Opinions needed

[rklessdriver]

I bought my brother a Lee (4 hole w/auto index) Turret press deluxe kit from Grafs for christmas this year. It comes with the scale, (1) Auto Disk, primer pocket cleaner ect.... Came in the mail yesterday.

Same system I've been using for 10+yrs pretty much (Mine's the old 3 hole turret w/no auto index).

He carry's and shoots (G22 or G23) .40 Smith mainly. He has quite a few other firearms that I'm sure he will get to loading for them as he gets more proficient at it. However the .40 is his main and he'll get the most benifit loading for it to start with.

I'm thinking of setting him up with 155gr Berry's plated bullets over 6.0gr of Unique.

I don't load .40 S&W. I know its a high pressure cartridge. I know lots of beginners KABOOm their Glocks reloading....

I took some Unique (I have a left over 1/2LB laying around) and threw some charges out of one of my (well used) Lee Auto Disk. Seems to throw consistant enough (+ -.2gr) to be safe. 6gr is pretty upper middle of the road charge for a 155gr bullet and it seems to take up a good amount of volume in a .40 case. It seems to me like it will be really difficult to double charge....

I've only expirimented with Unique one time about 7-8yrs ago in my .45's. Don't rember much about those results (but it obvisouly wasn't anything to write home about becasue I went back to using 231 and AA#5 depending on what I was doing....)

I just want him to have a safe load to start out with that he can tweek himself later. No one ever gave me crap when I started and no one ever warned me of the dangers. I'm lucky that I figured it out without blowing up something. He wants to learn how to re-load and I don't want to drop this stuff in his lap without at least giving him something solid (load wise) to start with. I've got excally (1) .40 handgun... A Beretta 96G topend for my 92F actually. I've shot it maybe 2 times.... I do plan to work this load up (using his new equipment) to see how they load and how they shoot for me before I give him his stuff.

Is there anything I'm over thinking with this .40 load?

Any beginner .40 S&W loads you guys would recommend if Unique don't work out for me?
thanks
Will

 

[rcmodel]

6.0 Unique / 155 Berry should be a good light / medium load.

Lyman shows 5.8 Start - 6.5 MAX with a 155 Win Silvertip, so 6.0 should be right in there with a plated bullet.

I'm using 7.0 with a 165 Rem Golden-Saber in my Glock 23.

rc

 

[GW Staar]

I have a Kahr in .40 S&W. that I haven't reloaded for yet, but I'm working on it. One guy I trust is who has sorted it all out for his Sig 229 is Joe D'Alessandro editor at Real Guns.com. Here:
http://www.realguns.com/loads/40sw.htm

One thing I'm concerned about is picking up bulged Glock-shot brass at the range. (Some newer models are better) I think kabooms are caused mostly by such brass being reloaded and shot out of the same gun with the weakened area of the case loaded, by chance, pointing down towards the unsupported feed ramp, and the stored ammo below it.

If I keep my Kahr, I will most surely buy this: http://www.redding-reloading.com/pages/grxpushthru.html from Redding.

 

[mgkdrgn]

from Grafs for christmas this year. It comes with the scale, (1) Auto Disk, primer pocket cleaner ect.... Came in the mail yesterday.

Wow ... only took 9 1/2 months. Now THAT is service! ;-)

 

[RVenick]

One word of caution using the Unique with the Auto-Disk, metering can be a problem due to the shape of the powder.

 

[Walkalong]

Unique is a little like 700X. (Not usage wise!) It doesn't meter all that great compared to some powders, but it sure shoots well.

 

[rklessdriver]

One word of caution using the Unique with the Auto-Disk, metering can be a problem due to the shape of the powder

A lot of folks say this - but I did not have any problems the other day. How much variance do you normally see??

I threw about 20 or so charges. I check them for uniform volume in the case and weighed all of them. No variance more than .2gr.... I can see how this could maybe become a problem if I were setting him up with full house max +P loads but I'm (purposely) no where close to that.

Basically I am getting about the same variance as I get with Red Dot (a flake powder as well), which is my go to powder in .38 and 9mm. Even WW231 or AA#5 vary about the same for my .45ACP loads out of my Auto Disk.

I just figured that is about as accurate as they can get.

I will be sure to keep a close eye on the charge weights when I work this load up for him.
Will