shooting buckshot it a .380

[redhawk44]

Today I got to tinkering around with 000 buckshot in a .380 LCP pistol. I loaded 4.5 gr.s of Longshot under a 000 Buckshot, which weighs 70 grains. and went to the range. Well it worked just fine, but just barely functioned the action, so I loaded some more with 5 Grs. of Longshot and they functioned the action just fine and the chronograph said just a tad over 1000 fps. Accuracy at 25 feet was 5 shots in 6". Now I know the twist rate in a .380 barrel is too fast for a round ball, being 1:10 or something like that. I found a formula that, when applied to a .355 RB showed a twist rate of about 1:55. Getting a special barrel made is cost prohibitive, but I am wondering if maybe accuracy would be better from a smooth bore. Now I can buy an LCP barrel on Ebay for $65 and a reamer from Mcmaster/Carr for about $35 which I just might do. Do any of you guys here have experience with accuracy from a smooth bore barrel when shooting round balls?

[StuBach]

That would be highly illegal without proper permitting/licensing and considered a sawed off shotgun from what I understand (at least in the US).

Quick Google search found this: “ A smoothbore cartridge handgun is considered a short-barreled shotgun under NFA34, if the barrel is less then 18″ long. If it is shorter, then it's classified as a Class 3* weapon, and requires an extensive procedure to purchase. It's illegal to own without jumping through these hoops, but in no way a banned weapon.”

[megasupermagnum]

I personally would just try different loads. It might even be poor quality shot, if you took them from a shotgun shell or something. I would definitely make sure they measure a full .360".

[Wayne Smith]

I have found buckshot to be highly inconsistent in size. I use them in my 32S&W but run them through a sizer first. Now they are at least consistent in size if not weight.

[bedbugbilly]

Interesting.

I agree with Wayne - I used to buy buckshot to use for round ball muzzleloading in a rifle I had. For my purpose, it worked fine but ut was soft lead and inconsistent in size. Cast buckshot? Perhaps more consistent in size? Don't know as I have never cast it.

In making up gallery loads in other cartridges, I had better luck with taking a bit larger cast ball and run it through a size - just as Wayne refers to. That gives a uniform diameter on the center line circumference and helps greatly with uniform neck tension. In a cap and ball revolver you are essentially doing the same thing when you seat the round ball in the cylinder throat and they shoot accurately - so in a .380. with a load work up, I would think you could work up a load that would work.

I am just getting "comfortable" in reloading for a couple of 380s I picked up - put off the 380 for way too many years- so I am just wondering - would a slower powder work any better with your buckshot load to sloe the FPS down or would it be a trade off in regards to still being able to cycle correctly?

Redhawk - let us know how your efforts go - an interesting project!

[redhawk44]

I got the 000 Buck from Ballistic products and it does measure .360 , but as been said above, it is not exactly round. Another option might be to have it rifled to 1 turn in 300 feet, which is essentially straight, but would still qualify as rifling. But if I were going to do that, I would just have it rifled to 1:55 or something that is compatible to round ball accuracy. Then on the other hand it would still be in an LCP which is not exactly a target gun. I got started down this road when I just seated one in a 380 cast to see if it would feed properly and was somewhat surprised to find that it did.

In a revolver, I think that when the shot leaves the chamber and enters the throat of the cylinder, it will be sized at that point.
I used to load 2 000 Buckshot in a .38 Special as a household defense gun for urban dwellers. My thinking at the time was that it would be effective while offering a small margin of safety to the people across the street. Out of a 6" model 14 Smith, 5 grs. of unique and the case crimped at the center of the top ball yielded 903 fps. At 10 ft. both when through the same hole, at 20 ft. there were 2 holes touching each other, and at 30 ft. the holes were about 1 inch apart. Just one of those little side tracks that have more use as entertainment, than utility.

[badbob454]

''Accuracy at 25 feet was 5 shots in 6"//'' I didn't think the short barrel was any better than that... at 25 feet. with regular ammo ,perhaps if you don't clean out the barrel it will make all the groves fill in and you will have a smooth bore , ha ha .any way sounds like a fun project

[redhawk44]

I think if a smooth bore barrel is mounted on a gun that has never had a shoulder stock attached, it would not be considered a short barrel shotgun. Isn't that how Mossberg and others are able to sell their pump guns with a pistol grip and a 12" barrel?

[35remington]

Given that a cast load with a more conventional heavier bullet can be so loaded to cycle the gun at a milder velocity with much better accuracy with lower than factory ammo recoil, I would classify the whole project as an unnecessary waste of time and money compared to a more viable alternative. Even if it wasn’t illegal.

That is what I do with my two LCPs.

[MostlyLeverGuns]

A soft round ball has a very short amount of bullet engaged in the rifling, the short rifling of soft lead strips and loses accuracy. A hardened lead ball would probably work fine, or sizing a larger lead ball to increase amount of bullet/ball engaged by rifling. A round ball does not need much rifling twist to stabilize and the slow twist does not foul as fast as the faster twist, especially when using black powder. Probably why early rifles had slow twist, also probably easier to rifle by hand. Those bags of buckshot do like an easy way to get a lot of bullets. I have a few in different sizes in the shop for the same purpose.

[redhawk44]

Given that a cast load with a more conventional heavier bullet can be so loaded to cycle the gun at a milder velocity with much better accuracy with lower than factory ammo recoil, I would classify the whole project as an unnecessary waste of time and money compared to a more viable alternative. Even if it wasn’t illegal.

That is what I do with my two LCPs.

Oh, I agree that it is an essentially useless project, but to me, life is all about discovery. I have a LCP barrel coming from Ebay for $54 and I already have a .3585" reamer left over from the time that I reamed the throats in a .38 Special cylinder, to better accommodate cast bullets, so to me at least, the entertainment value justifies the expense. I have no illusions about the utility of this load other than it's entertainment value.