Hardness 'required' for 40S&W

[BHill]

I use the same mold but my alloy is 13-14 BHN. I have loaded these to 1210 fps using 3n37 in a g35 with zero issues. I think in the case of this bullet and cartridge the powder coating gives us a lot broader range. The glock has a 1-9.84 twist so I would think you could get close to this with your alloy in the AET with a bit slower powder.

How much hotter are you wanting to run if you are already making PF? Maybe going for bowling pins?

Good luck

[ChrisCbr]

I use the same mold but my alloy is 13-14 BHN. I have loaded these to 1210 fps using 3n37 in a g35 with zero issues. I think in the case of this bullet and cartridge the powder coating gives us a lot broader range. The glock has a 1-9.84 twist so I would think you could get close to this with your alloy in the AET with a bit slower powder.

How much hotter are you wanting to run if you are already making PF? Maybe going for bowling pins?

Good luck

Thanks for that. Yes I think also that something slower like WSF with the 200gr projectile might be worth a try. I need to be at 175 PF for a safe margin.

Thanks to the others who contributed to this thread also.

[popper]

Attachment 210915 Just Pb, 0.5%Cu, 0.5%Zn. 4.5gr 231 under Lee 175TC (~171 PF, dropped 180gr). Big problem with soft is size - no spring back. Add some Zn, it's a hardener. These were not PCd, sized small. PC solved problem.

[ChrisCbr]

Attachment 210915 Just Pb, 0.5%Cu, 0.5%Zn. 4.5gr 231 under Lee 175TC (~171 PF, dropped 180gr). Big problem with soft is size - no spring back. Add some Zn, it's a hardener. These were not PCd, sized small. PC solved problem.

Interesting. Thank's for that. I'll be trying harder alloys to see if that helps.

[fredj338]

Most of my 40 stuff is 40 minor, so range scrap works fine. If I were running full power loads, water dropping them works fine. BTW, I use the same Lyman mold, very good shooter.

[derek45]

rotometals or brownells sells antimony ingots or nuggets

I added some to some soft lead, with some tin to get the hardness up

[rsrocket1]

I use reclaimed lead shot from the local trap and skeet range. Sometimes I add an ounce or two of solder for "fillout" but most of the time I simply cast at 675 or 700F and get perfect fillout anyway. I use HF red PC. My max average string for 180g 40 S&W has been 1064 fps (191 PF) but with 9mm, I've pushed the bullets over 1200 fps and well into the 30k psi range with no ill effects.

[OldCowboy]

I think an important question when it comes to 40 S&W is what gun are you shooting? If it's a Glock and you haven't replaced the original barrel, lead bullets are going to be a problem. The Glock polygonal rifling doesn't handle either cast lead or copper plated bullets very well. When I was shooting IPSC with a Glock 35, I had to use either jacketed bullets or, if I wanted to shoot cast or plated, a Lone Wolf barrel.