Mould for .380 ACP

[mnkyracer]

Anyone have a favorite mould for a .380 ACP. Looking to buy something in the 90 - 100 gr range to use for plinking.

Currently looking at Lyman 356242 and Lee 356-102-1r but thought I'd ask around first.

[arjacobson]

I've got the lee mold you mentioned. Mine works just fine. I had to adjust the OAL just a smidge but other than that they work fine.

[dualsport]

Just what the doctor ordered; see Ranch Dog Outdoors site, there's 2 different weights just perfect for 380. I got the 6 cav. TL-358-100RF because I wanted a plain base. Very accurate from my Bersa and works in a .38 too.

[Pirate69]

Having good luck with the Lee 102 grain mold in my Ruger LCP. Using 3.0 grains Unique and tumble lubing. Molding is dropping right at 0.359" and I am sizing to 0.356" with Lee sizer. Drops the brass about 3 feet directly in front of me. Not the hotest load in the world but it works the action and punches the paper.

[bobthenailer]

I had the lee 356-102-r years ago when lee only made 2 cavity moulds. I now have a saeco # 380 rn in a 4 cavity. both work well in my 2- 380 pistols.

[XWrench3]

i am using the lee 6 cavity 358-105-swc 38 special mold. i use a lee .356 sizer on them and use l.l.a. lube in my 380. no feed issues at all, as long as you get the oal correct. [smilie=b: i am running 0.960" oal which feeds flawlessly in both of my pistols. i have shot pretty close to 1,000 (each gun) [smilie=w: of them through both a kel-tec p3at, and a ruger lcp. the big plus is it's a 6 cavity, so you can make a lot of good boolits fast. i also use these as cast in the wifes 38 special. the boolits i cast come out @ 108 grains. i use clip on w.w. with 2% tin. :coffeecom:Fire::Fire::Fire::Fire:

[Finster101]

Check out the 105 SWC thread

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=105996

[Artful]

Lee 105 SWC for mine - it works well in most 38 and 9's I have tried it in.

[Will]

I use the lee 112r and the 105swc both work well with 2.4gr BullsEye. I size .358 to match my grove dia. They shoot better groups than factory probably because factory is .355.

[MakeMineA10mm]

I use the Lee 356-102-1R in a 2-cav, but I wish I had a 6-cav.

The RanchDog 100gr TC 6-cav is awfully tempting, because it's 6-cav.

For plinking, I tend to prefer RN designs, as I find they feed better overall.



As far as setting your OAL, the best thing to do to duplicate the is to put a factory FMJ-RN in the shell-holder, and run the ram up to the top.

Then:
unscrew the seating stem waaaaay out (so it doesn't touch the bullet),
screw the die down until the crimping shoulder just touches the factory round,
screw the seating stem down until it just touches the bullet,
tighten all the locking rings,
withdraw the factory round and replace it with another factory round,
run that factory round up into the die with all settings fixed,
remove it and measure to make sure none of the dimensions have changed.

Now, you've set up your seating/crimping die to reproduce factory-ammo.

[Doby45]

I use the Lee 102 RN in my Kel-Tec sized to 358 and Bullseye. They shoot great and feed perfectly..

[BCall]

I have ran a bunch of boolits in the 380. My favorites are the Ranchdog designs. I have not had any feeding problems with them. The 125 is a bit big for the smaller pocket pistols, but the 100 works great in my dad's LCP. I reccomend them above any others.

I started with the Lee 102-1R, and moved to a 111-1R that is no longer available. I liked it a bit better than the 102, it's basically the same but with a thicker base band. The 105 SWC Lee is a great boolit for plinking and will work great for 38/357 as well, and is available in a six cavity. The 358242 is OK, but I'm not fond of the thin base band. I think the RCBS 38-90-RN is better. The RCBS is about the lightest and would be good for lead conservation. The Lyman 356404 was a bit of a bust and I had feeding issues with it.

I have shot the Lee 356-120-TC, the Lyman 356402, and the RCBS 9mm-115-RN. They all will work OK if they will fit in your magazine. Some are too small to use with these larger boolits without having to seat them too deep in the case.

[Centaur 1]

I have both the Lee 105gr swc and the Ranch Dog 100gr rf. The ranch dog mold wins hands down. My LCP shoots them both well, but every third or fourth round the swc won't go into full battery unless I bump the back of the slide. Because others are having success I'm positive that Ive got something adjusted wrong. The ranch dog mold on the other hand has worked flawlessly.

[FISH4BUGS]

My Hensley & Gibbs S55 10 cavity. I shoot the 380 in a M11A1 MAC submachinegun and it LOVES that bullet. The lube groove is kinda small but so is the bullet.
if you can find a 2 or 4 cavity one, I'd snap it up.

[beagle]

I've had good luck with the 358242 90 grain version both in functioning and feeding in the few boxes I've loaded for a friend's .380. I'd recommend it if you can find one./beagle

[brucew]

Got the 356-102-1r for the wife's .380 and found it also shoots great in our 9mm. Double duty!

[hornady]

I cast Lyman 356402 121Gr, bullets for my 9MM, would these feed in a Bersa 380, the Lyman cast bullet book, gives loads for the 358242 in 121 Gr, but it’s a round nose bullet, and from the picture in the manual it looks like the 358242 can be seated deeper than the 356402.

[giz189]

MP Moulds also make a nice .380 HP mould.

[mnkyracer]

Thanks for allthe input. I will probably make a decision this week and let everyone know how it works.