Ok I need some clarification! In the Lyman loading book an all the others I have they say never go less than 1.135OAL. Later in the loading there is specs for 1.125OAL What is the difference?
:banghead:
:banghead:
Another 40S/W
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I have been loading them all at 1.135! Doesent shorting them raise case pressure? At the start of the loading it says never go shorter? I guess 10,000 isnt much but what gives
Longer is OK if the round will feed, fits the mag. OK, and provides enough mouth tension. Shorter increases pressures.
Never go less than 1.135?
I have loaded some down to 1.085 per the manual and that is what I read to be the least you can go down to.
I have loaded some down to 1.085 per the manual and that is what I read to be the least you can go down to.
Oh do I feel really dumb now! I just re read it an missed the Never seat the lead shorter than teh listed spec! new meaning is loading spec!
Yep. 1.135 is the maximum OAL for .40 S&W standards. Loading manuals will have a minimum OAL listed for a given powder and bullet. As long as you don't go shorter than the minimum, you will be fine.
Be careful not to go too long. Going too long will drop the pressures. I've been away at school for the last 4 months and my dad started having trouble with his 9mm loads. He was using the max charge (YIKES!) and had several squibs (DOUBLE YIKES!) and cycling problems repeatedly. His OAL was way too long (something like 1.17x) and the pressure just wasn't enough. I could just look at the rounds and tell they were too long. He had been using one of those Dillon chamber checker gauges to check the length, but that's no replacement for a dial caliper. The main purpose of those gauges is to see if the round will drop into the chamber. I cut the charge down to the middle of the range and set the OAL within specs and all the trouble went away.
OAL is critical for proper function and feeding, so make sure it's acceptable.
Be careful not to go too long. Going too long will drop the pressures. I've been away at school for the last 4 months and my dad started having trouble with his 9mm loads. He was using the max charge (YIKES!) and had several squibs (DOUBLE YIKES!) and cycling problems repeatedly. His OAL was way too long (something like 1.17x) and the pressure just wasn't enough. I could just look at the rounds and tell they were too long. He had been using one of those Dillon chamber checker gauges to check the length, but that's no replacement for a dial caliper. The main purpose of those gauges is to see if the round will drop into the chamber. I cut the charge down to the middle of the range and set the OAL within specs and all the trouble went away.
OAL is critical for proper function and feeding, so make sure it's acceptable.
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