The authority on pistol and rifle loading data since 1996.

Reloading The .380 Auto (9mm Kurz)(9mm short)

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.

MD Smith

MD Smith

MD Smith has had a storied career from his family broadcasting AM radio business, to his 36 year career in TV broadcasting. He is a published fiction and non-fiction writer, earned his pilots license in 1965, and is the original founder of Reload Ammo in 1996. His loads have been successfully tested and used by others for more than 25 years.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Table of Contents

Our mission is to help you improve your skills, save money, and achieve greater accuracy with your reloads. Explore our articles, guides, and join our community to get started on your reloading journey today.

Reloading The .308 Winchester Rifle

Join Our Community of Avid Reloaders!

Whether you're an expert reloader or just getting started, having the right tool is critical for success

Stay Connected

Join the exclusive reloading community founded in 1996 and be the first to know about our latest news, reviews, and insights.