I finally tried my hand at .380 loads this past week. Have never went that route in the past as boxed stuff used to be pretty inexpensive. I had moved the Dillon over to small primer for a bit to load some .40 S&W and used that as a good excuse to set up a toolhead for .380 whilst there. Also tried some Win231 for the first time. Clays or Unique have always been my go to powder for .45 but from the research I did they didn't look optimal for these little guys.
The recipe I used was 3.4 gr W231 (their data showed 3.2 - 3.5 for the range), 90 gr. Hornady XTP, Fed Match SPP. I loaded up 10 of these and tried 5 each in a KelTec P3AT and a Walther PK380. I didn't follow best practices and start from the low end and work up. I have had issues with the Walther cycling well with some of the milder factory ammo so I started a bit above midpoint.
Both functioned well, grouped well (given the firearms used and the person pulling the trigger), and cycled with no issues. Very pleased with the results and ran 75 with used brass, and when I ran out, 100 with new Starline brass. Will be another regular one for me now along with .45 ACP and .40 S&W. I will also say I am pleased with the way W231 meters on the 550. Given the narrow range of 0.3 gr from min to max I went way overboard in checking both on electronic and beam scales. It didn't once deviate from 3.4.
Sent a note off to Donnie at Bayou Bullets to see about some samples of his 95 gr. LRN and 105 gr LFP bullets in 380. I plan on trying those to see what cycles best in both sidearms and search for some more brass to load up 500 or so.
