Experience with a .40 Handload

[Shrike360]

Hi all! I was wondering if anyone had any experience loading a .40 S&W with the following components from Midway USA. Rainier (perhaps 135 gr.) bullets, once-fired grade 3 brass, Magtech small pistol primers, and Blue Dot powder. How many grains of powder might you want to start with and work your way up to? My Speer manual doesn't cover the 135 grain loadings. Any ideas?

 

[deadin]

Start with the load for the next heavier bullet and go from there.

Dean

 

[HSMITH]

With Blue Dot you will have to get pressures up to get consistency. When you get there you will have VERY fast handloads, like 1300 FPS range fast. Plated bullets are VERY sensitive to crimp and velocity. I hope you don't want to shoot them in a poly rifled barrel......

You could do a LOT better with component selection. I would recommend a more conventional bullet weight and a slightly faster powder.

 

[Shrike360]

Perhaps Power Pistol and a 155 gr. bullet? I've basically decided on the gun, a Beretta Px4.

 

[Shoney]

Go to Steve's reloading pages:

http://www.again.net/~steve/page8.htm

eventually you will wind up at:

http://www.again.net/~steve/400p_2_135.html

 

[lycanthrope]

And crimp Raniers light. About .422. Crimping into the plating can cause tumbling on these bullets.

 

[Khornet]

I use

165 gr Rainiers in my Glock 22 with polygonal rifling. Lots of 'em. I crimp pretty firmly, using a taper crimp, seat and crimp in separate operations.. Get 'em up to about 1000 fps or so.

No leading.
No tumbling.
No problems.

 

[Kamicosmos]

Power Pistol and a 155 gr. bullet

Much better over the Blue Dot and 135. My favorite weight in .40 is 165, with Power Pistol. Power Pistol is a really great powder for .40.

I've shot lots of rainers in my .40. As long as you don't get to crazy on the crip or vels, you're fine.