Jumped off the 40SW deep end

[Fishinglink]

Well got so excited to find dies finally, I found the only place that had less than a 6-12 week process time and ordered some lead. I have 1000 lead Round Nose Semi Wadcutters in route to me. 155 gr with a brinell of 18. They had 500/$35 decided I'd stock up while I could find them. Now I have brass cleaned and primed, ready to go just waiting for them to show up. Going powder hunting again but I got a pretty good start with AA#2 Anyone that has a magic load for this setup that'd be awesome. Hoping to find power pistol or maybe find the new BE-86 that's coming out. 3 weeks out so I got time to find powder.

Oh also they are from Friendswood Bullet Co.
friendswoodbullet.com

Will Moly coating help cut down on barrel leading? Or am I correct in thinking that velocity and pressure affect it most?

[57K]

Haven't used Friendswood, but I've used that weight and style of bullet in .40 S&W loads in the past. I've used several powders with them but what I'd use today would be Ramshot True Blue. With what you have on hand I'd feel a bit more comfortable with the AA#2. Just Some Guy will come on later with a recommendation of Silhouette and he uses it for his .40 cast lead handloads among others and it is a great powder. The thing about True Blue is that it may be one of the very best powders for accuracy you can use for handloading the .40 S&W. Here's a link for data: Ramshot

The best way to prevent leading is by making sure your bullet's diameter is .001" above the groove diameter of your pistol. The molycoat acts to reduce friction in the bore, Some don't like 'em, some do. I've never had any issue using molycoated cast bullets, I just haven't found any in a while.

[Fishinglink]

They aren't coated but I have some moly coating paste that I could use. Apply and let dry. I have used it for .243 in the past but never noticed any advantages. So I used it to mark a difference from my 95gr SST ad 58 gr Vmax both had red tips so it made it easy to tell the difference once they were coated.

[fredj338]

If this is your first foray into reloading for the 40, I would NOT go with lead bullets. High pressure rounds can be tricky to get right & adding other variables like moly coating, you are just asking for accuracy & leading issues as well as potential KB issues getting data wrong. Not trying to rain on your parade, but lead bullets are just diff & you want to be able to get safe, reliable accurate ammo form the get go with your handgun.

[Fishinglink]

First into 40 experience. Due to the shortage of jacketed bullets I thought I'd give lead a try. Didn't plan on more than 250 at first but with a 500 min and flat rate shipping I decided to get my money worth. I am wanting just a smooth, accurate round that is fun to shoot. I'm not a speed junky when it comes to reloading. I like the fine tuning ability. I was hoping by going with a 155 gr I would be able to really get a feel for reloading 40. I guess I may have been wrong. Theory was a smaller projectile needs less umph to get going.

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[fredj338]

Originally Posted by Fishinglink

First into 40 experience. Due to the shortage of jacketed bullets I thought I'd give lead a try. Didn't plan on more than 250 at first but with a 500 min and flat rate shipping I decided to get my money worth. I am wanting just a smooth, accurate round that is fun to shoot. I'm not a speed junky when it comes to reloading. I like the fine tuning ability. I was hoping by going with a 155 gr I would be able to really get a feel for reloading 40. I guess I may have been wrong. Theory was a smaller projectile needs less umph to get going.

Sent from my SGH-i677 using Board Express

ACtually no. The lighter bullet needs a higher vel to get 100% functioning. It's not that you can't get the 155gr LRN to work, but what data? That's right, there is little publsihed data for such a combo. Easy enough to extrapolate for an exp reloader, but what are you going to do?
Lead does NOT load the same as jacketed. The OAL will be diff, the crimp will be diff, it's just tougher to get good results & not have problems, if you use jacketed or plated. The AA web site has starting data for a 155gr LRNSWC, you can use that to get gong. It will be safe, accuracy & functioning will be what you are looking for. Any leading can be taken care of w/ CHoreBoy & a bronze brush. Just don;t load more than 10 to try, you could be shooting a single shot depending on springs.

[noylj]

1) .40 is NOT a high pressure round. It is just very temperamental.
2) Did you slug your barrel? If you barrel's groove is 0.400, than a 0.401" bullet is the minimum size that might work. 0.402" would be better, but not many offer it.
3) At .40 pressure (right there with 9x19), a softer alloy would be better. The commercial HARD alloys will not obdurate at pressures less than 40ksi and MUST be large enough to completely seal the bore. A softer alloy can obdurate and seal.
4) AA5 is the powder if you don't want to push pressure but want great accuracy. AA2 is rather fast for me to load in .40 (though I have). If you want full power loads, get Silhouette.
Start at lowest starting load you can find and work up. Longer COL and NO bullet set-back are goals worth achieving.
Note the variations in velocity with charge weight from various manuals in my compilation of data below:
Bullet Weight Powder Weight Velocity Notes PF COL
Lyman 401654 L-SWC 150 AA2 5.0 1041 Start-Accurate 156 1.090
Berry's PRS 155 AA2 5.6 968 Start 150 1.125
Cu-Plated 155 AA2 5.6 1000 Start 155 1.125
LC L-RNSWC 155 AA2 5.7 982 Start 152 1.130
Lead 155 AA2 5.7 1015 Start 157 1.130
Cu-Plated 155 AA2 6.2 1100 Max 171 1.125
L-SWC, L-RN 155 AA2 6.3 1116 Max 173 1.130
Lyman 401654 L-SWC 150 AA2 6.4 1192 Max 179 1.090

[fredj338]

The 40 IS a high pressure round compared to say 45acp or 38sp, just fact. Even compared to 9mm, the 40 runs at max pressures. There are NO 40+P loads. SO yes, it is a high pressure round & deserves a little special care whrn feeding it, especially using uberfast powders & heavy bullets. Why you see issues w/ pressures & OAL.

[JustSomeGuy]

AA2 would not be my first choice for powder for a 40. For light loads WST would be better and is probably more available. For more energetic loads Silhouette is my first choice for almost all bullet weights in 40, but WSF and as 57K said, True Blue has some merit too. The 155, as Fred said, will take more energy to create enough force to "run the gun" than a heavier bullet like an 180grn would, but you can find a nice target load that will still run the gun without risking too high a pressure. Go slow, load just a magazine full or so at a time of any particular load until you get something you can live with.

As to the "high pressure" round thing... There are more "incidents" with 40cal than any other. It is rated at about the same pressure as a 9mm which is pretty high for most pistol rounds, and the 40 doesn't have as rugged a case as the 9mm... so again, go slow and go by the book.

Lead is, as Fred stated, a bit more tricky than some other bullets to load correctly. Aside from proper sizing which is critical and should be .001 over bore size, it comes down mainly to two things... One is that you cannot overcrimp a lead bullet and expect it to shoot well. A moderate taper crimp is generally required to make the gun function correctly, as it is with all bullets, but like with plated, it cannot be overdone without poor results. So, a finished crimp at the case mouth will generaly run around .421-.423 or so at the smallest with lead. If you have thin walled cases maybe a .001 less. The second thing is powder selection. Lead bullets will smoke some. With some powders they will smoke a lot! I have never used AA2 in 40 or with lead so I cannot comment on how it will smoke, but I do know that the best powders I have used for lead that do NOT produce much smoke are WST, WSF, Silhouette, and Longshot. If anyone finds any better than those please chime in... but I doubt it. I haven't used True Blue at all, though I grant its viability for general use in 40 and other calibers, but perhaps 57K can give some opinion on how it does smoke wise with lead.

[Wat_Tyler]

Some good information in this thread.

Bullseye is a fast-burning powder that I use for .40, but have never tried it with lead bullets. Looking through my manuals it is odd that I haven't found anything for 155 gr lead bullets, when I do see multiple companies offering them.