.380 acp mould, back to square one .....

[Ohio Rusty]

I cast some .380 acp boolets from the Lee 356-102-1R I bought. It is supposed to cast a .356 boolet weighing 102 grains. The boolets actually come out .357-.358 and weigh 106 grains. Too big and too heavy for my liking for reloading my .380 cases. Can anyone suggest where I can find a decent .380 mould 90 to 100 grain weight that won't cost an arm and a leg .... $75 or more is way over budget for the mould I'm seeking.
Thanx .....
Ohio Rusty

[AnthonyB]

Rusty, I have a two-cavity Lyman I might be willing to part with. Let me check tonight to make sure it is still there. Tony

[Sundogg1911]

I have a Magma 90 gr. RN. that drops a little over .356
I love that one in my Daughters Walther PPK. I don't have good luck with a .380 bullet that is much heavier than that.

[Adam10mm]

I have an RCBS 90 or 95gr RN mold. Haven't used it yet. I'll try to drop some and see what it comes out at. I just use WW.

[leftiye]

Rusty,
Have you slugged the bore? My 9mm (and many others I've seen/heard about) just loves boolits of .357 or .358". Also the 4 extra grains isn't much of a discrepancy in weight as molds go, probly just your alloy varying from theirs. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if you had trouble getting it any better with another mold.

[45 2.1]

The Lyman 358242, 92 gr. version is the best 380 ACP i've used so far. Cast of WW and sized 0.356" with Bullseye.

[AnthonyB]

Rusty, the 358242 DC is what I have. My mould list says it is there, and I seem to remember it being in good shape. Let me know if you are interested and I'll dig it up for a better description.
Tony

[cattleskinner]

Why not just get a .356 push though sizer from LEE? It would put it at the size you are looking for, and the extra thousandth or two that are on the boolits is probably what is causing them to weight a little more than you want.

~Amos

[mauser1959]

I am looking for a .380 LHP mold that is reasonable ( if there is such a thing ) or if not reasonable at least one where I can cast my own LHPs. It seems that a box of defensive rounds is up to the point, that a mold at under a $100 would be worth its salt. I am looking for a mold that throws around 80- 90 grains; but that is basically an uninformed guess as I have never cast HPs before .

If I am doing something that is not supposed to be done on this board by stepping on a thread or resurrecting an older thread please bear with me and give me the rules that I might have broken . Thanks.

[MT Gianni]

Mauser, My personal opinion is that you are better off casting solids for practice and buying carry ammo. Shoot a clip full every quarter, buy a box even twice a year. I have never seen a HP mold that I would shoot out of a 380, most run at least 125 gr for the smallest. You are looking at buying a mold and paying a machinest to HP it. On top is added the liability of not only being sued in a shooting for making your own ammo but designing a custom bullet for the sole purpose of maiming someone. I recently did just that in modifying some HP pins but my intended target was not human. Gianni

[45nut]

Welcome to the board,, I see no issue with your post at all. The rules here are pretty simple really, treat your brothers of the silver stream the same as you would help them and expect to be treated and welcomed in your home. I for one hope everyone enters and leaves this site feeling good about each and every visit. Only those threads and posts that insult others spitefully or intentionally are frowned upon, mistakes are forgotten and forgiven and learned from. Outright bullies, instigators and thieves are not welcome.
Good luck in your quest and welcome to CB.

[mauser1959]

Thanks to both of you. And your probably right Mt Gianni , at least it makes sense to me ; so that makes my quest to find a mold for my .380 that will shoot well . I went through my Midway and grafs last night and did not see a 6 gang from lee ( with that light of weight) , but there were other molds out there that should work well . Thanks again to both of you for your input. And thanks to both of you for the welcome too.

[Ohio Rusty]

Welcome Mauser !! I've been working thru my mind, albeit feeble as it is, about the same problem as you. I also want a HP mould for .380, and with a bullet shape that the ogive, or roundness, doesn't interfere with the feeding of the loaded round. Consequently, I'm going to change that crappy Lee 356-102-R mould I have. One of the boolets will have a removeable HP pin like what Mt. Gianni did that will make a hollowpoint. I've already 'hand hollowpointed' several of the cast rounds as a test, and they weigh 102 grains now. (Which is what the mould SHOULD throw from the factory) I really think this will work modifying the Lee mould to cast a hollowpoint bullet. Since I have not made a hollowpoint mould before as several have done on the list, and having only the bare minimum of tools at hand, I think I can successfully do what is the picture in my minds eye. I also have to remove, cut and replace one of the line up pins, etc.
Fortunately, the mould is a two holer, so if I mess up the first one, I have a second one to get right. I'm not planning on messing up the first one though. I'll be posting the results as soon as this project is finished in a week or two. And anytime someone wants to ressurect one of *MY* posts and add good info to it .... I'm happy to have the info from the listmembers.
Ohio Rusty

[Cherokee]

You might check out NEI molds, the TC design I use in my 380's came from them. It casts at 112 gr and shoots great.
:castmine:

[Freightman]

I do not even size my .358 boolits that I use for my Colt 1911 9MM shoots great. I do have a 91g .357 mould somewhere a Lyman I would sell or trade for something

[Leftoverdj]

Depends on what you are shooting and what your goals are, I suppose. I'm shooting a Backup with the most rudimentary of sights. When I carry, it's with factory ammo. The Lee mould does me fine because all I'm after is basic familiarity. I don't expect to do any fine shooting with a tiny pocket piece.

I'll echo the earlier post that .357-.358 is about right for most guns. You might run into one with a tight chamber that won't allow them, but I have a generous chamber. If the few extra grains bother you, casting from linotype will bring the weight back down.

[Sundogg1911]

I think I have a Lee 6 cavity for the .380 90 or 95 gr. RN (Can't remember the weight) It cast a decent bullet. Most of the .380's I cast now I do with my Master Caster. It's a similar RN design, but it has a slight shoulder. I'm pretty sure I have a TC mould for .380 as well, but i'd have to dig deep into the ammo cans to see. (I really need to update my list)

[35remington]

Ohio, I really would give that bullet a whirl just as is before I would spring for another mould.

It may shoot just fine. Make sure the loaded rounds chamber easily. If they don't, get the Lee sizer mentioned for low cost.

Really, your bullet dimensions (nor weight) aren't out of bounds for a .380. If the dimensions of the bullet - by that I mean its length - fits the .380 case, and we already know it does, the actual weight of 4 grains over specified is pretty inconsequential. I second leftoverdj's suggestion that you can vary the weight with the alloy used. Linotype will cast the same or slightly larger in diameter than whatever you have been using, which is also no big deal.

It is unlikely that you'll have enough success with a hollowpoint to make it worth the effort. Most probably it still wouldn't expand at .380 velocities, unless the hollowpoint was really large and the alloy quite soft (having both would be best), neither of which may agree with your .380 when it comes to reliability.

[whisler]

leftoverdj: Not to step on a thread or anything, but how does your Backup perform with cast? I have an older one and have no trouble with it, but have read all kinds of horror stories about them. Any details of your mould, alloy, and loading procedure would be much appreciated as I just passed my CCW course and will now need to practice, practice, practice.

[dragonrider]

Ohio, I have that very same mold, I size to .357 for use in my Browning BDA. I have only shot about 25 rounds so far but I think it is going to be just fine. I wish Lee made the damn thing in a six cavity but they don't list it.

[Leftoverdj]

Ohio, I have that very same mold, I size to .357 for use in my Browning BDA. I have only shot about 25 rounds so far but I think it is going to be just fine. I wish Lee made the damn thing in a six cavity but they don't list it.

They did, but they dropped the six cavity version a few years back. Look hard enough, and one might turn up. There are very few high volume .380 shooters, and two cavities is enough for most of us.

I did have the chance to shoot a suppressed MAC 11 in .380 years ago, and that thing would have kept two six cavity moulds busy. I have a vague notion they briefly made a carbine version of that, too.