Lead Bullets for Glock

[BlackwaterJim]

What is the best load using HP38 for a 140 gr Cast lead Bullet from SNS

[fcvan]

Jim, welcome to the site. You will get a hoard of useful information from some very knowledgeable and sometimes cranky folks. Some folks get cranky when your very first post asks for load data without providing any data on yourself, your weapon loading for, your experience level at reloading, etc. one of the most valuable things you will learn here is how to learn.

First of all, get a reloading manual. I've bought the Lyman manual twice (things change over time) I have my dad's first Lyman manual, several RCBS manuals, books on casting, books on shooting. You can learn a lot about how and why cartridges are assembled in various ways.

Hodgden has a website that publishes load data for their powders. Sierra publishes data for their bullets. Various other online resources also publish data. That information is there for you to discover. Just coming online and asking for a load for a particular boolit can come across as as very inexperienced. I've had several inexperienced friends who blew up their guns thinking this was easy. That being said, let's learn something.

It has been said that shooting lead through a stock Glock barrel will cause 'Glock Kaboom', look it up, you'll see nasty pictures of blown up guns. It has also been said that shooting lead through a stock Glock barrel will cause the earth to spin of its axis, polar shifts, and the space time continuum will become warped. I had not heard of such calamity, nor had my Glock, and therefore I suffered no such disasters. I started reloading and casting with my dad in the mid 1970s and therefore did not know that shooting lead in a barrel was somehow a bad thing. Please don't tell my Glock, it still thinks it's a normal gun and when loaded for, fired, inspected, cleaned etc., that it will shoot just fine.

I do not know how much experience you have at reloading so I will give you the bare bones basics.

1) look at the section of this website called 'classics and stickies' as these are posts which provide a lot of detail to questions already asked and answered regarding casting, reloading, shooting, cleaning, fixing, and of course enjoying this obsession.

2) read the directions that came with your dies.

3) measure your components, such as: bore/groove diameter of your barrel, diameter of your boolit, hardness of your boolit alloy, type of boolit lube, powder charge, cartridge overall length, and the amount of crimp applied. A boolit too small will cause leading and cause (eventually) kaboom. A boolit too large won't chamber, and a boolit just right will cause little red riding hood to become an avid shooter.

4) don't load too many test loads. If you make a few and they work then you can crank them out. Make a few that don't work and you have to pull boolits and start over.

5) find a guy or gal near you who can show you the ropes. Heck, find a guy not near you who can talk you through set up over the phone or view video chat. (Hint, send me a private message and I'll give you my number)

If you are very new to reloading I welcome you to the obsession. If you've been reloading a while and just need some data for that particular boolit the info is out there. I'm not at home this moment and so my books aren't with me. I haven't used HP38/W231 in the 40 but I used it a lot in .38 sp and 9mm back in the 1980s. Good stuff, I just tend to use Unique. I may even buy some next time an 8 pounder is on the shelf.

Drop me a PM if you'd like more info on reloading and such. Frank

[BlackwaterJim]

Frank,

Thanks for getting back to me. My fault should have put more information on the site. I have been reloading for awhile0 years or so .I'm now using HP38 with a 140 gr. SNS cast lead bullet 5.2 gr. of powder or 3.2 of Clays My question is did you ever shoot lead out of your Glock because of the Poly barrel . but you answer that for me . I have a Wolf barrel that I change out in the 22 to shoot 9mm 125 lead. but I didn't want to take a change and using lead out of the 40 barrel without getting some fed back from someone on this site.

[fcvan]

Jim, I bought Lone Wolf 9 mm conversion barrels for my G22, G23, my brothers G22 and 23, and my wife's G23. And a bunch of KCI 9mm mags around. Frankly, I hadn't been shooting much 9mm for many years as I had been shooting 40 and 45. The wife kept picking up 9mm brass, so much so that I've now got 15k laying around but mostly loaded.

Yes, I shoot lead from my factory 40 Glocks. My buddy shoots lead from his factory 9mm Glocks. Any gun can develope leading if the load is wrong. Let it build up and you are headed for disaster. I load for 40 like I do for anything else (same technics) and I don't get leading. I've also tried various lubes and generally run range scrap for my boolits. Still no leading.

Of late, I'm powder coating everything because they don't smoke and they shoot great, and no leading. I've probably got 20k of loaded ammo in various calibers and most of it is standard lube because it was loaded before I started the whole PC business. I like that I can cast a bunch, PC and size, and I don't have to worry about the boolits getting oxidized over time. That and shiny brass looks awesome with purty flat black boolits.

Good luck with your 40 and lead, if loaded properly you should be fine. Just check it like you would for your other weapons. Frank

[Garyshome]

Yep I only use lead when I fire my glock.

[BlackwaterJim]

Frank, I have little problems with leading in my other guns, I do a bunch of Cowboy Shooting using 45Long Colts as well as 38 plus the Buffalo shoots with the 45.70 Sharps. We have a Cast Master to do our own Bullets I only round I wasn't casting was the 40 for the Glock so I order a 1K of them off of SNS cast bullets, I use my own load that I make up with bees wax and a few other parts. . I loaded a bunch last night with 5.2 of HP38 will try them out today. another question was working at our clubs Gun Show last weekend and pick up a 8 lbs of IMR 7383 Military grade powder more for my 223's did you ever use this powder the price was right and the guy have one left so I grad it . its suppose to be like Hodegon4350 . in any case going to start out and build up the load.. let me know if you ever use it

[BlackwaterJim]

Gary, Thanks loaded a bunch up last night going out today to try them out using HP38 starting at 5.2