40 s & w

[Heavy lead]

Does anyone cast and load for this? I have one in a Springfield XD that shoots well with factory ammunition. It is the only round I do not handload for. I was unsure if I was going to keep it, but I guess I am. I shoot it well and the barrel has a very smooth but sharp and deep rifleing and I'm thinking this will be a great cast shooter What I'm thinking is a 150 to 160 grain semi wadcutter. I can tell you I have never had any ftf on this gun with Remington hollow points, I have had ftf with cheap tc copper washed ammo, which is junk American Amunition brand I bought for plinking.
Any thoughts, I would like you alls input.
And if you think I should just trade it, let me know that too. I don't want a gun I don't reload and/or cast for.
Thanks

[Dennis Eugene]

I cast for my S&W 4006 cast an RCBS 10MM-170-SWC load it over 5.2 Grains of Unique with CCI 500 primers works like a champ feeds like eggs through a hen. Want me ta send ya 50 or a hunnert boolits to try? If ya liked 'em I would be happy ta loan ya the mold. By the way thanks for the kind words on the strraight shooter post. Dennis

[billyb]

I reload the 40 for a glock 22 and a S&W 99 with good results. I load jacketed and cast for both. Lyman mold 175 and 4.9 grains 231 or 5. grains bullseye. 155 grain cast and 7. grains accurate #5. Rainer 155 plated bullets i use 6.2 grains 231. Bill

[Kirk Miller]

I started casting for the .40 S&W this year with pretty poor results. Useing the lyman 401638 175gr. TC and a/c ww the groups averaged 2"-3" at 17 yards. Acting upon the advice of forum members here [ especially 9.3x62AL], I went with a 92-6-2 alloy and groups shrunk to 1in. Allen stated, that the fast twist and shallow rifleing demanded a hard alloy, and he was absolutely right. Now, these are still not great groups, but I'm not a great shot and the short barreled Sig doesn't lend itself to top shelf accuracy.
Kirk

[S.R.Custom]

My favorite .40 load was this bullet...

http://www.midwayusa.com/eproductpage.exe/showproduct?saleitemid=513967

...over AA#7. (I'd have to look up the exact charge.) This bullet was more reliable than the SWCs in the autoloaders.

[Heavy lead]

Thanks for the info guys.
I have a bunch of super hard (about 1500) 45 colt 92-6-2 boolits I'll melt up for this project when I get it going. I think from what I read this is good advice. I have Unique and AA7 I can try. I appreciate the insight. I have hope this gun will shoot cast well. This is deeply rifled so I'm thinking it'll be good.
PM sent to Dennis

[shotman]

would recomend the llLee 401-175 Dont use the unique in the auto. I have a sig 226 and it shoots very good with that boolit TL I like tight group for powder[dont have load in front of me] I dont seem to have a problem with alloy hardness but I dont drive them at top speed rick

[Heavy lead]

Shotman, why no Unique? I do use it in 45 with no problems, it looks to be compatable with the 40, is there another reason?

[MT Gianni]

Al should chime in here. I shot his CZ75 at Winnemucca and it is well tuned. Gianni

[yondering]

Nice thing about loading for 40 S&W is brass is dirt cheap.
Unique has worked well for me for cast boolit loads in 40 S&W. Blue Dot and Power Pistol seem to work better for full power loads.

[jameslovesjammie]

I'm watching this thread like a hawk! I've got a CZ 75B in .40 sitting at UPS in Aberdeen, South Dakota. It was supposed to be here on Friday, but the blizzard pretty much stopped everything this weekend. :(

[jameslovesjammie]

p.s. I'm trying to shoot up what I've got left of Unique too. It shoots well and groups are consistant...it is just dirty. I actually had some guys at the indoor range think I was shooting blackpowder last year!

[Heavy lead]

I've heard good things about power pistol, but never have used it. Good in the 45 as well?

[9.3X62AL]

Gianni, thanks for the kind words--but the "tuning" of the pistol was all factory-done. The pistol's rifling twist rate of 1-16" is a LARGE advantage, for sure. A lot of the shooters on Glockpost like Power Pistol and Titegroup in the 40 S&W, I've done all right with WW-231 (that's what Gianni shot), Herco, Unique, and Blue Dot propelling the poured boolits. I REALLY like the Lee 175 TC design, and its counterparts in 9mm and 45 are good designs too. "Dirtyness" isn't a big down-side for me, as long as accuracy and reliability are constant.

JLJ--I consider the CZ75B in 40 S&W to be the best all-around 40 S&W I've ever fired, and the most accurate. That includes a lot of time with SIG P-226 and 229/Glock 22 and 23 as a rangemaster/trainer. It is WITHOUT DOUBT the most reload-friendly, having tall rifling at a reasonable twist rate and a largely fully-supported chamber profile.

[Ben]

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=29985

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=30029

[Heavy lead]

Very nice Ben.

[mike in co]

while the 175 is close to the original weight for a 40, consider lighter boolits for easy and cheap shooting.
135's will cycle well in the guns( well...cz and clones) so somewhere between 135 and 200 is available. i started with 175/180's, i currently shoot 165's and have some 135's to try.
i used aa7 for the 180/175, but aa5 for 165's.

have we ever done a lite plinker for the 40 ??

mike in co

[jameslovesjammie]

Trickyasafox did one on a 150. I really wish I would have gotten in on that one now. :(

http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=28649&highlight=lite

[Lloyd Smale]

try to find one of the discontinued lyman 150 swc molds. Its the most accurate 40 bullet ive found to date. Lee makes a close copy of it that i havent tried so your on your own there. Like was said earlier. Hard alloys will usually shoot best.