[mballai]

I've been trying to pin down a decent reload for my Glock 35 using a new Lone Wolf barrel. No problems with jacketed ammo. It's my 155 Laser Casts that are giving me grief. They spec fine. I started with 1.13 OAL to be on the safer pressure side. Didn't feed. Neither does 1.125 which is considered the minimum OAL and is more or less the standard for most 40 loads. Both the 1.125 and 1.13 loads were readily gobbled up by a SIG P229. And they shot really well too.

And they ramp up ok in my HK P2000 but I'm not eager to shoot lead out of that barrel.

I'm thinking they just need to be shorter. But how much? I can drop the powder charge so that doesn't spike up the pressure too much. The shortest length for anything I've seen is 1.105 , but I'm thinking that's a bit too much and that's for a lighter bullet.

Any advice? I'm thinking maybe 1.11. I could make up some dummy feeding rounds. Didn't think I'd have this much of an issue, but perhaps it's just a tighter spec chamber

[HSMITH]

Check to make sure the barrel is throated for lead bullets. Make sure the bullet isn't stopping on the rifling and that is what is stopping it.

If it is stopping right before the gun is fully in battery the throat is probably the issue. If it is hanging up somewhere else you need to describe that in as much detail as possible or better yet post pictures of the jam.

[philbo]

I would assume that you are using the same OAL for your cast bullets as you are for the FMJ which is feeding ok? If so, then OAL might not be the issue. Are the lead bullets the same design as the FMJ (ie round nose or semi wadcutter?)

Some guns just don't like some bullet designs. My XD45 will not feed SWC reliably no matter what I try. Everything else has been fine.

[Joe D]

Some of the early LWD barrel were not throated for lead bullets. Send it back and they will ream it for you.

[mballai]

Well the bullet is a RN/SW design. And the barrel is designed for lead. It's a new Lone Wolf barrel just purchased this month direct from them--it was on back order for almost a month.

I had the same issue once with a Kart barrel in a 1911 .45ACP. Once I shortened the OAL a tiny bit, everything was fine with 200 gr LSWC. A .005 change and life was good.

The essential problem seems the same--not going into the chamber fully. Again the ammo feeds like a champ out of another gun.

Any ideas re shorter OAL with reduced powder. I'm using 4.7gr Titegroup. My guess is 4.3gr with 1.11.

[HSMITH]

I would run a finish reamer into the chamber, and then a throating reamer just to clean things up. Odds are that is all it needs. Reamers get tired and cut undersize, some times this doesn't get caught as soon as it should have been and the chamber will be a little tight.

Pay postage both ways and I will clean it up for you.

[mballai]

I'm going to hold off on metallic surgery for the moment. I made some rounds running 1.11 and with 4.4gr Titegroup and I'll make some at 4.1gr Titegroup to compare. All my rounds are under the usual minimum charges. The 1.11 rounds feed manually without any problems so I think they will prove themselves when I test them out on Tuesday.

[mballai]

Hey guys talk about a clue phone message! I just opened another box of bullets: 140 grain Laser Casts TC with the usual FP shape. These are decidedly shorter than the 155 gr RN I've been using which might explain why a standard OAL doesn't cut it. I'll load some of the 140s to the standard 1.125 and see how they feed/shoot.

[mballai]

Just to update: I shot some 1.11 OAL with the 155 Laser Casts. The 4.1 grain Titegroup seems about optimum, the 4.4 grain Titegroup was decidely hotter than what I was getting before at 4.7 grain. I've got quite a few of these 155 bullets so at least I know they will shoot and feed ok. Between the shape and size, I think that's the cause of my troubles.

I ran some of the 4.7 grain Titegroup 140 Laser Casts. Nice, I think I will see how they run at 4.4 grains. I think I might switch to these later so I do not have to contend with a shorter OAL.

One lesson: look at the bullet length in determing OAL. Second lesson: OAL makes a real pressure difference in 40 S&W even if it isn't as great as in 9mm.
Back off your powder charge 10% or so if you go even just a little bit shorter.