Do I have any options for 380 revolver ammo?

svt-40

svt-40

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The one I am talking about is supposed to shoot 38 colt shorts.
Apart from that, is it possible, for example, to solder rim to a 9mm luger and use them? I tried soldering brass and it is quite easy and sturdy. I have tons of luger brass which is very tempting...
 
isnt the 380 revolver cartridge just a shorter version of a 38 spl cartridge?,
do you mean like the ammo needed for a ww2 webley or enfield revolver.
if im correct just trim down a 38 spl to needed size, yes?
if im wrong excuse my reply.
 
As stated above, brass is not a problem. Bullets are another issue though. The 38 Short Colt bullet is .357 diam., which is bad enough. For 380 revolver you need an inside lubed (stepped as with 22 r.f.) .375 bullet which is worse. Molds are available for a price, but of course your trimmed brass will be much thicker at the neck than factory stuff. There may be a problem seating the bullets without the result looking like an ostrich that just swallowed a watermellon.
The easiest solution may be allowing that nice thick case to size a 375-380 round ball forced in to about 1/2 diameter on top of a charge of b.p. or eqivalent.
 
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I had a Francotte copy of a Webley RIC that I sold a while back. It was 380 revolver.
Fiocchi 38 S&W worked perfectly in it. One note though, it is a hotter load than actual 380 revolver ammo(had a few boxes of that too).
A 38 S&W is a hair longer than the 380 revolver, and some fit a bit more snug than others in the cylinder, but it did function perfect. Depending on the age/condition of the revolver you may want to pull the bullets and reload to produce a lighter round.
Fiocchi (in Italy) still makes 380 revolver ammo. However, getting it would be a pain.

Picture1224 005
 
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As I am totally new to the revolvers, it it not entirely clear how long does ammo need to be. I do not have reliable information of how long original 380 ammo was and how different it is from 38SW, 38CS or 38spcl...
Is reloading equipment available that can seat a bullet like in 38 colt shorts?
 
38 short Colt ammo will function in a revolver chambered for 380 revolver. 38 short colt bullets are .357 diameter, 380 revolver bullets are .375 diam. Therefore if you use the 357 bullets they will not engage the rifling. It's like shooting a smooth bore.
 
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A thought happened to me: why can't we make a clamp, that will hold a loaded 38 CS cartridge by the groove, and then impress a tapered needle into the top of the bullet, thus making it hollowpoint and expanding it at the same time? This way we are re-using the lube groove and keeping the cartridge in ship-shape, still allowing a bullet to bite into the rifling?
Kind of like the picture:
swaging.gif
 
For making hollow point bullets with a press, the projectiles should not be in the case.

I have used a different type of hollow point tool that worked quite well...little watch screwdrivers sharpened with a dremel to act like a shallow angle concrete point drill...then simply do the hole yourself without the bullet having to be crimped.

:D

In truth it is better to simply cast the bullet with a hollow point and then reload it normally...
 
I am not suggesting drilling! The making of hollowpoint is not a purpose here - it is the expansion of the bullets I am after. .357 expanded to .375 or almost that.
 
380 colt

I have owned a 380 iused 38 special brass trimmed to length and a bullet mould from NEI 375 heeled bullet the heel of the fits fairly snug into the case but you need special tool to crimp I glood mine in with nail polish
 
I have made heeled bullets by swaging the heel onto the slug. Without access to a lathe it would be an awful lots easier and just as cheap to have custom mold made to create the bullet shape and dimensions you want.
I will go back one step however and repeat what I said about the .442 Webley; take chamber casts of the cylinder, preferrably more than one chamber to allow for variation. Also slug the bore. It is common to find that dimensions vary from the published numbers
It is not terribly difficult for example to modify a second hand Lee mold (on a metal lathe) to create a custom bullet. You can drill from the opposite side and drive the pins out that secure the mold to the handles then remove the sprue plate and bore it accordingly.
A copy of Cartridges of the World is essential to finding something that is close to the dimensions of case you are looking for.
thinking back to your comment about soldering a rim on a 9mm shell; that would probably anneal the base and your primer pocket would become loose within a few shots. You could however possibly use one of the heavier loktites instead possibly 620 if my memory is correct. You would be far better however to find a rimmed shell and work from there.

cheers mooncoon
 
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In his book on cartridge conversions, Donnelly recommends a shortened .38 Special case with a heeled bullet. In the absence of a heeled bullet, you could try a hollow based wadcutter, and see if it will expand enough to take the rifling. I wonder if Lee would make one of their factory crimp dies to crimp a heeled bullet into place. Or could an existing Lee die be altered?
Mooncoon suggests a swaging die to make heels. It might be possible to expand the front of a bullet, but I suspect that it would be necessary to use a die.
 
Wow, never thought this old thread would get resurrected.
My 380 is all set, with a custom Lee mold that produces heeled 120 gr SWC bullets and 1000 38spcl once shot cases that I shorten and machine the rim to fit the cylinder.
 
Took her to the range just to see if she will explode in my hands or send the bullets downrange. She felt like a kitten with 3gr of Unique behind a 120gr SWC bullet, and incredibly accurate. It felt like the load was too small, rather like a 22 cal than 9.5mm: not bang-bang-bang, but pop-pop-pop. It's a breeze to shoot and handle.
 
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