40 cal powder question

[ghh3rd]

I just cast some 175gr .40 cal boolits. The Lee book provides the following load info:

Accur #7 7.6 922 8.4 1014
Accur #9 9.2 908 10.2 998
Accur #5 5.5 896 6.1 986
_______________________________________
Accur #2 4.8 894 5.3 975

If all of the FPS are about the same, why would one use almost twice as much Accur#9 (9.2gr - 908 FPS) than Accur#2 (4.8gr - 894 FPS) for about the same result. Looking at this chart, I would naturally opt for the Accur#2 since I would get more bang for the buck.

Also, why do they seem to group #2 separately? I'm sure that there's more to it than I'm seeing.

Thanks for any help.

Randy

[mike in co]

what pressure do you get with the 2i powder ??

i found aa7 worked good with 175's and i'd suspect that 5 would do well to....2 is probably too fast and 9 too slow. most powders want a certain amount of pressure to burn well.


mike in co

[bobk]

Randy,
If you're thinking economy, there may be a different way to look at this. The question might be, "What other calibers do you load for and what powder would give you the most versatility?" I think #9 is too slow, but I'd be looking at #5 or #7. What else could you use them for?

Bob K

[ghh3rd]

Sorry - I forgot to mention that I am new to reloading. I've reloaded some .38 with 2.7gr of Bullseye behind a 148gr wadcutter (works great).

I just cast a few hundred .40 and am starting to research loads, and I figured that since these were all listed, they were all OK. It sounds like each will burn differently and some will be less desirable for my .40 cal. I don't think I'll be loading anything but .38 and .40 for a while - any suggestion on the best Accur for just .40 without considering it's use for other calibers?

Thanks,

Randy

[Shiloh]

I just cast some 175gr .40 cal boolits. The Lee book provides the following load info:



If all of the FPS are about the same, why would one use almost twice as much Accur#9 (9.2gr - 908 FPS) than Accur#2 (4.8gr - 894 FPS) for about the same result. Looking at this chart, I would naturally opt for the Accur#2 since I would get more bang for the buck.

Also, why do they seem to group #2 separately? I'm sure that there's more to it than I'm seeing.

Thanks for any help.

Randy

I'm on break at work so I can't look. I use AA#5 for 9mm and .40 S&W.
I use 6.5gr for the 9mm 115 FMJ and 5.9gr for the .40. That would be the LEE TL SWC. Mine are sized at .401+.

I have both the 1st volume and 2nd volumes. Both list 6.1 as max load. I am currently looking for one of there complementary load guides from before the first edition came out. I believe that the max. load for a 175 grain was 6.6 gr, PM me if you want me to look it up for you.

5.9 cycles just fine and isn't particularly harsh in recoil. I recall taking it down to 5.7and still having it cycle reliably. You pistol may and could be different.

Be home in an hour.

Shiloh

[Leftoverdj]

I just cast some 175gr .40 cal boolits. The Lee book provides the following load info:



If all of the FPS are about the same, why would one use almost twice as much Accur#9 (9.2gr - 908 FPS) than Accur#2 (4.8gr - 894 FPS) for about the same result. Looking at this chart, I would naturally opt for the Accur#2 since I would get more bang for the buck.

Also, why do they seem to group #2 separately? I'm sure that there's more to it than I'm seeing.

Thanks for any help.

Randy

'Cause some of us are sitting on huge stashes of AA-9 (WC-820) we bought for $4 a pound or less.

When you are buying powder for a specific purpose, it makes sense to look for the most efficient power, but when you already have powder, you look for ways to use what you have.

I also tend to shy away from top loads with the very fast powders. The medium and slow burners seem a little more tolerant as you approach max pressures.

[randyrat]

I looked at the data and i can see each powders max pressure with the 40 cal in each load. Why anybody would use some of these? To get Max velocity and still stay under or near 35,000 PSI .... Some of these i wouldn't use with cast boolits because 34.9k or 35 k is riding the edge for the 40 and your asking for trouble. Your right Why? i don't know...Maybe someone wants to ride the edge. You best use new brass and some hard good fitting boolits, not for the faint of heart. Someone will load some of these max loads and have a case seperation(used brass) and complain about their Glock had a KABOOM

[mike in co]

I looked at the data and i can see each powders max pressure with the 40 cal in each load. Why anybody would use some of these? To get Max velocity and still stay under or near 35,000 PSI .... Some of these i wouldn't use with cast boolits because 34.9k or 35 k is riding the edge for the 40 and your asking for trouble. Your right Why? i don't know...Maybe someone wants to ride the edge. You best use new brass and some hard good fitting boolits, not for the faint of heart. Someone will load some of these max loads and have a case seperation(used brass) and complain about their Glock had a KABOOM

ok what ru talking about ?? thi sis cast boolits and none of the above loads come anywhere near max...most in the 18-26k psi range ??

mike in co

[lead slead]

I use 175 gr TL with 4.0gr hodgdon titegroup works good. I have also used Alliant Power pistol at about 6.5 gr with similar results.

[randyrat]

Mike... With #9 the way i read it is 10.2 grs is 34,900 PSI thats very close to max pressure. which is 35,000 psi for a fourty.... (thats if you use the high end of these loads)

[randyrat]

Instead of that rant that i wrote above..I should have aswered your question...
Not a lot of companies test that many bullets as Accurate and show all the results. It's kinda nice to have options with their powders...As stated above you may be sitting on several pounds of #7 & #9 (even though not the most economical choices) they may be real accurate for your gun. Above i was was interupted and lost my train of though Sorry for the rant.