cast some 401-145swc boolits today

[leeggen]

I was down to my last 30 cast boolits so had to get busy and make some more. Used the reloaders ref. that I downloaded the other day and used 6lb pure lead 6lb of wheel weight and 2 lb of some foundry lead. water dropped and in 2 hrs I had 4oo good boolits measuring .4015 to .4025. I think I will open the mold up to get some a little larger in diameter. Would really like .4025 to .4035. Not to bad for just target shooting. Now back to loading those into some caseings.
CD

[Harter66]

Better let them''breath '' a few days .

The 40 I load for needed straight WW water dropped to shoot well ,my softer 9mm,38/357,45 Colts alloy just wouldn't stop tumbling . The 175 SWC may also be at the upper end of stabilizing in the 3.5'' XD40.

[Shiloh]

I'd like LEE to make that mold in a six cav. They only make two cav. My LEE 175 TC drops at .4023 depending with 50/50 WW/Range Scrap.

Shiloh

[petroid]

Harter66. The OP says he is casting a 145 SWC not a 175. If this is true then it should not have a problem stabilizing. I don't know what mold he is using, though. That said, the Lee TL 401-175 SWC from WD COWW stabilizes just fine in my 3"XD40SC

[Harter66]

It was an attempt to share an expirence w/the 1 I was loading for and suggest a less costly alloy w/o being ''why ya want such a hard bullet''. Whatever, probably bad info anyway. I been on a roll please disregard.

[petroid]

Not trying to disrespect you Harter66. Just making sure the info is straight. I think the OP knows what he's casting, whether he is casting a 145 SWC or 175 SWC is irrelevant, may be a typo, may not be but I'm sure they shoot well in his gun. I agree on the water dropping, for sure! My 40 will not shoot worth a darn without water dropped boolits.

[Harter66]

No worries petroid I got the skin of of a petrified rhino.

[Whitespider]

I'm surprised y'all need hard alloy and/or water dropped bullets in the .40.
I've been shooting the Lee 401-145 SW cast from straight ACWW for some time now (Star Firestar).
I'm thinkin' 'bout goin' softer next time 'round, maybe 2/59/39 SN/WW/PB.

[petroid]

Whitespider my trouble with loading .40 was that the brass would swage the boolit down when seated. Once I got a custom expander from a member here that problem went away but water dropping seemed to help with accuracy. Now I PC my boolits so it may not be an issue but I have just stuck with what had been working

[Whitespider]

Oh....
Yeah, I had that problem with the heavier (longer) 175 grain boolits being sized down.
I switched to the lighter (shorter) 145 grain to lower POI and it's not such an issue anymore.

[Shiloh]

I have a LEE 175 gr. TL mold that has been trimmed down. Boolits drop around 158 gr. or so.
I fall into the "Lighter is better" for the .40 S&W. The 175 and heavier is more for the 10 mm's.

Shiloh