Advice needed for 40 S&W

[kb8yrw]

All,
I am going to purchase a Sig P229 off a buddy of mine that has fallen on some hard times. This is a new caliber for me so I am gathering info and making my list of support equipment I will need to cast and reload for it. We all know that just buying the gun is a small part of really owning and shooting one :razz: . I have had real good luck with RCBS molds so I am leaning in that direction again. I also like the SWC Keith style bullets that I load for my 9mm and my 45 so I am looking for that design again. My question is what weight bullet does everyone recommend? Midway has a 200g and a 170g SWC, does anyone have any experience with these molds or possibly that particular gun and what it likes? This also my first Sig most of my other autos are Kimbers. Any advice? Thanks in advance.

[sewerman68]

Get a mihec .40 mold I love mine. Casts a 158 hp or a 168 gr solid. shoots great in my cz.

[TheBigBang]

I have the RCBS .40-180-FN & like it. It has a meplat like a TC or SWC, but the sides are ogival - a truncated ogive, commonly called a RFN or RNFP. I like this design for an auto. You might want to take a look at at it.

[Ronbo256]

I'm using the Lee 145 SWC and love it, I wish they made it in a 6 cavity.

[garym1a2]

My Glock 22 shoots this one very accurate, but its only a two up mold and mine the mold does not work well. I have a Lee 175TC that is 6UP and shoots decent in the Glock. While not as accurate as the Lee 145SWC, the 175TC runs 100% reliable in my glock.

200gr is a bit much for most 40's.


I'm using the Lee 145 SWC and love it, I wish they made it in a 6 cavity.

[JRR]

I'm with Big Bang on this one. I have been using the RCBS for several years in my CZ with complete satisfaction. Beautiful castings and great accuracy with medium powders such as Herco and Unique. Approx. 950 fps and a gentile recoil without excessive slide velocity.
Jeff

[Tonto]

Both Lee moulds shoot great in my CZ. I like the 175gr TC version better. Not the TL style. Be great to get a PB 135 gr mold and also a 200 grainier...

[HiVelocity]

FWIW-

I decided to not handload 40 S&W even though I had a stockpile of once fired brass that I could load. My reasoning was that I would have to resize all the Glock brass [to remove the "bulge"] i.e., more cost/equip; and have several other calibers I like better. Consequently, I ended up selling all my brass, dies, and bullet mold.

Its a good caliber, just a PITA to handload. I'll stick with my 45 ACP XDm.

Good Luck,

HV

[sargenv]

Actually the Lee Die does not cost all that much... It's not any harder to load than any other Semi auto pistol cartridge.. I've loaded over 100,000 rounds of 40 cal from range pick up to once fired I shot new myself.. I just size my brass with the decap/sizer all the way to the base of the shell plate and it shoots fine in my Para, S&W 610, and 229...

[garym1a2]

I use the Lee Bulge buster kit and it is an extra step for me. If I find a severly Glocked case I toss it. Luckly for me all my range pickups are at USPSA matches and mostly from Match guns with tight chambers.

Just watch for brass from reloaders that are running hot out of the factory Glock tubes.



FWIW-

I decided to not handload 40 S&W even though I had a stockpile of once fired brass that I could load. My reasoning was that I would have to resize all the Glock brass [to remove the "bulge"] i.e., more cost/equip; and have several other calibers I like better. Consequently, I ended up selling all my brass, dies, and bullet mold.

Its a good caliber, just a PITA to handload. I'll stick with my 45 ACP XDm.

Good Luck,

HV

[kb8yrw]

Well I got my new gun!
I'll have to look at that 180 FN that was suggested. I guess the 200g SWC is off the list too. I was reading on other forums also and they feel it is too heavy for a 40 too. I'm glad the "glock belly" was brought up. I remember reading about that problem but never paid too much attention because i never loaded for 40. Guess I will have to sort out the brass I have and look at getting the belly buster die. Wish they had one that worked on humans! :bigsmyl2:

[popper]

Haven't seen many guppied glock brass in range pickup for 3 yrs. I toss the few I find - how many do I need to save to pay for the special die? Watch out for FC HS brass - no good. Some have had problems with SWC - so far the Lee SWC has worked for me but I prefer the TC (~2k so far)

[40Super]

For a really nice bullet in the 40, I have a 150gr swc from Accurate molds(took 7 days from order to on my doorstep), It shoots in the top #1 or #2 spot as any bullet I've tried in all my 40's(Beretta's ,XD's and XDm's),and I have tried A LOT of bullets for those Berettas.

I am currently waiting on a 170gr swc from Ballisti-Cast that I am sure will also shoot great. For me ,swc's just seem to shoot better .

[MikeS]

I think lots of folks over think things, which can make them have problems. I recently started casting for 9mm and 41ae. 9mm seems to give many folks fits, with terrible leading, etc. For the 9 I bought a Lee 105gr SWC mould that's really designed for 38, but also works great in the 9mm, and I sized them to .358 and have yet to have any leading at all. Basically the same thing with the 41, except that for the 41 I'm using a SAECO 170gr SWC mould, and sizing them to .411 after slugging the barrels to make sure those were the right sizes to use. As the 41ae is similar to the 40S&W (in fact loading manuals say to use the 40S&W data with 41ae too) you could try a 170gr SWC and it should work fine.

[Any Cal.]

Lee dies will usually size brass as well as the bulge buster does. I have run lots of brass with a Glock belly through Lee dies and had it work fine in a tight match chamber. It is pretty much a non issue. If you find brass with a hard edged protrusion out of the side, it is damaged beyond use, toss it.(Finding these is rare)

[mongo]

Lee dies work great for me also. Takes the bulge out. I put a storm lake barrel in my Glock23 but still scrounge the brass bucket and reload what I find. Also use the Lee 175TC with 45/45/10. Shoot 100's every week with little or no leading.

[kb8yrw]

I recieved my Hornady dies, RCBC 170g SWC mold and some of the other "stuff" I ordered. I went to work sizing the "glocked brass" that I had seperated from the rest. You know what the hornady dies straightened it out just like the non-glocked brass. Now I don't have any that had a guppy gut in them (I'd just toss those) but the ones I seperated were glocked fired and did not fit in the chamber before sizing. The non-glocked fired fit before sizing sooo.....I'm thinking it isn't too much of an issue at this point. I also measured the case OAL after sizing both and there was no difference worth mentioning.

Now I just need to get my sizer die from Lathesmith so I can start casting some of these up and test firing for load.

Anyone have any powder load suggestions? I currently have on hand Unique, Titegroup, Bullseye, Win 296, IMR 4895. I have a lot of Titegroup on hand so I might try to work up a load with that but I had leading problems with my 9mm.

Do I need to water drop for the 40 using range lead that is about 12 BHN air cooled?

Getting there is half the fun right guys!

:cbpour:

[garym1a2]

Depends how fast u want to go. I make mild 40 loads and only do 3.7gr WST and 4gr BE for my loads.

WST loads get me a very mild load and accurate.

I see no need for water drop if your are only running 800-850fps.

P.S.; I have not tried it but I heard that Unique is a great powder for 40S&W



I recieved my Hornady dies, RCBC 170g SWC mold and some of the other "stuff" I ordered. I went to work sizing the "glocked brass" that I had seperated from the rest. You know what the hornady dies straightened it out just like the non-glocked brass. Now I don't have any that had a guppy gut in them (I'd just toss those) but the ones I seperated were glocked fired and did not fit in the chamber before sizing. The non-glocked fired fit before sizing sooo.....I'm thinking it isn't too much of an issue at this point. I also measured the case OAL after sizing both and there was no difference worth mentioning.

Now I just need to get my sizer die from Lathesmith so I can start casting some of these up and test firing for load.

Anyone have any powder load suggestions? I currently have on hand Unique, Titegroup, Bullseye, Win 296, IMR 4895. I have a lot of Titegroup on hand so I might try to work up a load with that but I had leading problems with my 9mm.

Do I need to water drop for the 40 using range lead that is about 12 BHN air cooled?

Getting there is half the fun right guys!

:cbpour:

[popper]

I started with Unique but changed to HP-38/W231, Lee 175 TC. Haven't used BE or TG they are pretty fast. I started with 50/50 #2/Pb and use 75/25 which MAY give you sizing problems. Accuracy is good, holes are round@ 25 yds. Using 4.5" XDm and 4" PX4. Just HT'd some, if they don't get harder I messed up these last 800, pretty close to pure, but they still work OK, no leading and accurate @ 10'.

[40Super]

I'm with Popper on the HP-38, it keeps doing the best for me in most of my cast loads in all my auto calibers. Another one that my XDm liked was WSF and 150gr swc.

[Oreo]

WSF is all I use in .40s&w. Good stuff.