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Old May 18, 2009, 09:51 AM   #1
bignz
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Join Date: February 17, 2009
Location: North Texas
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Reloading 380 ACP - Bullet Question

My dies are finally in (backordered forever) and I am going to begin reloading for 380.

I have a good selection of bullets to try and one is a bit different from the rest. Winchester makes a FMJ bullet that is .356 in diameter while all the rest (that I have) are .355. I can't imagine a company like Win making a dangerous mistake, and I assume they use it in their factory loads (but I don't have any on hand to measure).

Does anyone have any experience loading the Win 95g FMJ for 380?
Has anyone had to make a similar decision with a different caliber?

I don't like pulling the trigger on loads I'm not 100% with - that's what friends are for .
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Old May 18, 2009, 11:14 AM   #2
L'derry
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I had the same question when I began to reload .380s. I found that different bullet mfrs have different dia.s - either .355" or .356" dia. If you do a search on the bullet brands as well as lead bullet mfrs, you see the variations.

I posted this question on another site and the replies were that it won't matter. Now, I've been reloading Berry's plated 100gr. .380s at .356" dia. and they shoot fine in my Bersa.
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Old May 18, 2009, 11:43 AM   #3
zxcvbob
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I've been loading 95 grain hard cast bullets in .380, using Unique powder (it's a top performer in .380) I'm pretty sure they are .356 diameter. I recently bought a bag of Remington 102 grain Golden Something hollow-points but I haven't tried them yet. I don't know or care what the exact diameter is as long as they are not too tight to chamber properly.

.001" difference in bullet diameter is not likely to make any difference at all; perhaps a slight difference in accuracy if the bullets are not consistent, but that's it.
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