Anyone Currently Reloading .380?

[nammac]

.380's can be large (top) or small (bottom)



Can shoot lead


Or ball


That's about it for my Dr. Suess skills...

 

[Pops1911]

Great input everyone. It is now less than a week and we will have all the keys to the new place ... and the Dillon. Whoo Hoo!

 

[HighlandLofts]

I am always on ebay looking for a good deal.on Rcbs dies. I have dies for calibers I donxt have and probably never will have. I grt them all set up just incase friends have a caliber they might want to load for and don't have reloading equipment.

I also buy used brass for calibers I don't have as well just incase they cause another fake shortage. 380 being one of the calibers I don't shoot.
Your new home sounds like a nice deal. Can you shoot out in your yard?

 

[RVTECH]

I only reloaded .380 for a short period in my life when I acquired a Bersa Mod 83 several years ago.
The Bersa 83 is a fantastic gun - fit and finish of the early Bersa's is incredible and the action is glass smooth. I still have the baby brother of the mod 83 - a Mod 944 .22 which is equal in quality.
However for all the quality this Bersa was incredibly inaccurate. I could not hit a paper plate at 15 yards. I tested it with a friend who (while normally a great shot) got similar results.
I do not waste my time with a gun that will not shoot 'reasonably' accurately and sold it shortly thereafter.
Back to reloading .380 - I am glad I do NOT have the Bersa anymore - reloading .380 was the smallest round I ever reloaded and decided I would never own a .380 again due to the difficulty of handling the brass - I draw the line at 9mm with size of ammo I will reload.

 

[Pops1911]

That's a really good question HighlandLofts. I have been told by the folks who sold us the property that they shot in the back yard with no issues. I would like to build a short pistol range in the back yard area. However, I am going to speak with the local authorities and nearby neighbors first about my plan. I don't want to be on the receiving end of any legal problems. The house is in the county outside of any city limits. In a lot of this county shooting is mostly unrestricted - within reason I am supposing. I'm taking the cautious approach for now. Good on ya for looking out for others and their reloading needs too.

 

[DunRanull]

Personally I don't have a .380, and use a 9X18 Mak Russian for .380 niche. That said, if I did have a .380 and all the fixin's dropped in my lap, I would reload for it- some of the .380 loads are pretty warm and would do the trick as well as a 9mmP...
I hope that you never have to find out what works..

 

[Pops1911]

Yep, me too DunRanull, me too.

 

[RVTECH]

I kinda wish the BERSA 83 I mentioned WAS accurate - it was a cool little gun and I had a great shoulder holster for it with a couple extra mags.
I did well on the sale however - even after letting the buyer run a couple mags through it to be sure before he bought it - so I have no regrets.

 

[Pops1911]

My experience with the Bersa line is similiar to yours. Some are really cuties but they won't reliably do their one job ... put a hole in a target and repeat same without fail.

 

[HighlandLofts]

My second son lives out of town, the properties were broken down to five acre lots on the one side of the road. His neighbor shoot so everythi g is good for him.
Behind these properties is all wooded and rises uphill so your projecties have a good backstop .
My sone cut some white pine trees down and cut the wood into two foot or so blocks. He did two stacks one right behind the other for a back stop to catch the projectiles so they donxt end up in the trees.



He has one set up at fifty yards and one set up at a hundred yards.

 

[HighlandLofts]

So what seams to be a good 380 at a reasonable price?

 

[Pops1911]

Nice! I got lots of trees on the property. I have an acquaintance who has a small dirt moving business. Thought about having him out to scrape up a dirt berm as a backstop. I could stack cut wood in front of the berm. Might be the best of both worlds!

 

[Pops1911]

So what seams to be a good 380 at a reasonable price?

Kahr, Ruger and KelTec all make nice 380s and the price is [in some cases] well south of $300.

 

[nammac]

So what seams to be a good 380 at a reasonable price?

First need to define reasonable price....

New - I found a good deal on a Springfield 911 Alpha - 300.00

I'd say is cost is a consideration, used Beretta 84's, either single or double stack configuration - but they could be pricey...

Browning BDA's in .380 - made by Beretta - also kinda pricey

Astra Constable II is a good deal usually under $400, had one of those, it ran great...

Really depends on what your looking for. Remember metal framed .380 will absorb more recoil than their polymer cousins...