Does anyone have experience hand loading the 380 auto with lead bullets?

I am shooting a Colt Mustang.

Thanks.

Andy

Anything from 95 to 100 grains, using 4.4 grains of AA #5, shoots wonderfully out of the two Baikal (Russian Makarov) .380s I have... The biggest trick will be to make sure the projectiles are sized correctly. There is a lot of "slop" in some of the foreign made 380s, but your Colt should be fine with .356" diameter projectiles.

Thanks for prompt reply.

Can you recommend a specific flat nose or SWC that feeds in your pistol?

My pistol is quite accurate with the Speer 90 grain Gold Dot.

I dont know if the Colt barrels are lead friendly or not.

Andy

I cast the Hensley and Gibbs S55 but that mould is only available now from Ballisticast, and it is VERY expensive. Try the Lyman 358242 if you can find one. It is a round nose...

Go get a Ranch Dog mold. Its a six cavity that just pours out bullets. Just google Ranch Dog for his website.

go to www.castbullets.com and look for Swede Nelson, dba NOE. I have purchased eleven of his moulds in the last twelve months, and have three or four more on order. They all make nice round bullets, and can be had 2-5 cavity standard , as well as some of the more popular in 6-10 cavity.

Rich

Being the bullet is stubby and short you obviously now that you must insure you seat your bullets in the case straight and not cocked.

With that said LEE makes a wide variety of bullet designs for the 380 and they make them in six cavity molds too. I suggest getting one of their molds because you'll get it faster and more then likely cheaper and the bullets made from them shoot very well.

I need HELP to seat my bullets "straight and cocked"...or is that another NE Tennesssee thing like gain twist air. Idabull

quote:

Originally posted by idabull:
I need HELP to seat my bullets "straight and cocked"...or is that another NE Tennesssee thing like gain twist air. Idabull

How's your chemo going Bill??? Must be doing okay to still get on the internet.

In my Ruger 380 LCP I load a 95 grain RN, .356" cast bullet from Missouri Bullet Co. over 2.5 grains of Green Dot in mixed head stamp brass with WSP primers. Velocity is 715 fps. This is a load I use for practice.

For carry I load a 90 grain Hornady XTP over 3.3 grains of Green Dot. Velocity is 875 fps.