Lee Loader

I notice in my Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th Edition that the max load for a 100 grain 380 bullet is 3.1 grains of W231 and Ranch Dog list his bullet at 3.7 grains of W231. Does anyone load and use the 3.7 grains in a Ranch Dog 380 100 grain bullet? This is for a Sig P238
BobW

When it is over your book and into " uncharted" waters proceed with caution and look for signs of over pressure, blown primers, hard to eject, etc and load 5 at 3.1, 5 at 3.2, etc until you reach your maximum. RD uses a load program that computes pressure at stated bullet depth, etc while Lyman may still be using a different method. I would feel safe working up to RD's stated load, but with all the variables involved, at a reasonable pace. When I was young, I used to start at the maximum load and see how it worked. My how times have changed. Good luck.

Thanks for the reply. I will follow your advice and go slow. Hell I might be happy with a much reduced load, but would like to check it out.
Bob

Yeap, start at a appropriate reduction and move forward. Also understand that bullets are different even at the same grain weight. I'm not sure what bullet Lyman uses but the in and out of case lengths dramatically affect the compression of the charge in a small case like the 380 Auto.