Need powder suggestion for ppk 380

[Scuba2do]

As the title suggests I have several powders but don't know that one would be better. I have loaded AA#2 , 3.3 grains all the way up to 3.5 and it barely has enough power to eject the cartridge. Trying to shoot a 100 gm plated bullet, new starline brass, CCI primer. Looking at loads this goes beyond published data. May have something to do with how tight the spring is on the slide. I did not chrono the bullet but have decided to use a different powder. I am looking at silhouette, unique, bullseye( I have these 3). Anyone have any suggestions? Appreciate any advice.

 

[Doubless]

I shoot 4.5 grains of AA #5 behind my own cast 100-grain RN. That same load should be plenty accurate for you and have more than enough "oomph" to reliably cycle the PPK.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Of the powders you have I think Unique will deliver the highest velocities. If you check the Ramshot site you will find load data for the bullet you are using and Silhouette but might not match the velocities from Unique. Of course I can't speak to accuracy and if it were me I would gladly sacrifice a little velocity for accuracy. AA#2 is a fast powder but with the over-charge you use the slide should have slammed back. Silhouette is a slower powder than AA#2 and the pressure curve will be different. That may help cycle the slide correctly. I would try published data for Silhouette next but if the slide won't cycle when using the data on the Ramshot site without going over that data something is wrong with your gun, not the ammo.

 

[David R]

For top velocity, I use Unique.

David

 

[scooter123]

Because of the limited case volume I would suggest using a powder notorious for being prone to double charge mistakes, that being Titegroup. Looking at the data in my Lee second indicates a 2.6 to 3.0 grain range with a 100 grain jacketed bullet.

 

[zeke]

Another Unique user for 95 jacketed in Walther ppk 380. Mixed brass, Fed 100 primer, Win 95 gn fmj @ .944 col.

3.5 grains gave about 950 fps
3.8 grains gave about 1000 fps

You may also want to check to see if you have a standard strength/correct recoil spring.

Am having trouble visualizing 3.5 grains of AA2 and 100 grain bullet not having enough oomph to cycle the slide.

 

[Pisgah]

Trying to shoot a 100 gm plated bullet ...

I'm just wondering how you manage to cram a 3.5 ounce bullet in there...
;-)

 

[Scuba2do]

Thanks for the replies guys we will try some Unique and chrono the round. The Walther is a brand new gun, my brother's, and I have no idea the amount of pounds in that spring. It is a pretty amazing piece. No wonder James Bond liked it. It really makes for a nice range gun, very little recoil. A lot of C&C guns aren't fun to shoot but this one is. I may have to get one. Will post results later....

 

[RussellD]

Kick up you powder charge to 3.7 grains and try again. Speer manual #13 shows 3.3 starting load and 3.7 max with a 95 grain fmj. I used to own an early Interarms PPK/S and it was very finicky on what it liked. Are you keeping the gun clean and well lubricated? Try a little slide glide on the rails and you can feel the difference.

 

[Scuba2do]

Gun has had less than 40 rounds put through it. It has been cleaned and lubricated. Thanks for the additional load data but that is for a 95 grain bullet and in the other manuals a 100 grain is less powder, plus this is a jacketed bullet not an fmj.

 

[Rule3]

Thanks for the replies guys we will try some Unique and chrono the round. The Walther is a brand new gun, my brother's, and I have no idea the amount of pounds in that spring. It is a pretty amazing piece. No wonder James Bond liked it. It really makes for a nice range gun, very little recoil. A lot of C&C guns aren't fun to shoot but this one is. I may have to get one. Will post results later....

Although Mr Bond carried and used many guns in the books and movies, his PPK was actually a 32 ACP (7.65) not a 380.

It is a very accurate gun, I use HP38/W231 for 380 loads. If you do not have that then Unique would be a good choice, It sounds like you do not have enough load to fully cycle the gun. The recoil spring and slide are heavy.

Download the Ramshot load data they have your plated bullet listed using Silhouette. Your charge is too low.

3.7 min to 4.4 Max

Load Data « Ramshot

 

[scooter123]

Scuba2do, you seem to be rather mistaken as to what FMJ means. FMJ stands for Full Metal Jacket and the often used synonym is Jacketed. Specifically, FMJ and Jacketed are the exact same thing. Jacketed, of FMJ bullets will normally feature some exposed lead, either open hollow points, soft lead points, or an open base with exposed lead. Production of this type of bullet typically is done by pouring molten lead into a metal shell (usually copper but sometimes brass or copper plated steel) followed by a sizing operation. However, in the past there have been bullets that were formed by pressing a slug of lead into the shell under pressure in a die holding the shell. The reason that this extrusion process isn't widely used today is due to the poor bond between the core and jacket causing issues with jackets stripping off the bullet causeing terrible accuracy.

Plated bullets are very often described as TMJ, or Total Metal Jacket. This can sometimes be an erroneous description because there have been bullets produced in the past that featured a bullet with a formed (typically spin formed) metal jacket in combination with a separate copper cap sealing off the lead at the base of the bullet. However I have not seen any 2 piece shell TMJ bullets in over 20 years and believe that ALL TMJ bullets produced today are Plated. I'll also point out that copper plated bullets today are a lot higher quality than the copper washed bullets seen with some 22 caliber ammo. In fact Speer's Gold Dots, which start out as plated blanks, feature plating as thick as traditional jacketing with a vastly superior bond between jacket and core.

 

[RH45]

I've not loaded any AA#2 for .380 yet, and don't plan to because I have played with it extensively in 9mm, and have found it is reverse temperature sensitive.
Loads the were running 1030fps, last summer, out of a 5" barrel were running over 1,100fps out of a 3" barrel, earlier this year, when the air temperature was about freezing. When it's like 90 degrees out, I have to increase the powder charge .5-1 grain, just to get the gun to cycle.
I won't be buying any more AA#2.

 

[Scuba2do]

Well loaded up 4.2 grains of Unique and did not have any fte issues. The speed was 930 ft/sec with good accuracy. This was using 100 grain berry bullet, new starline, cci small pistol primer. Additionally this is within the range of the data of unique that I used. So thank you for the advice.

Scooter, there is no doubt I am misinformed about a lot of technology in reloading and appreciate the explanation. I have read that the plated bullets should not use the same data as fmj. I have seen several references that one shouldn't go to top of the range but about 1/2 the range. There are very few references out there except for a few powder companies that give plated data. It's interesting, I have a box of very old 25+ year Hornady FMJ and the bottom of the round obviously shows the core of the lead inside since it isn't fully jacketed like Berry or x-treme bullets. Reloading is new to me, so I am all about learning.

 

[Rule3]

Well loaded up 4.2 grains of Unique and did not have any fte issues. The speed was 930 ft/sec with good accuracy. This was using 100 grain berry bullet, new starline, cci small pistol primer. Additionally this is within the range of the data of unique that I used. So thank you for the advice.

Scooter, there is no doubt I am misinformed about a lot of technology in reloading and appreciate the explanation. I have read that the plated bullets should not use the same data as fmj. I have seen several references that one shouldn't go to top of the range but about 1/2 the range. There are very few references out there except for a few powder companies that give plated data. It's interesting, I have a box of very old 25+ year Hornady FMJ and the bottom of the round obviously shows the core of the lead inside since it isn't fully jacketed like Berry or x-treme bullets. Reloading is new to me, so I am all about learning.

Your plated bullets like Berrys, Rainer and others should use the middle data of that for FMJ bullets like the XTP. If you can not find that you can use lead data.

The Ramshoot data I linked to, uses your exact bullet, with Silhouette.

Hodgdon is starting to show loads for plated also. Alliant, well there online data has always been sparse.

 

[rg1]

You can't find a better powder for .380 than AA#2. Gives most consistent and top velocity with my 90-95 grain bullets using CCI 500 primers in various cases.

 

[Nevada Ed]

I never shot a 380 but in my 9mm's I found that the faster powders worked best with the lighter bullets at minimum to target speed and were hard pressed to reach factory FPS with the heavier bullets in 3" barrels.

Unique had no problem with a 115 or 124 plated in a little 3" getting a factory Dup. load, within 30 fps.

My vote goes towards the use of Unique for the higher fps in a 380 with a 100gr monster!

 

[rwsmith]

New and tight.....

I cycle my slide by hand to break it in. I can do it for a few minutes and simulate hundreds of rounds instead of shooting that many. Make sure your gun is adequately lubed.

Any of those powders should work well, but maybe you need to load toward the middle of the table for that particular gun.

 

[alwslate]

The Lyman #4 Cast Bullet Manual lists loads for bullets up to 120 grs.
They recommend Bullseye and W231 for overall best results in the 380.

 

[lebomm]

Scooter and Scuba2do,
A bit of clarification if I may; "jacketed" refers to any bullet with a separate piece of metal, usually a copper alloy, applied to protect the softer, usually lead, core. The fmj is the military-style bullet with the point covered by the jacket to prevent expansion, while an exposed lead nose will allow the bullet to expand to kill game more efficiently. So you see, a "jacketed" bullet is not necessarily a "full metal jacket" bullet. They behave the same in the bore, but differently in the target.
The purpose of the "total metal jacket", or plated bullet is to reduce the effect of lead in the environment, a subject for a different discussion.

Larry