380 ACP pistol selection has increased - what about moulds?

As it says, the 380 ACP field has become thick with new pistol designs in the last 3-5 years.

Personal favorite right now is a S&W M&P 380EZ.

Selection of new 90 grain to 110 grain bullet shapes seems to have fallen behind pistol demand. Most of us know that 380 ACP factory ammo was the first center fire pistol ammo to disappear from shelves. Demand has only gone up since then.

What moulds are you using? For reasons I cannot describe I don't want anything round nose. Would prefer if someone made something like a SAECO #925 but shorter/lighter.

Anybody take a classic conical 120 grain 9mm mould and have it hollow pointed for a blunt end to make a 100 grain truncated cone ball?

Lets discuss the current situation.

I had a Lee 6 cavity 120gr TC 9mm mold with an exceptionally large bevel base. I removed the top hardware and milled away the bevel. I ended up with a 100gr TC bullet with the same profile as the Hornady jacketed HP. It's what I feed my PPKS and the wife's Bersa.
Bill

I like the 100 grain Ranch Dog boolit. I have one of the original Lee Group Buys done up by Ranch Dog. NOE makes them now as the TL358-100-RF-BE2, while LEE makes the virtually identical TL356-95 RF, and Accurate makes the 35-98R. These work very well in my experience, I have used them in my Colt Mustang Pocketlite, Browning 1910, Beretta 84F, Walther PPK/s and Ruger LCP with perfect satisfaction. 3.0 Grains 0f WW-231, or 2.7 grains of Bullseye or Titegroup. I have some loaded up with Titewad , but have not had a chance to test them.

In addition, I have an Accurate 35-105B that I bought for my 9x20 Browning Long But which seems to have considerable utility in the 380. I haven't got around to testing it yet in the .380, either. My google-fu is not working or I would upload pictures from their catalogs.. But these are all truncated cone type boolits

https://www.mp-molds.com/product/mp-358-93-hp-pb/

I have this and I like it.
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Thank you, gents. You have given me some food for thought. I've been casting iron moulds since I was mid-teens, so about 55 years on and off. I can make iron blocks sing, don't get along that well with aluminum.

That said, I'm thinking of trying to find a 9mm Lugar classic conical 2 cavity (Lyman 356402) and having it custom machined for those nice hollow point set ups, and have a pair of the pins cut to make a short TC set up.

More - later - as this progresses.

A friend of mine just got the .380EZ and really likes it. Says it would be great for a lot of folks that have trouble racking the slide. May try and look at one for my wife.

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Originally Posted by Finster101

A friend of mine just got the .380EZ and really likes it. Says it would be great for a lot of folks that have trouble racking the slide. May try and look at one for my wife.

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Finster101:

Wife and I each have one. First pistol she really likes and will just plink with. EZ to rack, EZ to field strip, EZ to hang on to, EZ on the wrists with next to no recoil. This is the first purpose-built pistol I've seen that actually lives up to and exceeds the hype. It's a touch large for concealed carry, except I find that it fits a thigh pocket on cargo pants almost perfectly. Wife likes the idea that it lacks the excess velocity and penetration power of the 9mm. And I've read that the 9mm EZ is harder to rack and has more recoil. DUH! Our EZ's shoot better than the operators. First pistol I didn't feel the need to dress the trigger mechanism at all. Much nicer than any striker fired design I've handled.

I did the same as wwmartin and milled down a Lee 120TC mold. Those drop at 105gn and function great in every one of my 380s. I also cast and shoot gobs of the Lee 105-SWC which also run real well but do have the occasional feed problem in a few pistols. Those two, along with a 102gn round nose are all I cast for my 380s and I've yet to find a more accurate lighter boolit.

I use a 121 grain conical for my 380 Springfield. I really like the load, if comparing ft/lbs of energy to the lighter bullets there is not much of a gain, but the recoil impulse is dramatically different. The heavier bullets are not as sharp, my 18 yo with very small hands loves to shoot the 121 and hates factory equivalent loads. I have settled on 156 ft/lbs with 757 fps average velocity.

Using the NOE version of the Ranch Dog tumble lube bullet described in post #3. Functions flawlessly in PPK, Colt 1908, FN 1910/22, and Glock 42.

The design is well in keeping with my thoughts on terminal performance for the smaller pocket auto rounds - you have enough energy for expansion or penetration, but not both, so go for penetration with a solid, flat nose that creates as much disruption as you can get within the limitations.

If you don't get on well with aluminum molds, your issue - probably - is that you have to work faster to keep them hot. You might consider brass which holds heat wonderfully. Accurate Molds will custom order for you in a number of materials, so that may be your ideal path.

I have a SW 380 EZ too. I like it a lot. Accuracy is good for a little gun too. I did have to examine my hammer though. Some had defective hammers the time frame mine was made.

.380 caliber handguns multiply faster than .22 rifles it seems like. My current favorite is the Ruger LCPII.

I haven't ventured into loading for the .380 yet, although I have everything except a mold. Oh and small pistol primers are in short supply.

That being said while hanging my head in shame, I kind of like the looks of Winchester's flat pointed ball round. When I do get around to getting a mold, it will probably closely resemble that profile since it feeds well in the accumulation the family has.

Robert

Another fine mold that I have is the NOE 359-88-RF S2. I have the two cavity RG HP version and find it works very well.

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Originally Posted by BigAlofPa.

I have a SW 380 EZ too. I like it a lot. Accuracy is good for a little gun too..

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I bought one two years ago, on sale, $330 OTD w/ 2 mags, lock box & a mini cleaning kit. Lighter and less noticeable than my edc Sphinx SDP Subcompact. Perfect for shorts & t shirt days. Got one @ same price for daughter #1 a week later. She’s comfortable shooting it plus it justified buying a new (carry) purse, like she needed an excuse.
I found 4,000 copper plated 100 gr RN at an estate sale that set me back $200. That’ll cover our monthly range day usage for a long time. Life is good

Lee 105swc,,,runs and shoots awesome

The Lee 105 works good in my S&W Body Guard, but the 90gr TLFN is superior.
Powder coated and sized .356” it’s ideal.
Everything I’ve seen on the YouTube suggests that’s it’s as good as it gets for the little.380.

I’ve tried heating up the loads but the gun doesn’t respond well to it. Middle of the road loads work great, accuracy is as good as $.25 JHP’s.
Sometimes enough is enough.