder
charge problem. W231 is my favorite. Bullseye & HP-38 GTG. Anything the late 1970s Speer
Manuals published for .380acp is spot on.

I can rap with you all day about reloading 380acp and 32acp.

I expect to start a blog on this subject after I get the technology issues addressed.

What kind of pistol are you using?

[stormvet]

Handguns used will be Ruger LCP-Max and LCP II, the only 380’s I own. The last batch of flat point actually feed nicely in them, they were 100gn with 3.3 of W231.

This batch will be Rocky Mountain FMJ round nose in 95gn, HP-38, Remington SP primers and mixed brass. My Speer book says 3.6-4, gonna start with the 3.6 just training rounds so as long as they function well I won’t bother going up.

[ar15barrels]

Hodgdon reloading center has data for that combination but they are 2.9gr to 3.2gr of HP-38 or 231 under a 95gr speer FMJ.

[stormvet]

Hodgdon reloading center has data for that combination but they are 2.9gr to 3.2gr of HP-38 or 231 under a 95gr speer FMJ.

[TomReloaded]

Hodgdon reloading center has data for that combination but they are 2.9gr to 3.2gr of HP-38 or 231 under a 95gr speer FMJ.

There's something wrong with that data... Hodgdons is listing the max as 15,400 cup. That's like 5400psi.

I'm assuming its a typo and they really are listing 15,400 psi. But still, that's pretty low pressure too. That's a low max to list.

[hambam105]

I have creditable information for .380acp loaded with jacketed bullets only.

The discrepancies in above posts might be to comparing apples to oranges and not apples to apples.

From my October 1979 Speer Reloading Manual, page number 347....Maximum pressure for the .380acp
is 18,900. Remember, these are jacketed reloads.

Sierra Handgun Reloading Manual, 3rd Edition, 1989, page 156, A FMJ bullet weighing 95 grains has a
powder charge range listings starting from 2.8 grains to 3.4 grain of W231 powder.

Cartridge OAL is 0.960.

[Sandspider500]

There's something wrong with that data... Hodgdons is listing the max as 15,400 cup. That's like 5400psi.

I'm assuming its a typo and they really are listing 15,400 psi. But still, that's pretty low pressure too. That's a low max to list.

Whut? 15,400 cup is a lot closer to the 380 acp pressure limit of 21,000 psi than it is to 5400psi, not really sure where you pulled that number from. Go take a look at hodgdons 45 acp data and come back.

The speer data from 12 on should be ok as that's when they started testing with piezzo, but I have seen a few suspect loads that don't jive with tests done by others in cartridges other than 380.

I have some data from handloader 268, where 3.5gr and 4gr of 231 was used for 5 different bullets that ranged from 90gr to 95gr, all fired from a ruger lcp. The OAL did vary but with every load 3.5gr gave around 910fps and 4gr gave around 1015fps, which pretty much mimics speers results.

[TomReloaded]

I used a online calculator, poorly apparently lol

It is about 21kpsi, so that's saami limit. Speer data is wild again. I wouldn't go over the listed 3.2 since it's maxing out pressure.

[Sandspider500]

If you look through hodgdons again for 380 acp you'll see that with their newer powders are tested in psi. Such as cfe pistol, imr target, win 572 win244, it's the same for other pistol cartridges as well.

Looking back through it there are newer loads for a coated 95gr lead round nose and 231 that were tested using piezzo psi method.

In other cartridges 14-15k cup seems to equal the same in psi. This is the only cup to psi phenomenon I know of where the numbers are roughly equal. I've read there was difficulty in testing these tiny pistol cartridges using the cup method too.

[stormvet]

Well hell the numbers really are all over the map on this load, my research showed a lot of people using 3.2 to 3.5.

I’ve loaded up enough to run two mags of my two 380s with 3.3 at 0.975 COL.

My Speer guide has 3.6 at 0.980 running at 945, so I’m guesstimating my load should be good for at least 850. I’ll see how they run and go from there, hopefully try them out on Monday or Tuesday.

[Dirtlaw]

I've been loading 380acp, 9x17mm, since the early 1980s. I think I'm getting the hang of it.

Standard primers...No flat points...No plated bullets. Here is why:

Flat points & small semiautos equals function and cycling problems as opposed to using cast
or jacketed round nose.

The big issue most guys have with 380s is bulged cases.

I've always used powder charges for the .380acp on the high side and never had an powder
charge problem. W231 is my favorite. Bullseye & HP-38 GTG. Anything the late 1970s Speer
Manuals published for .380acp is spot on.

I can rap with you all day about reloading 380acp and 32acp.

I expect to start a blog on this subject after I get the technology issues addressed.

What kind of pistol are you using?

Hambam,


Thanks for your useful information. You are what all Calgunners should be!

[Che762x39]

When I reloaded 380 ACP it was in the 1980s for an Astra Constable.

Speer had a 88 JHP and those were the most accurate. With FMJ the groups will double in size. I also loaded a LRN that quadruple the size of groups. Bullseye or W231 is great choices.

As I told others the Constable was meant for the sock drawer and investigating funny noises at oh dark thirty. Not really meant for a high round count or lots of time on the range. About 1000 rounds down range and it got looser than a goose.

I invested in a Colt Detective Special and it served me well for 20+ years.

[hambam105]

I loaded plenty of those 88 grain hollow points in the olden-days too. They worked great!
Expensive. Good to know I wasn't the only one. Ha Ha.

I don't know anyone who claimed that their small all steal Walthers or Berettas or 9x18
Makarovs losing accuracy after prolonged hard use.

[stormvet]

Shot two mags through each LCP today for a total of 32 rounds, mixed case, 3.3gn of HP-38, 95 FMJ round nose. It shot a functioned great, actually hotter then I thought it would be. Fired a mag each of factory Federal training rounds, same RN 95gn bullet and COL. My reloads were a little hotter then the factory loads, think I may back off the charge by .1 or .2. But besides that I think I’m happy with it and ready to roll and load them all up and really glad I didn’t start at 3.6 that would have been way too hot for training rounds.