RepackboxReloading EverythingInline FabricationMidSouth Shooters Supply
Titan ReloadingLee PrecisionPBcastcoWideners
Load Data RotoMetals2
Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 21 to 40 of 59

Thread: reloading 380?

  1. #21
    Boolit Buddy Pigboat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2013
    Location
    Western Tennessee
    Posts
    130
    There's a few 380 die sets for sale on fleabay if you're willing to pay the price.

  2. #22
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    May 2013
    Location
    Eastern WY
    Posts
    1,954
    I had a the Browning model 1971 .380 (model 1910 with target sights, longer barrel). I loaded the Lee 105 SWC sized to .357 in my pistol. I do have .380 dies. The little Browning was surprisingly accurate and great fun. I found the .380 wasn't any more difficult than the .22 Hornet for handling bullets and cases. I actually killed a prairie dog at 180 yards with it. Walked the bullets up Elmer Keith style. You could see the bullet base in critters forehead.

  3. #23
    Boolit Buddy
    Join Date
    Jun 2020
    Location
    Newburgh IN
    Posts
    198

  4. #24
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Oct 2011
    Location
    Texas
    Posts
    1,221
    As fond as I am of RedDot, Unique & Herco, FLAKE POWDERS ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND with tiny cases. Consider propellants like W231 or AA#5. IMR-700X seems to work well, if memory serves, though I don't recall if it is flake or something else.
    For in much wisdom is much grief: and he that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow. Ecclesiastes 1:18
    He that troubleth his own house shall inherit the wind: and the fool become servant to the wise of heart. Proverbs 11:29
    ...Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of my brethren, ye have done it unto me. Matthew 25:40


    Carpe SCOTCH!

  5. #25
    Boolit Master MOA's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2012
    Location
    Concho, Arizona. At home in the White Mountains at last. Formerly living in Mobile Alabama.
    Posts
    1,603
    380's can be picky to load for. And if you have the other dies why not take a stab at reloading with them before spending the cash right now on dies. I found my dies on eBay back in the Spring. Good deal on a lightly used 4 die carbide taper crimp set for under 60 bucks. I'm using RCBS's 115 grain 9mm mold for the 380 along with my 9mm. And for sure make sure they go "PLUNK" before you make a slew of them AND be sure they will feed out of your magazine. Be sure to fill the mag. Your overall length may go PLUNK and still be too long to stuff into the mag. Be sure to load at least 3 or 4 into the mag.

    Here's my 10/71 Browning. Back-at-cha MostlyLeverGuns.





    And my RCBS 115 grain cast loads.


  6. #26
    Boolit Master

    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    NC Arkansas
    Posts
    1,389
    Have a set of Texan 380 dies. First time I used them had about 305 empties. Deprimed them on a Texan C-frame press. Primed them using my RCBS bench primer. Used a Lee dipper that threw a 2.77 gr load, 27.7 grains of Unique for 10 throws. As I put powder in the case I set a Sierra blem bullet on the case and then seated with the press. After seating the first bullet, I stepped outside and fired it into the ground. The case extracted so I went in and loaded 2 more, went out and fired them. The first round extracted, the second chambered, fired and extracted with no issues. I then loaded enough rounds to fill the magazine and they all fed, fired, and extracted/ejected with no issues. I still have nearly 300 rounds that I expect to work in my Llama 380 with no issues.

    P.S. Sell him the Critical Defense loads, for $15 a round.
    Last edited by ulav8r; 12-01-2020 at 11:14 PM. Reason: Added P.S.
    Spell check doesn't work in Chrome, so if something is spelled wrong, it's just a typo that I missed.

  7. #27
    Boolit Master
    JoeJames's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Arkansas Delta
    Posts
    1,468
    Quote Originally Posted by ulav8r View Post
    Have a set of Texan 380 dies. First time I used them had about 305 empties. Deprimed them on a Texan C-frame press. Primed them using my RCBS bench primer. Used a Lee dipper that threw a 2.77 gr load, 27.7 grains of Unique for 10 throws. As I put powder in the case I set a Sierra blem bullet on the case and then seated with the press. After seating the first bullet, I stepped outside and fired it into the ground. The case extracted so I went in and loaded 2 more, went out and fired them. The first round extracted, the second chambered, fired and extracted with no issues. I then loaded enough rounds to fill the magazine and they all fed, fired, and extracted/ejected with no issues. I still have nearly 300 rounds that I expect to work in my Llama 380 with no issues.

    P.S. Sell him the Critical Defense loads, for $15 a round.
    Yup, that would go over good with the in-laws. Made my morning, though!
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  8. #28
    Boolit Grand Master
    rockrat's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    5,310
    Bought 1000 cases for just a little over 5 cents each, shipped. Nice and polished. Course, once I bought them, I found about 500 more I knew I had, but couldn't find in the shop(you see my shop, you would understand why!!)

    Once I get my 650 set up to load 380 it goes fairly well, except for some of the cases drop from the casefeeder upside down. Thats the only thing that slows me down. I load a 105gr truncated cone boolit sized to .357, now that I ran out of 95gr fmj I had bought years ago.

  9. #29
    Boolit Master


    gbrown's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    S.E. Texas
    Posts
    1,799
    I load on a Dillon SDB. I bought a Ruger LCP right after they were introduced. Didn't have the funds for a new set of dies, so figured out how to set and use the 9mm setup. Loaded just fine, just had to go slow. Mentioned it on here and got several responses as to my sanity and "You'll shoot your eye out!" Later on, got the dies at a LGS for a good price. If you think things out, go slow and careful, you can figure out how to do things.
    One of my father's favorite statements: "If I say a chicken dips snuff, look under his wing for the snuffbox" How I was raised, who I am.

  10. #30
    Boolit Master
    Join Date
    Mar 2016
    Location
    OKC , Oklahoma
    Posts
    3,384
    Quote Originally Posted by Larry Gibson View Post
    Personally I wouldn't give the HCD ammo to him. No doubt he'll just blast it away too and hit you up for more. Had that happen to me with relatives and "friends" too many times in the past. Suggest you load some for him and tell him to pick up and save the brass to reload again or there won't be anymore.


    I also used a .223 FL die to size my 380 cases and finish loaded with 9mm dies before i got 380 dies.
    As always all good advice . /\

  11. #31
    Boolit Buddy Mike Kerr's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2011
    Location
    Garland, Tx
    Posts
    398
    In reading the last two posts one from gbrown and one from onelight I can't help but chuckle at some of the "adjustments" we make to keep things moving along. Thanks for the verifications.
    regards,


  12. #32
    Boolit Bub
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Posts
    31
    Quote Originally Posted by txbirdman View Post
    I have found you can resize .380 brass with a .38 Spcl die and use a 9MM die to seat and crimp.
    ..or maybe a .38 Short Colt set would do it all..

  13. #33
    Boolit Mold
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Palmetto State
    Posts
    9
    Don't sell him the ammo!

    Instead, get him to buy a Lee hand press off Ebay, along with Lee powder dippers and whatever loading dies will fit his hand press. Last, a hand priming tool and then teach him to reload using a simple recipe that bulks the powder enuf to avoid double charges. The cases are a PITA due to size. If all are the same length and crimped lightly, it's a surprisingly accurate little round. Lyman 358345 (110 grains) and Lee 105 gr SWC work well - accurate and feed smoothly in my 3 guns. Work good on grouse (where legal) and rabbits, woodchucks (got to be good at slithering along to get in range) and such.

    All the best -Dave
    A strongly held opinion is not always the same as an accurate opinion

  14. #34
    Boolit Master Garyshome's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    South of the Mason Dixon line
    Posts
    2,164
    Go to Titan reloading and sign up for e mail notification for when they will be back in stock.

  15. #35
    Boolit Master

    Land Owner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Mims, FL
    Posts
    1,864
    Get BIL or friend to find and purchase 380 ACP dies for you (don't then care what was paid) in order for them to get SOME (not infinite) reloads as compensation.

    I have hands that will palm a basketball and find the 380 ACP quite satisfying to progressively load (take care in any manual boolit seating or you may "ouch" a finger). I regularly feed a pair of Walther PPK (1 blue; 1 stainless).
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

  16. #36
    Banned



    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    7,068
    The .380 just isn't an interesting enough thing to shoot for me to get worked up loading for it. I suppose if it was a chambering of a gun you like, it would be, I just never could get into tiny little pistols that are difficult to shoot.

  17. #37
    Boolit Master
    JoeJames's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Arkansas Delta
    Posts
    1,468
    Quote Originally Posted by richhodg66 View Post
    The .380 just isn't an interesting enough thing to shoot for me to get worked up loading for it. I suppose if it was a chambering of a gun you like, it would be, I just never could get into tiny little pistols that are difficult to shoot.
    That in a nutshell is why I was not set up to reload 380. Shoot, I even have the dies for 38 S&W because I thought I might get a Webley or a Victory model in 38S&W.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  18. #38
    Banned



    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Kansas
    Posts
    7,068
    I am set up to load for .380, and I will keep the stuff, especially now.

    I got a set up for .38 S&W because a good friend who's folks let me deer hunt their place was looking for ammo for a nice S&W snub his elderly father used to keep around for the occasional coon or skunk around the farm. I couldn't believe what specialty ammo cost and just told him not to buy any, I'd take care of it. I found brass and a set of dies for les than a 50 round box of ammo would have cost and loaded him 100 rounds which will last him the rest of his life at the rate he shoots it. I still have the dies and probably some brass, might never own a revolver in it, but it's the kind of thing I like, so glad I have the set up.

    I have a feeling if you have 9mm dies and a bullet mold for 9mm on the light side you can make workable ammo. A couple of months ago, someone asked on a facebook reloading page (obvious newb, but at least he could think, most can't) asked if he could load .45 ACP ammo on .45 Colt dies. Well, all the "experts" shriekd and screamed and told him he'd blow up hi gun and himself if he tried, yada, yada, yada. I hate that stuff, worst thing that could have happenned is his ammo wouldn't have chambered so nothing would happen except some time pulling bullets, but it made me mad enough that I tried, and you know what? It worked, at least with my dies in my gun. Only thing I changed was the shell holder. Dies were Lee carbide, had to crank the seating dies all the way to touch the shell holder to get the crimp shoulder to take enough bell out of the case mouth to let the rounds drop in my Wilson case gauge, but drop in they did and functioned in an AMT Hardballer. I only did five, and maybe those Lee dies over size brass, I don't know, but all those shrieking "experts" told me I'd blow myself up if I kept doing it. Not sure how any step of the process except charging cases could blow you up, but many seem to be convinced it will.

    Try the 9mm dies, there's no voo doo magic with this game. My first batch of .351 WSL I loaded with a .38 Super sizer and a .357 magnum seater and they functioned fine. Obviously, correct dies are better, and I now have a set, but an innovative thinker (which I generally am not) can make do with things more often than not.

  19. #39
    Boolit Master
    JoeJames's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2018
    Location
    Arkansas Delta
    Posts
    1,468
    Quote Originally Posted by richhodg66 View Post
    I am set up to load for .380, and I will keep the stuff, especially now.

    I got a set up for .38 S&W because a good friend who's folks let me deer hunt their place was looking for ammo for a nice S&W snub his elderly father used to keep around for the occasional coon or skunk around the farm. I couldn't believe what specialty ammo cost and just told him not to buy any, I'd take care of it. I found brass and a set of dies for les than a 50 round box of ammo would have cost and loaded him 100 rounds which will last him the rest of his life at the rate he shoots it. I still have the dies and probably some brass, might never own a revolver in it, but it's the kind of thing I like, so glad I have the set up.

    I have a feeling if you have 9mm dies and a bullet mold for 9mm on the light side you can make workable ammo. A couple of months ago, someone asked on a facebook reloading page (obvious newb, but at least he could think, most can't) asked if he could load .45 ACP ammo on .45 Colt dies. Well, all the "experts" shriekd and screamed and told him he'd blow up hi gun and himself if he tried, yada, yada, yada. I hate that stuff, worst thing that could have happenned is his ammo wouldn't have chambered so nothing would happen except some time pulling bullets, but it made me mad enough that I tried, and you know what? It worked, at least with my dies in my gun. Only thing I changed was the shell holder. Dies were Lee carbide, had to crank the seating dies all the way to touch the shell holder to get the crimp shoulder to take enough bell out of the case mouth to let the rounds drop in my Wilson case gauge, but drop in they did and functioned in an AMT Hardballer. I only did five, and maybe those Lee dies over size brass, I don't know, but all those shrieking "experts" told me I'd blow myself up if I kept doing it. Not sure how any step of the process except charging cases could blow you up, but many seem to be convinced it will.

    Try the 9mm dies, there's no voo doo magic with this game. My first batch of .351 WSL I loaded with a .38 Super sizer and a .357 magnum seater and they functioned fine. Obviously, correct dies are better, and I now have a set, but an innovative thinker (which I generally am not) can make do with things more often than not.
    Exactly. I noticed a few posts where on 38S&W they said you needed .360" boolits, but I also noticed a few that said 148 gr. .358" hollow base wadcutters would shoot quite accurately; so there you go.
    Britons shall never be slaves.

  20. #40
    Boolit Master

    Land Owner's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Mims, FL
    Posts
    1,864
    Quote Originally Posted by richhodg66 View Post
    The .380 just isn't an interesting enough thing to shoot for me to get worked up loading for it. I suppose if it was a chambering of a gun you like, it would be, I just never could get into tiny little pistols that are difficult to shoot.
    My first 380 ACP Walther PPK fell into my lap. The 2nd was a "can't walk away from that price" sale to me from a co-worker relocating to Kalifornia.

    The 380 ACP is an interesting, increasingly popular, easily concealable, controllable, and accurate firearm - IF YOU LIKE TO SHOOT IT.

    I could quote your post, interchangeably with any number of popular calibers I don't favor, but that would just be bashing calibers I don't own or shoot.
    If it was easy, anybody could do it.

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check