Shield 40 Pushed to the Max

[Pilot172P]

I've been testing various hand loads in the shield 40 over the past year, trying to find the best high power load. My goal is to get 4" barrel performance out of the 3.1" Shield barrel. The factory Speer Gold Dot 155gr out of the Shield averages 1063 FPS for 389 ft-lbs. That bullet is designed for 1200 fps. Water jug tests at 1063 fps show good expansion, but not quite full expansion. Some online videos I have seen showed less than desirable expansion for this factory round out of the Shield.

Hodgdon Longshot powder produces the most velocity. I ran this powder up to the max load of 9.3gr with a 155gr JHP. At the max load I was getting an average of 1300 FPS! That's 584 ft-lbs of energy out of a 3.1" barrel. The 357sig Speer gold dot factory load only gets 506 ft-lbs out of a 4" barrel. However at the max load I got one case bulge out of 5 rounds, so it's too much for the not fully supported Shield barrel, even though the Hodgdon manual states 31900psi for this load (40S&W spec is 35,000). The recoil was much more than factory loads, but still manageable. So testing lighter loads I got the following:
8.6gr, 1210fps, 504ft-lbs
9.0gr, 1250fps, 538ft-lbs

So the 8.6gr load gets me just over 1200 fps and it's well below the max load. Pretty amazing to get 500+ ft-lbs out of the Shield 40.

 

[soad]

You do know guys have had kBs in the .40 shield when pushing the upper limits....right??

 

[robkarrob]

I have been using CorBon for a long time. They measure using a 4 inch barrel, so the specs are lower for the Shield's shorter barrel.

CorBon 40 S&W 135gr JHP 1325fps with 526 foot pounds energy. No problems and no "kabooms". Been using since I bought the gun, May 2012.

Bob

 

[Rastoff]

Over pressure events are all about the pressure. As long as you stay below the SAAMI max pressure, it should be OK.

I think you're following the proper procedure Pilot172P. Rejecting the load that was bulging the cases is the right thing to do. I wish more would do this kind of testing rather than just loading it to the max.

 

[Pilot172P]

Yes I heard about the kabooms. I'm working up the loads to max and staying under the max SAAMI pressure. Also, in regards to the Corbon 135gr, 1325fps; I tested the Pow'rball 135gr rated at 1325fps. I only got 1130fps (383ft-lbs) out of the Shield. Lost a lot with the shorter barrel. My 3" Kahr CM9 9mm with +P+ ammo gets over 400ft-lbs. With handloads and a 135gr, I could get over 1400fps, 600ft-lbs! Those were close to max though.

 

[Rastoff]

For the record, +P+ ammo gets that designation specifically because it generates pressure higher than the SAAMI spec.

 

[Pilot172P]

My point about the +P+ ammo is that it generates more energy than the good 40S&W factory loads out of the 3" barrels. Yes it's higher than the SAAMI +P spec, but it's safe to use in most handguns, and the recoil isn't bad at all. The Shield 40 is my first 40 caliber. I bought it to get more "power" than my 9mm's. I thought the factory loads, like the Gold Dots or Pow'rball would have more energy over the +p+ 9mm but they don't or are almost equal, at least in 3" barrels. Hotter hand loads or something like Underwood 40S&W ammo do have a lot more energy though, and more recoil too.

 

[Rastoff]

OK, now you're scaring me. There is no +P spec for the .40S&W listed in the SAAMI specs. So, no, it's not safe because the limit is 35K psi and +P+ is higher than that. Even S&W says not to use that type of ammo. Technically, there aren't any published recipes for it because it's more than recommended.

However, if you feel good about it, OK.

 

[Pilot172P]

OK, now you're scaring me. There is no +P spec for the .40S&W listed in the SAAMI specs. So, no, it's not safe because the limit is 35K psi and +P+ is higher than that. Even S&W says not to use that type of ammo. Technically, there aren't any published recipes for it because it's more than recommended.

However, if you feel good about it, OK.

Rastoff, I was talking about the 9mm +P. And I said the +P+ was safe for MOST handguns. I know its not recommended for the Shield 9mm. I would never use a so called +P 40S&W.