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Posted: 10/19/2018 12:22:47 AM EDT
| I carry an LCP in my back pocket more often than I probably should (rather than a “real” gun) around the farm. I took a shot at a copperhead with a hornady SD load and just missed over the snakes head. This got me thinking that a mag of snake shot would be handy. But it’s apparently not available commercially that I can find. I have a Dillon 550 and plan on adding a 380 ACP conversion kit/dies soon. Is there a way I can make my own 380 ACP shot shells? |
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Look up a channel on YT called jmorrismetal. Not a lot of detail, but he made some using spent .223 brass. The ones he made look a lot like the .40 sw shotshell made by CCI. Those are different than the 9mm version they sell and the .40 cal CCI's run superbly in my Glock 23. I'm currently starting a 300 BO phase in my reloading, but I will try those jmorris styled ones after. |
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Quoted:
I carry an LCP in my back pocket more often than I probably should (rather than a “real” gun) around the farm. I took a shot at a copperhead with a hornady SD load and just missed over the snakes head. This got me thinking that a mag of snake shot would be handy. But it’s apparently not available commercially that I can find. I have a Dillon 550 and plan on adding a 380 ACP conversion kit/dies soon. Is there a way I can make my own 380 ACP shot shells? Sure would be a cool round to have :) |
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Quoted:
Look up a channel on YT called jmorrismetal. Not a lot of detail, but he made some using spent .223 brass. The ones he made look a lot like the .40 sw shotshell made by CCI. Those are different than the 9mm version they sell and the .40 cal CCI's run superbly in my Glock 23. I'm currently starting a 300 BO phase in my reloading, but I will try those jmorris styled ones after. HE suggests viewers go to THR for brass forming & shotshell reloading stages |
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Quoted: Zero technical information in the YT channel mentioned. HE suggests viewers go to THR for brass forming & shotshell reloading stages I'd really like to see what his cases look like after some reuse. |
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Quoted:
I carry an LCP in my back pocket more often than I probably should (rather than a "real" gun) around the farm. I took a shot at a copperhead with a hornady SD load and just missed over the snakes head. This got me thinking that a mag of snake shot would be handy. But it's apparently not available commercially that I can find. I have a Dillon 550 and plan on adding a 380 ACP conversion kit/dies soon. Is there a way I can make my own 380 ACP shot shells? I form them from 300 blk cases with split necks. You cut cases a little longer than a loaded 9mm round. (Case and bullet measured together for length) The neck you form simulates the bullet in a normal round so your shotshell will feed. After cutting to length you must anneal the case, then form the shoulder. I use a 32 H&R FL sizing die for this. Annealing is not hard and you probably have almost everything you need if your handy and have normal handyman tools. See link for more about low cost annealing. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Low-budget-Annealing/42-439440/ Then trim to length, deburr and chamfer. I don't have my notes in front of me so don't remember the powder I used or the charge. But you are on your own and have to work up carefully to find a load that will work the slide. You have to make wads. One to put over the powder charge and the other to hold the shot in the case. I use cardboard from a 12 pack of beer. Wads cut with a cut off (223) case that is sharpened by deburring tool Sharpened inside and out). Hammer the case into the cardboard over the end grain of a block of wood. After placing powder charge in case insert first wad (1/4 inch dowel) and press it down. Insert all the shot the case will hold, press down on shot with dowel, will hold a couple more pieces of shot. Then place wad on top of shot and press down with dowel. Wad should be slightly below end of case. Adjust amount of shot as needed. I use #8 shot. Now the reason you must anneal. Crimp the end of the case over the wad by rounding over the end of the case. I use a 45 ACP seating die with a round nose seater. Don't try to roll over the case mouth in one pass, I find 3 passes better. Adjust die down a little for each pass. So run all of your rounds, adjust die down, repeat. You should end up with a very smooth rounded over case mouth that will feed like a dream. If you try to do it in one step you will crumple the case BTDT. All that work for nothing if case crumples. 45 ACP shotshells are good, 9mm shotshell are just barely useful, so if your going to make 380 shotshells just know you won't be putting out much shot. I will post more tonight if there's interest. |
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Quoted:
I have made fully functional shot loads for 9mm from 223 cases. I form them from 300 blk cases with split necks. You cut cases a little longer than a loaded 9mm round. (Case and bullet measured together for length) The neck you form simulates the bullet in a normal round so your shotshell will feed. After cutting to length you must anneal the case, then form the shoulder. I use a 32 H&R FL sizing die for this. Annealing is not hard and you probably have almost everything you need if your handy and have normal handyman tools. See link for more about low cost annealing. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Low-budget-Annealing/42-439440/ Then trim to length, deburr and chamfer. I don't have my notes in front of me so don't remember the powder I used or the charge. But you are on your own and have to work up carefully to find a load that will work the slide. You have to make wads. One to put over the powder charge and the other to hold the shot in the case. I use cardboard from a 12 pack of beer. Wads cut with a cut off (223) case that is sharpened by deburring tool Sharpened inside and out). Hammer the case into the cardboard over the end grain of a block of wood. After placing powder charge in case insert first wad (1/4 inch dowel) and press it down. Insert all the shot the case will hold, press down on shot with dowel, will hold a couple more pieces of shot. Then place wad on top of shot and press down with dowel. Wad should be slightly below end of case. Adjust amount of shot as needed. I use #8 shot. Now the reason you must anneal. Crimp the end of the case over the wad by rounding over the end of the case. I use a 45 ACP seating die with a round nose seater. Don't try to roll over the case mouth in one pass, I find 3 passes better. Adjust die down a little for each pass. So run all of your rounds, adjust die down, repeat. You should end up with a very smooth rounded over case mouth that will feed like a dream. If you try to do it in one step you will crumple the case BTDT. All that work for nothing if case crumples. 45 ACP shotshells are good, 9mm shotshell are just barely useful, so if your going to make 380 shotshells just know you won't be putting out much shot. I will post more tonight if there's interest. Quoted:
Quoted:
I carry an LCP in my back pocket more often than I probably should (rather than a "real" gun) around the farm. I took a shot at a copperhead with a hornady SD load and just missed over the snakes head. This got me thinking that a mag of snake shot would be handy. But it's apparently not available commercially that I can find. I have a Dillon 550 and plan on adding a 380 ACP conversion kit/dies soon. Is there a way I can make my own 380 ACP shot shells? I form them from 300 blk cases with split necks. You cut cases a little longer than a loaded 9mm round. (Case and bullet measured together for length) The neck you form simulates the bullet in a normal round so your shotshell will feed. After cutting to length you must anneal the case, then form the shoulder. I use a 32 H&R FL sizing die for this. Annealing is not hard and you probably have almost everything you need if your handy and have normal handyman tools. See link for more about low cost annealing. https://www.ar15.com/forums/armory/Low-budget-Annealing/42-439440/ Then trim to length, deburr and chamfer. I don't have my notes in front of me so don't remember the powder I used or the charge. But you are on your own and have to work up carefully to find a load that will work the slide. You have to make wads. One to put over the powder charge and the other to hold the shot in the case. I use cardboard from a 12 pack of beer. Wads cut with a cut off (223) case that is sharpened by deburring tool Sharpened inside and out). Hammer the case into the cardboard over the end grain of a block of wood. After placing powder charge in case insert first wad (1/4 inch dowel) and press it down. Insert all the shot the case will hold, press down on shot with dowel, will hold a couple more pieces of shot. Then place wad on top of shot and press down with dowel. Wad should be slightly below end of case. Adjust amount of shot as needed. I use #8 shot. Now the reason you must anneal. Crimp the end of the case over the wad by rounding over the end of the case. I use a 45 ACP seating die with a round nose seater. Don't try to roll over the case mouth in one pass, I find 3 passes better. Adjust die down a little for each pass. So run all of your rounds, adjust die down, repeat. You should end up with a very smooth rounded over case mouth that will feed like a dream. If you try to do it in one step you will crumple the case BTDT. All that work for nothing if case crumples. 45 ACP shotshells are good, 9mm shotshell are just barely useful, so if your going to make 380 shotshells just know you won't be putting out much shot. I will post more tonight if there's interest. |
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Quoted: Must've been similar to the way that fellow made his 380 shotshells. My mental visual in what you described would yield a finished case that would look like the aluminum deals that CCI sells in .40sw. The formed neck acts like a projectile would for feeding purposes. Your not going to feed a flat mouth 380 case that is loaded with shot. |
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dryflash3 - thank you very much for the detailed write up. This was exactly what I was hoping for. I have a couple follow up questions.
You said that you set a neck after annealing. How do you then get the wads below the neck? Just bend them a bit and push through? Will the outer wad sit below the neck in the straight part of the cartridge before crimping with the 45 seating die? Is there any point using some wax to seal these? Sounds like the brass is not usable again, right? Small rifle or small pistol primer? I am leaning towards working with Titegroup (very carefully metered and starting at a low charge) since it will maximize room for shot. Reasonable idea? |
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Quoted:
dryflash3 - thank you very much for the detailed write up. This was exactly what I was hoping for. I have a couple follow up questions. You said that you Remember when you cut a case to less than an inch, the new case mouth used to be the case wall and is thicker than a normal case neck. It has to be soft so you can crimp it. How do you then get the wads below the neck? Push them in with the 1/4 dowel. You can bend them if you wish, but the over powder wad needs to be flat above the powder. Powder above the wad? Start over. Just bend them a bit and push through? Yep. Will the outer wad sit below the neck in the straight part of the cartridge before crimping with the 45 seating die? Yes if you used the correct amount of shot. Too much shot, can't get wad to just below neck. Too little shot and wad is way below top of case. Fish it out and all more shot to get it right. Look at the pic of my 45 ACP shotshells to see where the top wad is. Just below the neck (no wax). Is there any point using some wax to seal these? You could but not needed if you use the correct amount of shot and crimp correctly. Your goal is no wax. Sounds like the brass is not usable again, right? Why would it not be reloadable? It takes less crimping on the second loading. Small rifle or small pistol primer? Why would you even consider a rifle primer? Use the same primer you use for your normal loads. Pistol primer. I am leaning towards working with Titegroup (very carefully metered and starting at a low charge) since it will maximize room for shot. Reasonable idea? I tried about 8 powders with my 9mm shotshells, only could get one to work and that was TireGroup. Good choice. In 9mm my charge is 5.0 grs. I started at 2.5 grs and worked up slowly as there is no data for these loads. Good luck |
If this could be done fairly speedily (safe routine established) it could actually "save money reloading" 
Seems I paid a buck fifty for each CCI .40 cal shotshells. Shot one box of ten to check functionality in my .40 cal Glocks. The other box is still missing two. Those two rounds top the mag on my G27 when I'm kayak fishing the local creeks. Those two are for Senor Watermoccasin, the others are standard defense rounds. County deputy told me they sometimes float the creeks looking for meth cookers. They've found a few that way. A side note. I carry in the remote areas I go. You think of potential dangers...might break a leg and need to signal three shots for help, might run up on a poisonous snake, might have some lowlife attempt robbery at night on a public ramp (lot of shennanigans go on at ramps, BTW) or you might encounter a startled mama bear. Someone recently posted a video of a man and his little girl kayaking down a pretty creek. Out of nowhere, this beaver pops up and starts attacking his boat and body. He beats it back, then it went for his little girl's boat. He jumped out and grabbed it, dragged it to shore and killed it in some fashion. Found out later the beaver was rabid. Guy ended up taking rabies shots. First time I ever heard of a rabid beaver. A beaver. Carry accordingly. |
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