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SD40VE fully supported chamber???
- Thread starter Carl Bill
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Pull out the barrel...
Pull out the barrel, chamber a case or round and see if any shows especially in the cutout for the feed ramp.
Pull out the barrel, chamber a case or round and see if any shows especially in the cutout for the feed ramp.
Most seem to think this caution applies to Glocks more than other brands. Since you are using Lyman’s data, I’d just give them a call and ask. They’re the experts when it comes to using their loading data. I have never heard that this caution applies to the S&W SD40 but I would be interested to see what they say.
The SD40VE does not have a fully supported barrel. Take out the barrel, put a cartridge in the chamber, and turn over the barrel. Observe that a small "smile" of brass shows over the feed ramp. You can spray this with sight black, take out the cartridge, and see exactly the area.
If you want to see a FULLY supported chamber, look at a revolver cylinder: NO rim cutouts at all.
What does this mean for loading .40 S&W? Very little, actually. Use established data, avoid maximum loads, and carefully inspect fired .40 cases before reloading. Don't believe people who tell you about loading .40+P.
There are guns like STIs that can be had with fully supported barrels, but very few handguns have them due to a ramp cutout. When the cutout is excessive, as in early Glock .40s, it causes problems. Later Glock barrels were redesigned to reduce the cutout.
If you want to see a FULLY supported chamber, look at a revolver cylinder: NO rim cutouts at all.
What does this mean for loading .40 S&W? Very little, actually. Use established data, avoid maximum loads, and carefully inspect fired .40 cases before reloading. Don't believe people who tell you about loading .40+P.
There are guns like STIs that can be had with fully supported barrels, but very few handguns have them due to a ramp cutout. When the cutout is excessive, as in early Glock .40s, it causes problems. Later Glock barrels were redesigned to reduce the cutout.
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RGVshooter
Member
I'm sorry to disagree but the SD40VE does have a supported barrel. The SD40VE like the M&P's and many other manufacturers use a ramped barrel. Even .380, .45's and 9mm's all have that "smile" as you describe it. That is to facilitate the round loading into the chamber. 1st & 2nd gen Glocks had a deeper cut above the ramp to allow more reliable feeding using the bullet profiles of the time. They were unfortunately blamed for barrel failures which in my humble opinion was more due to a combination of the design and overzealous hand loaders. 3rd gen & newer Glocks are now supported, basically because of modern bullet designs changed. The extra cutout to allow reliable feeding wasn't necessary as bullet profiles changed and/or more bullet choices are now available then 20 yrs ago.
I'm not going to upload a pic of the difference between a supported & unsupported barrel since there is plenty of info online if you look.
On to the OP. If you follow the load recipes in your Lyman book, you will be fine. I usually load for target/plinking therefore most starting loads for 40s&w will do just fine.
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You can load...
You can load until your case starts to bulge in the unsupported area. The old Glocks had a veritable trap door at the bottom of the chamber where the ramp was. Rounds that were shot through one of those, especially a 10mm, could be counted on to blow out rather than just bulge. If you aren't reloading, a little bulge is no big problem. If you do, the case has to have the bulged part resized as well as the rest of the cartridge and takes a special die called a 'bulge buster'. I've never needed on, so I can't say how well they work.
If the SD line STARTED OUT with a unsupported barrel, it's possible that like Glock, later models had new barrels that eliminated the problem. I don't know if S&W had two versions or not, but it's worth checking out if you do have an unsupported case.
You can load until your case starts to bulge in the unsupported area. The old Glocks had a veritable trap door at the bottom of the chamber where the ramp was. Rounds that were shot through one of those, especially a 10mm, could be counted on to blow out rather than just bulge. If you aren't reloading, a little bulge is no big problem. If you do, the case has to have the bulged part resized as well as the rest of the cartridge and takes a special die called a 'bulge buster'. I've never needed on, so I can't say how well they work.
If the SD line STARTED OUT with a unsupported barrel, it's possible that like Glock, later models had new barrels that eliminated the problem. I don't know if S&W had two versions or not, but it's worth checking out if you do have an unsupported case.
Walkingwolf
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Do not use any old cases, the current brass is much more supported than the early 40 S&W brass. I load 40 light, especially for the Charter Arms pitbull. My 180 grain loads are only going about 900fps with a minimal charge of titegroup.
Can you isolate.....
Can you isolate the offending part and put the original back in or adjust it?
Can you isolate the offending part and put the original back in or adjust it?
RGVshooter
Member
I mean absolutely no offense.
But it never made sense to me why guys go out & buy a inexpensive SD/VE series pistol then start making changes to the trigger/barrel/sights/etc.
When you add up the money invested in a entry level pistol, you could have just gone out & bought a M&P, heck a M&P pro.
And the sad reality is, if you go to sell the pistol, you're going to lose money cause no one in their right mind is going to pay you enough to get your money back that you put into it... Terrible investment.
But it never made sense to me why guys go out & buy a inexpensive SD/VE series pistol then start making changes to the trigger/barrel/sights/etc.
When you add up the money invested in a entry level pistol, you could have just gone out & bought a M&P, heck a M&P pro.
And the sad reality is, if you go to sell the pistol, you're going to lose money cause no one in their right mind is going to pay you enough to get your money back that you put into it... Terrible investment.
jbtrucker
Member
Thanks Carl Bill for the thread , I didn't know about unsupported barrels or had forgotten. Viewed some You Tube videos about the subject and seems the older Glocks had the problem. I don't have a .40 but the SD9VE barrel is supported along with 5906 and Shield. Also thanks because gave me something to do been laying around with a cold all day.
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RGVshooter no offense either but has it occurred to you that they
bought the best gun they can afford ?
Then as money allowes they upgraded said gun.
Whenever you customize anything you almost never get the money out of it that you put into it.
Whether it be cars, motorcycles, guns, ect.. You do it for yourself and never expect to sell it.
Also just a spring swap is nothing compared to what can be done to pistols nowadays in terms of money.
3 out
bought the best gun they can afford ?
Then as money allowes they upgraded said gun.
Whenever you customize anything you almost never get the money out of it that you put into it.
Whether it be cars, motorcycles, guns, ect.. You do it for yourself and never expect to sell it.
Also just a spring swap is nothing compared to what can be done to pistols nowadays in terms of money.
3 out
I have a request into S&W about the chamber. I get a bulge in the primer end of the case using W231 powder at 4.5 grains. This is the lower limit in my manual. Had to go to 4.0 grains to get away from the bulging. But that load does shoot very well. It could be from the Berry's .401 bullets causing the extra pressure. Love the SD40VE though.
Arik
Member
For the sake of discussion I agree with RV. I can understand if the price difference is between a SD and a HK or WC where you're looking at at least $500 price gap but if you can save $300ish you can save another $150ish. Especially with the price of things today all it takes is too cut out a few things and you have that difference in no time. Don't eat out one week, don't eat out one day at work, if you smoke....stop. Just today I already spent $8.85 on coffee and cigarettes. Multiply that by 5 days and it's $44.25. multiply that by 4 weeks and it's already $177 just in coffee and cigarettes for 5 days out of one week. Doesn't include weekends. It's $35 a month in just coffee if it's one cup a day.
I can understand if one is literally at their minimum purchases already. Basic survival needs....roof, heat/AC, food/water. Then yes it's tough. But if one has the money to buy a 50 inch TV or cable or eating out even one day a week then there's no excuse to not be able to save $200 in a fairly short time frame.
I know this because I've done a lot of it before. Back in college I refused to take loans until it was absolutely necessary. And didn't borrow my parents money. I paid cash for all my credits and I took as many credits as I could afford which meant that some semesters I took 12 while others I took 6 - 9. This left me short on money but I still managed to buy the things I wanted buy cutting out some unnecessary stuff for a time.
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RGVshooter
Member
Tell that to the guy who bought a s&w 6" 686 back in 1993, versus the guy who bought a Sigma and both are selling today who gets the better deal?
But I understand your point.
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It's been over a month now and still no reply from S&W as to whether the cartridge is fully supported in the SD40VE or not. I think some of the bulging was caused by the Berry's 155gr flat nose bullets. Switched to Berry's round nose 155's and the problem went away. The flat nose have a flat base and the round nose have a hollow base. Not sure why the excess pressure with the flat nose.
RGVshooter
Member
What did you do? Email them? You can call customer service & speak to a technician if you ask, and they'll tell you.
sgtsandman
US Veteran
Take your barrel out and put a cartridge or a dummy cartridge in it. If it looks like this, it's fully supported.
If it looks like this it is not.
And will do this to the cartridge.
My SD9VE looks like the first one that is supported, so I would guess your SD40 is as well.
If it looks like this it is not.
And will do this to the cartridge.
My SD9VE looks like the first one that is supported, so I would guess your SD40 is as well.
mrchuck
Member
I still own and shoot a SW40c that was issued to me many years ago.
Fits my hand perfectly still, but these days the recoil is bothersome
Also the fireball.
Fits my hand perfectly still, but these days the recoil is bothersome
Also the fireball.
Yes I E-mailed them.
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