.40 glock handload, lead cast, need advice

[jewelryguy]

I am new to reloading. Very new. Getting everything together for my first trial run. After extensive research i have replaced my Glock 22 barrel with afetrmarket thats ok for lead cast and also for case support for reloads. I want to do lead cast because its cheap.

I have a lee 4 turrent press and .40 carbide dies

Here is my knowledge, please tell em if im wrong or feel free to add anything, im looking for advice so i dont blow myself or my gun up.

1) i will be using 155GR .40 cast form midstate bullets
2) i have once fired brass
3) no lube required because i have carbide dies right?
4) i remove prime, resize case, trim if needed
5) press in primer
5) put in proper powder, bullet, machine does the rest
6) check overall case length and make sure bullet is firmly in place before firing

Is all that right?

As far as recipes im a bit confued. Low powered round is fine with me, im just shooting steel and paper.

I found the following recipe on Hodgon powder wesbite. I chose this recipe because ist lowest pressure listed, since im new i figured i would start with lowest pressure.

155 GR HDY XTP
Powder HP-38 5.0 GR
937 fps
22,900psi
Winchester small pistol primer

Can i substitute any brand small pistol primer as long as it isnt a magnum and substitute my 155GR cast bullet for tehir bullet and this recipe work and be safe?

Any help is appreciated

thanks
Darrell

re

[azredhawk44]

I found the following recipe on Hodgon powder wesbite. I chose this recipe because ist lowest pressure listed, since im new i figured i would start with lowest pressure.

155 GR HDY XTP
Powder HP-38 5.0 GR
937 fps
22,900psi
Winchester small pistol primer

Can i substitute any brand small pistol primer as long as it isnt a magnum and substitute my 155GR cast bullet for tehir bullet and this recipe work and be safe?

Hodgdon's data:

155 GR. HDY XTP Hodgdon HP-38 .400" 1.125"
MIN CHARGE: 5.0 937 22,900 PSI
MAX CHARGE: 6.0 1103 33,000 PSI

That charge is accurate, so it should be safe to substitute an equal weight bullet. Going from jacketed to lead is not a problem below about 1200 fps, but going from lead to jacketed can be a problem for lower velocity loads... they can sometimes lead to stuck bores since the copper jacket has greater friction in the bore than a lead bullet.

Changing primers? Some primers are a bit stronger than others. You will want to adjust your powder charge downwards a couple tenths or so and work back up to a safe point. Your published load you've chosen is safely at the bottom of the acceptable range, so you're fine. If it were closer to max loads... back it down closer to the minimum load, especially when adjusting recipes for more than 1 variable (bullet AND primer, in your case).

I'd suggest that you make 10 rounds at the minimum level and check for function, one round at a time. Chances are they might be a bit too weak to cycle the gun. Adjust as necessary by increasing powder until reliable function is achieved.

[robfromga]

i would suggest a reloading book, or 3. Never ever ever ever use some mix that you got from some ones brothers sisters cousins uncle on a internet web forum.

NO OFFENSE azredhawk44...

[jewelryguy]

thanks,
if it doesnt cycle the gun how much grain should i increase by each time i go up, what is a good rule of thumb?

is there a way to knwo if one primer is stronger than anothe rin differnet brands of small pistol?

so if i get a reloading book i can use the recipes lsited exactly except i can use my cast bullets of same grian weight as long as recipe is under 1200 fps? I know i have read that over 1200 can melt lead in barrell and cause problems.

how do i know the proper overall case length when i substitute a cast bullet? will that change or is 1.125" standard for the .40?

[Dan The Sig Man]

Well what I read was that he got his Load off of Hodgon's Powder Website. Why would he need a BOOK if he got the Load from the manufacturer of the Powder that he is planning on using. I dont think that Hawk was giving him a different Load, I think he was just suggesting to powder down a bit at first.

[azredhawk44]

i would suggest a reloading book, or 3. Never ever ever ever use some mix that you got from some ones brothers sisters cousins uncle on a internet web forum.

http://data.hodgdon.com

Not a cousins sisters brothers roommates uncle situation. Just the manufacturer.

Allow me clarify, however:

5.0grains of that powder is the minimum load. As such, you shouldn't go lower. There is a phenomenon called "detonation" that is very dangerous, and tends to happen in undercharged cases. Every bit as dangerous as an overcharged case, but very hard to make happen.

Don't go below the minimum load, ever.

Along the same lines, don't go above the max load. For more obvious reasons.

If you change primers from a comfortable load, back down a reasonable amount and work back up.

If 5.0gr doesn't cycle the slide and you have 1.0gr of flexible leeway in your published manual, I think increasing to 5.3 or 5.4gr would be reasonable. Still well below max.

Frankly, I don't run minimums on anything... but that's a judgement call I've made after several years and several 10's of thousands of reloads. I also don't push maximums. When I start a new load I tend to aim for about 1/2 way between min and max.

But, as a learning experience I think it would do you well to start at min and see if you get peak reliability from that charge, then see how the slide behaves as you increase the powder charge.

(My experiences are simply my experiences, and yours might be different. I take no responsibility for your actions at the reloading bench or firing line. Your safety is your responsibility, et cetera.)

[dwhite]

If your pistol doesn't cycle I'd increase by 0.2 grain increments. Once you find a load that's 100 percent reliable I'd probably add another 0.1 grain just as insurance, provided that didn't exceed the recommended maximum load.

On the low end of the load range I wouldn't stress on the primer brand too much. If I was at or near max I would probably drop the charge weight by 10%.

Get a good manual or three also. On-line data from powder manufacturers web sites is fine however reloading manuals will give you quite an education regarding your new hobby. It's not just about recipes.

All the Best,
D. White

[jewelryguy]

Thanks for all your help

[jewelryguy]

all the recipes say use a .400 bullet, all the cast bullets for sale are .401, will it matter?

[Shoney]

jewelryguy

WELCOME TO TFL!!!

I have always had the opinion that the reloaders job is to find the most accurate safe load for the weapon. For pistols, that means selecting a case, bullet, powder, and primer. Generally the brand of case (Win, Rem, Speer, Federal, and so on) doesn't matter and mixing them usually doesn't make a lot of difference. For rifles, brass makes a big difference. You will never need to trim 40SW brass, because it actually gets shorter by a miniscule amount each time you load them.

Seating primers is an art and is discussed in reloading manuals, you need to understand the proper method of seating primers.

The bullet you have chosen is a 155GR .40 cast form Midstate Bullets. Lead bullets are generally 0.001 to 0.002 larger in diameter so they seal the gas behind the bullet, because if it burns past, it leads the barrel and causes inaccuracy.

You have apparently selected the "dart board approach" to reloading, i.e., selecting a load that is of safe pressure level and praying it will be accurate. Most reloading books recommend that you begin with the listed "start" load. For pistols, you load either 5 or10 cartridges at the starting charge weight, then increasing the charge weight by 0.3 grains of powder and loading 5-10 more cartridges. You load incrementally until you are at the max load.

AT the range you have one target well marked for each load. Generally you will shoot from a bench rest to targets at 15 to 25 yards. You begin with the smallest charge weight and work up to max, watching for excess pressure. Most the loads will narrow in group size then begin to spread as the charge is increased, sometines the max load may be the smallest group.

It is your job to read the targets and determin your accuracy load.

Detonation is a theoretical condition and has never been documented. Do a search in my name for SEE (Secondary Exposive Effect) and read.

Good Shooting!!!!

[Shoney]

Having posted the major epistle above, the following needs to be presented separately.

There are issues with shooting lead in Glock barrels, you need to read
http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/...d.php?t=343812
in order to be well informed.

[jewelryguy]

thanks for advice, in my first post i stated i have changed barrels so i can shoot cast in my glock

[jewelryguy]

i bought PMC small pistol primers. Is it true you arent supposed to touch the primer with hands? If i dont have auto primer what do i use tweezers?

[Death from Afar]

YOu should avoid handling primers as much as you can , for no other reason lead stypenate is toxic. However, all primers are coated and you are unlikely to cause one to fail, unless you drop a big drop of sweat on it, say, and the primer seal is faulty. Do you have a hand auto primer? Is that what you mean?