.40 s&w

[Blanco]

just curious what the high volume shooters favorite loadings are for .40 S&W ?
I seem to be having accuracy issues with my M&P Pro. The sweetspot for this pistol seems to be very narrow. I would love to get my Lee 175 gr TC to shoot well in this gun. I havent found that magic combination yet. My Beretta is a bit finicky too but it likes Berrys 165 Gr. over Unique.

[fcvan]

Lee 401-175 TC loaded over 5 grains of Unique, lubed with White Label BAC and most recently powder coated with Harbor freight flat black, seated with the taper very near the case mouth. I wish I could give you proper OAL or chrono results, but I for some reason have never run them over the screens with my Glocks. I have run them over a chrono from my Ruger Vaquero 38-40/40 S&W, and with the 40 cylinder I was getting 950 fps from the 4 5/8" barrel. I would assume there is some velocity loss from the cylinder gap and will have to test the Glocks and the Vaquero this spring.

[Shiloh]

4.5 gr of Unique cycles a Glock 22 good accuracy. his with a 175 gr LEE TC. I have a LEE 175 gr TLSWC with the base trimmed. Drops at 158-160
IIRC that is used with 5.3 gr AA #5

Shiloh

[Jupiter7]

Haven't chrono'd .40. I really like AA#5 in this cartridge, works for minor and major well. I've found better results with heavy boolits at the low end. Currently getting ready for 3gun season, running MP 403-190, 187gr HP over 5.3grs AA#5, best guess is around 830fps +\- in STI eagle 2011. Definitely a 40minor load.

[Wasalmonslayer]

I have good luck in my Sig 229 and my first generation M&P 40 with the lee TC175 pan lubed with the old NRA formula over 4.5 gr of unique. I fought it like you in the beginning but started playing with oal and putting them real close to the lands helped. I think I am only 5 thou off the lands and it shoots great.

Wasalmonayer

[oger]

I've had good luck with a Lyman 401638 over 6.5 gr of AA-5 but they all shoot a Berrys 180 over 7.5 gr of longshot which is somewhat violent in a light pistol.

[Blanco]

I will give the 4.5~5 Gr Unique a try and play with the OAL. Good excuse to try my new dry lube

[Blanco]

I had leading issues with this boolit when using the Red formula and Green Dot.

[Ed_Shot]

My G22 w/LW barrel liked the 401-175-TC (180 gr) over Promo 4.0 @ 930 fps. I like the Lyman 401654 (150 gr) over Promo 4.2 gr @ 1000 fps better. But I like the Lyman 401043 (170 gr) over Promo 4.1 gr @ 990 fps best.

[Blanco]

HMMMM I do have some Red Dot ......:cbpour:

[Shiloh]

I will give the 4.5~5 Gr Unique a try and play with the OAL. Good excuse to try my new dry lube

As if you needed and excuse. 4.5-5.0 of Unique should serve you well.

Shiloh

[Blanco]

I have a suspicion the slower burning Unique will work out better. Don't ask why I think that, just my cognitive guess.
Not sure if it would work but I do have some Bullseye I can test also.

[osteodoc08]

Reportedly the M&P Pro, especially in 9mm, had some accuracy issues. I think the eventual culprit was that it was unlocking and locking slightly different from shot to shot. My M&P pro in 9mm shot fine and had decent combat accuracy. They do have the C.O.R.E. Series now that looks pretty awesome with a Leupold reflex on it for competition.

[zidave]

I'm using the Lee 175-TC over 3gr of Clays with my homemade lube. Shoots great out of my XD

[Shiloh]

IMO Blanco, Bullseye is not the best powder for the .40's. I'm not at my bench, but am quite sure there are several of my books that have data for Bullseye and the .40's I prefer a slightly slower powder.

Shiloh

[Menner]

4.5 grn red dot tc-175 that has be hollow pointed by Erik drops 168 WW 970 range through my Hi power

[Bullwolf]

As if you needed and excuse. 4.5-5.0 of Unique should serve you well.

Shiloh

I have to agree with Shiloh. One of my default cast 40 loads is 4.8 grains of Unique with a 175 grain boolit in 40S&W. Somewhere between 4.5 and 5.0 grains of Unique will likely do whatever you want with the cartridge and a cast boolit.

If you want to try a slower powder, I have had decent success using Alliant's Blue Dot in the 40S&W cartridge.

7.0 grains of Blue Dot is a decent starting point with a 175 grain cast boolit. I rarely have seen any reason to exceed 8 grains of Blue Dot with a cast boolit in 40.

Some load data for Blue Dot and the 40 Smith and Wesson cartridge.

Source: Lyman Cast Bullet Handbook 4th edition
Blue Dot 40S&W 1.100 OAL 175gr cast Lyman#401638
Start 6.9 gr Blue Dot - 979 fps 18,100 cup
Max. 8.6 gr Blue Dot - 1059 fps 23,200 cup

From the Lyman 49th Reloading Handbook:
Blue Dot 40 S&W 1.115 OAL 180gr JHP
Start 7.3 gr Blue Dot - 754 fps 18,000 cup
Max. 8.8 gr Blue Dot - 990 fps 23,300 cup

Blue Dot 40 S&W 1.125 OAL 175gr Jacketed Silvertip HP
Start 7.9 gr Blue Dot - 952 fps 19,500 cup
Max. 8.8 gr Blue Dot - 1057 fps 22,400 cup
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: As with any reloading data found online PLEASE verify the data yourself before using it yourself in a published manual, or directly from the powder manufacturer. Typos can and DO happen. Be sure to work up to the max charges safely from the starting load as well. Do not start right off with the maximum load. Just because a given load worked and was safe in my pistol does not mean it will be OK in yours. Every gun is an individual. 40 S&W is a high pressure cartridge that can be very unforgiving of mistakes.



While I have not ran my cast Blue Dot 40S&W load across the chronograph yet... I did chrono some 40S&W JHP's loaded with Blue Dot. Here is the resulting data.

Firearm used was a full size CZ 75 B chambered in .40S&W
Load was 8.4 grains of Blue Dot, with a 175 grain JHP.

FPS
------
1069
1027
1063
1073
1030
1030
1038
1020
1019
1045
1035
992
1006
1075
1068
1036
1005
1065
1040
1059
1007
1017
991
1008
1005
991
1071
1027
1052
1019
1034
1039
1048
------
Average FPS = 1033
Standard Deviation = 25




- Bullwolf

[Hickok]

Out of my Sig P229, 5.5 gr. Unigue/ Lee 401-175 TC ACWW shoots 962 fps. 1.135" Catridge OAL

[MT Gianni]

I have a Smith and Walther 99. It thrives on a book max load of Power pistol and the Lee 175. The Kahr so far needs something else.