9mm vs. 380 brass

nova609 · February 5, 2013, 10:04 PM

I may have a problem but not sure....

I just bought 1000pcs of .380 brass (once fired, cleaned, resized). As I'm going through the box and checking case lengths, I am noticing quite a few 9mm cases mixed in. Now from what I read, the 9mm and .380 take the same diameter bullet, and from what I have noticed with the 20-30 9mm cases I have found, they are below the .380 max case lenght. Like they have been necked down or something.

Should I be concerned or just load them as I would the rest of the .380 cases since they fall into the parameters of the .380.

Or is there something about a 9mm piece of brass that should be of concern? I am still pretty "green" at this reloading and pride myself in being super super cautious. Thanks!

j357 · February 5, 2013, 10:19 PM

Set them to the side until you learn more about them, most likely they have been trimmed down to 9X18 Makarov. Do not load them for 380.

Texas Range Ammo · February 5, 2013, 11:40 PM

I would pitch them.

in your statement you did mix terms in the description<<<<< you mentioned that they may have been necked down, and then referred to case length,,,

If they were trimmed or cut down,, it would reduce length,,,

If they were "necked" down, they would have a smaller diameter.

anyway,,, it's not worth the potential problems to fiddle with them,,, and who knows why somebody would invest the time to alter 9mm cases to work in 380.

The case specs are pretty much identical other than case length.

When reloading, always remember, conservative is better. Why take the risk ? You spent good money on,,,,, the reloading equipment, your gun,,,, and you and your parts aren't replaceable conveniently !!

Good Reloading,,

keep shootin straight

dacaur · February 5, 2013, 11:58 PM

A .380 case does NOT have the same dimensions as a 9mm case trimed to the same length. Just that fact that they use different shell holders reloading tells me they are not interchangable. 9mm case head is .02" bigger, likley it wont even fit in the gun if you tried.....

cheezhed · February 6, 2013, 02:41 AM

Are they marked 9mm Kurz if so this is the same as .380. I picked up some brass marked like this it was some foreign brand.

chris in va · February 6, 2013, 02:55 AM

It's super easy to get a few 9mm mixed in. Just toss them.

Sevens · February 6, 2013, 04:25 AM

Quote:

Are they marked 9mm Kurz if so this is the same as .380. I picked up some brass marked like this it was some foreign brand.

I would venture a guess that THIS is what's going on here.

Is the brass stamped 9mm BR short?
That's what Sellier & Bellot stamps on their .380 Auto brass.

If that's the case... it's perfectly good.

nova609 · February 6, 2013, 09:23 AM

I apologize for the "necked" comment...I did mean trimmed.

I guess I will contact the seller and express my concern, especially if you guys are saying to pitch the 9mm cases, since after checking about 100 of em and I have come across about 20 9mm's...at this rate that's 20%, which I did not receive a 20% discount.

Jim Watson · February 6, 2013, 09:34 AM

Yes, that is a ripoff.

The 9mm P is larger diameter than .380 and pretty strongly tapered, You can't cut it down. (Although you can make 9mm Makarov that way.)

I get the occasional .380 mixed in with "once fired" 9mm or even my own range pickup. The 9mm sizing die does not even touch it and the press handle slams to the bottom with no resistance if I do not spot the difference when I pick up a .380.

mikld · February 6, 2013, 01:33 PM

Way back when, you could get 9mm Browning, 9mm Kutrz, 9mm Short, 9mm Corto and 9x17 relatively cheap an shoot them in your .380 ACP

I've still got a couple boxes of 9mm Corto...

nova609 · February 6, 2013, 02:43 PM

Well I guess I'll just throw em in the trash....I'm way to nervous about taking a chance on something, especially with only 6months of reloading under my belt....Heck I've probly thrown brass away that you guys would laugh at just because it looked funny....

5R milspec · February 6, 2013, 04:17 PM

NO NO not in th trash,make you a brass bucket,then when full take it to the scrap yard for money.

jib · February 6, 2013, 05:58 PM

Just put the other caliber brass aside and trade it later with other guys for more of the brass you want.

nova609 · February 6, 2013, 08:17 PM

Sevens...just got home and was able to check out the head stamps on the 9mm cases and you hit it on the head...they are stamped "9mm Br.C. S&B"..you the man!

Can anyone else confirm that it is ok to treat these as .380 when loading? (no offense sevens, just the OCD in me).

rfdillon · February 6, 2013, 08:41 PM

Yes, this is S&B .380 brass.

Sevens · February 7, 2013, 01:38 PM

No offense -- and getting second and third opinions is a GOOD habit to get in to, keep that in mind when you go searching for load data.

nova609 · February 7, 2013, 05:07 PM

I guess I'm left wondering, how come the S&B 9mm brass works with .380 and other 9mm brass doesn't?

dacaur · February 7, 2013, 09:04 PM

Quote:

I guess I'm left wondering, how come the S&B 9mm brass works with .380 and other 9mm brass doesn't?

Because its not 9mm LUGER brass, its 9 mm BRowning Court (9mm br.c), which is another name for .380 auto. Kinda like how you find some 9mm luger brass that says 9x19, its the same thing, just a different name.

ScottRiqui · February 7, 2013, 09:14 PM

Yep - dacaur is right. There's a lot of "9mm" ammo out there, and it's not all the same.

The most common is "9mm Luger", which is the same as "9x19mm" or "9mm parabellum"

Then there's "9 mm Makarov", also known as "9×18mm" or "9x18mm Soviet"

You're reloading .380 ACP, which is the same as ".380 Auto", "9mm Browning", "9mm Corto", "9mm Kurz", "9mm Short", and "9×17mm".

nova609 · February 7, 2013, 09:53 PM

Well once again the firing line comes through for me, you guys are awesome and your help is greatly appreciated by this beginner!!!!!!

Happy shooting!

February 5, 2013, 10:04 PM	#1
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	9mm vs. 380 brass I may have a problem but not sure.... I just bought 1000pcs of .380 brass (once fired, cleaned, resized). As I'm going through the box and checking case lengths, I am noticing quite a few 9mm cases mixed in. Now from what I read, the 9mm and .380 take the same diameter bullet, and from what I have noticed with the 20-30 9mm cases I have found, they are below the .380 max case lenght. Like they have been necked down or something. Should I be concerned or just load them as I would the rest of the .380 cases since they fall into the parameters of the .380. Or is there something about a 9mm piece of brass that should be of concern? I am still pretty "green" at this reloading and pride myself in being super super cautious. Thanks!

February 5, 2013, 11:40 PM	#3
Texas Range Ammo Member Join Date: January 23, 2013 Location: North Central Texas Posts: 18	weird brass I would pitch them. in your statement you did mix terms in the description<<<<< you mentioned that they may have been necked down, and then referred to case length,,, If they were trimmed or cut down,, it would reduce length,,, If they were "necked" down, they would have a smaller diameter. anyway,,, it's not worth the potential problems to fiddle with them,,, and who knows why somebody would invest the time to alter 9mm cases to work in 380. The case specs are pretty much identical other than case length. When reloading, always remember, conservative is better. Why take the risk ? You spent good money on,,,,, the reloading equipment, your gun,,,, and you and your parts aren't replaceable conveniently !! Good Reloading,, keep shootin straight

February 6, 2013, 01:33 PM	#10
mikld Senior Member Join Date: February 7, 2009 Location: Southern Oregon! Posts: 2,891	Way back when, you could get 9mm Browning, 9mm Kutrz, 9mm Short, 9mm Corto and 9x17 relatively cheap an shoot them in your .380 ACP I've still got a couple boxes of 9mm Corto... __________________ My Anchor is holding fast! I've learned how to stand on my own two knees...

February 6, 2013, 04:17 PM	#12
5R milspec Senior Member Join Date: December 11, 2009 Location: South Carolina Posts: 360	NO NO not in th trash,make you a brass bucket,then when full take it to the scrap yard for money. __________________ life is great but its better when you can own as many guns you wish to own.for me I haven't bought enough yet.

February 7, 2013, 01:38 PM	#16
Sevens Senior Member Join Date: July 28, 2007 Location: Ohio Posts: 11,756	No offense -- and getting second and third opinions is a GOOD habit to get in to, keep that in mind when you go searching for load data. __________________ *Attention Brass rats and other reloaders:* I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.

February 5, 2013, 10:19 PM	#2
j357 Senior Member Join Date: January 25, 2009 Location: Liberty Twp, OH Posts: 283	Set them to the side until you learn more about them, most likely they have been trimmed down to 9X18 Makarov. Do not load them for 380.

February 5, 2013, 11:58 PM	#4
dacaur Senior Member Join Date: March 16, 2010 Posts: 733	A .380 case does NOT have the same dimensions as a 9mm case trimed to the same length. Just that fact that they use different shell holders reloading tells me they are not interchangable. 9mm case head is .02" bigger, likley it wont even fit in the gun if you tried.....

February 6, 2013, 02:41 AM	#5
cheezhed Senior Member Join Date: November 28, 2007 Posts: 302	Are they marked 9mm Kurz if so this is the same as .380. I picked up some brass marked like this it was some foreign brand.

February 6, 2013, 02:55 AM	#6
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	It's super easy to get a few 9mm mixed in. Just toss them.

February 6, 2013, 09:23 AM	#8
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	I apologize for the "necked" comment...I did mean trimmed. I guess I will contact the seller and express my concern, especially if you guys are saying to pitch the 9mm cases, since after checking about 100 of em and I have come across about 20 9mm's...at this rate that's 20%, which I did not receive a 20% discount.

February 6, 2013, 09:34 AM	#9
Jim Watson Senior Member Join Date: October 25, 2001 Location: Alabama Posts: 18,535	Yes, that is a ripoff. The 9mm P is larger diameter than .380 and pretty strongly tapered, You can't cut it down. (Although you can make 9mm Makarov that way.) I get the occasional .380 mixed in with "once fired" 9mm or even my own range pickup. The 9mm sizing die does not even touch it and the press handle slams to the bottom with no resistance if I do not spot the difference when I pick up a .380.

February 6, 2013, 02:43 PM	#11
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	Well I guess I'll just throw em in the trash....I'm way to nervous about taking a chance on something, especially with only 6months of reloading under my belt....Heck I've probly thrown brass away that you guys would laugh at just because it looked funny....

February 6, 2013, 05:58 PM	#13
jib Member Join Date: May 31, 2012 Location: Seattle-ish Posts: 59	Just put the other caliber brass aside and trade it later with other guys for more of the brass you want.

February 6, 2013, 08:17 PM	#14
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	Sevens...just got home and was able to check out the head stamps on the 9mm cases and you hit it on the head...they are stamped "9mm Br.C. S&B"..you the man! Can anyone else confirm that it is ok to treat these as .380 when loading? (no offense sevens, just the OCD in me).

February 6, 2013, 08:41 PM	#15
rfdillon Member Join Date: April 8, 2007 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 60	Yes, this is S&B .380 brass.

February 7, 2013, 05:07 PM	#17
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	I guess I'm left wondering, how come the S&B 9mm brass works with .380 and other 9mm brass doesn't?

February 7, 2013, 09:14 PM	#19
ScottRiqui Senior Member Join Date: January 27, 2010 Location: Norfolk, VA Posts: 2,905	Yep - dacaur is right. There's a lot of "9mm" ammo out there, and it's not all the same. The most common is "9mm Luger", which is the same as "9x19mm" or "9mm parabellum" Then there's "9 mm Makarov", also known as "9×18mm" or "9x18mm Soviet" You're reloading .380 ACP, which is the same as ".380 Auto", "9mm Browning", "9mm Corto", "9mm Kurz", "9mm Short", and "9×17mm".

February 7, 2013, 09:53 PM	#20
nova609 Member Join Date: November 15, 2009 Posts: 22	Well once again the firing line comes through for me, you guys are awesome and your help is greatly appreciated by this beginner!!!!!! Happy shooting!