After the frustrations I had getting a crimp that would work well in my pistol I ordered a RCBS Taper Crimp die. Bumped the powder charge from 4.0gns of W231 to 4.3 in an attempt too get the slide to lock back consistently on the last shot. Still using a 180gn cast TC bullet with a COA of 1.125. Finally everything came together. I have a load that functions reliably, has less felt recoil that the factory ammo I was using and shoots to point of aim out to 25 yds. Given that my 4.0gn load averaged 795fps from my pistol these are probably just over 800fps. Also with a ME of around 260 there is enough power for a walking the dog sidearm.

Next project, find a good load for those Hornady 155gn XTP bullets that came with my die set. I'm looking at a can of 4756 and just over 8 gns is supposed to push those little bullets in the 1200 fps second range.

Not sure why you are in search of such a soft shooting load. If it barely locks the slide back, you are only asking for an eventual FTF as the gun dirties up. JMO, bump it a bit to 4.5gr, it will run better & get that round up off it's knees. At 800fps, nice gamer load but not something I want to bet my life on.

I have nerve damage in my hands and I'm trying to find a load that duplicates the POI of factory ammo in my pistol yet has less recoil. That way I can work on developing the muscle memory for good shot placement without developing bad habits.

Maybe try a lighter recoil spring.

Here ya go do not know if you have seen this:

Make Right With a ".40 Lite"

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Still Running Against the Wind

I am very partial to Longshot for .40 (and 10mm), especially in the heavier bullets. Just over 9 gr gives 1280fps with your 155s, according to the Hodgdon data, with a tad less pressure.

180 grains at 800FPS .... sounds a hair hotter than a 38 spec but makes a bigger hole. either the 38 spec is useless or he has an acceptable load for his needs

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it just needs more voltage

W231 is a very dirty powder at that velocity.

Actually, it is significantly hotter than .38Spl. Most factory .38 cannot meet the (old) minimum power factor (bullet weight multiplied by velocity) for IDPA of 125,000 so they dropped it to 105,000 for the revo guys. That load, however, would make a power factor of 144,000. While far from the Major PF of 165,000 that most .40 loading exceed, it's still no powderpuff by any stretch of the imagination.

Nosler still offers 135 gr bullets. They are spectacular with WSF.

For light loads, one goes to lighter recoil springs. For die-hard competition, one will frequently go to lightened slides.
For POI changes, use lighter bullets to raise and heavier to lower--or use less velocity to raise and more velocity to raise.
I find most recoil is the weight of the slide coming back and I don't really feel much if any significant differences firing 9x19 or 10mm Auto--all I feel is the slide weight recoil and a difference in the boom.
You have nerve damage, so you have a built-in recoil sensor and you may find that you need to go to a lighter, weaker cartridge or even a revolver (to eliminate the irritation from the slide recoil).
If you don't have a lot of experience with different cartridges, you may want to find a range where you can rent a few different guns.
231 is an excellent powder, but for light .40 loads, I prefer AA2 (more accurate) and for mid-range I prefer AA5 (a LOT more accurate).
It is very hard to beat AA5 for any .40 load except full-power loads where Silhouette is best.