New to Me SW 40 Cal. Any new mold recommendations?

[jonp]

Just found a used SW 40 M&P for a price I couldn't pass up. Any new information or more experience in the molds? The other threads I've found recommend the Lee 175gr TC.

How about powder? I've got most of the popular ones on the shelf. Bullseye, Tightgroup, 231, Red Dot, Universal, etc....

[308Jeff]

Subscribing. A 40 cal will most likely be my first mold purchase.

[sawinredneck]

I've had decent luck with the limited loading I've done (friends guns) with the Lee 175 and Autocomp, I don't have the data right in front of me but they were moderately light loads but worked in f/s Glock and HK pistols.

[marlin39a]

The Lee 175 TC and 231/HP-38 work for me.

[dubber123]

LEE 175 and 5.5 grains of Power Pistol works very well in my .40 Shield

[Fishman]

I have the Lee 175 tc 6 cavity, got it in trade from someone here. One of the easiest casting molds I have, bullets just fall out. I don't even have a 40, just cast them up for a friend.

[jonp]

Power Pistol I don't have, 231-hp38 I do.

[FergusonTO35]

Lee 401-175-TC, not the tumble lube version. My example makes better boolits than commercial casters do.

[jonp]

I have the Lee 175 tc 6 cavity, got it in trade from someone here. One of the easiest casting molds I have, bullets just fall out. I don't even have a 40, just cast them up for a friend.

Id like to try some before buying a mold. Want to trade?

[Boolit_Head]

Miha had a hollow point 180 grain mold I got in Brass. It is a work of art.

[Idaho45guy]

I'll be the voice of dissent and say that the Lee 175 was a disaster in my M&P 40. I had to seat the bullets way too deep to get them to plunk in my barrel. The few I tried gave awful groups. I scrapped the rest and ordered the RCBS 180gr.

Just cast 100 boolits tonight and they came out beautiful. Lubed and sized them, loaded up 20 or so rounds over 4.7grs of Titegroup. They plunk in my M&P barrel perfectly at the specified 1.125 COL.

190301

190302

[Mossy Oak]

Tight Group is a good powder choice for 40 S&W.

Joe

[Virginia John]

I use the Lee 140 or 145 (whichever) with 4.0 Bullseye. Great paper puncher.

[ioon44]

I shot the Lee 140/145 (whichever) bullets with WST powder out of a Glock 22 with Hi-Tek coating, all worked fine.

[308Jeff]

Ordered the Lee 175 6 cavity last night. This will be my first mold. Fingers crossed that it works well.

[Ed_Shot]

I was dissatisfied with the performance I got from the Lee 175 TC. I get the results I want form the Lyman 401043 (170 gr) and 401654 (150 gr). WSF and Red Dot/Promo are my go-to powders for 40SW.

[9.3X62AL]

Lee 40-175-TC atop 4.7 grains of WW-231 is a good duplicator of the W-W/WWB 180 JHP load my shop has carried in 40 S&W since the caliber's adoption c. 1994. OAL seated and discretely taper crimped is 1.130". Runs in all of my lands & grooves 40 S&W barrels quite well. I have yet to try it in Glock OEM 40/10mm barrels.

[308Jeff]

I was dissatisfied with the performance I got from the Lee 175 TC. I get the results I want form the Lyman 401043 (170 gr) and 401654 (150 gr). WSF and Red Dot/Promo are my go-to powders for 40SW.

Dissatisfied with groupings?

[9.3X62AL]

I was dissatisfied with the performance I got from the Lee 175 TC. I get the results I want form the Lyman 401043 (170 gr) and 401654 (150 gr). WSF and Red Dot/Promo are my go-to powders for 40SW.

The 45 ACP spoils pistol shooters ROTTEN with its intrinsic accuracy and lead-friendliness. The 40 S&W is a service pistol--I have no idea what the ammo will do for grouping when fixture-fired, but none of the several pistols in the caliber I now own or have owned were Camp Perry-capable. They have run 3"-3.5" at 25 yards very reliably, and I can keep all hits inside the "8-bottle" of a B-27 target at 50 yards if I do my part. That is good enough for me, 'cause it is a goblin popper in my world.

[HeavyMetal]

Not a fan of the 175 / 200 grain boolit loads for the 40 S&W to little velocity for the weight of the boolit, easy shooting for sure but not what I want all the time in a 40.

So a year or so ago I lucked into a GB Lee 150 grain TC 6 banger mold with Blue Dot this make a pretty nice SD load should I ever need on, might work on small game and maybe a deer, if it trips over my feet, who knows.

I've also found Lee's 145 grain SWC mold to make a very nice target load with super target powder, this load shoots the equal of my tuned 1911 but my 40 is not a pocket pistol either.

Think you might try lighter boolits in the future

[Ed_Shot]

The 45 ACP spoils pistol shooters ROTTEN with its intrinsic accuracy and lead-friendliness. The 40 S&W is a service pistol--I have no idea what the ammo will do for grouping when fixture-fired, but none of the several pistols in the caliber I now own or have owned were Camp Perry-capable. They have run 3"-3.5" at 25 yards very reliably, and I can keep all hits inside the "8-bottle" of a B-27 target at 50 yards if I do my part. That is good enough for me, 'cause it is a goblin popper in my world.

Wish I could hold an 8" group at 50 yds. The only person I compete against (and have to please) is myself, and after many K's of rounds of Lee 401-175-TC and Lyman boolits thru my G22 w/LW barrel it is obvious to me that I personally shoot tighter groups (whether slow or rapid fire) with either the Lyman 401043 or 401654. I also have distinct preferences for the boolits I use in .45, .44, 38/357, 9MM and .380 strictly based on my personal evaluation of performance. Totally agree with you that 40SW is a goblin popper, my G22 stays on the night stand.

[9.3X62AL]

Ed_Shot--

OK--NOW you have piqued my interest. :-)

How wide do those Lyman mould blocks cast COWW or 92/6/2 alloys?

[Ed_Shot]

Ed_Shot--

OK--NOW you have piqued my interest. :-)

How wide do those Lyman mould blocks cast COWW or 92/6/2 alloys?

Just went to my shop to verify what my latest batch of what I'm pretty sure is 92/6/2.... as cast, my caliper says the Lyman 401043's are .405 dia. (@ 169 gr) and the Lyman 401654's are also .405 dia. (@155gr.). I size both to .401 with my 450. I only lube the bottom grove on the 401043.

[308Jeff]

The negative reviews of the Lee 175 got me skeered so I cancelled my order. Now what?

I know I want something larger than a 2 cavity. Going to PC whatever I cast. Something from NOE?

[Boolit_Head]

Noe and Miha molds are fantastic! Once you get them you won't want a Lee again.

[NoAngel]

I use the Lee and run them powder coated with a starting charge for same weight jacketed bullet. Runs like a champ. Never had any accuracy or fouling problems.

[sawinredneck]

I've been very happy with the Lee 175?

[Strtspdlx]

I've always Prefered the Lee 401-175 with aa#7 in 40s&w. My powder choices where limited at the time. Ive acquired a few more desirable powders. Just no range membership to test them out now.

[Idaho45guy]

Is this the boolit you guys are referring to when talking about the Lee 175?

190480

'Cause I could not get those to fit in any of my auto pistol's chambers without setting them really deep...

[FergusonTO35]

No, that is a revolver style SWC boolit. The Lee 401-175-TC has no "shoulder" and seats much shorter by design, around 1.115.

[jonp]

Most votes seem to be the Lee 175 so I think that is where I'm going as a first attempt. I've run some rounds through it with j-words and I like the pistol a great deal. Changing the backstrap to the Medium gave a nice, full grip and the kick was nothing to speak of.

[Harter66]

I have the 175 pictured above and an LBT 403-175 RF both run nicely in an XD over 5.7 gr Unique ( max load ) for about 2" at 25 Weaver .

[308Jeff]

I have the 175 pictured above and an LBT 403-175 RF both run nicely in an XD over 5.7 gr Unique ( max load ) for about 2" at 25 Weaver .

Are you referring to the pic in post 29? If so, are you seating similarly to what is shown in that pic, or deeper?

I'd really like to buy the Lee 175 as my first mold, but the few negative reviews have made me hesitant.

[Harter66]

Yes . The XD has a visible throat of about .1 so there is lots of room to load as long as the magazine allows . I think I sent all of what I had on hand with the pistol I will look tonight if the chicken pox queens will let me . New strain , 2nd time for the 8yo 1st for the 10 yo both had the vax weird ...

[308Jeff]

Ouch! Remember having those when I was 5, and is miserable. I feel bad for them!

[Leadmelter]

NOE has a sale this week on 40 cal molds.
Leadmelter
MI

[Fernando]

NOE has a sale this week on 40 cal molds.
Leadmelter
MI

Of course they do - I ordered a 180RN brass 2 weeks ago:groner:
Always happens but it is a work of art and am sure it'll be great.
I also chose the lee TL175 to try tumble lubing.

[9.3X62AL]

I have few of the Lee 6-cavity moulds, but the ones I do have are decent tools--and usually of generally better quality than older 2-cavity tools. All three of my Lee autopistol TC design moulds (9mm, 40/10, 45) are 12-15 years old and of 2-cavity size. I got lucky on all three moulds, in that they produce very usable bullets of sufficient diameter for their meant calibers. This is not always the case with Lee moulds--the company does have periodic lapses of quality control. You are rolling the bones a bit when you buy a Lee mould, but out of at least 30 such tools I now have only one is an irredeemable bummer. Considering their cost, that seems like a fair risk--and the company usually exchanges the bummers without much whining. NOE, Accurate Molds, and Mountain Molds make FAR SUPERIOR products--if you want a serious tool that will work very well, you need to spend serious cash to acquire one. If you are willing to fuss over the tool a bit and finish building it, then the Lee moulds can be made to work--like some Ruger Blackhawks I've been acquainted with.

20 years ago, I had the patience to fuss with such things. Now--not so much. No more Lymans or Lees at my house, and I bring pin gauges to all revolver buys these days. I think very highly of the Lee TC/conventional groove autopistol designs, and if one of the semi-custom makers could be prompted to produce a good knock-off of these critters that might be the best of all possible worlds.

[FergusonTO35]

What kind of velocity are you looking for? I think a 175 or 180 grain chink of lead at 850 fps is just dandy for any purpose I might need it for.