380 shot shell

[jmorris]

380 shot shells.

First step is to turn the .223 case back and I built a little fixture to trim them to .980"



Once locked into the fixture I rough cut them long then hit it on a disk sander that gets it to .980"


I used Winchester SPP to ignite the N310 under a cardboard wad with 60 grains of #12 shot (about 250 pellets), then a plastic overshot card crimped in place using an old RCBS 45 ACP round nose seat die.



Not the best pattern in the world but not too bad with the small payload.




Even cycles the pistol, here is a video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAIcV5CR7eM

 

[LiveLife]

Nice!

 

[the Black Spot]

Thats cool!

 

[Rule3]

Always thinking!

 

[cfullgraf]

I'm impressed.

I made some 380 ACP shot shells once cutting down some RCBS shot shell capsules. Worked ok but patterns were not as nice as jmorris' shot shells.

Using a seater plug for crimping is a great idea. I'll have to file that in my memory.

 

[jmorris]

Had an idea the other day and had a few min to see how it would work.

I took a spare Lee powder through die I had and removed the flare portion from the inside and replaced it with an insert I machined to swage the 380 case down like my 45 ACP die does.



Much faster and the crimp looks a bit better.

 

[Patocazador]

What case did you start with that was that much longer? 9mm Largo? 9mm Steyr?

 

[jmorris]

.223, top of first post.

 

[ReloaderFred]

I really like what you've done to make a .380 shotshell. You sure do have a fertile mind, John...

Many years ago, I did something similar for .41 Magnum shotshells, cutting down a .303 British case and reducing the neck to fit in the cylinders. It worked pretty well. I also made some for the .41 by cutting down .30-30 cases, but I had to fireform them with cornmeal loads to blow them out before filling with powder and shot.

Fred

 

[jmorris]

Thanks Fred, if you want some formed brass and #12 shot to play with, I still owe you for your swaged bullets you sent me a few years ago.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

What die did you use to neck down the case and how did it work compared to the machined neck?

 

[jmorris]

I used a Lee 9mm powder through die body with an insert I machined that replaces the original.

Works that same as the die I machined to turn 308 family brass I to 45 ACP shot shells but was a lot less work to make.



If only there were a source for tiny wads like how the .410 wads work for 45...

 

[ReloaderFred]

John,

You could use gas checks for the over powder wad and some thin plastic tubing cut to length to keep the shot off the rifling. I can send you some aluminum, or copper, gas checks to try out, if you want. I've seen thin plastic tubes that should be about the right size, but I can't remember where I saw them, or what they were used for.

Another thought is to ask your pharmacist about pill capsules. They may have some empty ones that might work. Since you probably have a vet for all your pet cattle, you might also ask him/her about pill capsules. Just thinking off the top of my head here.....

Hope this helps.

Fred

PS: I just might take you up on your offer. I'll PM you.

 

[Walkalong]

For .44 Spl shot shells I cut thin plastic discs to put over the powder and to put over the shot to crimp over. It worked well. Use a case the right diameter and chamfer it until sharp. Plastic bottle caps work for cutting discs from, but any sheet of thin plastic would work.

 

[jmorris]

I'll look around and see if I can't come up with something that will act like a decent wad.

Right now I am just using a cardboard under shot disk and a planting over shot.

At first I just used disks punched from an old hull.



I switched to clear plastic when I played with different shot sizes.

 

[Jesse Heywood]

Would it be feasible to punch a long enough carrier from an aluminum can? I don't know if you can develop enough pressure without an arbor press.

 

[jmorris]

I was asked if I could post a photo of a fired case.

The one on the right is fired, the center is loaded, ready for crimp and the left one is finished.



The forming die is just a piece of metal that fits inside a Lee powder through expander die I had. Remove the factory insert (right) and machine another insert with a .346" ID and a decent chamfer then polish (left). The washers eliminate the slop (between the cap and insert) that the short insert had once dropped into the die.



Neck OD's on a formed case is .348" OD and they are .351" after being fired.

I also shortened the length fixture so the cases have a .925" trim length so the fit/function in every .380 I have (room in magazine was an issue on one of them).

 

[Buck13]

That's cool!

What are they for? Just "because I can," or do you have a grudge against the local sparrows?

 

[jmorris]

"Bad" snakes, I have better methods but a 9.4oz .380 is much more likely to be at hand during summer months. I doubt they would be much use on anything except maybe a ballon beyond 15ft.

 

[Shootshellz]

How far away from the muzzle were your pattern plates?

 

[jmorris]

3 yds, it might be worth noting that the "hotter" the load the worse the pattern. I am using the lowest charge weight that will cycle/feed in all of my 380's that I might use them in.

 

[Walkalong]

"Bad" snakes

The same thing I came up with rat shot loads for a .44 Spl years ago. I had a .22 Mag I carried for snakes loaded with rat shot and one day when we bumped into a moccasin in a creek, the .22 Mag discouraged it and it left the area, but that performance didn't sit well, so I traded for a Charter Arms Bulldog and made some shells for it. The performance on snakes a close range was terminal.

 

[jmorris]

I never had much luck with the .22mag shot shells.

I use the Speer capsules for 38/357 and 45lc though, the 45 LC capsules will hold over 750 #12 shot.

The best pattern out of any of them for me so far is the 45 ACP loads using a .410 wad, much tighter pattern at 3 yds.

Maybe someday I'll get around to trying the long versions a fellow reloader came up with, in one of my 625's. I imagine with the .410 wads they would give the old TC "hotshot" rounds a run for their money.

 

[Walkalong]

I tried some necked down brass that used the whole cylinder and the trouble is if the pressure gets up there it backs out and ties up the revolver, so that limits us as well.

 

[jmorris]

What is backing out?