.40 Caliber

jimmyj

jimmyj

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Hi:
Starting to reload .40 S&W.
My Lyman Manual is old and does not contain .40 S&W information. (I have ordered a new one)

I will be using a 165 grain FMJ, CCI primers, and once fired brass.
I like to load a factory duplication load.
What powder and weight should I use ?
 
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I'm pretty much in the same boat, jimmyj. I just recently acquired a .40 BHP and a few weeks ago was the first time I reloaded anything in .40 S&W. But I used some Hornady 180 XTP bullets and loaded 100 rounds. Right before I left for the rig, I ordered 1,000 Zero 165 JHP rounds and they will be waiting for me when I get in from the rig next week. I used Hodgdon Longshot with those XTP bullets I reloaded and they felt just as potent as the factory ammo I've been shooting until the reloads.

Anyways, what powder do you have on hand? I will be choosing between Longshot, CFE Pistol and HP38 for Hodgdon powder, Unique for Alliant powder and Accurate #5 or #7 for Western brand powders that I have on hand.
 
For many years I have used AA#5 (7.5 gr/with a 165 gr. bullet from Montana Gold)

The load is very accurate in all of my now antique .40 S&W's!! If I recall correctly it also makes Major....not by much however.

Very pleasant load to shoot. Used it in USPSA/IDPA matches with outstanding results! Might work for you as well.

Randy
 
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Jimmy,
From Lyman #50
40 S&W 165 TMJ bullet

W231 5.2gr to 5.8gr
Unique 5.4gr to 6.0gr
AA#5 6.9gr to 7.6gr
Power Pistol 6.3gr to 7.0gr (7.0gr marked potentially most accurate)
HS-6 7.6gr to 8.5gr

There are more so if you want to know about a different powder and it's there I will give you the data. You will see when your manual gets there.
 
I plan on starting with the load I first used when I took a reloading class 6yrs ago.....that is if I can find where I wrote it down.
 
Wow;
you guys are making me feel old and out dated.....
none of my loading manuals list the "Newer" 40 caliber.

Good luck with that new weapon and enjoy.
 
3 months ago a friend gave me a 40S&W barrel for my Sig that's in 357 sig. I really have no interest in 45 ACP's redheaded step cousin! If I want 165's I load down, but you can't load up a 40 with 220 or 230 grain bullets. I was interested in 10mm a few years back, but I recovered from my dizzy spell! I have dies for 38-40, but no gun, no mould, and no desire to work with that family of rounds!

Ivan

Pretty much: If it ain't in Lyman #45 it ain't worth loading. (A line from the codger's creed.)
 
In 40, I don't think it gets much better than WSF with 165-180gr bullets, to reach factory vel levels. Data is available online as well as in manuals printed on the last 20y or so.
 
Looking through my database of 40S&W load data, most of my highlighted 165 grain "best" loads are using CFE-Pistol from 6.5 to 6.8 grains.
 
I like to keep things simple so for me it was 231, until that dried up for a few years then I started using CFE Pistol which was easier to find. Now I have loads with both but I think the CFE Pistol has more potential even though you burn a little more. For load date, the powder manufacturer has that on their website.
 
I recently bought a Beretta 96 in .40. I had some .40 range brass and found my 38-40 180gr, LFN would work. I used HS-6 and it worked well.
 
With Xtreme 165 gr plated bullets, I use 4.5-4.7 grs TiteGroup. Also use same charge for Xtreme 180 plated. Not sure if this is a "factory duplicate" load, but shoots well for range/paper punching from all my 40's. Info available from Hodgson website.
 
I reload a lot of practice rounds for the local police dept. using 7.2 grs of AA#5 with a 165 gr flat point. They use multiple types of guns and haven't reported any failures of any kind.
 
All that i load is 40 s&w, currently I am using Longshot.
With Longshot I was able to get a 180gr out of a 9 inch barrel carbine at 1265 average fps,
and that was under max load.
Works for 165gr also.

Autocomp is another good one, CFE is good,
3n37 works,

WST is a target powder that you don't load many grains into the case. I was afraid of a double charge so I quit using it.
I did load some light 155gr with WST, very mild, light, shooting.

My next attempt is going to be 3N38 with a 165gn, supposedly
3N38 is the magic dust to get a 165gn out of a 9 inch barrel at over 1300 fps.

Bullseye, I was not that fond of the recoil.
 
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I have settled on Win- WST as the most accurate load for my Glock 22 cop gun.

4.8 gr. under a coated Precision 170 gr. RNFP.
 
Tex1001 said:
The 40S&W is a cartridge that is pushed to the limit by the factories, pressure wise. Hot rodding (Max or max plus loads) are a bad idea.
Click to expand...

Depends on your definition of "hot rodding". Some think that a "hotter" load is more pressure. It depends on the powder. Longshot will push the same bullet much faster than say bullseye with lower pressures.

I have used a lot of Longshot and it gets top velocities in the 40 S&W without introducing dangerous pressures.

Rosewood
 
My most accurate load in a 4.5" and 4" Sigma is a 180 grain powder coated cast boolit over 6.3 grains of Power pistol. That load shoots better than any jacketed I have ever shot in those 2 guns. The velocity in the 4.5" is dead on 1000 fps.

Rosewood
 
jimmyj said:
I have on hand Bullseye and Unique powder.
I am considering 6.0 grains Unique with a 165 FMJ bullet.

Opinions ?
Click to expand...

That sounds a bit on the light side, Jimmy. Alliant's data shows a max of 7.2 grains with a 165 Gold Dot. Dropping back 10% from max would bring it down to around 6.5 grains.
 
muddocktor said:
That sounds a bit on the light side, Jimmy. Alliant's data shows a max of 7.2 grains with a 165 Gold Dot. Dropping back 10% from max would bring it down to around 6.5 grains.
Click to expand...

As long as it pushes the bullet out of the barrel, you are not going to hurt yourself going low with Unique. I have used it in 45-70 to launch subsonic 405 grain cast boolits.

Rosewood
 
rosewood said:
Depends on your definition of "hot rodding". Some think that a "hotter" load is more pressure. It depends on the powder. Longshot will push the same bullet much faster than say bullseye with lower pressures.

I have used a lot of Longshot and it gets top velocities in the 40 S&W without introducing dangerous pressures.

Rosewood
Click to expand...

I use Longshot in the 40 also, with very good results (Also in the 357SIG). Using a slower burning powder in this instance is not necessarily hot rodding. It's simply using an optimum powder for the caliber.
There are many cartridges whose performance can be significantly improved across a wide variety of propellants. The 40S&W is not one of those cartridges.
There are reloaders out there that load max charges of powder in a case simply because they can. Faster burning powders like Unique will work in the 40, but pressures will go critical long before decent velocity is achieved.
 
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rosewood said:
As long as it pushes the bullet out of the barrel, you are not going to hurt yourself going low with Unique. I have used it in 45-70 to launch subsonic 405 grain cast boolits.

Rosewood
Click to expand...

I wasn't worried about getting the bullet out the barrel as much as making his gun cycle reliably.
 
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