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View Full Version : 100 gr. wadcutters in a .380



sewerman68
05-14-2012, 08:00 PM
I was looking at my Bersa one day not long ago and noticed that it did not have much of a feed ramp. A round loaded in the magazine is almost dead even with the chamber. This got me to thinking that it might feed wadcutters. I ordered a few from Happy 7 at matts bullets and proceeded to load some up. It works surprisingly well I am pleased to say.

I started off with 2.1 gr of solo 1000. Very accurate but failed to cycle the action twice in 2 magazines. worked up to 2.5, no signs of flat primers or any thing to indicate high pressure, Seems rather sedate actually.

Oal, started off at .860 but got better function at .850. Sized at .356.

also worked up loads using 231 and silhouette. 231 worked very well at 3.2 gr accuracy and function wise.

Silhouette worked ok but was the least accurate. all of these rounds would penetrate 14 inches of wet phone book and cuts a nice wad doing it. I have had no failure to feeds or eject , except with my first loads and have burned up about 120 rounds on this experiment so far. Pictures will follow when my wife gets home.

rintinglen
05-14-2012, 11:22 PM
Veddy Interesting. How does the point of aim very from the point of impact?

thegreatdane
05-15-2012, 12:12 AM
Doing the same over here with my keltec and sig

sewerman68
05-15-2012, 04:50 PM
Rintinglen, shoots right where I point it.

BLTsandwedge
05-15-2012, 05:50 PM
I've a Mountain Moulds 3- holer that drops a button nose wadcutter at about .361 and around 101g with range scrap. Cycles very well in a Makarov chambered in .380. Sized to .358 and lubed with something akin to 45/45/10, it is impressively accurate. I've been using Accurate #2 and found that the values in Lee's second-newest (red cover) manual were too hot- 3.2g- especially for the unsupported chamber. I've since cut that back on the load but haven't done any velocity/SD work to share.