From Lyman #49 (Keep in mind that test barrel groove diameter shows .401" and bullet diameter shows .401" also):
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175 gr lead TCFP at 1.125" OAL (with lube applied, will be 180 gr):
W231 Start 4.3 gr (863 fps) 15,400 CUP - Max 5.8 gr (977 fps) 22,500 CUP.
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From
Hodgdon website (this is jacketed load data):
Quote:
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180 gr Hornady XTP W231/HP-38 (same load data) Diameter .400" OAL 1.125" Start 4.1 gr (797 fps) 23,800 PSI - Max 5.0 gr (947 fps) 32,900 PSI
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I use a lot of W231/HP-38 (same powder) and shot a lot of 40S&W loads with jacketed/plated/lead bullets (Many prefer slower burning powder for 40S&W for full power loads, but W231 is my favorite target load powder for 40S&W).
If your lead bullets are sized at .402", they are slightly larger than typical .401" for lead bullet and .400" for jacketed bullet, and hence the bulge on the case neck. As others posted, I don't worry about the bulge as resized cases are reduced smaller than the diameter of the bullet and the bulge indicates you have good neck tension.
Even with slightly larger sized bullets, if they fall freely into the chamber with the barrel out of the pistol and feed/chamber reliably from the magazine when the slide is released, you are good to go. I normally load 180 gr TCFP bullets to 1.125" OAL and they feed well in multiple pistols, even into tight chambered Lone Wolf barrels in Glocks.
For me, 180 gr lead bullet and 3.8-4.1 gr produced mild recoil and accurate loads and would recommend you start your powder charge work up from there. I look for reliable case extraction/slide cycling and accurate shot groups. I did my work up to 4.4 gr and recoil was moderate and accurate.