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Old May 20, 2012, 08:55 PM   #1
RMG1234
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Join Date: December 13, 2010
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Reloading for Ruger KP93

Hello all,
About a year ago, I took the plunge and started reloading my 30/30 and 30-06 rifles. I have been loading shotshell for several years and it felt like a natural progression. Now I am looking to start reloading for my Ruger KP93 in 40 S&W. I have been reading a lot here and at other online forums and I think I am ready. I have Berrys 180gr round nose bullets, W231 powder and CCI small pistol primers. My starting load will be 4.1gr which is the starting load shown on the Hodgden's website for Hornady XTP bullets.

Here is my questions:
Is this pistol considered one that does not support the case at the feed ramp?
Is there any thing else I need to consider before moving forward?

Thank You in advance.

RMG
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Old May 20, 2012, 09:28 PM   #2
Sevens
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Join Date: July 28, 2007
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Here to help! First thing that comes to mind is that you chose a wild child for your first handgun round. That should NOT stop you, but nobody will ever shut me up from saying it-- the .40 S&W isn't the reload-friendliest cartridge ever made...quite far from it.

What's at work here is that you have a high pressure round in a small volume case, very much like 9mm. What exacerbates the problem and makes it worse than 9mm is that the .40 S&W was and still is designed to be launched from 9mm sized handguns, so you have a lot less "meat" in critical areas with a .400" hole for the barrel and associated dimensions for the chamber.

What this means to me is that I approach .40 S&W with an extreme caution that I don't necessarily do with the scads of other handgun rounds that I handload.
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Attention Brass rats and other reloaders: I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.
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Old May 20, 2012, 09:38 PM   #3
Sevens
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To make myself more comfy at the bench, even with the reputation of .40 S&W, there are a few things I do.

It's long been my opinion and theory that most of the critical failures in handloads of .40 S&W (likely the most rampant of any handgun caliber we've ever seen) are due to unintended and unnoticed bullet setback due to lack of proper case mouth tension. The bullet doesn't fit tightly in to the loaded round and it gets inadvertently pushed deeper in to the case on the violent feeding cycle and the pressure is raised exponentially -- in a round where the limits are short.

First thing I do is to stick with one headstamp of brass that I know well. I use Winchester, but I'm not saying Winchester is the only one to use. Simply put--I use only one brand because I know the "feel" on bullet seating and taper crimping and I can feel that it's secure. When you use multiple head stamps with varying thicknesses and such, your feel gets REALLY vague and you lose that uniformity. On all of my other calibers, I use an array of headstamps...but on .40 cal, it's Winchester an nothing else.

Next thing I do is try to pick an appropriate powder for the bullet I am using. W231 is a popular choice and popular in .40 cal also, but I'm more comfortable with something a bit slower, so that it's a bit less edgy on the top-end. Very fast burning powders (W231) are fine powders but the pressure curve is quite sharp at the top end, and Power Pistol is something I prefer here. I would bet FAR MORE folks are using W231 in .40 S&W than Power Pistol, so YMMV, but I know what I like-- and why!

I also like a heavy bullet here to give me a solid fit and seating feel. Simply less room for it to setback even if it wanted to. I also load 180 grain in .40 S&W exclusively. If this truly helps, I am not sure, but it's what I prefer, so it's what I do.
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Attention Brass rats and other reloaders: I really need .327 Federal Magnum brass, no lot size too small. Tell me what caliber you need and I'll see what I have to swap. PM me and we'll discuss.
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