.40 reloads

[fitofc87]

Pretty new to the reload scene and I'm attempting to gather imput on the reload situation for the .40 cal. I've put countless rounds through my glocks, springfields, and colts with no issues. What is exactly the problem with .40 reloading. I use only copper plated (not a big fan of lead) and what I see as good components.

[MEATSAW]

Could you be more specific? I've loaded thousands of .40S&W and only ever had 1 problem which was a squib load (I didn't put powder in the case: one of my learning mistakes early on). So I really don't see a problem specific to .40 cal. It is a high pressure cartridge so you have to be careful with the powder charges, especially with fast burning powders where charge weights between minimum and maximum are small, and it doesn't take but .1-.2 grains to go over pressure.

[fitofc87]

I've been generally loading copper plated 180gr hp (ranier, powerbond, and xtreme) with rs silhouette at 5.8gr to lead specs. Oal at 1.120.

[Sevens]

What is exactly the problem with .40 reloading.

Handloading for the "then-new" .40 S&W round was our first glimpse in to specific warnings related ONLY to this particular chambering in published loading manuals with regard to "full case head chamber support" and "increased pressure with small changes in bullet depth."

Before the .40 S&W, this was never any manner of a standard warning, certainly not published in bold print RIGHT ABOVE the load data.

.40 S&W is a high pressure round. No, it's not the highest of all of them, and in fact, there are other popular rounds out there that run similar and even higher pressures. However, .40 S&W does it in a very small amount of space and typically runs in guns that were designed around a smaller caliber.

If you had the ability to log every blown-up, "kaboomed" or otherwise catastrophic handgun failure, you might find that the .40 S&W is wildly over-represented. Obviously, that ability doesn't exist. What you do have is "reputation." It seems obvious that .40 S&W still has that reputation... as you have heard it and are asking why. It's reputation is deserved.

There isn't much room for error when handloading the .40 S&W, and even less room for error if the brass you are reloading has been compromised by a loose chamber or one with poor case head support. This brass is visibly bulged and it can be "exactly what is the problem" with loading .40 S&W.

Here's a simpler way to look at it. When you handload .38 Special, you are loading a round that runs a max pressure of 17,000-18,500 PSI. You run that round in a l-o-n-g piece of brass were minute changes in bullet depth don't radically and exponentially raise internal pressure with little warning. You often run that ammo in a handgun built and spec'd for .357 Magnum (which runs twice the pressure you'll reach with the .38 Special) and if all that isn't enough, you aren't typically running it in a platform where every round gets violently and forcibly SLAMMED in to place, where case mouth tension is tested to it's full ability, hoping you don't get an unintended or unnoticed bullet setback... which, in the .40 S&W, can raise the pressure to catastrophic levels.

Does any of that mean that "loading .40 S&W is a problem?"
Well, it doesn't have to, but you can see where concerns have been raised. Of course there are many of us who've had fine experiences with loading this round.

But a beginner's round at the load bench? It is not.

[grisbald]

The only things I have seen when reloading .40 S&W is it can be sensitive to pressure and glocks have an unsupported chamber (don't know if this is true on the new generations) that allows the base of the brass to bulge.

[Farmland]

I started with the 40 on a 650 Dillon press. Never even watched any one reload prior and of course no internet back then. Reading forums today I don't know how I managed.

My point is as long as you can read directions and understand what is going on then there are no issues with any reloading.

Now with that said I only made one mistake in reloading, it only takes one and you stop saying I have done this for 20 years and nothing ever happened.

However I really do not think this is limited to just the 40 but if you make a mistake and over charge it can blow the heck out of the extractor and scare the living daylights out of you.

Nope never heard about those 40 blowups but I hear a lot about Glock blowups. With that said I do not reload my 40 at max levels.

MY gun was a Beretta and I have a very old post in this section with pics and the story of my 40 kaboom which was 100% reloader error. I made a mistake reading my scale and far exceeded the powder charge.

Here is the mistake.
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=367060

[Misssissippi Dave]

I haven't reloaded any .40 rounds yet. I'm still waiting on my dies to arrive. The posts above cover just about everything I have read to watch out for.

I don't see it as being any more difficult to load than 9 mm. It is also a high pressure load.

[Gster]

There are no problems reloading the .40 S/W. I started reloading with the 9mm and within 2 wks. I bought the .40 dies and a Lee Bulge buster kit. I run all .40 brass that I acquire through it. I also started loading with Titegroup powder that a lot of people shy away from. Pay attention to detail and follow the rules of reloading and you'll do just fine. I did a lot of research and and asked a lot of questions before I started and when I'm not 100% sure of something, no matter how small in detail, I still ask questions. There is no such thing as a stupid question on the subject of reloading. Have fun and be safe.

[TMD]

Its no different reloading .40 then it is any other straight walled pistol cartridge. Some people read too much internet crap.

[BigJimP]

There is no problem loading the .40S&W....although it is a relatively high pressure round...you need to inspect your cases carefully / and make sure your press is clean, operating properly - and make darn sure you are within the published specs for Min and Max.

Personally for .40S&W I load a Montana Gold 180gr CMJ or FMJ bullet...and I've loaded thousands of them for a variety of Sigs ( 239, 226 and an X-Five ) and one wilson combat 5" 1911, that I own in.40S&W...

I wouldn't shoot a gun with an unsupported chamber in .40S&W - but it wouldn't matter if I was shooting factory ammo or my reloads..../ I know my reloads are better than most any factory ammo anyway !

[WESHOOT2]

The problem with reloading 40 S&W is that it does not countenance poor handloading technique.

[David Bachelder]

I reloaded .40's before I read all the hype. I guess I was lucky, and still am. I have a Glock 23 and I shoot nothing but reloads. I did get a Lone Wolf barrel because I shoot a lot of lead. I cast everything I shoot nowadays, except rifle. I even shoot lead at "Magnum Speed" !!!! heaven forbid !!!!. I have never had any trouble or excessive leading.

First I inspect my used brass carefully and do any culling required. Splits and excessive bulging goes in the trash can.

Second I clean the brass, Lyman Vibratory Tumbler.

Third I run all of my spent brass through a Redding GRX resizing die. This eliminates any bulge. Most pieces pass through the die with little resistance, others take a bit of effort.

Now my brass is ready to reload, and I use midrange data.

175 gr RNFP or 165 gr HP hand cast/sized to .401, Alox tumble lubed, (BHN runs +/- 13)
5.0 grains Hodgdon Universal
Small Pistol Primer
COAL = 1.125"

I read now that the Lone Wolf barel was not necessary, me I don't know. I use it because it gives me a warm fuzzy.

[bugs1961]

More than 10,000 rounds of .40 through three Springfields and the vast majority using Titegroup. The pressure is no higher than 9mm and it's no more difficult to load than any other straight wall pistol case. I personally wouldn't reload .40s in a Glock with the factory barrel--but that's just me. Others have loaded and fired tons of them with good luck.

I use mid level loads with great success. It's really about loading technique as to whether you'll have problems with the .40, just as it is in any other round.

[David Bachelder]

I hope I'm right. I read somewhere that the 9mm, 40S&W and the .357 Mag were designed to handle 35K PSI.

[TMD]

I personally wouldn't reload .40s in a Glock with the factory barrel--but that's just me. Others have loaded and fired tons of them with good luck.

Another myth. If made properly reloads are no different then factory loads. Oh and as for shooting them in a Glock I only have about 10k of reloads through my G35. About 6-7k of them were with lead bullets. Oh and that's with the factory barrel.

[Misssissippi Dave]

My dies finally arrived. I have noticed load data seems to vary quite a bit from one source to another with this caliber. Maybe this is the source of many problems reported with loading .40 S&W. I will be using the minimum data I have for the powders I'm planning to try. As always working up a load is the best way to go. I will be using 180 grain Montana Gold FMJ. I have only loaded my first test rounds with once fired brass. I have yet to come across any Glocked brass. Since most of my brass is range pickups I would have thought I would have come across at least one piece of Glocked brass. Some pieces have needed more effort to resize. This happens often with other calibers that came from different pistols. Nothing unusual there.

I look for accuracy from my loads rather than speed. A clean burning round is also something I look for.

[57K]

There has already been some very good replies. I've been handloading for over 28 years and started loading .40 S&W in the summer of 1990. Also, David B's query is correct that there is A SAAMI Max. pressure rating of 35,000 PSI for the .40 S&W, most of the current data for .357 magnum and standard pressure 9mm. The SAAMI Max. pressure rating for 9mm +P is 38,500 PSI. You will run across data where loads are tested by the Copper Units of Pressure method for 9mm and .357 Magnum. Lyman uses the CUP system for .40 S&W where pressures are kept fairly mild to avoid problems regarding the unsupported chamber issue. Regardless of various opinions on this, there are pistols that are more susceptible to the problem than others, and it's not just Glock's. So learn what adequate support of the case-head looks like, particularly the case support at the 6 O'clock position over the feed-ramp.

Early recommendations concerning powders steered the reloader toward medium/medium slow burning powders. The best accuracy load evaluations I have seen other than my own are with medium-slow burners like True Blue, WSF and my personal favorite, Silhouette. Besides accuracy and velocity potential where you might want to also consider V-V 3N37, these powders will overflow the case in the event someone isn't paying strict attention to what they're doing when charging cases. There is no excuse for poor loading technique, but these powders do offer a measure of safety and they also tend to be more pressure stable at high pressure. Some like flake powders like Power Pistol and Blue Dot. I don't and I've used them. They both flash greatly and they are easier to compress in a situation like set-back which again, goes back to improper technique, but it can happen just as it's happened to me with factory ammo. If your load range is going to be similar to factory loads, it's gonna be hard to find a better powder than Silhouette and it's treated to have low flash in the event that you use handloads for defense. True Blue gave me the best accuracy I've ever had in .40 S&W and some reloaders favor WSF. The ones I've recommended are all excellent powders and safer for the new reloader, IMO. There are others, and usually what I recommend are the spherical types on the Hodgdon burn rate chart that's pretty current, starting at N330 and going down to AA#7. I've seen some evidence regarding LongShot that would prevent me using it personally. There is one Flake powder in this group that I would use and that's SR4756. It is a single-based powder that has good pressure stability. I use True Blue and Silhouette depending on the purpose for the load, target or defense. I only hear good things about WSF and I know 3N37 is excellent, but it and Silhouette are very similar powders with very similar performance capability with 3N37 being a good bit more expensive.

[WESHOOT2]

180g not-lead (I used Rainier's TCJ-FP)

CCI500

sized sorted case

OAL 1.130" +/-.005"

6.0g Power Pistol (and WAP, Silhouette's twin)
(Suggest a START of 5.2g)


av = 890--930fps from numerous Glocks

[rajbcpa]

Once-fired cases often come with bulges that cannot be removed with a re-sizing die. It takes a special push-through die which is made by Lee and Redding to remove the bulge. This is a royal pain to remove bulges from .40 cases.

Lead is OK but is not recommended in Glocks... platted projectiles are fine but use the correct powder recipe which is usually similar to a lead loaded round.

[rodfac]

I've loaded plenty of spent Glock .40 caliber brass with both Redding and Dillon dies...either will iron out the bulge just fine. As to problems with the .40 and reloading for it...I rarely push the limits of any caliber...none...nada. The .40, like the 9mm, is a higher pressure round than say a .45 ACP. I see no point in pushing either to the limits. There are those that try to hot rod any caliber...I"m not one of them, and haven't been for the 50+ yrs I've been loading my own.

One other note: I never pick up range brass...for the simple reason that I don't know how many times it's been loaded nor what kind of gun it's been run through. For .40 S&W, my LEO friends supply me with more than I can ever use in a lifetime, same with 9mm.

While reloading, my goal is an accurate round that does not punish the gun nor me, and that will operate the action of my semi-autos reliably. (G23 with an add'l 9mm Storm Lake bbl, a Colt Cup Elite .40 S&W, and a Sig P226 Mk25 with a Sig caliber exchange kit in .40. For those same semi-autos, my carry ammunition is all commercially made. Good bullets, and not necessarily one of the new boutique SD offerings, that are accurate in my guns are the criteria. My accuracy standards are 2" gps. at 25 yds for full size autos, and the same at 15 yds for sub-compacts.

HTH's Rod

[Old Stony]

There are no problems with reloading .40's if the reloader has any common sense. Some of the guns do have an unsupported section of chamber, but so do 1911's in 45. Either calber can be made dangerous if a person works at it hard enough, but it's not because of a faulty design.