.40s&w accuracy loads

[jayrad33]

i'm looking for an accuracy load in .40s&w using 150gr. LSWC, 170gr. LSWC, and 180gr. LTCFP my gun is a glock 23 with an aftermarket barrel capable of shooting lead

[Stick_man]

Finding an accuracy load for a handgun is kind of like finding a girlfriend. What works well for one may not work well for another. Since every gun shoots slightly different from all the others, you might just have to try out a bunch of different loads until you find one that works well for you. My M&P likes 175gr boolits using RedDot and 155gr using WW-231. However, it doesn't like 180gr cast anything nor 150gr. Haven't done a lot of trials for the 150's yet, but so far, the 155 is much better.

My buddy has a M&P and his loves 175 and 180 and is only lukewarm with the 155's.

There are so many different variables out there when looking for a new girlfriend... I mean load for your handgun, that it is pretty much impossible to predict exactly which one will work best for your needs. Plan to spend lots of money and treat it well and you will find what makes one happy.

Good luck and Happy Shooting!

[redneckdan]

I was only able to get minute-of-backstop accuracy with my glock model 22 that was with the factory barrel. :sad:

[Edubya]

i'm looking for an accuracy load in .40s&w using 150gr. LSWC, 170gr. LSWC, and 180gr. LTCFP my gun is a glock 23 with an aftermarket barrel capable of shooting lead
"an accuracy load" What do you call accurate? What distance are you planning to shoot?
I might call a load accurate at 4" over 25 yards, you might cal that shotgunning. I do most of my shooting at 25 yards and am very satisfied with a 4" spread with 5 bullets, you may want 15 bullets inside of 4". give us some standards to work with.


EW

[JustSomeGuy]

Well... I've had pretty good results with both Silhouette and Longshot with an S&S Casting 180grn LFN in my XD40 Tactical and my XDm40. 5.8grn Silhouette at 1.130 OAL and 7.0grn Longshot also at 1.130 gives me inside 2" at 15 yards which is about as good as my old eyes can hold. If you are loading light and have a reduced power spring you might try 3.6grn Titegroup at the same length with the 180grn which will shoot a quarter sized hole at that distance when I can see really good. The Silhouette load will produce about 989fps average for 20 shots in the 5" Tactical, the 7.0 Longshot will give about 1062fps average for 20 shots, and the Titegroup load will average about 825 or so for a "minor" load.

[TonyT]

For light loads with lead 155 to 180 gr. bnullets I have used 3.4 to 3.6 gr. WST for ca 750 fps. They function well in my S&W 646 and 610, CZ-40B and PO16-40 with a lighter recoil spring. Very soft shooting and accurate.

[ANeat]

Ive ran some jacketed thru my G22 to check for accuracy, as was mentioned you really need to verify what your gun likes.

For my accuracy tests I used a Ransom rest, targets at 25 yards, 15 shots per group unless noted.



http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00797.jpg

Several handloads and one factory load were tested. Ill supply a few details and let the pics do the rest







First out of the box was my standby "gamer" load. Zero 180gr JHP, 3.5gr Of Titegroup, 1.135 OAL.

This is a popular load with many "40" shooters.



http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00809.jpg






Next I tried some Winchester White box, 165gr loads. Couldnt get all 15 shots on the paper,

I thought this may have been a Ransom rest problem so I decided to try another grouping later

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00808.jpg









Then I tried 4.3gr Titegroup with the 180gr Zero JHP. This is a popular "major" PF load, didnt quite make it on my chrono but it was cool/temp (and was really close)

http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00807.jpg





Last to be tried, a loading recommended by a buddy of mine. 135gr Ranier plated, 4.5gr Titegroup 1.1 oal



http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00805.jpg







And finally back to the WWB 165 load. Fired 10 shots, got 9 on the paper..........no doubt...it sucks


http://i64.photobucket.com/albums/h165/aneat/G22/DSC00806.jpg