loading .380 case with 9mm?

[gordfraser]

Was loading 9mm on my progressive 5 station.
I have a bullet feeding die which i like.
i noticed one case did not take the fed bullet.
thought i messed up, and did not put it through the flaring die enough, ran it through again.
still no bullet.
inspected the case closer and found it was a .380 case and too short to reach into the flaring die.

Thought about it afterwards.
If i had put a bullet on myself and seated it the OAL of loaded round would b the same
OAL as my other 9mm and so would probably gone un noticed!

After much more thought, I wasn't so sure that i might have made a dangerous situation as the .380 is a shortened 9mm. so the space under the bullet would be the same in both cases.

I am not condoning anyone to try this out.
but i am sure that someone else must have had this happen also.

if so please chime in

G

 

[milktree]

The .380 case has a different head and case length, so it probably won't chamber correctly.

Because the .380 case is smaller in diameter (by a smidge) the internal volume is smaller, even with the same bullet and OAL. This *could* cause a problem with overpressure, or it might not if it swells to the chamber dimension fast enough.

Your biggest problem would probably be that it wouldn't headspace properly and might not fire. You're making .380 ammo, there's no reason to believe it'll work properly in a 9mm

 

[NavelOfficer]

As mentioned, the 9mm Kurz (.380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm Browning...) is a different case, but they use the same diameter bullets. The head is not similar to the 9x19mm case (a .223 Remington shell holder will work with the .380 case). It is essentially a straight-walled case whereas the 9x19mm Luger/Parabellum is tapered from base to mouth (see SAAMI specs), albeit also considered straight-walled (versus bottle-necked).
Assuming the extractor holds the 9x17mm case against the bolt face, it will fire in a 9x19mm chamber, but you will likely notice something isn't quite right and you'll likely get some gas in the face. Probably a split case, too.
Use the appropriate ammo for your gun, needless to say.
That said, I've used the Lee 356-120 TC bullet in .380 Auto, although a tad heavier than standard bullet weights. I regularly use 90g-95g bullets in 9x19mm, too. These are legitimate loads for 9mm Luger, but you won't usually find them on gun store shelves.
I find the easiest way to cull .380 Auto brass from 9x19mm brass is to stand them up on the bench/table and separate by sight (height difference).
Stick to published data and correct brass for your caliber and you'll do fine.

 

[Uzi2]

As mentioned, the 9mm Kurz (.380 Auto, 9x17mm, 9mm Browning...) is a different case, but they use the same diameter bullets. The head is not similar to the 9x19mm case (a .223 Remington shell holder will work with the .380 case). It is essentially a straight-walled case whereas the 9x19mm Luger/Parabellum is tapered from base to mouth (see SAAMI specs), albeit also considered straight-walled (versus bottle-necked).
Assuming the extractor holds the 9x17mm case against the bolt face, it will fire in a 9x19mm chamber, but you will likely notice something isn't quite right and you'll likely get some gas in the face. Probably a split case, too.
Use the appropriate ammo for your gun, needless to say.
That said, I've used the Lee 356-120 TC bullet in .380 Auto, although a tad heavier than standard bullet weights. I regularly use 90g-95g bullets in 9x19mm, too. These are legitimate loads for 9mm Luger, but you won't usually find them on gun store shelves.
I find the easiest way to cull .380 Auto brass from 9x19mm brass is to stand them up on the bench/table and separate by sight (height difference).
Stick to published data and correct brass for your caliber and you'll do fine.

I just finished up a batch of 9mm Luger using 95gr bullets, bought a bunch of them as surplus years ago. They scream out of an Uzi.

 

[NavelOfficer]

I suppose you could even go faster with some of those new-fangled solids such as Liberty, Lehigh and others. At 50¢ or more a pop, they are a bit too rich for my blood.

 

[EddieCoyle]

I sort out the stray .380 cases by feel when I reload 9mm.

When I feel a case size way too easy, I pull it out.

 

[xtry51]

I've had a 380 sneak by before when I first started 9mm. It will chamber and fire but you'll know it when it happens lol. Nothing inherently dangerous about the situation because the case will fail before it can overpressure the chamber. It will not be fully supported in a 9mm gun.

I can tell now when a 380 makes it I to the press. Like EC says the handle pressure is different.

 

[highscore]

I sort out the stray .380 cases by feel when I reload 9mm.

When I feel a case size way too easy, I pull it out.

Yes, they do have a different feel but I've also had a few 9's feel the same, either loaded a lot or a cheap case.

I include another step when loading 9's, I stand up as many cases (depending on how much room there is/ how much junk is around) as I can, and sight across the top of the group using a flashlight. It's very easy to see if one is lower than the rest. I look from a few different angles since loading one of the 380's one time was enough.

 

[gerrycaruso]

I stand them on the edge of the bench and sight along the tops like highscore does. It's pretty easy to see the 380s.