I purchased my first electronic reloading scale? Leveling?

[barnetmill]

Barnetmill: It is good to know that you are aware that "Proper Handgun Calibers" all start with a .4 !!!

In every case that I have seen personally (6-7) the Shooter/Reloader was trying to pump his gun up by starting at Max Loads and usually had the bullets seated too Deep or weren't crimped properly resulting in Bullet Set Back during recoil. This resulted in the magazine being blown out the bottom and various injuries to the gun itself from still usable to junk.

Others were attributed to early Federal Cases (Marked FC, FC10) which blew out over the unsupported area of the case. The Case Heads were extended farther up the side of the case as a fix and this has not been a problem since.

What I do for my starting loads with any cartridge is go half way between Starting and Max and that usually will result in a load that does what I want and generally the accuracy is there as well. By doing that it looks like you'd be around 1075-1100 fps with pressures in the 28,000 psi range. Factory loads run around 35,000 psi for the Critical Defense stuff. and that is at the top end of what Glocks can take.

Anyway good luck and let us know how it turns out.

Randy

The blown out case seems to be a failure of the case and not the gun. These failures are well known in the glock. Especially in the earlier glocks.
A tightly held in the case bullet must be used when reloading any cartridge for an autoloading pistol to prevent bullet set back in the case.

Here are loads with longshot for the 10 mm pistol on a 1911 frame. 9 gr powder charge and 187 gr bullet
Source Feb 2024 issue of American Rifleman

[Walter Laich]

He was talking about a "Granite Surface Plate."

just amazoned them as it's cold in Houston right now--boy are they proud of them

[Winger Ed.]

At the moment I am only interested in getting close to max loads in some applications.

I do what was recommended and buy a box of the factory hot rod self defense ammo
rather than trying to 're-invent the wheel' myself.
The ammo makers have a few million more dollars worth of equipment for load development than I do
and have pretty well figured this stuff out.

[barnetmill]

I do what was recommended and buy a box of the factory hot rod self defense ammo
rather than trying to 're-invent the wheel' myself.
The ammo makers have a few million more dollars worth of equipment for load development than I do
and have pretty well figured this stuff out.

Thanks for the concern.
I can not afford hundreds of rounds of such purchased loadings. If I am going use something for SD, I want to be very familiar with it. That gun will used to shoot anything that needs shooting on my place. Water moccasin, possums, feral hog, or a meth head. I am using a load developed by someone else with pressure reading equipment, that being Hodgdon. I will also be staying under the max.
I am someone that has never had a speeding ticket and only one other ticket and the cop was wrong. I have been driving since 1960. I am not a risk taker. 1960 was when I started reloading.

[W.R.Buchanan]

The blown out case seems to be a failure of the case and not the gun. These failures are well known in the glock. Especially in the earlier glocks.
A tightly held in the case bullet must be used when reloading any cartridge for an autoloading pistol to prevent bullet set back in the case.

Here are loads with longshot for the 10 mm pistol on a 1911 frame. 9 gr powder charge and 187 gr bullet
Source Feb 2024 issue of American Rifleman

You aren't planning on using that load in your Glock 22, are you?

Randy

[barnetmill]

You aren't planning on using that load in your Glock 22, are you?

Randy

OF COURSE NOT.
Just showing the progression of how longshot powder works in a similar case that differs in having more case volume with everything thing else being equal.
I am not even sure if such could be compressed-loaded into a 40 case. Things might get exciting if someone did it.

[Tatume]

At the moment I am only interested in getting close to max loads in some applications.

A scale that is not level will read light, and the farther from level the lighter it will indicate. That said, given the fact that the precision of reloading scales is only one tenth of a grain, the scale would have to be visibly un-level for the indication to change. For example, consider Hodgdon's 40 S&W 10.0 gr max charge of CFE with the 165 gr Sierra bullet and IMR Blue powder. An electronic scale would have to be off level by six degrees to cause the scale to indicate 9.9 gr with 10.0 gr in the scale pan.

[barnetmill]

A scale that is not level will read light, and the farther from level the lighter it will indicate. That said, given the fact that the precision of reloading scales is only one tenth of a grain, the scale would have to be visibly un-level for the indication to change. For example, consider Hodgdon's 40 S&W 10.0 gr max charge of CFE with the 165 gr Sierra bullet and IMR Blue powder. An electronic scale would have to be off level by six degrees to cause the scale to indicate 9.9 gr with 10.0 gr in the scale pan.

That is good information. Do you recall where you read it. But for now I will assume that if the scale is not level, the charge is heavier than indicated by the scale. I assume that is so even if the balance is calibrated with a wt.

[Tatume]

I did not read it, I did the calculation myself. It a simple vector decomposition.

[barnetmill]

I did not read it, I did the calculation myself. It a simple vector decomposition.

My physics 101 was a very long time ago and I understand where you got it from. I assume one can try to determine it experimentally with a beam balance, but I am not set up to do that. But the point is that the accuracy error small.

[Tatume]

The point is that the error in accuracy is small as long as the error in level is small.

[DougGuy]

TBH, after reading your intended purposes for the 40, right there is your first mistake, choosing the 40S&W and going after bear? You have got to be kidding me. You said safely? LOL. Just get a 10mm if you have to use a 40 caliber.

[barnetmill]

TBH, after reading your intended purposes for the 40, right there is your first mistake, choosing the 40S&W and going after bear? You have got to be kidding me. You said safely? LOL. Just get a 10mm if you have to use a 40 caliber.

lol, going after bear.
Ok for shooting a 250-300 lb back bear, what will the 10 mm with hard cast bullets do that the 40 will not do? What I can see is more penetration and might be better at breaking a bone in a small bear. I doubt that I need more penetration. Can you offer some other positive outcomes for using a 10mm. Also if the i decide that the 40 will not work I will go and get a 10.
The thing is to carry always. As I type this I have the 9mm that I have carried when home for the last 20 years that is getting replaced. And there is another one loaded but chamber empty in front of me. 12 ga at the back door with a 6.5 g. Upstairs is a PTR-91 and another 9mm pistol.

Now can you imagine any downside to using the 10mm. By way I do have .44 mag mountain gun and for a lot of reasons it will not be used. 6 vs 15 ring a bell. reliability and abuse, does not have a flat profile, also recoil and the glock wins.

[W.R.Buchanan]

That 12 ga. by the door might be the best choice.? go here to get the full story. https://castboolits.gunloads.com/sho...to-my-Shotguns.

Always remember to be successful you must first hit the target. Much easier with a shotgun than a pistol. This goes for 2 legged s well as 4 legged Critters !!!.

Randy