.40 S&W questions?

[C.S.63]

I have decided to start reloading for .40 S&W and have a few questions
I am going to order bulk brass once fired and what are the preferences between nickel cases and brass? Is either one better for the .40?

Also any recommendations on bulk plated bullets? (165)

my powders on hand are 231, power pistol, & unique. also have trailboss
but not quite appropriate for the .40S&W

 

[427mach1]

I have always used brass cases, and have been happy with Starline (if you decide to buy new) in both my 41 mag and 40 S&W. Rainier bullets work for me but I prefer 180 grain.

 

[C.S.63]

427mach1
thank you I have been shooting mostly 165s in my Kahr with out an issue
I was planning on once fired bulk brass just to get started and to keep initial costs down, I will also give ranier a look this evening.

Unfortunately all my purchases have to be Internet or mail order there is very few stocking dealers for reloading supplies locally.

 

[john16443]

In addition to the Rainier bullets mentioned, you may also want to consider Berry's plated bullets, X-Treme plated bullets, or other hard coated bullets from Precision or Black Bullets International.

tjconevera.com sells the Berry's and x-treme, usually for less than the manufacturer's. Same goes for Powder Valley Inc for the Berry's.

precisionbullets.com and blackbulletsinternational.com are the other sites.

If you have any factory ammo that you're shooting now, save that brass and start collecting as much as you can where you shoot if possible.

 

[686ppp]

Ive got 2 kahr 40 an MK and T they are picky about the reloads i had to buy a lee factory crimp die mostly when using lead bullets. any brass shot through a glock will not chamber without this in my two. Ive had good luck with montana gold bullets.

 

[C.S.63]

I have been saving my factory brass, only problem it seems to be that the
range monster seems to always gobble a bunch, The local ranges are outdoor and seem to disappear in the grass (tarp or blanket may be used at one range the other not a chance) thank you for the additional info on plated bullets and lee dies w/factory crimp are on the top of the list

 

[Calliope]

I use found range brass, sorted brass Winchester.
My KKM .40 barrel seems to prefer Rainier 165 plated flat points. Berry's hollow base flat points are very good as well.
I use HP-38 (same powder as W231), I have also used Universal with great results.

 

[growr]

Used .40 S&W brass is very abundant and usually quite inexpensive as well. Take a look on line. I have used Berry's bullets and a gazillion Montana Gold in both 165 & 180's.
You have several good choices in your powder selection. I have used a lot of Unique and Accurate Arms #5
Have fun with your new adventure. Just remember that the .40 S&W is a pretty intense cartridge and not very forgiving so stay within normal load data from the manufacturers books.
Randy

 

[Skip Sackett]

Need some more info!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Before I can help too much, I would like to ask what you are planning on shooting these rounds out of. I see you have a Kahr, do you know if that has a fully supported chamber?

The load you use will be determinate on that one thing. I can help as I have loaded successfully for a Glock 22 for several years.

So, a bit more info is required.

As for brass: Stuff shot in Glocks may have a dimpled look to them. They call it the Glock smile. If those are in a place where your regular dies don't hit when they are resized, you will have to get the "pass through" type. Sorry, drawing a blank as to who make them at the moment!

At any rate, the 40S&W can be loaded successfully without fear of blowing up your gun. You will just have to make some minor adjustments. Personally, nothing faster than Unique and since it meters poorly in small quantities, I would suggest something else. Lots of good ball powders out there.

FWIW

 

[C.S.63]

My .40 reloads will be for a Kahr P-40 covert (fully supported chamber)
I believe lee has 1 of those full pass through dies to handle the glock dimple
For loading I am always within parameters and use online info from loaddata and a couple of books for reference also I also work up,
most of my loading will be for affordable banging away at the range,
Just starting up with a caliber I have never loaded for is a little up front cost, I have not had to buy a set of dies in a few years,half the fun is rolling your own

 

[sourdough44]

My usual 40 s&w handloads are a 165 grn plated bullet over a mid charge of H Universal. Load up whatever & test them before you do a bunch to make sure they cycle for you. My loads cycle fine & give mid velocities over the chrony. Since the 40 is/can be a higher pressure round I want to have some margin below max loads. Brass is so common it's about free.

 

[David Sinko]

Lee makes the sizing die that is sold by EGW as the U die. It's not a push-through, but it is completely satisfactory and well worth the money spent. My RCBS die would not size the case properly and no adjustment of the Lee factory crimp die would correct the problem. I bought the U die and my problems disappeared immediately. All the brass that I shoot out of my Glock 35 is range scrap. I never have any problems. Just keep an eye on the cases and throw away any that are starting to look like belted magnums.

Dave Sinko

 

[bnewc75]

pass through die

i think redding or rcbs makes them

 

[fredj338]

Instead of plated, buy FMJ from Precision Delta. Realy jacketed bullets cheaper than plated. ANy brass but Federal, IMO, they make poor brass for reloading high pressure anything. SOme of the O.F. brass suppliers roll size their cases so any guppy brass is made right. For medium range to full power loads, I like Unique of the powders you have. PP works too, just not a fan of the blast. W231 does ok for light to midrange.

 

[Hammerdown77]

Power Pistol works great in the .40, but like some others have said, the blast can sometimes be an issue. I'd never noticed it until shooting at a dimly lit indoor range.

I've replaced all my Unique loads with Power Pistol. It's cheap, meters better than Unique, is a little cleaner, and the velocity to pressure is better (better performance at safe pressures).

I don't load a lot of .40, but a 155 grain lead bullet on top of 6.5 grains of Power Pistol shot pretty well out of a Glock 22.

 

[Beans]

Lee makes the sizing die that is sold by EGW as the U die. It's not a push-through, but it is completely satisfactory and well worth the money spent. My RCBS die would not size the case properly and no adjustment of the Lee factory crimp die would correct the problem. I bought the U die and my problems disappeared immediately. All the brass that I shoot out of my Glock 35 is range scrap. I never have any problems. Just keep an eye on the cases and throw away any that are starting to look like belted magnums.

Dave Sinko

I only use range pickup brass in my .40 S&W reloading ( Glock 23, Glock 35 Kahr CW40).

I used the EGW die exclusively in a single stage press to iron out the Glock bulge, when I was using RCBS dies in my Dillion 650, . Since I have switched to the Dillion Dies I found that I no long have to use the EGW die. This eliminated that extra step for me.
YMMV

 

[3five7]

Precision Delta 165 gr FMJ over Universal Powder shoots really good in my 40's. Precision Delta FMJ bullets are about the same price as most Plated bullets. Universal powder is about the same burn rate as Unique, but it meters much better. Lee makes a pass through die called the Bulge Buster. It is used with the Lee 40 S&W FCD and works really well at removing the Glock bulge.

 

[VAdoublegunner]

I've been loading 40S&W since 1991 when I bought a then very new 4006 designed for a very new cartridge. Funny looking back on the history of the 40 now, since at the time the 10mm was the big thing and the future of the 40 was quite uncertain. Brass was in short supply in those days and I can remember for the first few years sifting through hundreds of range pickup 10mm brass just to find a few 40s. My, how times have changed (and I wish I had a bunch of that 10 now!!).


I've used a lot of powders and bullets over the years, even have some of the earliest published handload references for it from late 1991 or early 1992 that are considered waaayy to hot now, especially the 200gr ones! My standard load now is WSF with a 165 gr bullet. I used a lot of Star 165FMJ bullets, wish they were still available and cheap like they used to be. I still have a couple thousand of the 165 and 180s.

WSF is still my favorite powder for the 40S&W. It meters consistently, gives great accuracy and I've had no problems with it ever since it came out. Funny to think about that...I believe it was a new powder development that coincided with the introduction of the 40. There may be better stuff out there now, but I haven't found need for it or see where there is any significant improvement either.


Plated bullets are OK but be particularly mindful of neck crimping issues; the 40 needs a good solid taper crimp to avoid setback problems. Since it is a high pressure round as it is, it does *not* like setback! Thus, powder choice is important to make sure that loading density is very high. I seat and crimp in separate operations and use a Hornady TC die in my LNL-AP for the final solid crimp. I didn't do that so much with jacketed bullets, but found it better to do so with plated and lead. I have loaded lead bullets with a good deal of success as well, and long used a lead 180 TC bullet for cowboy action shooting in a pair of Ruger Vaqueros chambered in 38-40 with spare 40S&W cylinders.


Brass or nickel plated cases make little difference, although I did like to use nickel ones for the cowboy loads for that "silver bullet" look. Most of my brass has been range pickup over the last 20 years or my own once fired stuff. I'm still using the same set of RCBS carbide dies I bought in 1991.

Oh yeah, to add, guns I have in 40 now: S&W 4053, 4006, HK USPc (2), HK USPf and the Vaqueros. No Glocks, no Kahrs. HKs aren't finicky about anything. Neither are S&Ws.

 

[Goldstar225]

I've loaded the 40 S&W for 15 years now. Although I started with Unique, Power Pistol has been my primary powder for the past 10 years or so. I prefer it for the more consistent metering. The extra bark and flash are acceptable to me. I tend to be conservative with the loads (7.0 PP under a 155 grain JHP).

 

[C.S.63]

Great info
thanks everyone, I should be ok with the powders I have on hand to start with and I have slowly been picking up brass, Thought about buying some range brass over the Internet. The kahr I have has the polygonal riffling
so hardcast lead may not be the answer. I may have to look in to another barrel? Wish a Chief's Special in .40 would show up locally
Has anyone used Montana Gold Bullets? Thoughts?
c.s.63