Firing .380 in a 9mm autoloader- Oops!

[Rusty Barrels]

Hey my friends! I'm new to shooting and new to this site. No, I don't really have rusty barrels since I haven't had my guns long enough for them to get that way.

My question for you today involves the possible harm that might come from firing .380 cal through a 9mm gun (specifically a Beretta 9000s). I did just that the other day because I had some .380 lying around and I had heard you could fire it in a 9mm and I wanted to see how it would feel. Well! I only fired 10 rounds and none of them were powerful enough to cycle the gun. Some of the casings got stuck in the slide and some of them stayed in the chamber. In no case did the slide actually generate enough force to cock the hammer. I casually mentioned this foolish experience to my brother in an e-mail and he got a little freaked out. He is of the opinion that I now have to bring the gun to a gunsmith and he made it clear that he won't be in my vicinity when I shoot this gun until that is done. After firing the .380 I went on to fire about 70 rounds of 9mm without any problems at all (in fact, it was rather enjoyable) so it seems there was no catastrophic damage. Do you guys think I have a problem that requires a gunsmith (as in, my bro was right) or do you think I just have a problem with common sense and I should just stick to the proper ammunition (as in, I'm just a goddam idiot)?

 

[Pilgrim]

..... Do you guys think I have a problem that requires a gunsmith (as in, my bro was right) or do you think I just have a problem with common sense and I should just stick to the proper ammunition (as in, I'm just a goddam idiot)?

Nope, yup

 

[Fooped]

Also,

Being how .380 is a smidge smaller than 9mm Para, it's a spendid way to potentially ruin your barrel as well, given that the bullet will not "seat" properly on it's way down the barrel.

Stick to what the gun is chambered for.

 

[LORD of WAR]

this threads a joke right?

if not im gonna go take some 357 magnums to the range tonight and feed em to my .38 airweight...ill post a range report when i leave the hospital

 

[Rusty Barrels]

Being how .380 is a smidge smaller than 9mm Para, it's a spendid way to potentially ruin your barrel as well, given that the bullet will not "seat" properly on it's way down the barrel.

According to Wikipedia the diameter of both is .355 inches. Am I not getting something in that regard? When you say "seat" do you mean the way it spins with the rifling? Thanks for the reply, Fooped, but if you're gonna tell me my barrel may be damaged then you oughtta back it up with some info, my man!

 

[WVBob]

The .380 and 9mm are the same size bullet. .354 to .356, .355 being the norm. I don't know how you got the round to seat in the chamber because they space on the head. It should not harm the gun.

Now, remove head from butt and don't do that again.

 

[TonyD]

Do you guys think I have a problem that requires a gunsmith (as in, my bro was right) or do you think I just have a problem with common sense and I should just stick to the proper ammunition (as in, I'm just a goddam idiot)?

Nope, yep.

 

[EZEKIEL 25:17]

Wikipedia said so, well then by all means keep loading the .380 sounds like fun. The mere fact that you have quoted Wikipedia as a definitive source of reliable information has either really enhanced this thread if this is a joke hats off to you. If this is not a joke thread, you should probalby check out the follwing:

shortbus.com/Ineedahelmetanddroolsmock/propRgunhandling/compairblreloads.html

or

www.us.gov/departmentofregistration/applicationforgoldfishIQstatus.pdf

 

[Rusty Barrels]

Yo, Zeke! You don't have to be nasty about it!! I've had my license for less than two months and there is a lot of info out there to learn. If I wanted to listen to someone with a nasty disposition I would call my ex-wife. I posted here in the hope that there might be some knowledgable people who don't mind helping out a noob. How the hell am I supposed to know the definitive source for handgun ammunition diameters?

 

[EZEKIEL 25:17]

Forgot the , sorry. Wan't meant as a mean spirited dig.

 

[Rusty Barrels]

That's cool... I'm feeling a little grouchy since my brother's e-mail...

 

[Scrivener]

Fooped proclaims:

Being how .380 is a smidge smaller than 9mm Para, it's a spendid [sic] way to potentially ruin your barrel as well, given that the bullet will not "seat" properly on it's [sic] way down the barrel.

NEWS FLASH for the above poster: .380 ACP is also known as 9 mm Kurz, meaning "short." The bore diameter is the same; nominal bullet OD is, amazingly enough, 9 mm or .355".

NOTE:

The .380 Automatic Colt Pistol cartridge was introduced in 1908 by Colt for their Pocket Automatic. It is the most successful of several attempts to design a cartridge that will maximize the stopping power of a simple blowback operated semi-automatic pistol. In Europe it is often called the 9mm Short or the 9x17. (9mm being the bullet diameter and 17mm the case length.)

As loaded by the major ammunition companies, the .380 ACP delivers an 85-95 grain FMJ bullet at 955-960 fps with 190 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy. These are figures developed in a 4" barrel, and represent the performance of the cartridge from a compact service pistol like an IJ-70 or PP. Far better for personal protection are the JHP bullets that generally weigh 85-95 gains (the Remington Golden Saber JHP weighs 102 grains). These are loaded to MV of 940-1000 fps, and while their kinetic energy is about the same as the FMJ bullets, their expansion puts them in an entirely different class in terms of stopping power.

The .380 is about the smallest auto pistol cartridge that is widely reloaded. It uses the same .355" diameter bullets as most other 9mm (.35 caliber) pistols. Some other specifications of interest to reloaders include: maximum COL 0.984", maximum case length 0.680", MAP 21,500 psi. Since almost all .380 pistols are of the "blowback" design, this pressure limit must not be exceeded.

 

[LORD of WAR]

Rusty barrels

here is some advice

whatever the barrel of your gun says...9x19...45...40

shoot ONLY what it says

by trying to put a round into the chamber of your gun that it was not meant to shoot will cause harm to yourself and others around you...youre lucky to have not had a catastrophic failure of the weapon

 

[Lugnut]

NEWS FLASH for our Old Testament poster: .380 ACP is also known as 9 mm Kurz, meaning "short." The bore diameter is the same; nominal bullet OD is, amazingly enough, 9 mm or .955".

.955" Yikes... that's a big 9mm!

 

[EZEKIEL 25:17]

Scriv,

The point is not that Wiki is correct in this instance, even the sun shines on a dog's ass some days, its that it would be the source of factual backing material. The dis was on the use of wiki, not on that .380 and 9mm are the same diameter.

 

[Scrivener]

Scriv,

The point is not that Wiki is correct in this instance, even the sun shines on a dog's ass some days, its that it would be the source of factual backing material. The dis was on the use of wiki, not on that .380 and 9mm are the same diameter.

Understood - I edited my post accordingly, before you posted the above. Note that my info came from a reloading site.

That and having actually reloaded .380.

 

[1903Collector]

this threads a joke right?

if not im gonna go take some 357 magnums to the range tonight and feed em to my .38 airweight...ill post a range report when i leave the hospital

,

 

[Fooped]

The .380 and 9mm are the same size bullet. .354 to .356, .355 being the norm. I don't know how you got the round to seat in the chamber because they space on the head. It should not harm the gun.

Now, remove head from butt and don't do that again.

Interesting, as I was curious myself on this one (size difference if any) and took a pair of calipers to both a 9mm Para and a .380, and I came up with about .004 difference between the two. Maybe casting errors or mis-placement of the caliper, but it sure looked right on to me.

 

[Fooped]

And I'm terribly sorry for the spelling errors Scrivener. Nor is what you state a "news flash". I have read that before time and time again (that being that the two bullets are the same diameter. But as I stated above, practical testing had shown a difference. Perhaps it was a fluke...

 

[Scrivener]

Interesting, as I was curious myself on this one (size difference if any) and took a pair of calipers to both a 9mm Para and a .380, and I came up with about .004 difference between the two. Maybe casting errors or mis-placement of the caliper, but it sure looked right on to me.

Check SAAMI specs and manufacturers' specs - both show 9 mm / .355" as the bullet OD.

 

[Fooped]

Agreed. I thought what I saw was screwy. Yet the calipers were zeroed and I tried it multiple times on multiple rounds. Admittedly, they were all from the same batch (Rainier TMJ .380 and 9mm). I'm going to check again when I get home.

 

[TonyD]

Yo, Zeke! You don't have to be nasty about it!! I've had my license for less than two months and there is a lot of info out there to learn. If I wanted to listen to someone with a nasty disposition I would call my ex-wife. I posted here in the hope that there might be some knowledgable people who don't mind helping out a noob. How the hell am I supposed to know the definitive source for handgun ammunition diameters?

Diameter isn't the only concern. Use some common sense - don't try shooting anything out of anything that isn't designed for it.

A better use of common sense would be to ask before you tell someone to hold your beer.

 

[Rusty Barrels]

See, the thing is I was certain that either my brother or the the guys from my LTC class said the .380 was good to shoot out of a 9mm because you get less recoil. Well, my brother made it clear that he never told me that and in retrospect it probably wasn't the guys from the class either. It seems silly to me now and I promise I'll never do it again. The point is I just wanted to hear from some knowledgable and experienced people about whether this gun is now damaged or unreliable.

 

[Admin]

Get your brother to sign up in here. I want to hear some more of his good ideas.

 

[TonyD]

Just don't let anyone tell you that you can't shoot .44 mag's out of a .444 Marlin.

 

[Rusty Barrels]

Get your brother to sign up in here. I want to hear some more of his good ideas.

I think you need to read my post a little closer. I was the bonehead, not him. And by the way, he is a registered member. I'll let him decide whether he wants to reveal his genetic connection to me!

 

[Tiktock]

I keep putting .177 airgun pellets in my .17HMR rifle but the sucker just wont fire them. I tried the .17hmr in my pellet gun but lucky for me the designers of the air rifle planned for this kind of thing and it would not fit in the barrel.

 

[Scrivener]

See, the thing is I was certain that either my brother or the the guys from my LTC class said the .380 was good to shoot out of a 9mm because you get less recoil.

Well, either the source of that Blinding Insight is TSTL or you misunderstood him when he suggested shooting .38 Special out of a .357 Magnum.

 

[TonyD]

Well, either the source of that Blinding Insight is TSTL or you misunderstood him when he suggested shooting .38 Special out of a .357 Magnum.

I was wondering when someone would start to overload him with actual facts. It was not going to be me.

 

[Dirtypacman]

Hey Rusty,

Being "new" myself to guns (only started about 4 or so years ago) you have to really think through every step and decision you make. As others have already stated including your brother you must be concerned for safety at all times..not only for yourself but the guy next to you or the next person to fire your gun. Never make assumptions as it could end up costing you $$, hurting yourself, or worse case hurting someone else.

Get more involved at your gun club or range. Seek out members, people with the knowledge and learn even by watching and example. This forum is a great place to start as the members are helpful. I wish you the best in your future endeavors and please remember Safety is key when learning.