Do I need Gas Check for .40 S&W

[LongDog]

Hello to all

This is my first post here, I just found your site a few hours ago have been reading a lot, I just bought a new Springfield XDM 3.8 in 40S&W and wont to cast my own bullets for it, I would like to use near max loads with hallow point bullets, would I need a gas check for this? and what would be the best powder to use I have blue dot, accurate 4 & 5 and pistol powder and which lube should I use?, I found a Hollow Point mold 180gr at NOE bullet molds for $101.00

also I have a Lyman 9MM HP 125GR 1 CAVITY MOLD 356637, I plan on making bullets for my P250 357sig and also would like to go near max with the loads?

Thanks

[Blammer]

why do you want to shoot max loads?

check out some of the stickies at the top of some forum titles, they may help a bunch.

[Muddydogs]

I shoot Lee 401 175 SWC tumble lube bullets out of my XD .40 but I only load 5.2 grains of Unique in them. They still have plenty of zip out of the .40.

[popper]

No, you don't need GCs for full power 180 loads. No you don't need hollow points either. It's not a 10mm. You alloy should be close to COWW AC. My standard XDM like the Lee 175 TC and MBC #5.

[David2011]

Blammer asks a good question. Why do you want to shoot max rather than most accurate loads?

I've shot tens of thousands of boolits that I cast through my IPSC pistol. They're decent loads but I only need 940-950 fps to reliably make IPSC major power factor. That's not even close to needing a gas check. I've shot as hot as 1040 fps with a 180 grain boolit with no gas check and no problems.

David

[fcvan]

There is a wealth information regarding the need for gas checks for certain loads. There is also a wealth of information regarding the use of the right combination of alloy, lube, and peak pressure curve of the powder used to run without gas checks. I am sure folks will be chiming in with their vast knowledge on both sides of this discussion.

I have loaded 40 S&W for 5 years using a Lee 401-175 TC and 401-145 SWC without leading my barrel. Granted, I'm generally not running max pressures or velocity for this cartridge. I've been loading other cast 1boolit cartridges with and without gas checks since the 70s. It is truly about alloy, sizing for the bore, and proper lube.

Gas checks do more than just combat leading, they can also aid in developing a more accurate load. I have seen loads with checks shrink group size even though the load would not necessarily require a check. Some say it has to do with the check getting a better bite on the lands and grooves or by providing a more consistent base to the boolit. I'm not sure what causes improvement only that I have seen groups tighten up when checks are applied.

The use of plain based gas checks on standard boolits has worked rather well for me. I have CheckMaker dies for 35 and 45 plain base and enjoy making and loading using these checks. I have horse traded with other members for some 40 cal plain checks, I just haven't tried any loads with them as of yet.

Again, I have zero experience with the .357 Sig round but there are lots of posts from knowledgeable shooters of this caliber. From what load specs I have seen the .357 Sig is a barn burner with 125 grain loads. I may at some point invest in a Lone Wolf .357 Sig barrel for my Glock 22 or 23 just because I've collected some brass along the way. I have a Lee 356-120 TC boolit that I've shot in my .357 Mag with a plain based check and it works rather well. It would be neat to shoot the same boolit through the .357 Sig, with a plain base gas check of course.

[LongDog]

I just shoot for fun and like to see what certain calibers can do, see what thy can penetrate, I know it's not the best for a pistol to use max loads but it's fun and the hollow points are great for water jugs, since jacked bullets are hard to find any more and I believe thy will be this way from now on (just my opinion) I thought I would make my own, I have reloaded for may years but just know got back into it again and I have done a little casting before also, I have a Lyman 4500 and RCBS lube-a-matic, and several presses I will be loading for 380, 9mm 38, 357mag, 357sig, 40S&W, 44mag, 45 long colt, 45acp and plan on buying a Glock 29SF 10mm when I can find one.

also popper referenced COWW for alloy, would that be wheel weights because thats what I have, about 200lbs of melted 1lb bars of wheel weights
what is the fastest fps I can shoot lead with out leading my barrel, also do you slow down your shooting? I have a tendency to shoot kinda fast sometimes with auto.


Thanks for all the great input

[LongDog]

There is a wealth information regarding the need for gas checks for certain loads. There is also a wealth of information regarding the use of the right combination of alloy, lube, and peak pressure curve of the powder used to run without gas checks. I am sure folks will be chiming in with their vast knowledge on both sides of this discussion.

I have loaded 40 S&W for 5 years using a Lee 401-175 TC and 401-145 SWC without leading my barrel. Granted, I'm generally not running max pressures or velocity for this cartridge. I've been loading other cast 1boolit cartridges with and without gas checks since the 70s. It is truly about alloy, sizing for the bore, and proper lube.

Gas checks do more than just combat leading, they can also aid in developing a more accurate load. I have seen loads with checks shrink group size even though the load would not necessarily require a check. Some say it has to do with the check getting a better bite on the lands and grooves or by providing a more consistent base to the boolit. I'm not sure what causes improvement only that I have seen groups tighten up when checks are applied.

The use of plain based gas checks on standard boolits has worked rather well for me. I have CheckMaker dies for 35 and 45 plain base and enjoy making and loading using these checks. I have horse traded with other members for some 40 cal plain checks, I just haven't tried any loads with them as of yet.

Again, I have zero experience with the .357 Sig round but there are lots of posts from knowledgeable shooters of this caliber. From what load specs I have seen the .357 Sig is a barn burner with 125 grain loads. I may at some point invest in a Lone Wolf .357 Sig barrel for my Glock 22 or 23 just because I've collected some brass along the way. I have a Lee 356-120 TC boolit that I've shot in my .357 Mag with a plain based check and it works rather well. It would be neat to shoot the same boolit through the .357 Sig, with a plain base gas check of course.

I did not know there were any deferences in gas checks the onlys ones I have seen are just brass cups, what do you mean by plan checks

[Love Life]

Now that everybody has beat the max loads issue to death I will answer your original question.

Q: Do I need gas checks in the 40 S&W
A: No, but they make life easier.

[Muddydogs]

COWW means clip on wheel weights. The weights with the metal clips on them.
SOWW means stick on wheel weights. The weights that have the sticky back on them. These are mostly pure lead.
Plan base checks are checks made from lighter material and put on plain base bullets, bullets that don't have a cut in the base for a gas check. Forum member Patmarlin sells a check tool to make PB checks. A lot of guys are using soda cans or light roof flashing for this kind of check.

[fcvan]

Plain based gas checks are generally made from thin material such as soda can which is about .004 thick. Gas check boolits have a shank which is smaller than the boolit diameter and that space is made up by a thicker gas check, usually about .014 thick. When you seat a regular check it is crimped on during sizing. When seating a plain based check it is swaged onto the base of a regular boolit. I have made plain based checks as thick as .0105, and they require a little more effort to seat but work great. I will be picking up some aluminum flashing which is about .0078 thick, roughly twice the thickness of a soda can. I have made plain based checks using two layers of soda can and they work ok as well. I hope this answered your question.

BTW, my standard load with the 40 is the Lee 175 TC over 5 grains of Unique with zip for leading through a stock Glock barrel, several actually. I've had Glock 40s for quite a while, I was just too darned busy to cast and load for a few years. I got back into casting 5 years ago because I looked into the cupboard and it was bare. All of my 38, 357, and 45 stash somehow got emptied. My brother's stash too. somewhere between 35 and 40 thousand rounds loaded later . . . and I still have empties that need topping off. I blame my wife, she keeps finding empty brass every time we go shooting.

[LongDog]

Yes it does, Thanks for the great info I have learned a lot, will plan base checks stay on the bullet good? this may sound dumb but say you were shooting an auto fast is it possible for a check to stay in the barrel?
Thanks

[geargnasher]

The Lee 175TC just past the sound barrier with a stiff dose of HS6, Blue Dot, or Power Pistol can work very well. Took me almost six months to learn how to do it. I cannot predict what anyone else will be able to accomplish or how long it will take them to learn how, but I've posted many times about how I finally achieved success. A search of my back posts with the keyword ".40" would be a good place to start. Gas checks would have been a nice way to cheat, but there are ways around it.

"Plain-base" gas checks are something you make yourself from thin metal like beer/soda cans using specific tooling made by guys like Pat Marlin or possibly Freechex. They go on plain-based boolits and get crimped/swaged on when sizing in a base-first sizer. I don't know if they work on bevel-based boolits or not.

Gear

[fcvan]

The plain based check is swaged onto the boolit base, I've never had one come off. Think about it, the expanding gas is pushing the check, which is swaged to the boolit, it ain't coming off in the barrel. I've made snake shot rounds for my .357, .41 Mag, and 45 Colt, using gas checks as under and over shot wads. The expanding gas pushes the whole shot column out the barrel and the check is in no way connected to the shot. The resistance of the shot column keep the check square in the bore so a check on the base of a solid boolit will stay in place even better. I have heard of folks shooting snap on (not crimped on) regular checks and they would come off in flight. I just can't see how a check could come off in the barrel. Murphy perhaps?

[LongDog]

The Lee 175TC just past the sound barrier with a stiff dose of HS6, Blue Dot, or Power Pistol can work very well. Took me almost six months to learn how to do it. I cannot predict what anyone else will be able to accomplish or how long it will take them to learn how, but I've posted many times about how I finally achieved success. A search of my back posts with the keyword ".40" would be a good place to start. Gas checks would have been a nice way to cheat, but there are ways around it.

"Plain-base" gas checks are something you make yourself from thin metal like beer/soda cans using specific tooling made by guys like Pat Marlin or possibly Freechex. They go on plain-based boolits and get crimped/swaged on when sizing in a base-first sizer. I don't know if they work on bevel-based boolits or not.

Gear

Thanks I will research your thread

[LongDog]

The plain based check is swaged onto the boolit base, I've never had one come off. Think about it, the expanding gas is pushing the check, which is swaged to the boolit, it ain't coming off in the barrel. I've made snake shot rounds for my .357, .41 Mag, and 45 Colt, using gas checks as under and over shot wads. The expanding gas pushes the whole shot column out the barrel and the check is in no way connected to the shot. The resistance of the shot column keep the check square in the bore so a check on the base of a solid boolit will stay in place even better. I have heard of folks shooting snap on (not crimped on) regular checks and they would come off in flight. I just can't see how a check could come off in the barrel. Murphy perhaps?

I'm sure your right, it sounded like a dumb question when I posted it.

[dilly]

I tend to use heavy for caliber cast boolits. This necessarily reduces velocities which can reduce problems with leading while maintaining powerful loads. It is no substitute for proper sizing or load development but it can help.

[LongDog]

I tend to use heavy for caliber cast boolits. This necessarily reduces velocities which can reduce problems with leading while maintaining powerful loads. It is no substitute for proper sizing or load development but it can help.

(Heavy) Is that a certain gun powder?

[runfiverun]

he means boolit weight.
you would probablly be quite surprised how much penetration a 180 gr rnfp boolit will penetrate.
i had a 38-40 revolver i was scooting along at @800 fps and was shooting an ancient cedar tree about 9" around from 25' away thinking it would catch my boolits.
yeah,, i was wrong waaay wrong.

[fcvan]

By heavy, he refers to using a heavier slug at a slower velocity to generate the same energy. Example: 44 Mag, 240 grains @ 1400 fps = 1045 ft/lbs, 300 grains at 1250 fps = 1040 ft/lbs. If you put those numbers through the Taylor KO Factor I believe the advantage goes to the heavier slug due to mass, even though the ft/lbs are equal.

The 44 can be fired at 1400 fps without a check but is less likely to develop leading at 1250. There's a whole bunch more technical stuff to leading prevention (boolit sizing to bore fit, alloy, lube, pressure curve of the powder) but the gist is the heavier slower boolit is less likely to cause leading.

[LongDog]

Understood.

Thanks
Jeff.

[Blammer]

since you shoot and load for so many other cartridges, may I suggest you start with 38, 357mag, 44mag or 45acp?

those are all fine cartridges and will blow up water jugs quite easily and are easy to get started off for loading/casting for.

the 357mag can use plain base or GC, solids, wadcutters, HP's etc, all flavors here and there are a plethora of projectiles to pick from.

anything you learn loading these will directly apply to whatever else you decide to cast/load for.

[Bigslug]

I don't yet load for the .40 (it's not a "favorite" of mine and my ammo for it is essentially free), but my research among the fine folks on this forum seems to indicate that it's a little problematic with cast projectiles.

The issues have little to do with the round's pressures or velocities (which are both well inside the no-gas-check-needed norms of other commonly loaded rounds). The grief seems to come from the fact that the .40 cases are short, thick-walled, and stiff. You can slug your bore and figure out exactly what it wants for boolit diameter and size them to suit, only to have the case size your slugs down a couple thousandths more than you want - resulting in gas blow-by, flame-cutting of the boolit, and lead deposits galore.

The "right" answer seems to lie in getting specialized sizing and expanding equipment for dealing with cast projectiles, but gas checks would be another way to reduce the stress and anxiety,

[fcvan]

I don't know how specialized things need to be equipment wise. Lee 401-175 TC mold, Lee dies, Lyman 450 with a .401 sizer, and just about every lube I've tried worked great. I didn't care for the Lyman Super Moly as it is black and nasty, gets everywhere. I tried it, it worked, but it was messy. I even made some lube using a recipe from one of the threads. Worked great, but Lars White Label BAC is very good, very reasonable, and doesn't require a heater. Lars is also a vendor on this site. I mailed him a postal money order, he mailed me a bunch of lube sticks pronto.

I approached loading for .40 like I did .45. Neither me or my Glocks knew that this is supposed to be a finicky cartridge and that lead in a Glock would lead to gloom and doom in the form of kaboom. Please don't tell the 8 Glocks so far that have fired these loads, what they don't know won't hurt them.

[Elkins45]

When I read the title of this thread my first thought was, "Does anybody make a 40cal GC mold?"

I recommend trying one of the slower burning powders listed as being suitable for the cartridge. My experience has been that plain based boolets respond better to a gentle shove from slow powders rather than a WHACK from fast burning ones, at least in terms of accuracy. I'm not sure how that applies to leading, because a too-small boolet might benefit from a good smack on the butt to obturate.

[JRR]

Almost all inside size and flaring dies are for jacketed bulets. They usually are in the range of .395". Cast boolits are usually .401" or close. RCBS makes a inside sizer for the 38-40 that is .399 which is perfect for .401 cast bootits in the .40. No shaving but still a good grip.

A good intermediate powder such as Herco at approx. 5.5/5.8 gr and 950 fps with a 180 boolit sized at .401 is a full powered load that won't produce bad leading or none.

A load like this will still give you a good smack in the palm especialy with a short barrel.

Jeff

[geargnasher]

I don't know how specialized things need to be equipment wise. Lee 401-175 TC mold, Lee dies, Lyman 450 with a .401 sizer, and just about every lube I've tried worked great. I didn't care for the Lyman Super Moly as it is black and nasty, gets everywhere. I tried it, it worked, but it was messy. I even made some lube using a recipe from one of the threads. Worked great, but Lars White Label BAC is very good, very reasonable, and doesn't require a heater. Lars is also a vendor on this site. I mailed him a postal money order, he mailed me a bunch of lube sticks pronto.

I approached loading for .40 like I did .45. Neither me or my Glocks knew that this is supposed to be a finicky cartridge and that lead in a Glock would lead to gloom and doom in the form of kaboom. Please don't tell the 8 Glocks so far that have fired these loads, what they don't know won't hurt them.

Some more details like velocity of load, picture of throat/chamber cast, pulled boolit diameter, etc. would help.

Most people that approach loading the .40 like the .45 ACP (which is typically the deal) get their butt torn off and handed to them by the .40.

BigSlug's assessment of some of the challenges is pretty much right on.

Gear

[fredj338]

IMO, gonna be hard to get a good LHP to run @ 40 pressures. IF it's soft enough to expand, you'll want to be around 1000fps. Yes, you can get them to run a bit more, but accuracy & or leading is likely in 357sig & 40 IME. This bullet runs in my 357sig, but I can't seem to push it much faster unless I harden things up a bit & I think expansion will then suffer.
LHP like to be just that, mostly lead, some tim, but addd antimony to harden them & you start getting fragmentation & not expansion. The HP design also plays a big role. For hogh vel impacts, a cup point will hold together better & nto frag cast harder. So that is my bullet design of choice for high vel rounds like the 357sig. Bekow is a 45-70 cup point @ 1500fps. Then a 357sig pyramid point.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/DSC_0041.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v703/fredj338/9mm-136-1200.jpg

[LongDog]

Thanks every one for all the input.

Bigslug mentioned slugging my barrel bore to find out exactly what size it is, how do I go about that?

Also I read I believe on Midways reviews that a woman was using a Lyman bullet puller putting about 1/8” of the bullet in the puller then squeezing to reduce the size of the base then using gas checks, has anyone else heard of this?

[JRR]

If you have a bevel based mold, a gas check can easily be installed with a Lee push through sizer. The bevel will be swaged into a shoulder shape with a gas check firmly affixed. The smaller the caliber, the better the results. A good flat based mold with a reasonably flat point and good weight of approx. 180 gr. and about 950 fps. is excellent for decent recoil control but will go through just about any sheet rock and wall siding out there.

Just make sure the boolit is not being sized down by the case. Like I wrote earlier, a inside sizer of .399" is perfect for cast lead.

Another productive step is to load the longest overall length that will work through the magazine and chamber reliably.

Jeff

[LongDog]

If you have a bevel based mold, a gas check can easily be installed with a Lee push through sizer. The bevel will be swaged into a shoulder shape with a gas check firmly affixed. The smaller the caliber, the better the results. A good flat based mold with a reasonably flat point and good weight of approx. 180 gr. and about 950 fps. is excellent for decent recoil control but will go through just about any sheet rock and wall siding out there.

Just make sure the boolit is not being sized down by the case. Like I wrote earlier, a inside sizer of .399" is perfect for cast lead.

Another productive step is to load the longest overall length that will work through the magazine and chamber reliably.

Jeff

Thanks JRR
I will try and implement everything you Sid to do

[fcvan]

Gear, that's exactly my point. I loaded for the 40 like the 45 and apparently got very lucky as I didn't have any issues. Same with the 9mm, I loaded it like 38 or 41 or 45 and didn't have any problems. Luck? I can't tell you for sure.

Even though I've been casting and loading since the 70s, I have learned a great deal from the great folks here at Cast Boolits. Some things I have learned here reinforced things I had picked up along the way. Lots of things gave me a better explanation as to why some of the things I do work whereas before I just did them knowing they worked but clueless as to why.

That's one of the main reasons why I like this site, there is so much collective knowledge shared daily. I made my own loob because I wanted to try. I electroplated boolits because I read about it here. I've tried adding copper to my alloy, used sawdust for flux, all kinds of neat stuff. I would like to try powder coating, I would like to try hollow pointing a mold. I've learned that these things are possible. Oh ya, and I learned that Glocks apparently don't like lead and have seen pictures of kabooms. I had never heard about them before I joined this site.

I wasn't worried about lead buildup in my Glocks as I learned way back in the 70s to check loads before loading a bunch of them, and check the firearm frequently during a range session. As far as load data, I had bought the Lee 401-175 TC and looked in the Lyman manual (and online) and found the consensus was 5 to 5.5 ish grains of Unique. I cast using range scrap which weigh 180, and sized to .401 with a Lyman 450. I loaded with 5 grains of Unique, it grouped nicely, and gave me 950 fps without leading. I was happy right out of the gate.

I set my dies up the way I was shown by Dad way back when. Sizing die kisses the shell holder, case mouth expander to accept the boolit without excessive belling, crimp was set to a factory cartridge of the same profile, and seating depth was also set to the factory cartridge. I tried the plunk test and loaded 20 or so rounds. They fired and cycled well so I settled on 5 grains of Unique as my load. That's what I mean by saying 'I approached loading for the 40 like the 45.' I didn't know the 40 was more problematic than any other cartridge. I thought all cartridges were problematic when loaded improperly so I did everything I had been taught by Dad so many years ago. I got lucky and all of those things worked for me with the 40 the first time out.

Maybe luck, coupled with good instruction early on, and many thousands of rounds loaded and shot before I ever loaded 40 S&W. Heck, I didn't know the 9mm was hard to load for until I read it here. Dad taught me to load shot shells, .38, .357, .41 Mag, and 30 Carbine for a Blackhawk. Maybe that was it. The Blackhawk is finicky about case length, seating depth, and case mouth sizing of the boolit. I guess learning how to address those things helped me early on.

The first pistol I bought for myself was a S&W 459 and the first mold was a Lee 356-125 2R. The 459 didn't like sizing to .357 but shot 'as cast' nicely so I bought a .358 sizing die. When I bought a 45 1911, I was spoiled by how easy it is to make loads that just plain shoot. That old Springfield will feed anything including 45 round balls. I had to try it. It worked, I guess I got lucky on that one too!

I do want to learn how to do a chamber casting as I've read about it here. I have slugged barrels before but have learned better ways to do that, also from this site. My latest challenge is working up a cast load for my Dad's sporterized 03A3. He has never loaded for the 30-06 as it keeps 3 under a quarter at 100 yards with factory. That was his deer gun but he hasn't hunted deer in 40 years. I'd like to have some decent cast loads for him to try and this site has taught many valuable tips on working up a load for that rifle. This is the first cartridge where the first time out, I wasn't so lucky.

[MBuechle]

I load cast for an XD-40. Power pistol has been great with boolits. I have also used Blue dot, 800X and HS-6, all of which worked well. I did have to make a .399 powder funnel/expander for my 550 to avoid case swaging of the boolits. Have driven the Lee 175 SWCTL to 1050 with good results. Am now using MP 402-190 that drops 184gr. HP's, 190 cup points and 194 WFN with 50/50 WW/Pb. Am currently working with Long Shot to try getting the 190's to 1050 or so.

[SCHUETZENBOOMER]

My Beretta 96 apparently does not know that it was supposed to finicky with reloads either. I loaded up some 175gr Missouri TC's, sized to .401" with 6gr of Unique for its break-in. They shot accurately and flawlessly right from the start. Probably 75% luck but nevertheless......

[JRR]

If you have an extra position on the Dillon, you can instal a .399 RCBS or other just before the sizer/powder drop position. This will give proper inside size and the Dillon powder drop, which is smaller diameter will flare and drop the powder into the case with only one extra pull on the lever. I have been doing this for years. Be sure to make a few dummies to proof the fit in the chamber.
Jeff

[Recluse]

I just bought a new Springfield XDM 3.8 in 40S&W and wont to cast my own bullets for it, I would like to use near max loads with hallow point bullets, would I need a gas check for this? and what would be the best powder to use I have blue dot, accurate 4 & 5 and pistol powder and which lube should I use?, I found a Hollow Point mold 180gr at NOE bullet molds for $101.00

also I have a Lyman 9MM HP 125GR 1 CAVITY MOLD 356637, I plan on making bullets for my P250 357sig and also would like to go near max with the loads?



I have reloaded for may (sic) years but just know got back into it again and I have done a little casting before also, I have a Lyman 4500 and RCBS lube-a-matic, and several presses I will be loading for 380, 9mm 38, 357mag, 357sig, 40S&W, 44mag, 45 long colt, 45acp and plan on buying a Glock 29SF 10mm when I can find one.

what is the fastest fps I can shoot lead with out leading my barrel, also do you slow down your shooting? I have a tendency to shoot kinda fast sometimes with auto.


Yes it does, Thanks for the great info I have learned a lot, will plan base checks stay on the bullet good? this may sound dumb but say you were shooting an auto fast is it possible for a check to stay in the barrel?
Thanks

The ONLY thing I want to know, and then I'll leave this conversation forever and put Long Dog on my IL, is this:

Please tell me you are not and will not be shooting at any range anywhere in or near the state of Texas.

Son, you're a bigger threat to yourself and nearby shooters than a dozen drunk jihadists in a dynamite factory.

:coffee:

[LongDog]

The ONLY thing I want to know, and then I'll leave this conversation forever and put Long Dog on my IL, is this:

Please tell me you are not and will not be shooting at any range anywhere in or near the state of Texas.

Son, you're a bigger threat to yourself and nearby shooters than a dozen drunk jihadists in a dynamite factory.

:coffee:

Sorry I scare you Sir, I have been shooting for over 30 years with no problem and have reloaded quit a bit in my younger years with my dad, I have been carrying a gun daily for better that 10 years, when I say max loads I mean max loads in the reloading manuals, and I'm getting my load data from the newest books which are way cut down from my 20 year old reloading manuals so I think I'm pretty safe.

[Recluse]

Sorry I scare you Sir, I have been shooting for over 30 years with no problem and have reloaded quit a bit in my younger years with my dad, I have been carrying a gun daily for better that 10 years, when I say max loads I mean max loads in the reloading manuals, and I'm getting my load data from the newest books which are way cut down from my 20 year old reloading manuals so I think I'm pretty safe.

Well, then, we'll just have to disagree to disagree. . . strongly. My LE-issue BSD is hitting at about a 9.5 right now and judging by private correspondence from other cops and ex-cops, it's not just mine that is pegging out either.

:coffee:

[oldtoolsniper]

:) bsd :)

[LongDog]

Just slug my barrel and it's .401, from what I've read I need to size at least .001 bigger than my barrel but the sizers RCBS and Lyman go from .401 to .410 so I guess just stay with .401?
Thanks

[Oreo]

Buy your sizing dies from Lathesmith here on castboolits. He'll make the die any size you want. Alternately, you can buy a .401 die and lap it out to .402 or larger.

[LongDog]

Buy your sizing dies from Lathesmith here on castboolits. He'll make the die any size you want. Alternately, you can buy a .401 die and lap it out to .402 or larger.

Thanks