Load Specifications
Load data in caliber .380 ACP with .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC bullet and 37 powders. The key underlying parameters are shown in the table above. The recommended powders for this cartridge and bullet combination are ReloadSwiss RS 12 and Alliant RED DOT.
Important Notice: DO NOT go below Minimum Charge or above Maximum Charge. Since we have no control over the equipment and components used, any responsibility and liability for the results achieved is rejected.
Only powders/loads that match the current filter criteria are displayed: max pressure of a load ≤ 90% of max. standardized pressure, fill rate ≥ 60% and propellant combustion ≥ 80%. Use the sliders above the tables to adjust these thresholds.
Charge: Powder weight in grains. Start with the minimum load and work up carefully.
FR (Fill Rate): Case fill as a percentage. Values above 100% mean compressed loads.
MaxP / %: Maximum chamber pressure in bar and as a percentage of the standardized maximum for this caliber.
V(0): Muzzle velocity in feet per second (fps) at the standardized barrel length.
z (Powder Burn): Estimated propellant combustion percentage at bullet exit.
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Max Load - Barrel Length: 3.5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1000 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,824 psi | 86% | 768 fps | 97.6% |
| Accurate Solo 1250* | <<locked>> | 92% | 17,216 psi | 88% | 807 fps | 91.4% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 15,113 psi | 77% | 791 fps | 90.8% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 72% | 17,245 psi | 88% | 715 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 72% | 16,708 psi | 85% | 728 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,230 psi | 83% | 764 fps | 99.9% |
| ADI AS 50N | <<locked>> | 80% | 17,318 psi | 88% | 801 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant BE-86* | <<locked>> | 92% | 16,752 psi | 86% | 814 fps | 94.2% |
| Alliant Green Dot | <<locked>> | 84% | 17,056 psi | 87% | 801 fps | 97.5% |
| Alliant RED DOT | <<locked>> | 88% | 17,448 psi | 89% | 804 fps | 99.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100* | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,838 psi | 81% | 761 fps | 94.9% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol*ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 12,836 psi | 66% | 741 fps | 94.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol | <<locked>> | 84% | 16,795 psi | 86% | 817 fps | 96.8% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 17,071 psi | 87% | 820 fps | 89.9% |
| Hodgdon Clays | <<locked>> | 84% | 17,100 psi | 87% | 735 fps | 100% |
| Hodgdon HP38*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 17,463 psi | 89% | 804 fps | 94.1% |
| Hodgdon Universal* | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,113 psi | 77% | 791 fps | 90.8% |
| Lovex S011*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,447 psi | 79% | 745 fps | 91.5% |
| Lovex S020* | <<locked>> | 88% | 17,448 psi | 89% | 827 fps | 87% |
| Maxam CSB 1* | <<locked>> | 96% | 17,376 psi | 89% | 810 fps | 91.8% |
| Maxam CSB 2ᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 16,404 psi | 84% | 856 fps | 97.1% |
| Maxam CSB 3 | <<locked>> | 88% | 17,506 psi | 89% | 810 fps | 96.3% |
| Maxam CSB 4 | <<locked>> | 84% | 17,187 psi | 88% | 797 fps | 98.3% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 76% | 16,375 psi | 84% | 774 fps | 100% |
| Ramshot Zip*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,607 psi | 85% | 791 fps | 92.5% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12 | <<locked>> | 88% | 17,042 psi | 87% | 869 fps | 99.2% |
| Rottweil P 801 | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,882 psi | 86% | 837 fps | 99.9% |
| SNPE Vectan A1* | <<locked>> | 80% | 16,592 psi | 85% | 778 fps | 92.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9* | <<locked>> | 80% | 15,896 psi | 81% | 761 fps | 87.1% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 68% | 16,694 psi | 85% | 728 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2* | <<locked>> | 84% | 16,433 psi | 84% | 794 fps | 90.4% |
| Vihtavuori N310² | <<locked>> | 64% | 16,723 psi | 85% | 768 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N320 | <<locked>> | 84% | 15,679 psi | 80% | 797 fps | 97.8% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Starᴾ | <<locked>> | 100% | 8,891 psi | 45% | 646 fps | 97.9% |
| Vihtavuori N330* | <<locked>> | 88% | 16,491 psi | 84% | 827 fps | 92.6% |
| Winchester 231*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 15,287 psi | 78% | 768 fps | 91.2% |
| Winchester AutoComp * | <<locked>> | 96% | 17,172 psi | 88% | 820 fps | 90% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
Start Load - Barrel Length: 3.5"
| Powder | Charge | FR | MaxP | % | V(0) | z |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accurate Solo 1000*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,370 psi | 53% | 633 fps | 90.9% |
| Accurate Solo 1250* | <<locked>> | 80% | 12,140 psi | 62% | 705 fps | 85.2% |
| ADI AP 70N*² | <<locked>> | 68% | 12,778 psi | 65% | 741 fps | 87.8% |
| ADI APS 350² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,851 psi | 71% | 663 fps | 100% |
| ADI APS 450² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,256 psi | 63% | 653 fps | 100% |
| ADI AS 30² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,703 psi | 50% | 627 fps | 95.6% |
| ADI AS 50N*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 9,906 psi | 51% | 640 fps | 89.4% |
| Alliant BE-86*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 11,168 psi | 57% | 699 fps | 87.5% |
| Alliant Green Dot*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,818 psi | 45% | 610 fps | 87.3% |
| Alliant RED DOT*² | 1.5 gr | 60% | 8,340 psi | 43% | 604 fps | 92.6% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 100*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 8,891 psi | 45% | 607 fps | 85.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol* | <<locked>> | 80% | 7,789 psi | 40% | 607 fps | 85.2% |
| Baschieri & Pellagri 103 Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 8,746 psi | 45% | 636 fps | 86.1% |
| Hodgdon CFE Pistol*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 14,663 psi | 75% | 774 fps | 87.2% |
| Hodgdon Clays² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,182 psi | 52% | 607 fps | 99.3% |
| Hodgdon HP38*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,794 psi | 76% | 755 fps | 91.6% |
| Hodgdon Universal*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 12,778 psi | 65% | 741 fps | 87.8% |
| Lovex S011*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 12,850 psi | 66% | 692 fps | 88.3% |
| Lovex S020* | <<locked>> | 84% | 16,027 psi | 82% | 801 fps | 85.5% |
| Maxam CSB 1* | <<locked>> | 84% | 12,517 psi | 64% | 712 fps | 86% |
| Maxam CSB 2* | <<locked>> | 80% | 9,732 psi | 50% | 702 fps | 88.7% |
| Maxam CSB 3*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 9,166 psi | 47% | 627 fps | 85.7% |
| Maxam CSB 4*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,601 psi | 44% | 610 fps | 88.3% |
| Maxam CSB 5² | <<locked>> | 60% | 10,675 psi | 55% | 666 fps | 98.8% |
| Ramshot Zip*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 15,287 psi | 78% | 768 fps | 91.2% |
| ReloadSwiss RS 12*² | 2.2 gr | 64% | 8,035 psi | 41% | 659 fps | 88.9% |
| Rottweil P 801*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 8,688 psi | 44% | 659 fps | 93.7% |
| SNPE Vectan A1*² | <<locked>> | 64% | 11,110 psi | 57% | 663 fps | 85.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA 9*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 14,750 psi | 75% | 738 fps | 85.7% |
| SNPE Vectan BA10² | <<locked>> | 60% | 13,648 psi | 70% | 679 fps | 100% |
| SNPE Vectan BA9 1/2*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 12,879 psi | 66% | 722 fps | 86% |
| Vihtavuori N310² | <<locked>> | 60% | 14,968 psi | 76% | 741 fps | 100% |
| Vihtavuori N320*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 7,745 psi | 40% | 604 fps | 86.4% |
| Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star*² | <<locked>> | 72% | 4,902 psi | 25% | 502 fps | 87.1% |
| Vihtavuori N330*² | <<locked>> | 76% | 11,792 psi | 60% | 725 fps | 86.1% |
| Winchester 231*² | <<locked>> | 60% | 11,821 psi | 60% | 692 fps | 86.6% |
| Winchester AutoComp * | <<locked>> | 88% | 13,793 psi | 70% | 755 fps | 86.1% |
Recommended = one of the top powders for this cartridge and bullet combination.
* not dangerous but load has suboptimal powder burnt with possible characteristics such as extensive muzzle flash or inaccurate loads.
² fill rate low - you might want to consider using a filler to ensure proper ignition.
ᴾ possible press load - work up slowly to this load while watching for signs of excessive pressure.
This overview compares 37 powders for .380 ACP loaded with the .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC. ReloadSwiss RS 12 delivers the highest muzzle velocity at 869 fps; across all powders the maximum-charge window runs from 646 fps to 869 fps. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol gives the best case fill at 100 %, and 26 of the 37 powders fall inside the usable 80–100 % fill window.
Relative to the caliber's maximum pressure (135 MPa), the top charges use 45–89 %, leaving at least 11 % headroom. Baschieri & Pellagri 102 Pistol, Maxam CSB 2, Vihtavuori N32C Tin Star reach 100 % fill or more at maximum charge, so these are compressed loads: they need a long drop tube to seat cleanly and react sensitively to the case capacity of your own brass lot. ReloadSwiss RS 12, Alliant RED DOT rank at the top here: for .380 ACP with the .356 | 120gr | LEE Mold 356-120-TC they combine a high case fill with complete burn and sit in the upper velocity band. As outliers, Accurate Solo 1250, ADI AP 70N, Alliant BE-86 burn incompletely and react more sensitively to barrel length and temperature. Accurate Solo 1000, Accurate Solo 1250, ADI AP 70N stay subsonic at start load. Always begin at the start load and work up in small increments while checking case and primer for pressure signs.