Need help ASAP! 8.5 grains !!!!

[Adeodatus]

hey guys (new reloader here) im making some 40s&w rounds (just started 40s&w today) and the chart lee sends with the dies says 8.5 grains of unique (starting AND maxing). The Lee loading book says so as well. I am using 7 grains. I measured out 7 grains on my scale and then loaded it into the brass. the brass is almost full!!!! It just barely has enough room for the 135 grain bullet im putting in it!!! This cant be right...A cartridge that is filled with powder then packed in when the bullet is seated. HELP PLEASE!!!! Im trying to get these loads done by today!!!

Thanks!

[Adeodatus]

[TXGunNut]

Lyman starts @ 5.8, max 6.8. Good catch.

[Loader9]

I don't know that you "caught" anything. I'm using 7.0 grs Unique under a 155 Rem HP in a 40SW and the Alliant hand out manual also shows 8.5 grs Unique as max for a 135 gr bullet. It's a case full no doubt but I've had zero issues with it and frankly, I prefer powder charges that are at or near compressed loads. You certainly don't have to worry about powder positioning with full cases.

[Adeodatus]

phew! thanks guys! for a few seconds i thought i would've blown up a friend of mine!

[Sevens]

The picture looks like a 55 gallon drum turned in to a burn barrel, sitting on a basketball court, about to be abducted by aliens.

[chris in va]

That's funny stuff.

But anyway, get a reloading manual. Or two.

[SQUAREKNOT]

I wish I had a "reload taster" You can't be too careful when you are working up a new load !

[howlnmad]

Not meaning to offend anyone but... You are a new reloader, working up a round that can be tempramental and doing it for a friend. You going to fire the first round from your own launcher or are you going to let your friend shoot first? Trusting soul either way.

[Adeodatus]

i dont own a 40s&w pistol. but if it works out i will most likely take the first few shots.

[m&p45acp10+1]

For whichever load you use make sure not to seat deeper than the minimum lenghth. .40 S&W, and 9mm are not forgiving to deepseating.

[Unclenick]

QuickLOAD shows it a safe maximum with some seating depths, and over maximum with others. Not knowing your particular bullet, I would use the Lyman starting load and work up toward the Lee load, watching for pressure signs.

[howlnmad]

Like I said, I was not trying to offend you or insult you. I commend you on questioning that load data. I just wanted to emphasize on the safety and liability aspects. once those reloads are in the mag and slammed home, your friends welfare was just placed in your hands. Ever see a slam-fire or the mag blow out of the grip? It sucks. Please don't get me wrong, I am not trying to deter you. Just asking you to use extra caution and triple check everything. Safety first.

[sonnycrockett]

Get ready to clean your gun allot the stuff is filthy...I have reloaded plenty of unique in 40SW but only 180g bullets...as for Lee's charts,im not sure how up to date they are

[Ozzieman]

Sorry not much of a catch. Alliant web site shows that for a 155 GR the max is 8 GR of Unique. They don’t list a 135 but with the lighter bullet you’re well below max.
Just make sure you check your scales, the other thing is to drop 10 charges into your scales and divide by 10 to make sure your average is the same as a single charge.
When you dump powder into a case it’s still somewhat loose and a “little” compression is ok, in fact as Loader9 stated, the fuller the case but better you are.
And I agree with it being very dirty. Give W231 a try.

http://www.alliantpowder.com/reloade...29&bulletid=40

[spacecoast]

Unique is a relatively light powder by volume and pretty easy to compress. Several of my loads look fuller than what you pictured before I seat the bullet.

8.0 grains under a 185 JHP (.45 ACP)
5.7 grains under a 115 plated bullet (9mm)
3.7 grains under a 95 or 100 grain bullet (.380 ACP)

By the way, I do NOT recommend trying loads out on friends, that is if you want to keep them as friends. Once you know what you are doing and have shot a lot of your own rounds, then that might be the time to offer some of your reloads as long as they are comfortable with them.

[NWPilgrim]

As others has said 8.5 g Unique for a 135 gr bullet should be within the load max. Not the best load to start with, but not over-max.

Lee only lists one load because there is too big a jump between measure to make another load practical for an autoloader. One of the things I like about Unique is it tolerates a fairly wide range of load weights, and it fills up the case more than Bullseye or W231.

Most smokeless powders are OK to compress in the case when seating the bullet. In rifle powders Varget seems to give me best accuracy when REALLY compressed (powder almost to case neck rim before seating bullet).

That was a good idea to get a sanity check when you don't know. That's how we learn the safe way.

[noylj]

I show 5.8gn as the starting load (you are starting with the starting load, right). One manual shows 6.8gn as max and one shows loads going up to 8.5gn (1290fps).
I always start out with the lowest starting load and work up and carefully work up above the lowest max load (unless I have gotten <1.5" accuracy at 25 yds with a lower charge or the gun doesn't cycle).
I would NOT start where you indicating you will.
The nice thing that I have found about Red Dot, Unique, and Herco is that they do not show sudden pressure spikes and they have no problems with compressed loads. They are flakes and they are fluffy. If you don't like compressed loads, then get a powder drop tube.

[TXGunNut]

My experience with 40 S&W is rather dated but I do recall it's a tricky cartridge to load for. 135's weren't available back then, 155's were hard to find too. Crimp and seating depth are critical, I'd want to have the pistol on my bench while I worked out the settings. Being able to fire test rounds out the back door is a plus as well.
Still sounds like a load to be approached with caution.

[lwknight]

The best thing about reloading manuals is that if you don't like what one says , you can try another one till you find that agrees with what you think it should be.

That may be poor humor but , reallistically , you need to reference several sources till you get a feel for what is going on.

[FrankenMauser]

Make sure your heater vents are closed, and any fans are turned off.

Check the scale.

Make sure that's an accurate charge. The last thing you want, is to be using data for an already-stout load, and have it be 9 grains, instead of 7 grains (due to, say, a ceiling fan).

[howlnmad]

I'm curious to know how he and his friend made out.

[overkill0084]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my powder measure (Lee something..came with the kit) hates Unique. It throws @ +/- .2 gr on a good day. If I were going to be messing about near max w/ Unique, I would be weighing charges pretty often, if not all. I have started using AA#5 in my .40 loads just because it meters better. YMMV

[FrankenMauser]

I can't speak for anyone else, but my powder measure (Lee something..came with the kit) hates Unique. It throws @ +/- .2 gr on a good day. If I were going to be messing about near max w/ Unique, I would be weighing charges pretty often, if not all

My Uniflow (RCBS) throws Unique within +/- 0.1, from ~4.5 grains on up (with the 'large' cylinder).

My 550B, however, throws Unique perfectly, so long as the press operator uses a smooth stroke. Jerking and slamming the press around makes for erratic powder drops with any powder.

[Don P]

Why start loading at the MAX. when first starting to reload? Why not start at the minimum charge weight and work up to max. This to me seems like we are headed to " how hot can I load this". I thought we reload to save money so therefore why use extra powder if its not needed.