Sorting 9mm vs. .380 Brass

Mark K · Dec 4, 2020

How do you-all sort range-pickup handgun brass?

It's easy to sort out .45 ACP (which I do reload), and .40 and revolver ammo (which I don't).

The issue of course is 9mm vs. .380. What I do is take about a hundred at a time, and stand them all up on the reloading bench mouth up. I then push them together so they're all touching; it's fairly easy then to separate the cases that are 2mm shorter.

But once in a while a .380 case will slip through with its 9mm buddies. Most of the time it'll prime just fine in a 9mm shellholder. I've always found them in the next step when using an expanding die -- the .380 cases feel quite different than the 9mm ones, and I can separate them out then and keep the primed cases until I'm loading .380.

I don't think I've ever gotten as far as trying to seat a 9mm projectile in a .380 case...

Other than checking each headstamp, anyone have a better technique?

85MikeTPI · Dec 4, 2020

Sorting trays. Midway used to sell a set of plastic Blue, Yellow, Black trays that fit in a 5gal bucket, along with a silver pan that
split out 223/380 from 9mm.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981319?pid=847836

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981254?pid=270949

Mark K · Dec 4, 2020

85MikeTPI said:
Sorting trays. Midway used to sell a set of plastic Blue, Yellow, Black trays that fit in a 5gal bucket, along with a silver pan that
split out 223/380 from 9mm.

Interesting. But the bowls themselves won't sort .380 from 9mm; you need the adapter plate for that. So about $65 total, even if in stock. I think I'll stick with visual sorting, which is actually kind of fun in a perverse sort of way...

guzma393 · Dec 4, 2020

i sort through them with my progressive; use a 9mm sizing die and a 380 case will feel "loose" when passed through. I then purge it out on the next pass.

GolfR · Dec 4, 2020

85MikeTPI said:
Sorting trays. Midway used to sell a set of plastic Blue, Yellow, Black trays that fit in a 5gal bucket, along with a silver pan that
split out 223/380 from 9mm.

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981319?pid=847836

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1012981254?pid=270949

I second this. I mounted a bucket on top of an old vibrating cleaner and it speeds things up considerably.

Like this https://youtu.be/n4YO5qp6CGo

rseymorejr · Dec 4, 2020

What's really tricky is when you come across some 9mm brass that has been cut down to 9x18 that'll drive you crazy!

Mark K · Dec 4, 2020

guzma393 said:
use a 9mm sizing die and a 380 case will feel "loose" when passed through.

I use a Lee sizing/decapping die in my single-stage Hornady press. Like I said, I don't particularly notice the difference when I size and decap -- probably because of the resistance of the decapping.

It's not until the expanding die that I feel the looseness of a .380 you're referring to...

alucard0822 · Dec 4, 2020

Might have to snag that separator plate, probably faster than the way I do it now, but won't work with 9x18 and 38 super. Have a decent system now, separate with the Yellow, blue, black pans referenced above, get 380, 9mm, 9mak, 38 super, 300BO and 5.56 in the black pan. Picking out the rifle cals is first, then I scoop brass up with a plastic 100rd 9mm ammo tray and shake it, they fall into the holes base first. Fills up in a few seconds, then looking at the brass from the side makes it easy to spot the relatively small difference in case lengths, pick out 38 super if I have any, then pick out the 380 and mak with the eraser end of a pencil, dump the remaining 9x19 in it's bucket-o-brass.

Mark K · Dec 4, 2020

alucard0822 said:
then I scoop brass up with a plastic 100rd 9mm ammo tray and shake it, they fall into the holes base first. Fills up in a few seconds, then looking at the brass from the side makes it easy to spot the relatively small difference in case lengths

Wait... say that again...? What kind of "plastic 100rd 9mm ammo tray" are you using? All I've got are various brands of multi-caliber 50-rd trays, but I don't think they'd do that because they've got various size and depth holes...

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009893682?pid=767946

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009923891?pid=857330

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009912681?pid=110254

lim144 · Dec 5, 2020

Mark K said:
Interesting. But the bowls themselves won't sort .380 from 9mm; you need the adapter plate for that. So about $65 total, even if in stock. I think I'll stick with visual sorting, which is actually kind of fun in a perverse sort of way...

So they do sell a 380 tray just to separate them from 9mm, but out of stock every damn place.

lim144 · Dec 5, 2020

GolfR said:
I second this. I mounted a bucket on top of an old vibrating cleaner and it speeds things up considerably.

Like this https://youtu.be/n4YO5qp6CGo

Well... never mind about being out of stock. It is in stock now. Thanks for the link. I will be ordering one

Mark K · Dec 5, 2020

So how does that "Shell Sorter Brass Sorter 380 ACP Adapter Plate" work, anyway? Doesn't seem to be by case length, since the holes are long. Case diameter? The .380 is .011" wider at the case head, and .014" wider at the rim. Can this plate differentiate between that?

Might be worth getting just the plate. The only thing that's a challenge for me to separate is 9mm from .380...

guzma393 · Dec 5, 2020

Mark K said:
So how does that "Shell Sorter Brass Sorter 380 ACP Adapter Plate" work, anyway? Doesn't seem to be by case length, since the holes are long. Case diameter? The .380 is .011" wider at the case head, and .014" wider at the rim. Can this plate differentiate between that?

Might be worth getting just the plate. The only thing that's a challenge for me to separate is 9mm from .380...

I 3d print a bunch of sift cards to achieve this goal in conjunction to my progressive press sorting method (sift method takes care of 90 percent of the 380s from the 9mm). It should be the other way around where the 9mm case head is wider than the 380 auto, where the 380s pass through and the 9mm stays behind.

85MikeTPI · Dec 5, 2020

Mark K said:
So how does that "Shell Sorter Brass Sorter 380 ACP Adapter Plate" work, anyway? Doesn't seem to be by case length, since the holes are long. Case diameter? The .380 is .011" wider at the case head, and .014" wider at the rim. Can this plate differentiate between that?

Might be worth getting just the plate. The only thing that's a challenge for me to separate is 9mm from .380...

Allows .374 case diameter (380auto) or smaller to slip through, while preventing .391 cases (9x19) from dropping..

guzma393 · Dec 5, 2020

guzma393 said:
I 3d print a bunch of sift cards to achieve this goal in conjunction to my progressive press sorting method (sift method takes care of 90 percent of the 380s from the 9mm). It should be the other way around where the 9mm case head is wider than the 380 auto, where the 380s pass through and the 9mm stays behind.

Mark K said:
I use a Lee sizing/decapping die in my single-stage Hornady press. Like I said, I don't particularly notice the difference when I size and decap -- probably because of the resistance of the decapping.

It's not until the expanding die that I feel the looseness of a .380 you're referring to...

Ah ok. I noticed it clearly on my lee breechlock pro. Where it feels like I am not sizing a case at all due to the fact that 380 is a bit smaller in diameter compared to 9mm

Mark K · Dec 5, 2020

guzma393 said:
It should be the other way around where the 9mm case head is wider than the 380 auto, where the 380s pass through and the 9mm stays behind.

85MikeTPI said:
Allows .374 case diameter (380auto) or smaller to slip through, while preventing .391 cases (9x19) from dropping..

You'all are right, of course. I'd quickly glanced at something through Google, and it looked like .380 was slightly larger in diameter than 9mm. Which didn't really make sense...

But my Hornady reloading manual shows that 9mm is significantly larger than .380.

Pinecone · Dec 6, 2020

85MikeTPI said:
Allows .374 case diameter (380auto) or smaller to slip through, while preventing .391 cases (9x19) from dropping..

Sounds like a .380" slot width.

alucard0822 · Dec 6, 2020

Mark K said:
Wait... say that again...? What kind of "plastic 100rd 9mm ammo tray" are you using? All I've got are various brands of multi-caliber 50-rd trays, but I don't think they'd do that because they've got various size and depth holes...

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009893682?pid=767946

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009923891?pid=857330

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1009912681?pid=110254

Just a 100rd plastic ammo box, can spot the 380, 38super and 9x18 mixed with 9x19 in the 2nd row. Works fine with 380 and 9mm, but 9x18 mak is hard to spot Separator plate is better, will be getting one. I also use this method to separate 45acp from 460 Rowland

Mark K · Dec 6, 2020

Well, I ordered just one of the 380 ACP Adapter Plates, without the other sorter bowls. Depending on its size I'll jury-rig it to some kind of bowl I've already got, or just put a duct-tape rim around it and use it loose. Like I said, it's easy for me to sort out the other calibers.

Thanks for the info.

Sorting 9mm vs. .380 Brass

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