I don't use it too much, but 3.5-3.8gr is very light and recoils less than a 9mm. 4.4gr is a good choice, it's still off of book max and delivers about 900 fps from a 4" bbl and is had single digit extreme spreads. Not the powder you want for warm loads, but it does well with the softer to medium level loads.
.40 S&W, TiteGroup, and 180 JHP loads
- Thread starter MadOtis
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Hamish
Member
In .40 S&W I regularly load with 4.2gr of Tite Group and 180gr Precision Delta FMJ Flat Nose bullets. I have used CCI and Winchester small pistol primers with this load. OAL is 1.125.
In my Gen 4 Glock 23 with a KKM Precision barrel I have an average of 854 FPS.
In my Sig P226 Elite I have an average of 844.9 FPS.
I have put a few thousand rounds of this load through these pistols. I had to run a hotter load through the Sig when I first got it - the 4.2 wouldn't reliably cycle the action - but now that it is broken in the 4.2 load works great.
Personally, I prefer Tite Group for my 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP loads. But I refuse to use it in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. Too little of a charge in those big cases makes me nervous.
In my Gen 4 Glock 23 with a KKM Precision barrel I have an average of 854 FPS.
In my Sig P226 Elite I have an average of 844.9 FPS.
I have put a few thousand rounds of this load through these pistols. I had to run a hotter load through the Sig when I first got it - the 4.2 wouldn't reliably cycle the action - but now that it is broken in the 4.2 load works great.
Personally, I prefer Tite Group for my 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP loads. But I refuse to use it in .38 Special or .357 Magnum. Too little of a charge in those big cases makes me nervous.
MadOtis
Member
I'm saving the rest of the TiteGroup until I get a little more comfortable with the whole process and want to start experimenting. Maybe 5 or 6k more rounds loaded to get comfortable 
Worse case, I get some .38 SP. dies and make some a few hundred rounds for a buddy.
Worse case, I get some .38 SP. dies and make some a few hundred rounds for a buddy.
kerreckt
Member
Titegroup is what I use for almost all of my .380, 9mm, .38spl., .40S&W .44spl.and .45acp loads. I have never had a problem with it. It is no different than any other powder i.e. if you are careless you will get hurt. If you double charge any powder you have put yourself into a risky situation. This "Titegroup discussion" happens every couple of months. All the fear mongering about this powder is ridiculous. Reloading ammo is an activity that one must exercise fastidious care 100% of the time. Titegoups' pluses (clean, accurate, economical and others) far outweigh its negatives. One will do well to have a healthy respect and total focus when using all powders. It shouldn't be reserved for just special cases. Get on with it. Be careful. Load your ammo and enjoy yourself .
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RealGun
Member
I agree. While caution is good advice, some hand-wringing thoughts about Titegroup are overly dramatic. It would NOT be my choice for .40 S&W, but Titegroup did well for me in 9mm, 124gr FMJ, Kimber Aegis. I have since gone to Power Pistol, obtaining 8 pounds two years ago, but I also grab Titegroup when I find it, to relieve the drain on the versatile Power Pistol. I only use Titegroup in cases that are wide mouthed or shallow enough for me to easily observe the charge before inserting a bullet. I definitely would continue with the turret powder charge, but encourage you to try an LED flexlight to illuminate the inside of the case before bullet insertion. I like the bigger battery base, longer flexlight I got in the Lowe's plumbing department. I strapped it to the press with stretch bandage.
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MadOtis
Member
Thanks for the tip about the Flexlight! I'll pick one up next time I'm at the Borg. However, for the close forseeable future, I'll be removing the auto-index from the turret and using it as a single-stage at least through the powder charge until I get more comfortable with the whole process. My missed charge in a small batch of test rounds has me a bit spooked; I thought I was being careful, but apparently, not careful enough. As I get a little more experience doing this, I'm just going to play it ultra-safe for a while.
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