40sw load data 170gr swc's

[sirAIG]

Hey all,

Just got into to loading my 40. picked 1k of missouri bullet co. 170gr swc's. I have some power pistol and red dot here and am looking to load up some of both to do a little comparison.

As i understand it, red dot is a load that must be used very carefully due to it fast burn rate and the risk of pressures increasing drastically. I did some homework and have a few test rounds loaded with power pistol 12rnds at 5gr with 1.125oal. and 12 rnds w/ 5.5gr at 1.125oal.

My questions are... Does that load seem okay to start with? What have you red dot users been running for your loads.

Thanks!

[fcvan]

What reloading manual are you working from? Powder companies provide load data on their website but often don't include data for lead boolits. By reviewing tested and published data you should get a good feel for a starting point for what works in your weapon. Internet data that is not sourced from the manufacturer is dangerous.

[popper]

PP, as a powder choice, sounds OK for a beginning, I haven't used it so I don't know about your load. I'd try unique, 231 for starters. Leave the fancy stuff for later.

[ku4hx]

Lyman (Third Edition Pistol & Revolver Handbook page 170) shows two Power Pistol loads with 175 grain TC cast. Their starting charges are 5.9 and 5.8 grains. My favorite load with PP in the 40 with Lee's 175 grain boolit is 6.2 grains. For a boolit similar in profile to Lee's, max is shown as 6.5. I have gone to the max but see no reason to since 6.2 works so well in out various 40 S&W guns.

OAL for my loads is 1.120" - 1.125" and feeding is flawless.

I feel your starting loads are less than would normally be suggested but they may work in your gun. Gotta try them to find out.

[35remington]

In the vicinity of 5 grains Red Dot is maximum depending upon bullet used in your weight; I normally go no higher than 4.5 grains for a bit more velocity than 180 grain factory loads. That's good enough for me, and cycling and accuracy have been as usable as the gun's capability, being a Smith M&P.

[dverna]

Alliant lists 5.8 gr of Bullseye as the max load for a 165 gr jacketed. I would feel safe starting at 5.0 gr of Red Dot as it is slower than BE so it should be safe. Red Dot may not meter that well so watch for that.

Power Pistol max is 7.8 gr with the 165 gr jacketed

Don Verna

[sirAIG]

Thanks for the info everyone. All of my reloading manuals are really old and do not have 40s&w in them. Going to be picking a couple new ones up shortly. I loaded some others at 5.9gr and out of all the loads they cycled the best. But i had quite a few failures to feed due to the swc design. I solved this by dropping to 5.8 for now and adjusting my taper crimp a little tighter. it is still headspacing nicely in the barrel so i think all is well. appreciate the starting point fellas.

On a side note, i shot around 50 rounds and pulled the barrel and noticed a good bit of lead right at the first ~1" of the rifling. I shot another 50, it didnt get any worse. and after shooting a few mags of factory ammo through it, it was clean as a whistle. I am anal and clean my guns after every trip to the range. Is this something to worry about? I only have shot a little lead out of my dads 357 mag so i dont have a bunch of experience doing so. But am starting to get my ducks in a row to try and have my hand at casting.

[ku4hx]

On a side note, i shot around 50 rounds and pulled the barrel and noticed a good bit of lead right at the first ~1" of the rifling.

Before you assess your leading situation, you might want to pass a solvent-dampened patch through your bore to get the powder and lube residue out. Just my opinion, but whatever gunk wipes out with a patch is not worth worrying about. What is left may or may not be.

Bore leading is kind of a personal thing and different people have different feelings about it. I personally would prefer to have zero, but what I really want is no significant leading and/or no accuracy or function impairing leading. Cleaning guns is kind of a zen thing for me, but getting them pristine every time for that white glove inspection that never happens, well ... that was a thing of my youth. Now days I try to spend more time shooting than cleaning and aim for functionally clean (no accumulated gunk) and proper lubrication per the gun maker's instructions.

[Lizard333]

If your getting good accuracy and the leading isn't building up, shoot it. Don't worry about it.

[MBuechle]

For my XD40: Lee 175TLSWC, 4.5gr. Power Pistol - 816fps, 6.2gr. - 1043fps. Had to find the right seating depth to get good feeding. Once found, flawless function. Power Pistol has been a very versatile and easy cast boolit powder for me in the .40 and 9mm. HP-38 is proving so also. I've not had much luck with the fast burners like Clays with cast, lots of leading. Red Dot would be in this category.

[35remington]

Let me readress the Red Dot load:

First, Red Dot is NOT slower than Bullseye. In metallic cartridges it is faster. This is a commonly stated misconception.

Second, max for 175 to 180 grain bullets is 5.0 grains of Red Dot according to Alliant's data in the manual prior to ATK association. Please start at a lower weight. 4.5 grains will cycle your autoloader just fine and is a good place to begin. No leading in a friend's Glock 40 nor in my Smith as long as the bullet fits and decent lube and bullet hardness is used.

This with the Lee 175 TL bullet.

A little more jacketed use might get some of the roughness out. If already worn in, try a different load or modest power level.

[sirAIG]

I didnt know barrels had to be worn in to shoot lead efficiently. my sp2022 has only had ~500 rounds downrange... will give it some time and see how she does. appreciate all the information. Im going to start casting my own bullets shortly. Maybe that will help as i can control the hardness. With these bulk bullets who knows what youre gonna get