Cast bullets in a 40 S&W

[Baryngyl]

I am helping a friend get set up to load for a 40 S&W semi-auto pistol, I was wondering if anyone loads any cast bullets for it, if so what ones and how do they work for you?

Does anyone have any of the LEE TL401-175SWC that might be able to send me 20 or so, as cast, unsized, unlubed, for him to try? We will be willing to pay S&H.

Thank You
Michael Grace

[jameslovesjammie]

I've had good luck with cast in .40. The biggest thing you want to make sure is that the bullet fit is good. My CZ has a .401 barrel, so I have to size to .402. My Star die marked .401 actually sizes to .3995, and I had nightmarish leading in the beginning.

[geargnasher]

Do a site search for .40 and S&W and put in either my handle or Doby45 in the member field, and specify Castboolits as the forum to search. There have been several excellent, long, and informative threads on this in the last year or two addressing all the particular problems you can expect to encounter with this sometimes pesky cartridge.

Gear

[garym1a2]

My glock 22 gets a steady diet of the Lee 175TC boolit over 3.7gr of WST. Its a very soft load. About 4gr of bullseye is nice too. For full power loads try WSF or unique.

[MUSTANG]

I am helping a friend get set up to load for a 40 S&W semi-auto pistol, I was wondering if anyone loads any cast bullets for it, if so what ones and how do they work for you?

Does anyone have any of the LEE TL401-175SWC that might be able to send me 20 or so, as cast, unsized, unlubed, for him to try? We will be willing to pay S&H.

Thank You
Michael Grace


Baryngyl:

I have been reloading cast boolits for my Star - "Ultra Star 40" in 40S&W for the last 20 years.

My Target/Practice Load is:


Lee Bullet Mold 401-175-TC 40 S&W (401 Diameter) 175 Grain Truncated Cone
Powder: Bullseye - 4.0 Grains or Unique - 5.2 Grains
Primer: CCI Standard Pistol Primer


My mold is NOT the tumble lube; rather it is the traditional lube groove model.

I can send you 50 of these cast from Wheel Weight, Air Cooled, all ready lubed and sized to .400 in a Lyman 450 Lubrisizer if you would like.


PM me at Mustang with US Postal address if you are interested in me sending you some of these cast boolits to try..



Mustang

[fcvan]

I have shot thousands of the Lee 401-175 TC and maybe a thousand of the Lee 401-145 SWC, each loaded with 5.0 grains of unique. I have tried Rooster Red, Javalena, home made loob (from a recipe here) and currently using Lars BAC. I size to .401 (my molds throw a tad bigger than that) and have not had any leading problems. I mainly shoot these loads through a Glock 22C, a Glock 23, and a Ruger Vaquero that shoots 38-40 and .40 S&W. My brother shoots this load through his Glock 22, 23, and 27, and the wife through her Glock 23. You can go hotter than 5 grains of Unique but it prints to point of aim for me. Frank

[mpmarty]

+1 on that LEE 175gr TC boolit. That's all I use in my 10mms and for a light practice load I like 5gr of red dot. For full house loads I use only AA#9 at around 14gr and that is the cleanest burning powder I've ever used. My new Starline cases come out after firing that AA9 with the insides as shiny as before they were loaded.

[popper]

I have both, both work well from my XDM and PX4. I like the TC better, the SWC seems to have a higher POI. I've heard of feed problems with the SWC but not a problem in mine. You can TL both. I'd pick one, cast and shoot, work out any problems that arise. If you are not casting, try MBC, Penn or others. Pick one and go for it.

[Alan in Vermont]

I just finished up a big batch of .40 with that boolit ahead of 4.3 of HP-38. Did a test batch of 75 and they ran through an XD-M with nary a bobble. I've got extras of the boolits but they are sized .402 and lubed with 50/50. If you can use some I'd be happy to send them.

[Baryngyl]

Mustang is sending me some of his to try in my friends gun.

I am not sure what brand his gun is, it is (if I am remembering correctly) a steel slide/barrel on a plastic/composite type frame, so I am not sure how cast will work or not, he has been firing Winchester white box FMJ 180gr.

Thanks everyone.
Michael Grace

[ku4hx]

The 40 cals are #2 on my list of easiest to cast handgun boolits with 45 ACP being #1.

I have cast both the Tumble Lube and Traditional Lube Lee 175 grain. A couple of years ago I stopped casting the Tumble Lube version because I was having trouble getting the round to chamber in 40cal and 10mm guns with both OEM and after market barrels. The apparent root cause of the problem was the SWC profile my molds produced. Very small step at the shoulder, but it was there. My traditional lube boolit mold does't have the SWC-like step and is a true truncated cone.

With going to the TC version, all my feeding problems disappeared. I re-cast all the TL boolits as TC and now I'm a happy old fart. As usual, YMMV.

Could I have eventually made the TL versions work successfully? No idea. But I had the TC version mold, my problem certainly appears to be solved through several thousand rounds using its boolits and that's what matters to me.

[Baryngyl]

I should get his reloading dies on the 30th, he also had me order some "Rainier LeadSafe Bullets 40 S&W, 180 Grain Plated Flat Nose".

Another friend of his sent over some primers, bullseye and unique powder.

So I should be able to get him some loads to try out right after the 1st of the month.


Michael Grace

[Lefty SRH]

I need to get a .40 cal mold for fleet, but I'm looking for a particular round nose profile.

[dakotashooter2]

My most accurate bullet is not even a 40 cal bullet. It is a RCBS 210 gr SWC .410 , which I had HPed and weighs in at 197 gr. (WW) I know that is heavy for the cartridge but they shoot better than some of the lighter, jacketed bullets I have tried and I get little or no leading. When I size them I use a RN nose cone and get a rounded edge on the nose. I size them at .402 and run them through within a couple days of casting so they go through relatively easy with no deformation.

[David2011]

The Lee 401-175 TC will make a lot of boolits in a hurry but between them sticking and having to knock them loose and the general aggravations of an aluminum mold, I have gone to a 4 cavity cast iron mold. I feel like the production rate is about the same. I agree that the .40 boolit is almost as easy to cast as the 5 ACP. I've cast probably 60K-70K of them since 2006 for IPSC shooting. I've never cast or used tumble lubed boolits.

MPMARTY- Thanks for the AA#9 tip. I posted some questions a few years ago about reducing smoke and was met with comments like ~I wouldn't worry about the smoke as long as it's accurate and doesn't lead~. Those people don't understand IPSC or Steel competition where "a little" smoke can obscure the targets while the clock is running.

David

[MUSTANG]

Mustang is sending me some of his to try in my friends gun.

I am not sure what brand his gun is, it is (if I am remembering correctly) a steel slide/barrel on a plastic/composite type frame, so I am not sure how cast will work or not, he has been firing Winchester white box FMJ 180gr.

Thanks everyone.
Michael Grace


Ah Barngyl;

Possibly an allegory to the "Don't use Cast Boolits in a Glock" debates? I have Glock's and a Star with polymer frames and steel slide/barrels; although my traditional all metal 1911's, Berrettas, Walther's, Lugers, Bersa's etc.. are my preference. I have had personally no difficulties with shooting many thousands of cast rounds in Polymer frames and the Glock octagonal .45 barrels.

Our son is a Metro Police Officer; and the Police Department (along with Glock) rejects the use of cast in an Octagonal Barrel. Well, each of us makes our choices and should be personally responsible for our own actions. For me; I'll keep loading cast in my Polymer frame pistols and those with Octagonal barrels.


By the way, take some pictures and share your results with the Lee .40TC loads your working on..

Mustang

[LubeckTech]

I need to get a .40 cal mold for fleet, but I'm looking for a particular round nose profile.

I'm probably going to order one of these tomorrow;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/253968/lyman-2-cavity-bullet-mold-401043-38-40-wcf-401-diameter-175-grain-flat-nose?cm_vc=wishList

Lyman 401043.

I agree with everyone here the Lee TC 175 works best. The TL version does not feed reliabllely for me in just avout anything - S&W 4006, Sig 226, M&P 40, Ruger P9? and G20 with FirreDragon barrel.

http://mp-molds.com/shopping/pgm-more_information.php?id=17

These look promising too but since there is no step down like on the Lyman I am afaraid I might have to seat them so deep (to prevent choking in the throat) that the OAL might be too short for reliable feeding. I have found that with .40 longer OAL results in better feeding.

[Baryngyl]

Ah Barngyl;

.....

By the way, take some pictures and share your results with the Lee .40TC loads your working on..

Mustang
Sorry I didn't think take any photos, the dies and everything came a few days earlier then expected and he came over the next day, I set up the reloading tools and showed him the basic whats/whys and then sat and watched/supervised him as he put together 350 +/- rounds.
He has shot some and liked both the home cast that MUSTANG sent and the Rainer LeadSafes we ordered.

Now I got to get to work working up a load or 2 in whichever rifle/s I decide to use for my Elk/Deer/Bear/Cougar hunting this year if I get lucky enuf to see any of these critters.


Michael Grace

[prs]

Some folks recommend cleaning all copper traces from the barrel before beginning your lead boolit trials. Copper and tinned lead like to "marry".

prs

[Tenbender]

I have plenty of Lee 175's powder coated. There 11 BHN and actually weigh 171 gr. If you want to try them send me a message.