SWC= Semi-WadCutter, FMC= Full Metal Case, FMJ= Full Metal Jacket, JHP= Jacketed Hollow Point and if GC indicated, means Gas Check at bottom of lead bullet.
Loads for .380 Auto: *
(Note: These ARE MAXIMUM loads, you may want to use 10% less to start.)
(See note on Powders below or read all about various Powders.)
Due to different barrel lengths, type of bullet, seating depth, primer type and other factors, you may not get near the FPS charted. It is just a guide and the reason you should start under these charges and work up.
Where there is ONLY ONE load, these are ALL MAXIMUM LOADS: Start at 10% less and work up! Bullet size is .355″ (9mm) (jacketed or lead) in diameter. Some lead loads may be .356″
(Note H110 & W296 are the same as of 2008 as is HP-38 & W231)
(IMR 4227 is same as H-4227 if made in Australia)
80 grain Barnes XPB (.355″)
| Competition | 2.1 gr. | 786 | |
| Competition | 2.3 gr. | 873 | (MAX) |
| Power Pistol | 3.9 gr. | 869 | (max) |
| ZIP | 2.3 gr. | 776 | |
| ZIP | 2.6 gr. | 862 | (Max) |
| ZIP (contrib) | 2.8 gr. | 907 | (over Max – contributed load) |
| True Blue | 3.2 gr. | 790 | |
| True Blue | 3.5 gr. | 878 | (Max) |
| Silhouette | 3.4 gr. | 856 | |
| Silhouette | 3.8 gr. | 951 | (max) |
| Universal | 3.1 gr. | 898 | (max) |
90 grain Lead RN (.355″)
| Bullseye | 2.4 gr. | 747 | |
| Bullseye | 3.0 gr. | 918 | (max) |
| Titegroup | 2.4 gr. | 752 | |
| Titegroup | 2.7 gr. | 866 | (Max) |
| HP38/W231 | 2.3 gr. | 704 | |
| HP38/W231 | 3.5 gr. | 997 | (MAX) |
| Unique | 3.1 gr. | 759 | |
| Unique | 3.5 gr. | 810 | |
| Unique | 3.7 gr. | 922 | (MAX) |
| Universal | 3.7 gr. | 964 | (MAX) |
| Power Pistol | 3.8 gr. | 906 | |
| Power Pistol | 4.3 gr. | 965 | (MAX) |
90 grain JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point)
| No. 2 | 3.7 gr. | 930 FPS | |
| No. 5 | 4.8 gr. | 920 | |
| No. 5 | 5.0 gr. | 1,062 | MAX. |
| No. 7 | 6.5 gr. | 970 | |
| Bullseye | 3.0 gr. | 940 | |
| Bullseye | 3.3 gr. | 998 | (Hornady HP-XTP)(MAX) |
| Unique | 4.0 gr. | 940 | |
| Unique | 4.6 gr. | 1,034 | (MAX) Speer GDHP bullet |
| HP38/W231 | 2.9 gr. | 838 | |
| HP38/W231 | 3.5 gr. | 957 | (MAX) |
| Universal | 3.6 gr. | 955 | |
| VV N320 | 3.2 gr. | 965 | |
| WSL | 3.4 gr. | 880 | |
| Ramshot ZIP | 2.7 gr. | 800 | start |
| Ramshot ZIP | 3.4 gr. | 980 | (max) |
| Silhouette | 4.6 gr. | 958 | (near max) |
| Power Pistol | 4.6 gr. | 994 | (max) |
| True Blue | 3.7 gr. | 800 | |
| True Blue | 4.5 gr. | 960 | (max) |
| Titegroup | 2.2 gr. | 845 | |
| Titegroup | 2.6 gr. | 957 | |
| Titegroup | 3.0 gr. | 1,012 | (MAX) |
| Titegroup +P | 3.1 gr. | 1,046 | (+P MAX) |
| Unique | 4.2 gr. | 973 | |
| Universal | 4.0 gr. | 995 |
95 grain Lead RN
| ZIP | 3.0 gr. | 845 | Hi=867, Lo=817, ES=46 |
| ZIP | 3.2 gr. | 891 | Hi=903, Lo=883, ES=21.4 |
| ZIP | 3.4 gr. | 957 | Hi=971, Lo=950, ES=21 Very good loads |
| Bullseye | 3.0 gr. | 844 | MAX |
| Titegroup | 3.1 gr. | 892 | MAX |
95 grain JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point)
| No. 2 | 3.7 gr. | 934 FPS | (MAX) |
| No. 5 | 4.8 gr. | 891 | |
| Bullseye | 2.9 gr. | 855 | |
| Bullseye | 3.2 gr. | 900 | (FMC bullet) |
| Unique | 3.6 gr. | 762 | |
| Unique | 4.2 gr. | 910 | (FMC bullet) |
| 231 | 3.2 gr. | 964 | (speer FMJ) |
| HP-38 | 3.2 gr. | 884 | |
| Tightgroup | 2.9 gr. | 776 | |
| Universal | 3.5 gr. | 901 | |
| VV N320 | 3.2 gr. | 940 | |
| WSL | 3.3 gr. | 895 | |
| Silhouette | 4.5 gr. | 948 | (near max) |
| Factory Browning | 9mm short | 845 fps. | Hi=887, Lo=781, ES=106 (FMJ bullet) |
| Factory PRVI FMJ | 776 | Hi=806, Lo=754, ES=53 |
100 grain Hornady FMJ (Full metal jacket)
| No. 2 | 3.4 gr. | 793 FPS |
| No. 5 | 4.9 gr. | 895 |
| Bullseye | 2.5 gr. | 756 |
| Bullseye | 2.8 gr. | 807 |
| Bullseye | 3.1 gr. | 985 (MAX) |
| Unique | 4.0 gr. | 950 |
| HP38/W231 | 2.5 gr. | 712 |
| HP38/W231 | 3.1 gr. | 843 (MAX) |
| Universal | 3.4 gr. | 889 |
| VV N320 | 3.0 gr. | 885 |
| WAP | 4.3 gr. | 935 |
| 231 | 3.4 gr. | 870 |
| IMR 700X | 3.0 gr. | 995 |
| Titegroup | 2.3 gr. | 708 |
| Titegroup | 2.8 gr. | 864 (max) |
100 grain LEAD RN
| No. 2 | 3.6 gr. | 943 FPS |
| No. 5 | 4.5 gr. | 922 |
115 grain FMJ or JHP (.355″)
| AA No. 7 | 5.4 gr. | 872 fps |
| VV #318 | 2.45 gr. | 877 |
| HS-6 | 4.5 gr. | 885 |
| Bullseye | 1.8 gr. | 604 |
| Bullseye | 2.1 gr. | 696 (Max) |
| Bullseye +P | 2.5 gr. | 823 (+P MAX)Hornady XTP JHP bullet |
| HP38/W231 | 2.0 gr. | 612 |
| HP38/W231 | 2.3 gr. | 704 (Max) |
| HP38/W231 | 2.9 gr. | 902 (+P MAX)Hornady XTP-JHP bullet |
| Unique | 2.7 gr. | 598 |
| Unique | 3.0 gr. | 703 |
| Unique | 3.2 gr. | 744 |
| Unique | 3.5 gr. | 847 (max) |
| ZIP | 2.4 gr. | 720 |
| ZIP | 2.9 gr. | 840 (MAX) |
| True Blue | 3.3 gr. | 725 |
| True Blue | 3.8 gr. | 830 (Max) |
120 grain Lead RN (.355″ dia)
| Bullseye | 1.6 gr. | 602 |
| Bullseye | 2.1 gr. | 748 (MAX) |
| Red Dot | 1.6 gr. | 618 |
| Red Dot | 2.1 gr. | 765 (MAX) |
| IMR 700-X | 1.4 gr. | 614 |
| IMR 700-X | 1.9 gr. | 751 (MAX) |
| Green Dot | 1.7 gr. | 618 |
| Green Dot | 2.3 gr. | 761 (MAX) |
| HP38/W231 | 2.1 gr. | 721 (Consider 3.0 grains Near MAXIMUM) |
| HP38/W231 | 3.2 gr. | 941 (MAX)(Heavy Load-careful) |
| Unique | 2.2 gr. | 633 |
| Unique | 2.8 gr. | 782 (MAX) |
These are Mostly MAXIMUM LOADS: Start at 10% less and work up! (a load less than the highest is not max)
Discussion: * The .380 is NOT the same as the .38 Super or .38 Auto or .38 ACP. They have longer cases and higher pressures. The big boys will not fit properly in a .380. Likewise, don’t try to shoot a .380 in a pistol chambered for the .38 Auto or .38 Super. The case length of the .380 is .680″ and the .38 Super (and the .38 ACP) are .900″ long. For reference, the 9mm Luger/Para is .754″ case length.
Bullseye is a fast burning powder and perhaps better suited to the small cases like the 380 Auto. It burns completely and fast. Unique is a very consistent burning powder and it is almost a tossup with the heavier bullets.
Universal and HP-38 are from Hodgdon and similar to Unique and Bullseye.
A bullet with a copper gas check or copper plating is best for INDOOR ranges to keep lead vapors out of the air.
*
Power Pistol, Bullseye, Unique and 2400 are products of Alliant (formerly Hercules) Powders.
Clays, Universal, HP38, HS6 and H4895 are products of Hodgdon Powders.
IMR 3031 and IMR 4895 are products of IMR (formerly DuPont) Powder Company.
No. 2, No. 5, No. 7, No. 9, #2230, and #2460 are products of Accurate Arms Company
WAP (Winchester Action Pistol), WMR, WSF, WSL, 760, 748, 231 and 540 are products of Winchester, Components Div.
References: Accurate Arms Co. 1996 Reloading booklet – – Alliant Powder Co. Reloaders’ Guide (1995) – – Hodgdon’s Basic Reloaders Manual (1996) – – Speer Reloading Manual, #12 – – Winchester Reloading Components Manual, 14th edition – – Lyman Piston & Revolver Reloading Handbook, 2nd edition. – – VihtaVuori Oy Company,reloading booklet (1995) – – Numerous magazine articles on reloading special calibers and personal loads where noted.
