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Old October 29, 2011, 12:37 PM   #1
will99
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.380 acp stuck in barrel

I had two cast semi-wadcutters hang up in my pocket size .380. The load was 2.6 grains Titegroup behind a 100gr lubed bullet. That is not a minimum load either. This was after I had shot about 6 rounds. The seller of the rounds lists his diameter as .357 and assures me these are fine for the normally .356 barrel of the .380. I won't mention this internet seller but will say I measured about 2 doz. bullets for diameter and I get .355 - .356. Can you see why I'm confused?
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Old October 29, 2011, 12:45 PM   #2
Sevens
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I would say that those bullets are a thousandth larger than you want. But I'm not sold on the idea that it's the sole reason you stuck a bullet in the bore.

When using almost ANY powder throwing device to spit out TINY charges, it's asking a heckuva lot from the equipment to do it well.

Were you hand-weighing each charge? I think there's a decent chance that one of your "2.6 grain" powder charges dropped a light charge and that helped you to stick a bullet.

In .380, I get terrific performance from Berry's plated 100gr round nose. They also offer a hollow base bullet, but I've used the flat ones. NO DOUBT, these are more expensive than cast lead. But they work great for me, and in f-i-v-e different .380 pistols.
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Old October 29, 2011, 01:04 PM   #3
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The diameter is the least of your issues. Anything from .355 to .357 should be ok, if not necessarily ideal. Your gun will have it's own preference.
IMHO, you very likely have a powder measurement problem. Itty bitty powder charges can be a PITA to get consistant in a lot of measures.
FWIW, I reload cast 95 & 100 gr bullets in .380.
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Old October 29, 2011, 02:46 PM   #4
will99
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I used a Lee powder measure and checked probably 70% of my charges on the balance scale. After returning from the range I chose 2 bullets and broke them down and the charge was 2.6gr. My best guess is that 2.6 grains was too light. I have a bunch to break down and will go with 2.8gr to be sure. Thanks for the assurance that .357 is not too big. Hardness is 15 on those bullets.
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Old October 29, 2011, 03:16 PM   #5
overkill0084
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Honestly, I would've thought that 2.6 gr of nearly any suitable powder would at least get the bullet out of the barrel.
The ones that actually worked correctly, how did they perform?
If they just sort of lobbed out with no real velocity to speak of, then I would say that 2.6 is too light. If you experienced extreme differences in performance (Bang, BANG, pop) than it's likely charge variation, or perhaps ignition related.
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Old October 29, 2011, 04:21 PM   #6
FrankenMauser
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2.6 gr Titegroup should have been more than enough to get the bullet out of the barrel, especially the barrel in a pocket .380. There's something else going on here.

My guess would be one of the following:
1. You inadvertently loaded some squibs.
2. Your scale is off, and the charges were light.
3. Contaminated powder.
4. Contaminated primers.
5. The powder wasn't Titegroup.

In most .380s, a .356-.357" diameter projectile shouldn't be a problem.
Some brands are known for having rather generous tolerances (such as Taurus 9mm and .380 barrels as large as .359"), while other brands stay pretty close to the .3555-.3565" standard.


Quote:
Originally Posted by Sevens
In .380, I get terrific performance from Berry's plated 100gr round nose. They also offer a hollow base bullet, but I've used the flat ones. NO DOUBT, these are more expensive than cast lead. But they work great for me, and in f-i-v-e different .380 pistols.
The little .380 is a low volume cartridge for me, so spending just a little more on projectiles isn't a big deal. Like Sevens, I've been using Berry's bullets lately. However, I use the 100 gr Hollow Base RN, since I need something that will obturate and seal an oversize bore. Oddly enough, I found Blue Dot to be the powder of choice.
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