Loading .380 for 9mm (DISASTER?)

Loading and shooting a .380 in a 9mm might not sound like that big a deal. But what if the powder charge was intended for a 9mm?

[@thomasherbert5790]

Nothing but a great deal of respect to someone who steps up to the plate . Mistakes are a great learning tool. Cheers my good man.

[@elvisammo]

Thankya Thomas... Gotta bring up the dangers to help a brother out... I don't tell all my failures but this one has us all being more careful .... Mission accomplished!

[@JohnnysReloadingBench]

Thanks for sharing, brother. I like when people share their mistakes and I always try to show mine. Best way for people to learn! You can bet the next time I'm loading 9mm this video will go through my mind and make me extra careful.

[@elvisammo]

hey Johnny's Reloading Bench! Great to hear from ya.... Don't think that squib you had in your video don't go through my mind! You do a great job over there! God Bless Ya and Merry Christmas!!!

[@maxcox6019]

Thanks to Johnny's reloading bench I got into reloading! His videos on 9mm is how I learned! Convinent that's what I'm reloading is 9mm!thanks a lot everyone help is always appreciated and keeps people safe as well giving them things to keep in the back of there heads.

[@bigal9808]

Hey Elvis, I appreciate you swallowing your pride and telling us this story. We all make mistakes and I'm thankful it all worked out for you. I have also missed 380 cases when reloading but luckily they never got into the chamber. I have two checks (certainly nothing perfect) that I do to help with this problem. 1. I check any case that feels "light" during the resize/decap die. Since the 380 is far shorter it will have much less resistance. 2. Once I've completed 100-150 rounds, I put them all primer end up (in the plastic thing they come in in a new box of ammo) and quickly inspect them. This only takes a minute or so and the 380's stick out like a sore thumb. I'm all ears for any other tips.

[@elvisammo]

hey Big Al.... yes yes... I'm sure there are other ways to double check. .. but the part I skipped was the sore thumb method this day! placing them primer side up in the tray... but not sure if it would have done it for me since the oal was the same. I really should have caught it while doing my general inspection of the profile. I would have noticed that bullet sticking way out of the case!

[@bigal9808]

elvis ammo I agree that the COL would be the same. What I mean by them sticking out like a sore thumb was the base of the case. The area around the primer is ridiculously smaller compared to the 9mm. You can barely make out the writing on the case. Put them side by side and you'll see what I mean.

[@elvisammo]

+Big Al yea ok gottcha! like I said that was what I skipped. .. sounds like we do some of the same double checks! ; )

[@BZHprepper]

Everybody who reloads has f*cked up at least once and if they say they say they haven't.....bullshit. Thankfully no injuries.

[@elvisammo]

hey BZHPREPPER. ... yea I hear ya... if you don't make mistakes your not doing anything! Merry Christmas to you and yours on the other side of the pond!!! ; )

[@JA-ux7dd]

Everybody who shoots has screwed up one time or another.

[@HK_roller_delayed]

Unless the .380 brass is thinner and weaker than 9x19mm, I don't think it would have been a problem. The bullet was seated to the same overall length; so the case capacity should be virtually the same as in your 9mm; so the pressure shouldn't have been any higher than it is in your 9mm loads.

[@elvisammo]

H&Ks until the end of days. .... yea good point! Merry Christmas!

[@HK_roller_delayed]

Now of coarse it would probably blow up if you could chamber and fire it in a .380 pistol. Thanks! Merry Christmas to you as well!

[@tompatrick3281]

I agree with him , it would not have been a problem, the reason it didnt go off was because the 380 case is shorter and therefore it went futher into the chamber causing a light strike,

[@tompatrick3281]

Oh and for the record , a 9mm will shoot in a 40 also, I did that by mistake once , it fired ok , but it was a little on the light side, , so dont feel bad ,your not the only one that does dumb stuff , LOL

[@elvisammo]

+Tom Patrick hey man... thanks! I'm in good company it sounds like! ; )

[@dynotec1]

Elvis, thanks for being honest and humble. We can all learn from each others mistakes. Glad you're safe and Merry Christmas to you.

[@elvisammo]

thanks dynotec1... Merry Christmas to you too!

[@HanstheTraffer]

You could have saved someones life by showing this video. Thank you!

[@SBSATS]

Appreciate your honesty Elvis. Truth is... we have all made dumb mistakes while loading and or shooting. The only one's who don't are the ones who aren't doing anything. Anyone who says different is either lying or thankfully got by with it without knowing they made a mistake. But like others here have said...You might possibly have just saved a life. Kudos to you.

[@stanjackson7201]

I scrounge range brass too and like you, Elvis, I have a problem distinguishing 9mm from 380 by sight. What works for me is running all my brass thru the 9mm resizing die which sits alone on top of my Lee Pro 1000 progressive press. You can really tell the difference when you run a 380 case thru the 9mm die - there's almost no resistance in resizing the 380 case which by the way comes out only half resized and is pretty obvious. Thanks for great videos - even though I've reloaded most of my life you are still teaching me new stuff.

[@jefflambert4243]

Had one last night. Just happened to grab it as it fell into the bin by dumb luck. It looked so close to a 9mm but failed the case gauge test. I think what prompted me to check was the handle pulled easier than normal.

[@markchatelain9451]

We all make mistakes, the main culprit here was DISTRACTION !!! Great Public Service announcement ! May I offer another mishap preventer for somebody ? Only have the ONE Powder on your benchtop that you're loading at that time, for the cartridge you're loading at that time !!!! Take a Wild Guess why I stress this reloading safety tip !!!!!!!! LOVE your video's & Enthusiasm for the whole reloading process !!! Carry on Elvis Ammo 👍

[@elvisammo]

Yep we learn the hard way sometimes! 🤔

[@OhioGunRunner]

In my last reloading session for 9mm I loaded 2 380 cases. Only noticed because it looked like the bullets were not seated all the way. Dillon 650.

[@TheChampionp]

well, glad to hear that no one in your group got hurt. I'm a machinist turned engineer by trade. An average, simply machined part on the cnc mill has to get hundreds of thousands of numbers correct to make a good part, but it only takes ONE wrong number or decimal point to blow everything to pieces or cost you or your company hundreds or thousands of dollars. Sometimes, having the machine shut down while repairs are being made costs your coworkers valuable hours if the boss sends everyone home for the extent of the machine's repair time. ALL because I got one number out of 100,000 wrong!! Handloading is a lot like that - you have to get 1,000 things right every time, and it can be costly to get 1 thing wrong 1 time. Don't beat yourself up about a mistake for too long, though. Mistakes happen to all of us as humans. I bet you've learned from it and you'll never let that lil 380 slip past you again. Thanks for posting a video like this one.Sometimes we all need a reminder to not get complacent at the reloading bench. I'm glad that no one got hurt.

[@TheChampionp]

PS: I bet the pressure might not have been as bad as worst case scenario because the bullet wasn't seated to the full 380 depth.

[@elvisammo]

+Chris Cogsdil Thanks for the back story! and it can be real bad if we make mistakes in the reloading room.... Sometimes, just a good lesson and reminder! : ) Merry Christmas to ya!

[@21psd]

I occasionally pick up 380 brass at the range too, and I miss them when sorting before tumbling. But I can instantly tell when I run one into the sizing die on my Dillon, with virtually zero resistance on the upstroke. But I have to be paying attention when I reload. I'm like you said, I cannot do 2 things at the same time anymore. Lol I won't even play music. And if the wife walks in or I get a phone call, I have to stop what I'm doing or I'm liable to screw something up. Start locking your door! Haha

[@stevenderusha6421]

I have been loading both 380 and 9mm so your video is a great reminder to keep my shit together.

[@jamesglenn520]

Shit Not Together 😉 Gotta keep Shit Separate 🤣😂Lol

[@ZERO_42069]

i hate finding 380 cases in my piles of 9mm, thats why i decap all my brass before i clean it, ive found 380 mixed with 9mm as well as 40 mixed with 10mm

[@MichaelJones-tk4xt]

we all are bound to make mistakes when we reload. myself included. but I am happy you or someone else wasn't injured.

[@elvisammo]

thanks Michael Jones.... yep thats the goal if your gonna screw up.... Not to get screwed up!!!! : )

[@FortuneCookie45LC]

elvis - Great video - and we need these types to prevent similar happenings in our own work. Your extractor provides enough resistance to have primers fire when short cases are chambered in semi-autos, but the CCI harder primers kept it from happening in this particular case. But you should have been OK, as H&K uteod below commented - since the seating depth was the same as your 9s, the load had more powder space than your usual 380, the pressure would have been like the 9. Even 9mm shooters that don't own 380s can have the occasional 380 case sneak into our batches of brass. As you know, I'm doing a lot of work with shorter cases in 44 and 45 (even 41) cal so have to guard against these kind of things. Thanks for your video... FC Steve

[@uralbob1]

Well, I once shot a .223 Rem cartridge in my Steyr SL in .222 Rem Magnum. The Rem mag case has more capacity and a longer neck, and it's 100+ fps faster than .223. The rifle fired it with no indications that anything was wrong, but when the brass ejected, the neck was only about an eighth inch long. I had grabbed a box of .223 reloads by mistake, and took them to the range. After that happened. I bought color coded cartridge boxes: blue for .223 Rem and red for .222 Rem Mag. That way, I cant misread the label on the box. I keep the brass on my reloading shelf to remind me not to be stupid!

[@saltcreekammo]

This is a good video. It shows you can never be too careful.

[@kevfeelslikeablackcat]

As a person who is going to be new into reloading, I have to say thanks for showing the mistake because I am going to be reloading 380 and 9mm a lot. As of this, take it as a learning lesson. Have a good xmas and new year.

[@kevfeelslikeablackcat]

p.s. I still would use any ammo that you would make

[@elvisammo]

hey Thomas Hokes ll. ... yep free lesson. .. No consequences! !!!! happy reloading my friend! !!!

[@romansten9]

Thomas Hokes II 380 actually is 9mm. It's 9mm short, but different than 9mm Luger. You probably know that. But a lot of people say 380 vs 9mm, when they are both 9mm, just not both Luger

[@blantant]

Glad no one was harmed. Great video

[@livincincy4498]

I shoot both calibers so my range brass can be a mixture of both. I started hand priming so I can inspect each primer pocket & to ensure proper seating. The free LEE shell holders in their die sets for single stage presses and other manufacturers hand primers will sort your brass. The 380 / 9mm will not interchange in LEE Shell holders. I never tried other manufacturers shell holders. Evidently a LEE Load Master 9mm Shell plate will not sort 380. If you load a 90gr 380 Bullet into a 9mm Case with CFE- Pistol you get 1400 FPS. The standard 115gr produces 1185 FPS. Since Kinetic Energy is Velocity Squared the 200+ FPS is a measurable increase. You get 392 Energy - Foot pounds vs 359. Also, a 125 grain has KE of 347 ft-pnds and a 147gr has 303 ft-pnds. So you can shoot those lightweight 380 boolits in a 9mm case and have increased Kinetic Energy vs a typical 115gr cartridge. Hodgdon Data www.hodgdonreloading.com/data/pistol Kinetic Energy Calculator 74.209.142.77/calculators/kineticenergy.html

[@donskiver]

So you essentially made your own .380 +P+ wildcat round.

[@chuck830]

Thanks for the video. I'm new to reloading and will be doing both 380 and 9mm. Your video has been very helpful. Please keep'em coming. And again thanks.

[@elvisammo]

hey charles gillentine... well the best of luck to ya my friend. ... thanks for talking the time to comment ... Join the addicted reloaders association! ; ) thanks for watching!

[@thebaddest2562]

this is an example of glocks loose chambers being working as a benefit because that little bit of extra clearance is probably what allowed the thing move and absorb just enough of the firingpin strike and move around on the extractor and not ignite. that said the unsupported chamber would increase the likelihood of a ruptured case especially when its a case that has been reloaded a bunch and is weak. the good lord was with u sir. he said nope elvis is to valuable to my utube community to let anything tragic or harmful come his way today. i really am glad everything turned out for the best good video

[@elvisammo]

hey the baddest. ... yea I knew this youtube channel would come in handy!!!! : ) it all worked out this time.... I can definitely do better than allowing that to happen! God Bless. .. Merry Christmas!

[@leefriedl6681]

hey Elvis thanks for making this post it shows that everyone is human and can make mistakes even though there's probably 5 to 6 places the mistake should have been caught everyday life bring up things that distract us at every stage of reloading with that a lot of little distractions can add up to one devastating consequence. stay sharp my friend, wish you safe shooting and reloading! Merry Christmas

[@elvisammo]

thanks again Lee Friedl... I missed many opportunities to catch that thing... yep.... Merry Christmas to you!

[@AlbDavidT505]

That is a Fantastic learning opportunity!!! You got all the scare of finding out you almost had a KaBoom problem - without the personal injury or the pistol damage. I bet you will Never have that issue again - and you will be that much more careful from now on.

[@MrSheepdog73]

Thank you for keeping it real.We all need to be more carefull

[@ResistTheNonsense]

I am a new reloader and hearing about what can go wrong is never wasted. One thing I learned fast is that there is a minimum routine that has to be followed every reload session. Miss one necessary routine element and you are instantly at risk. Appreciate your interest in helping other reloaders! (Like me). THANKS

[@elvisammo]

hey Patent Arms. .. thanks for taking the time to comment. .. Happy reloading to ya!

[@jimcrow8562]

This video is best watched at 1.5x playback speed.

[@jasonborn2598]

Thanks for sharing this, I used to reload and would only do it when I was feeling good, no one around, etc. Not mad at my girlfriend, what may have happened at work or driving on the road. You must have a clear mind for this enjoyable yet tedious task. Thanks for this honest comment on the problems that can happen. This is why they make kinetic bullet pullers.

[@theeasternfront6436]

It is the mark of a meager man to point out the faults of another yet it is the mark of a meritable man to point out his own. Glad it turned out well and can be used as a learning experience. Merry Christmas to you Elvis.

[@elvisammo]

thanks for the fine comment The Eastern front.... Happy New Year! : )

[@hardball107]

Lucky guy Elvis. The extractor will hold the cartridge in place, luckily it looks like your Glock allowed the round to move forward enough that the firing pin just bumped the primer. I pick up range brass and look out for the 380's and they still slip through. I load on a single stage press and when I go to resize a 9mm and there is absolutely no resistance I know I caught another one.

[@emjartan45acp]

Great PSA.... I can't tell you how many times a 380acp case snuck by all my inspections of my 9mm brass range pick up's. There pretty sneaky buggers. Usually I could spot them when there in the press. Only because there just a bit shorter than the rest as there going around. If your not really paying attention you could easily miss it. This just reinforces the rule that we cannot have ANY distractions while we are reloading.

[@papasplace2]

The way the 380 and the 9mm are set in the barrel(headspace) is what saved ya. Shooting a cartridge that your gun isn't designed for is a bad accident looking for a place to happen.

[@brownnoise357]

All credit to you for passing on a chills down your back learning experience. The biggest issues I had with reloading was rifle ammunition prior to getting a Chronograph to see what actual speeds I was getting with reloaded ammunition. I got one because I couldn’t understand how my reloads were underperforming so badly, that even flat back bullets weren’t stabilising out of my .222. They were tumbling in flight. The tachograph showed that the loading manual loads (same with all reload data in many manuals) were dangerously low - understandable caution by manufacturers taken way too far - I was getting over 1,000fps less with startup loads how can you develop loads from that and know what you’re getting, max loads weren’t even stabilising bullets either, and risking powder flashovers on ignition with not enough powder in the cases. The Chronograph data allowed the development of safe loads that performed at low pressures, without over speeding varmint bullets to the point they would vaporise in flight. Like with 380 and 9mm, I suppose it would be possible to mix .222 and .223 cases in the same way, though the longer .222 case neck is probably a good visual telltale. I loaded both and thankfully never got them mixed up. Possibly helped by dedication to precision loading and very careful individual powder load consistency with digital and beam scales (I found beam scales can actually be more consistent than digital when you really get in the swing of them, I was surprised to find, and, they’re a heck of a lot cheaper 👍 ). I’m hoping for major changes in firearms attitude and legislation here in Britain in the not too distant future, which will have me reloading again . It’ll have to come at some point, and I will then reload a lot of .380 ACP Ammunition. With recent advances, much to my surprise 380 can now deliver precisely the ballistics I look for out a pistol like the S&W Shield EZ. That seriously floored me, and with severe arthritis it looks like I’ll be able to handle it ok, and start competing again. Best wishes to you and yours, and a Happy New Year to you all. PS had been talking to a lorry driver friend and had tachograph drivers hours recorder stuck in my head, so just edited to proper Chronograph lol. Every reloader should have a Chronograph otherwise we’re really stumbling around in the dark.

[@thebaddest2562]

elvis my powdercoated lee 200g really 208g coated and gas checked the checks alow it to shoot right at a moa at 2086avg 10sd today i took them all the way out to 600yds today and was ringing a fullsize torso on demand its actually going transonic between 5-600yds but those things dont really seem to care they blow right through the sound barrier and stay grouped pretty tight.im so impressed by those bullets out to 500 the drop isnt too bad but at 600 you can tell the juice is out from 6 to almost 9 mils in the last 100yds but still consistent these are my new favorite load in my favorite gun my ar10 a psa pa10 to be exact before my foray into powdercoated bullets i would have bet money it was just about impossible to do for an extended string of fire but the powdercoat has made leading a thing of the past

[@Drew8318]

Thanks for sharing! I am new to reloading and caught myself loading a 380 with 3.3 grains of titegroup 147gr bullet. Freaked me out!

[@elvisammo]

hey Andrew caruso. ... yea. so glad I done this video. ..apparently a whole bunch of us could use a reminder about safety! !! check and double check! there's no reason for us to make these mistakes when you think about all the chances to catch it.... your not alone. ...

[@jefferyboring4410]

I’ve fired 3.3 titegroup with 115 my g42 loves em. But a 147 is quite a bit much I load 120 grain a lot in .380 but that’s pushing it

[@banaire]

Thanks for your honesty Elvis. This is why you have built such a huge following and subscriber loyalty.

[@malcolminstasi9280]

hey elvis check the head space of the 380 case in the 9mm barrell again and you will see the reason for the light strike.the 380 case sits deeper in the barrell. what this means is the fireing pin did not full concact with the primer. thus a lite syrike. yes i also have made 2 really mistakes myself!

[@jnottingham1981]

I shoot 380 in a 9mm all the time I even shoot a 380 in a 357mag revolver with moon clip

[@scottsmith4683]

Yes but he is saying he loaded a 9mm bullet in a .380 case you are saying you shoot .380 bullets loaded in 9mm cases.

[@lylehutchins916]

You answered that .380/9mm question for me! Thank you. I have loaded 303 British for my 30-40 Kraig, with NO problem. Back in the early 70s', a buddy of mine (Harold) mixed his 30-06 and 25-06 ammo. Well, the 25-06 fit the 30-06 chamber well! But the bullet, that'sa nuther matter! After several rounds, he couldn't hit where he aimed! The bullet musta tumbled around in the bbl. I thought it was funny at the time! You would hafta have known him! He checked his scope, inspected the weapon, them found the PROBLEM! : ) I told him, 'Well the primers work well'!

[@jefferyboring4410]

I loaded a mag of 380 in a beretta long ago. I fired almost a whole mag before I figured out why it was short stroking! No big deal

[@johnbailey9682]

What’s weird is the base plate that holds the shell casings is a different size . I’m surprised you did not see the case wiggling. And that’s another thing I never have anyone around when I’m relocating and I even turnoff that dam phone . But like GUMP says SHIT HAPPENS . Glad you said something about it .

[@pewpewTN]

.380 will fire fine in a decent 9mm, the problem is that it won't cycle & there isn't really a reason since .380 costs more than 9mm. The only autoloader "one way backwards compatible" round I would be willing to fire on a regular basis is .40 in a 10mm. A lot of companies even mark their 10mm platforms as 10mm/.40 S&W. Officer Greg mentions in one of his videos that he probably has 10k rounds of .40 out of his Glock 20. .380 in a 9mm isn't nearly as viable & also lacks a valid application. A .380 case loaded to 9mm specs is a totally different story & I'm glad it didn't go off on you.

[@charlesirby9222]

Elvis you are prolly one of the most honest and straight up men in reloading that I know...now after this I believe that you are one of the bravest too. It takes a brave man to openly admit to his mistakes, this shows me that you have swallowed your manly ego pride a long time ago and it's one of the reasons you find success now in life, the other and most important reason you are the man you are is because you have Christ in your life. Nuff said, that's the bottom line. BUT...there is a big BUTT we have to realize and come to grips with...it is this...a certain old bad natured fella with a poor sense of humor and a shitty outlook in life hangs around in each and every reloaders shop...his name is 'Murphy'...he waits patiently, doesn't miss a thing we do...he watches and tries to figure a way to trip you up. It's always a way where we show weakness in technique, inattention to detail, sloppiness in our housekeeping on the bench or a plethora of other ways...this time he got you. He will eventually get each and every one of us if we do this hobby long enough but...and here's another butt...but we learn from each others mistakes thanks to people like you and become more an more proficient to near perfection. This gives old Murphy a case of the 'red ass' and eventually he'll slack off...only thing is though, when we get complacent...he instantly appears! How do he do dat? (:])-I-< Merry Christmas to you and yours young brother...charlie

[@elvisammo]

hey there Charles Irby. ..... Ole Murphy is a complex dude... I usually see him lurking around. By the time you lay eyes on the sucker he immediately looks like a sleeping pussycat! No alarm there. ..... moral of the story. ... the cute little cat might just be a opossum! I'm glad I done the video, if not to just piss Murphy off! ; ) Hope you have an awesome Christmas. .... God Bless you and your family!

[@tires2burn]

Good you didn't get hurt. Before I load 9mm I scoop up all the emptys from my tote in a 50 round plastic insert and visually check the length. The short cases show up immediately. I always seem to find a 380 or 2 in every 9mm run.

[@john-paulsilke893]

Hey Elvis, no big deal and I'm sure nothing significant would have happened except for a different point of impact and a Glock smile from Hell on the ejected brass. All that being equal you'd have to pay me well north of $,1,000 before I'd try it and only if I was geared up. Glad you had a wake up call and shared your lesson with us. It may even be you best tip ever.

[@elvisammo]

hey John- Paul Silke.... thanks, point well taken!

[@michaelsiebers138]

I once bought a box of "9mm" at a local auction. Took them up to our range and the first round out of the barrel sounded kinda low power. Then it wouldnt fire a second. Unloaded the mag and opened the slide. Yep the .380 shell in there didnt have enough power to rack the slide. The box was full of .380s and the box was labeled 9mm Federal! Im lucky it wasnt a squib load. I should know better too after years of teaching Hunter/Firearms Safety. We need to pay attention.

[@christopherbiblis5971]

i have made the same mistake with range brass. Luckily, the Hornady press won't dump a full load which is how i caught it. I was fortunately watching the powder drop when it happened. Now, i set all my brass upright before i load to look for the shorts. Just thought i'd say your not the only one this has happened too.

[@elvisammo]

hey Chris Biblis.... turns out to be a good subject!!! didn't really know what to expect! Maybe we will all think a little more about what we are doing .... Merry Christmas to ya ,, Thanks again for your thoughts.... Always like to see what your going to say... : )

[@archersfriend]

Forgot to mention, I also have made many mistakes in my reloading (since 1960), so far no really bad happenings, Thank the Lord.

[@willshoemaker2212]

Hey Elvis! I haven't yet fired a .380 with a 9mm load in any of my guns yet, however, I have accidentally done this a few times. A friend gave me some 9mm brass he had left when he quit reloading. He's been reloading for a long time so I never even thought to double check it. I tumbled it and loaded it into my Dillon and started going to town. I noticed one or two because the bullet was sitting more proud than the others. The others I noticed because I didn't have very much resistance and when I brought the ram down, sure enough there was a .380 coming out of the sizing die. I think it would be harder to catch this mistake on a single stage press since what caught my eye was the the bullet sitting higher than the others on the shell plate.

[@stevebilskie258]

hey elvis I been testing your super 300 blackout bullet I been getting very good accuracy with 16 gr of h110 and a oal of 2200 and sized down to 308 .with no feeding problems

[@earlnorred6908]

Thanks for the reminder to check all of our reloads before shooting .

[@elvisammo]

you welcome Earl Norred!!! thanks for watching......

[@brianbelliveau5551]

Same size bullet as 9 mm .355 so it's good it didn't go off but thanks for sharing and remember there is no such thing as a stupid question

[@JA-ux7dd]

Another similar thing is 40 S&W getting mixed up with 45 ACP, the 40 smith will go down the barrel and hide there until your next round. This is why you must (like you did) understand why you had a misfire or malfunction, and those shots that just did not sound right...squibs.

[@anceljines7118]

yep. have had 380 brass make it to my press several times when loading 9mm on my dillon square deal b. i usually catch it before i seat the bullet. but like you said distractions can let some stuff get by ya. iv seen 380 ammo fired in 9mm before. mangles brass pretty bad. cases usually split and are ruined but no ill effects to gun etc. however i suspect the round you loaded with that much powder probably would have case rupture when fired. probably would have been ugly

[@elvisammo]

hey there ancel jines... yea just feeling happy that the thing didn't go bang! : )

[@jeeper999999]

I've done it once. Mine fired, failed to eject and the case mouth split a little. Even with a full charge of W231(same as hp38) it sounded like a squib. I think with barely any neck tension holding the bullet in the powder didn't have full burn.

[@elvisammo]

hey jeeper999999.... man that's awesome. . that sounds about right. . good result!

[@cdelo2]

That's a learning experience!!!! I've had an instance where my wife was interrupting me a few times while I was reloading. Ended up turning my powder measure off and forgetting to turn it back on . 2 squibs and then pulled the rest . Luckily they were a low amount of test loads . The first one was the first squib I ever dealt with . Pounded it out of the barrel with a drift. The second was the hey I gotta pull em all . New reloading rules made ! No more interruptions and no more shut of/closed off powder measure.

[@elvisammo]

hey C Delo. ..yep that's all it takes. .. gotta have a system. . when the system gets messed up so will the ammo! thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!

[@cdelo2]

elvis ammo Yup .... Thank you . Merry Christmas to you too !

[@Joewieringa1]

Buy a Dillon Precision XL750 it will kick the 380 brass out of the shell plate when you try to prime it. with the xl750 380 auto uses the 223 556 shell plate

[@edp1189]

Hey ElvisAmmo, OldAndArmed here, been there,done that!!! I use the Lee LoadMaster without a bullet feeder and have caught .380 cases because they are too short to receive the proper bell. Just another tip. Don't beat yourself too bad!

[@elvisammo]

hey oldandarmed! : ) yea no worries! I'll just do better. .. I will do that! Merry Christmas my friend!

[@edp1189]

Merry Christmas to you!!!

[@stephenbradley119]

talking about different components in reloading, I made a mistake with primers, I keep or kept my primers in the lee primer trays and picked up one tray when I was reloading 223, I thought the tray was the one I was using the last time I loaded 223 with small rifle primers but I found later it was the tray I loaded 9mm with small pistol primers, long story short we went shooting and the 223 fired without problems. I found the mistake latter when I cleaned and reloaded my 223 brass. I just picked up the tray with small primers and loaded. I later loaded some 9mm with small rifle primers and tried them without incident. inow put an "r" and "p" on the trays. but I cant figure what the difference is between the primers if they work interchangeably. I use cci primers.

[@geeder9086]

That is scary -- just thinking about all the steps that the wrong shell should have been caught at. I must admit I was getting bleary eyed sorting 556 & 223 brass -- I wouldn't want a 224 or 222 to fall in to the mix

[@docfischer7291]

Headspacing will be the same anyhow. .Tge 380 is an original 9x17 that was military issue for 50 years . If your gun is meant as a 9mm it is sufficient to shoot .380 loads but not the reverse.

[@kirkboswell2575]

My kids learned early on, that when we got close to the needed turn off from the interstate, that they needed to stop talking. If they kept talking to me I would invariably drive right past our turn. I don't multitask.😊 The 380 can be fired in a 9 mm. Although both headspace on the case mouth, and the 380 is 2 mm shorter, the extractor will hold the case well enough for ignition. The case will generally bulge enough to be un-reloadable, but it will fire. If a standard 380 load, it won't cycle the action. In this instance, with a nominal 9 mm load, I would have expected a ruptured case and some excited eyes while trying to figure out what happened. I should probably mention that the 380 is a semi rimmed case, and there are some people who will remind us that it originally headspaced on the rim. Irrelevant to this discussion. I do believe that your use of a harder primer in this situation, prevented some very exciting moments for you! "A smart man learns from his mistakes. A wise man learns from the mistakes of others" ........ Thanks for letting everyone know what to watch for.

[@elvisammo]

hey Kirk Boswell. .. really nice info here! and great advice! !!! and I really liked the part where the the kids learned to close their pie hole so not to miss the exit! : ) I can relate to that. .....

[@Bizzaro500]

Trying to sift .380 out of a range brass is a nightmare, especially if you've got a ton of 9mm and 40. Your eyes can play tricks! Shit happens

[@DaveSmith-cp5kj]

Get a 380 case sorter tray. I can make them if you want to buy one. Sorting trays in general make life a lot easier if you haven't built yourself a dedicated sorting machine.

[@conservativechristian8508]

Owning our mistakes makes us better. Thanks

[@davidunderwood3605]

Your problem would have been the glock barrels chamber had it go off. They say that they head space off the case mouth as most autos, but in reality the extractor holds the case against the breach face. Hardly any brass makes it to a case mouth/chamber shelf match up. If your firing pin would have been longer you might have had it fire. Glock chamber's buldge the brass anyway do you would have probly ruptured the case. Have shot 380s in Taurus 709 a couple of times to test. Swollen case and no extaction but in a pinch of need. Not advised but in sht pinch, well do what you gotta do.

[@BigMeany]

I have loaded the exact same thing. but it never made it to the range. it now sits on the shelf right behind my press to remind me what not to do. good thing you weren't hurt merry Xmas .

[@elvisammo]

hey espeery7880... apparently this is even more well known and a bigger problem than I thought. ... thanks for sharing! !!!! Merry Christmas. .

[@kreader50]

I load both 380 and 9mm. I am constantly checking while I am reloading 9mm on my progressive press and occasionally a 380 will sneak by and I usually catch it before the bullet is seated. When reloading 380 I don't have to worry about 9mm because they will not feed into the shell holder. Lucky me I have never chambered a 380 in my 9mm. I really do not think the 380 that you loaded would have done any harm to you or the gun. Probably it would have just bulged the case. Thanks for sharing I will be more diligent when reloading 9mm.

[@elvisammo]

hey KennyDude... thanks for info... and for taking the time to comment! !!!

[@romansten9]

KennyDude 380 actually is 9mm. It's 9mm short, but different than 9mm Luger. You probably know that. But a lot of people say 380 vs 9mm, when they are both 9mm

[@HanstheTraffer]

Because the powder was probably compressed, it would have had way more compression than that much powder would generate without being compressed. It would blown up in your hand.

[@cplxmc1540]

I've done that before it's eye opening I sorted my brass better and used a powder check the next time.

[@bwframe_]

I case gage every 9mm, predominantly checking for the "Glock bulge." That caught the .380 case that snuck through my Dillon 650 setup and was loaded as a 9mm. 3.5gr of Titegroup, behind a 147gr pill.

[@romansten9]

Burl Frame 380 actually is 9mm. It's 9mm short, but different than 9mm Luger. You probably know that. But a lot of people say 380 vs 9mm, when they are both 9mm

[@Prepare2Survive]

Quickload calculates that load would have 28,462 psi and while that's over max for 380 acp it's still below max for 9mm so it probably would have been okay as long as the bullet wasn't touching the rifling because that could increase the pressure higher. Maybe that's a good reason to switch to a TC design instead of a RN because the TC is less likely to touch the rifling. Here's a screen shot of the quickload results. imgur.com/a/0u53c

[@vengenaceearly255]

I am glad you are ok brother. I think the problem comes for many of us reloading many different calibers. Life was so simple when I just owned a 9mm and a .45 acp. This accident makes me want to use powder coated bullets in a color coded way. Maybe blue for 9mm only or green for 380 etc. Maybe the color would have helped you on the powder charge as well. Just a thought.

[@elvisammo]

Hey Vengenace Early...Man you are so right ... Awesome Idea... I always intended to do that and never stayed with it! Merry Christmas to ya!

[@vengenaceearly255]

Merry Christmas to you and yours ! I see its a little cool up there got your hat on . Here it's low 80s

[@elvisammo]

+Vengenace Early what state you in?

[@vengenaceearly255]

FLA

[@ditchdigger93]

Wouldn't have been a problem if it had gone off. Much ado about nothing.

[@jizzmonkey9679]

I was thinking the same,might be different if the bullet was seated correctly for 380 but as it wasn't the preasure wouldn't be much different to a 9mm and probably less than 9mm+p

[@josephhomen]

Sneaky 380 cases. It happens to the best of us.

[@elvisammo]

hey Josephhomen. ... yea them suckers are sneaky...!!!! good description. ...

[@l.a.3887]

I just really appreciate the truth thank you

[@elvisammo]

👍👍👍

[@archersfriend]

Another reason for measuring (by Weight) the powder and charging cases one at a time then light check it. You would have also caught the short case at the charging time. If you are using a progressive with a powder thru die like the Lee, it would not have charged the short case. Using a powder drop can trip you up.

[@Brian.N]

Thanks for sharing,I watch out for this,as I load 9mm for me,and 380 for my wife . luckily that hasn't happened to me yet.I will watch more closely from now on.Hey Elvis Merry Christmas,and Happy NewYear

[@elvisammo]

hey Brian 248 noel. ...Big Al ... in the comments mentioned the big difference in the base of the bullet to notice. .... Thanks again And Merry Christmas Happy New Year to you and yours!

[@davidrubelowsky5608]

Thank you for sharing this video, I commend your honesty and humility. Humility is a human quality, deficient in our society today; I enjoy your videos and thank you again. Ps. I feel your pain with those 380 buggers mixed in with 9mm brass, pain in the ass. I've made a habit to run every round I load through a case gauge. Hope your New Year is Happy and Healthy

[@HanstheTraffer]

Don't tell your mom, she will take your guns away.

[@wesleyconklin6874]

Had the same thing happen except. The primer rod, for whatever reason, pushed the 380 right out of the plate. Popped it up I'm the air then I looked at it and I realized it was A 380 got lucky.

[@barryd.thomassr.9156]

Surprised the press did not jamb, pulling that case out of shell holder. 9MM is #19. ,380 uses #4

[@redraider6881]

It happened to me once and it fired and the case dropped on the table in front of me. I saw it when it landed and thought WTH, picked it up and was fire formed to the 9mm barrel. Looked at the bottom and it was labeled the 9mm br.c which is easy to mistake it for a 9mm parabellum. Actually caught another one this past weekend when I was loading. The case pulled right out of the shell holder due to the smaller base. So yes it can happen.

[@elvisammo]

thanks Snakeye for the contribution story..... gonna have to watch these sneaky suckers.......

[@HypocriticYT]

A friend gave me some 30-06 ammo to test fire his rifle he wanted fixed up. I trusted he gave me 30-06 ammo. The 280 Rem looks quite similar to a 30-06 except when you fire it from a 30-06, the brass tears lengthwise in a couple places, not safe!! Now I always check each round I load up.

[@velocity550]

Thanks for sharing. Don't be so hard on yourself, I once reloaded my 44 Mag to 44 Mag TC level because the page in the reloading manual turned while I wasn't looking. I fired it and the gun just about came out of my hand. I checked the cylinder gap after that and fortunately, it had not changed.

[@elvisammo]

wow velocity 550! I got a feeling this will turn out to be a great warning post!!!! thanks for sharing!

[@andycraig6905]

That would have been really bad. That's like loading a charge designed for .223 into a 5.56 case times 100. The smaller case capacity means higher pressure with the same charge. Be careful.

[@edadpops1709]

I use a lee turret press, its quick enough,and you can view every part of the reload .with real progressives thats not the case. My dad always told me try harder more often. I also tend not to have people in the reload room and no radio.focus focus focus. After my squib, which rattled my head for weeks.i now look at each case with a lite after charging and I log in and log out ,i date stamp and mark the last case in a session just so i wont have more squibs ever! We are not cats we have one life lets all make it a safe life.

[@elvisammo]

Hey Edad Martin.. we can all benefit from the reminders of our big mistakes! Glad you mentioned it! Complete focus and stepping up our safety procedures are a constant...... try Harder more Often! : ) Thanks again

[@JohnSmith-kg5dv]

I am surprised that the firing pin could even reach the primer. Due to how low the 380 rides in your Glock barrel. I guess you could have minutely short firing pin in your Glock. I would measure the primer depression in the 380 case and also measure the the depression on a 9 mm case and compare the differences. Just a thought. You could also put a CCI primer in a 380 Case (No powder) and see if it goes off in your Glock 9mm and measure the depression of the primer strike.

[@Billbobaker]

I have managed to miss sorting 9mm and got some .380 mixed it just like you.. I caught them all before shooting them.. I wonder now what would really happen if I did shoot one? Would love to see a test made of such a thing.. a .380 case with a 125 lead cast bullet with 4 grains of titegroup..

[@The45bullet]

iv'e done the exact same thing ,only i did fire mine.I didn't know it till all the brass got picked up.don't use range brass anymore broke resizing pins with stuck pebbles and other stuff tumbler missed.And iv'e had them split resizing who knows how many times they been reloaded plenty of friends give me there brass.

[@stevanrose7439]

I shot a 380 in my s/w shield and it shot ok but didn’t have enough pressure to cycle the action.

[@ZERO_42069]

Thats why i hate loading 9mm, i bought a bag of 1000 piece of 9mm brass and about 25% of it was 380

[@kttatortots4293]

When I was out shooting with my dad and his pistols this summer at my grandparents house in MT. I accidentally loaded his Hi-Point .380 with 9mm because I grabbed the wrong box from the can (in my defense they were the exact sam brand and they were in the exact same boxing except 1 said 9 and the other .380) and I got my very first failure to chamber on a pistol then.

[@elvisammo]

hey patton guy... that sounds like a happy ending! it could have been a little different story if you put the 380 in the 9.....these stories are helpful to know how easy it is to mix stuff up! happy shooten to ya!

[@Billbobaker]

I did one by mistake on my Dillon 650 and caught it in a visual when boxing them up.. I wonder what would have happened if it was fired.. Maybe someday I'll post a test.

[@erikgarcia3778]

I’ve done it in a Ruger 9mm the 380 will go boom and you will send it just like a 9mm but the gun won’t cycle it so you will manually eject it because it’s underpowered. Literally turns your gun into a bolt action gun. Do I recommend doing it absolutely not.

[@RyanSpringer1984]

So what about load data for intending to load a 115gr in a 380 case for a 380 weapon?

[@larrykool8637]

I've had the same thing occur. I loaded a 380 case as though it were a 9mm. I sort my brass and I missed one...it happens. Like you, nothing "bad" happened though.....thank God

[@elvisammo]

Good deal Larry Kool. ... I like to hear that... we escape with another lesson! !!

[@HypocriticYT]

Lucky the extractor didn't hold the round firmly enough to allow the firing pin to strike it hard enough. I don't think a 9mm powder charge in a 380 would hurt your 9mm handgun. 380 is so similar to 9mm anyone can miss that. I think a 357 load in a 38spl would be much worse.

[@romansten9]

Will Mathieson 380 actually is 9mm. It's 9mm short, but different than 9mm Luger. You probably know that. But a lot of people say 380 vs 9mm, when they are both 9mm, just not both Luger