[JCools]

What's the best powder for reloading the 40 s&w, with cast lead bullets?

[bds]

Not sure if it is the "best" but I use W231/HP38 with happy results.

[gldprsp]

I personally like Power Pistol.

[PowderMonkey]

Plus one on the Power Pistol...!

Plus it makes 6" flames shoot out of my V-10 ported 4" XD. :neener:

[cottonmouth]

Bullseye works good with my 175's.

J.B.

[zxcvbob]

Same as 9mm lead: Bullseye, Unique, WSF.

[dwhite]

I use a lot of Universal in 40. AA-7 intrigues me I just need to load some up and get to the range.

All the Best,
D. White

[Walkalong]

Universal Clays. Works great in .40.

[esheato]

I'm using TiteGroup with 180 lead bullets.

[JCools]

how many grains of titegroup?

[Redneck with a 40]

I'd go with Universal, as Unique is dirty as hell with lead bullets.

[esheato]

I don't remember off the top of my head, but I'm loading REALLLLY long for an SVI race gun.

[Roccobro]

Green dot. Fills up the case juuuuust right.

Justin

[kennedy]

plus one on universal clays

[redneck2]

Universal Clays is really tough to beat, though I'm sure there are others equally as good.

Another that comes to mind is AA#5, or maybe AA#7 with heavier bullets. I've always used #5 because I also use it in .45acp.

[THe Dove]

Hey JCools, here is my recipe.

175gr Lee cast bullets. My load uses 3.5gr of Tite Group.

The Dove

[Skip_a_roo]

What's the best powder for reloading the 40 s&w, with cast lead bullets?
Before ANY suggestions should be made, we need to know the type of firearm you are shooting them out of AND the type of load you are trying to develop.

Very unwise to give out data when these two things are unknown.

I have been working on some plated loads with SR4756 and a 180gr bullet for my Glock. NOTHING faster than Unique in anything with an unsupported chamber, that means even the BHP.

Just me though. Titegroup, Bullseye and other "target" type powders aren't going to find their way into a 40S&W that I load for. I have run several thousand through my Glocks with no ill affects using SR4756. Driving a 180gr bullet to 1000fps without enough pressure to "redimple" cases is a good thing in my opinion.

[THe Dove]

Good point Skip! Let me expand my recipe- - - - -

175gr Lee cast bullets through a stock G23. I have no leading issues and I do not water drop. Just use wheel weight ingots I make on-site.

The Dove

[Skip_a_roo]

Good point Skip! Let me expand my recipe- - - - -

175gr Lee cast bullets through a stock G23. I have no leading issues and I do not water drop. Just use wheel weight ingots I make on-site.

The Dove
Dove,
I'm not one of those that freak out about lead in a Glock. It certainly can be done and done well. I know lots of folks that do it successfully. What is the velocity you are getting with that weight bullet out of the 3" barrel? 800fps? 900fps?

I think that can be done easily. I know that using Clays is a very bad thing in a BHP though. I did and got a magazine blown out, a slide stuck and a cut on my strong had for my trouble. No thanks!

I even used published data! From a current Lyman (at the time) manual!

There have been several folks that have had the same thing happen with the same components. So......a word to the wise. ;)

Wanna hear about your load though. I even know folks that shoot lead in G19 and G17 pistol. Again, no problem with that.

[THe Dove]

I don't know about the velocity or FPS as I don't have a chrony. Got the recipe from a good and trusted friend. He water quenchis (sp?) his cast bullets where as I don't. I've never had a problem and don't know why others do with leading in their stock glocks. I don't have the answeres but I haven't had any of the normal problems I read about when shooting lead bullets.

The Dove

[zxcvbob]

In many (most?) of the Glock KB! discussions that I've read about, the shooter was using Universal Clays powder. There's several possible reasons for this; maybe the powder is unusually sensitive to pressure spikes due to bullet setback or slight overloading, or maybe the powder is so good that almost everybody uses it and it crowded out the other powders -- in which case this is meaningless.

Just in case it's the former rather than the latter, be careful. .40S&W is not a very forgiving cartridge.

[aerod1]

I'll have to agree on the Power Pistol.

[JCools]

I'm shooting a s&w sigma 40ve. I cast w/ Lee TL-401 175gr swc and do water drop.