40SW 200 Grain Load Recipes?

[jtduncan]

Got a case of some Rainier 200 grain copper plated flatpoints for 40SW or 10mm.

Loaded a case or so of some hotter 10mm loads but want to make some nice steel plates 15 yard loads with the 200s for my Glock with a 4" barrel in 40SW.

I plan to lightly crimp with a Lee FCD and keep the pressure down below 34K PSI for safety purposes.

I'm just tired of shooting my Glock 34 with some hotter 115 grainers in 9mm and the plates not falling. You can hear the rounds hitting the metal sometimes but not enough energy to knock these plates down. Even lost a match because my plates fell just a millisecond too late. Aaaarrrgh!

Got Titegroup, Clays, Universal, AA#9, and Power Pistol powders on hand. AA9 is probably too slow. Looking at the manual data, I'm hoping to keep the rounds around 800-860 fps.

OAL can be long loaded. While book max is 1.135" OAL, some are using 1.15 OAL.

It's going in my Glock 20 with a 40SW conversion barrel so I'm using 10mm magazines. May also shoot in my SW 610.

Who has some good 40SW 200 grainer recipes?

[Johnny Guest]

From the Speer Rifle & Pistol Reloading Manual, Number 12:

We are sometimes asked for loading data for the Speer 200 grain TMJ in the 40 S&W. When seated to the propercartridge overall length, the bullet heel is so deep in the case that sidewall bulges often develop with resulting failures to feed or chamber. Velocities are also quite low, so we don't recommend this bullet for the 40 S&W.

I tried to load a few 10mm 200 gr bullets in my .40 Browning HP when I first got it, and it worked just like Speer said. I started getting high pressure signs at about 800 fps, and feeding was not really reliable.

You can safely get 100 fps with the 180 gr bullets. I urge you to work up to that level gradually, though. I've been using 180s in my Browning in steel plate matches, and it does a very good job of smacking 'em down.

You indicate you have a 10mm. Perhaps you should shoot the 200 gr bullets in that, if you want to use them up. If you DO find a load that works in the .40, please share the loading data with us.

In fairness, I'll mention that Hornady Handbook of Cartridge Reloading, Fourth Edition does show several 900 fps loads with their 200 gr bullets, as tested in an S&W 4006 pistol. I don't have one of those, and I never bought any of the Hdy XTP bullets.

Best,
Johnny

[WESHOOT2]

HIGHLY RECOMMEND (please reread that) that you be very very careful when using the 200's (and 220's) in your 40 S&W.

Hints, in no particular order: based on feed reliability, recommend OAL of 1.135", unless you can get your M20 to take the longer OAL; setback will blow up your gun really quick; chrono required for 'mapping' during esoteric handloading drama; R-P case, R-P SP primer, OAL 1.135", 200g non-lead bullet, some W231; you might try TiteGroup or 'slower'; Power Pistol can be extremely accurate; setback bad bad bad; I've even used Bullseye.
Longer = safer, usually.

Please be careful; this one's for real.

[5pins]

Down load .40 IPSC load list from this site.
http://home.columbus.rr.com/jmaass/ipscload.htm
It is in pdf format.

[wingman]

AS Weshooter said beware, I never load
over 170 grain bullets in my 40, usually
155gr. The 40 was not made for large
bullets.

[bedlamite]

The 200gr Hornady XTP's have a boat tail design that allows them to be loaded into 40 s&w. It works, but the 900fps they list is a pipe dream. I tried them when I first started loading for 40 and decided to leave the heavy bullets for the 10mm. I don't even use 180gr bullets in 40 anymore. For IPSC, I use West Coast 155gr on Universal for 1100fps and have had no problems with the steel plates.

[WIL TERRY]

USING THIS SAME RAINIER 200gr BULLET USING DATA RIGHT OUT OF A LOADING MANUAL.
Be my guest...

[Shoney]

I have been extremely impressed with VihtaVuori N105 and 200gr bullets.

Here are the loads from the VV web site.

200 TMJ Speer - - - OAL 1.134” - - - N105 - - - 7.4gr = 1032 - - - 7.9gr = 1116fps

I found that at max the case has just enough room to seat the bullet and I had no setback problems. Muzzle flip was stout but manageable. I have not had enough time to play with the loading (charge vs OAL vs bullet-brand) for accuracy. If I can get less than 2” groups at 25 yards (bench rest) I will strongly consider this as a carry load.

Currently, using a 3.58 inch barrel, I am getting 1100fps, 1 inch groups @ 25 yards using 180 Gold Dot, with max load of Hodgdon Longshot.

Best, Shoney

[lockandrock]

FWIW

I've handload numerous 200gr in the 40SW and fired from a glock and other various 40s platforms. NO problems, watch you're charge weight and stay on the minimum side for the charge.

load data used was straight out of the Lee book. I guess it all boils down to how comfortable the loader feels.

look at it this way, if it was unsafe or not approve, nobody would carry load data for the 40SW & 200gr lead/jacket bullets.

[Clark]

Extrapolating from my experiments* in 40sw with 180 gr Rainiers and 10mm with 200 gr, I would try 800X for the top velocity, but it doesn't meter well.

Next down are Enforcer and Power Pistol, and they meter well.


* In an attempt to probe the limits of a load

[john kilgore]

If after reading the above posts, you still want to load the 200gr bullets for your .40, DO NOT USE STARLINE BRASS !!!
It is the "thickest" on the market and WILL GIVE PRESSURE PROBLEMS, EVEN WITH LOADS LESS THAN RECOMMENDED STARTING LOADS. A friend and co-worker had a GLOCK come apart in his hads with a 180gr commercial reload. Cause? pressure spike from Starline case. All my case head seperations have been with previously fired Starline brass. I suggest you use Reminton/UMC with the .40, and any except Starline with the 10MM. The Starline brass is superb brass, perhaps the best there is, but it is "THICK AND SOFT !" The Remington is the thinnest in the upper section (neck) and have the largest internal capacity. My next choice is Federal brass as it is very consistent.

I suggest too that you use CCI primers, as they are about the thickest (and least sensitive) available and will better protect you from a blown primer. (Federals are thinnest and most sensitive, I use only Winchester in Semi-Auto ammo, only Federal in revolver loads)
Whatever you do, segregate the brass and use only one head stamp. In another string, I saw a reloader admitting to 9mm loads of 1250fps avg.s,and spreads of 270 fps. Consider that his highest velocity was 13XX and lowest was 10XX. This kind of variation with a .40 will get you hurt !!
A 10% increase in velocity is the result of approximately 30% increase in pressure, hence his "high" round if in a .40 would probably be over 80,000 psi if his low round was 30,000psi, a normal operating pressure.

ALSO; I really suggest you don't shoot them (200GR LOADS) through a Glock. Please read what Speer and Hodgdon Powder have to say about reloading the .40 in general and the 200 gr bullets specifically.

I dearly love the 200gr XTP; (killed several deer with it), but only in the 10MM and not in a GLOCK. I've never had a case head failure in any cartridge except in the .40 S&W and 10MM and only in GLOCKS !!!
(I have locked up several bolt action rifles in myb early years, but never had a case failure, and I've had one pierced primer lock up a S&W PPC-9 due to a "bullet push back", but none damaged except a GLOCK).
The problem with the .40 S&W is that the web section is much shorter than with outer similar pistol cartridges, which allows the deep seating of the 180gr bullet for which is was designed for to an OAL of 1.125-1.135". The 200gr bullet seriously compromises the tolerances and allowance for variation.

The "experts" WHO HAVE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT ! and have the scars to prove it, are trying to tell you something !

[Clark]

I have taken stock 10mm and 40sw to the threshold of kaboom [bulged case in the shape of the feed ramp]

Then I got better case support with a Barsto barrel in the 10mm and welded up the feed ramp and re cut the chamber in the 40:
http://glocktalk.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=662131
http://glocktalk.com/attachment.php?s=&postid=663556

There is a small amount of overload the brass will take with the lousy stock Glock case support, but with support to the web of the case, I can put about 30% more powder than that before Mr. Case Bulge rears his ugly head.

I have given up shooting all the 135 and 155 gr bullets in 40sw and 10mm, the 180 and 200 gr can use a much wider range of powders before the case is full.

[chmeyers]

200 grain Rainier flat point, 7.5 gr of Blue Dot, various brass= no trouble whatsoever in my Beretta 96. No signs of high pressure. One caveat....OAL=1.130-1.135. I used an electronic caliper and checked often. Not much room for error. I still have about 6 rounds to pull due to various mistakes. Also, brass marked AMERC was completely useless for reasons unknown. Good luck.

[C.R.Sam]

OR...
Just headshoot the plates.
That way .38 Special knocks em right down.

Sam

[dfm]

3.0grns WST for minor load/competition/practice

8.5grns. AA#7 for pins or other power applications

Use the above with Berry's .40 cal. 200grn. RS slugs.

The WST load is just the ticket for knocking plates over and minimizing recoil recovery time. A very, very, sweet shooting load.


The AA#7 load is perfect for pin shooting. Cases don't overly bulge, it's one-hole accurate, pins go flying when hit.

[jtduncan]

Okay.

Seems like the collective has spokem.

I'll use the 200 grain Rainers for 10mm - lightly crimped - moderate velocity.

Use the 180 grainers for 40SW, loaded to max COL.

FWIW - both my barrels I'd be shooting these loads out of are NOT stcok Glock barrels.

My G20 has a 6" KKM hunting barrelf for 10mm and a Federal Arms 40SW conversion barrel. So I could really long load my 40SW to 1.15" but why bother. Love my guns and my hands.

Thanks folks.