40 cal and reloads

KMAX

New member
Are there any of the 40 cal pistols that don't like reloads? S&W M&P, Sig2022, Sig 250, Glock 23& 22, and Springfield XD are the ones I am most interested in hearing about, but would also like to know about other similarly priced guns. I posted another thread about these guns, but initially forgot to include the reload question. Aslo include the FNX or FNP, CZ75, and Ruger SR40. Reloading will be important so I can shoot more. Thanks.
 
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KMAX

New member
Picky

Maybe I should have asked if any of these guns were pickier about ammo than others. I guess that is really what I want to know. Thanks for drawing my attention to that.

I usually use Berrys Plated bullets. I use a single stage loader because I pay a great deal of attention to each cartridge. Right now I am leaning toward the M&P40 or XD40.
 
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NYPD13

New member
One of my favorite reloads is a 175gr LSWC over 6.3gr of Unique. They function flawlessly in my XDM. If you have a pistol that will cycle wadcutters, then it should work with just about anything you feed it.
 

champ198

New member
i shoot 165gr RN Raniers over 6.5 gr of WSF and its a good shooter in my G23
have also ran 155s through it as well and it shot well also.
also getting ready to run a few more of my 180gr cast bullets on top of 5.6gr of WSF my test rounds shot very well
 

viper7342

New member
My M&P40 Seems to really like 165 Grain Berrys FP bullets over 4.8 grains of Bullseye. That's the most accurate load I've found yet in that particular pistol. YMMV.
 

jtmckinney

New member
My S&W 4003 doesn't like 155gr lead RN that I tried. It's eat all the factory ammo I have tried in it and my HP reloads flawlessly. My take is the firearm wasn't designed to feed RN bullets. I might try lead or plated again but with a HP profile.

I have heard that 40 cal is not for beginner reloaders, maybe true depending on the person reloading and their attention to detail.

Hope this helps,
James
 

Andrewh

New member
I found with 40, the factory crimp die is a must.
1 gun would eat the reloads without it, the second would not chamber due to the hump in the case when seating the bullet.
factory crimp die from lee made all the difference.
 

Oldgoat03

New member
KMAX you actually did ask the question about reloading in your earlier thread.

The short answer is yes all the pistols listed will feed well made reloads.

My Glocks are especially easy with regard to feeding of handloads. No failures.

To your refined question about finicky with reloads...

The reloading issues many discuss that may fall into your definition of finicky are:

Case bulging ("Glocked Brass")- I have had no problems with carefully loaded lower pressure rounds.

Barrel leading - I use plated bullets (Berry's, Rainier) or FMJ so no leading issues for me. Others have a handle on loading lead successfully but I haven't done the homework on that yet
 

cougar gt-e

New member
We shoot XD and XDm's in .40. Reloads from 140 to 220 gr.

The 220s are super soft shooting when loaded to 850 fps. Real cream puffs, but it is a non-standard load with very small amounts of powder and easy to over load.
 

Caliber

New member
if you reload specific to each gun like 50 round for an XD or 50 round for a p229 it's more accurate that way.. but if you have several guns in the same caliber it's easier to just load an overall length and powder charge range that co-operates with all the guns. you should probably crimp all the rounds as some guns might load fine and some might pushback the round causing over pressure.
 

Webleymkv

New member
While all of the guns listed are extremely unlikely to give you problems with ammo that is in spec, the Glocks are most likely to have the most serious issues if your ammo is not within spec. Glocks have less chamber support than many other handguns so, if an overpressure cartridge is fired, Glocks are more likely to suffer from bulged brass or a catastrophic failure in the case head area. Glock's polygonal rifling also does not agree well with cast bullets. Some people will say that cast bullets can be used if the gun is cleaned often enough, hard enough lead is used, or the bullets have gas checks but Glock specifically says no cast bullets at all. The only way that I would personally shoot cast bullets in a Glock is with an aftermarket barrel with regular cut rifling such as those available for Lone Wolf or KKM.

Also, bear in mind that .40 S&W is one of the least forgiving cartridges to reload. While it's not particularly high pressure (SAAMI max is 35,000 psi which is the same as standard pressure 9mm), it has the smallest useful case capacity (.69cc) of all the popular service cartridges including 9mm, .357 Sig, and .45 ACP. Because of this, .40 S&W is very sensitive to OAL and a slight reduction in OAL or a slight increase in powder charge will likely make a much greater difference in peak pressure that it would with one of the other popular service cartridges. This is especially true with heavier bullets as, for a given OAL, they take up the most case capacity. If you're going to handload .40 S&W, you must be extremely careful with maximum loads and pay scrupulous attention to OAL, particularly if you're using bullets in the 175-200gr range.
 

Locoweed

New member
What Webleymkv said. The .40 is too much trouble for me to reload. I reload for a number of calibers but I leave the .40 alone and buy factory ammo.
 

.45 CAL

New member
I have to agree with Webleymkv; Head space is a huge issue reloading a .40 CAL. one hundredth of an inch short OAL can increase chamber pressure by 10,000 psi. Nothing but factory loads for my .40, or better yet convert to .357 Sig.
 

charliechevy

New member
I'm new here, but as most I came for a reason. Been reloading for about 8 years. As for your concerns with guns and reloading particulars, my M&P 40 Pro does not like the Nosler 135 gr HP at all. In fact my Lee Factory crimp doesnt work on them for some reason and the bullets will just recess in the case and fail to chamber. Which is good cause firing a recessed round would just increase the pressure, I would think. At least that's my experiance and the answers I'm looking for. Not a wizard at this at all, just my observations.
 

armoredman

New member
I will find out about my first 40SW reloads in a day or so, but all 75 will be run through a Beretta PX4 Storm full size.
Webley, following ALL loading guidelines to the T, and oddly enough, with a Lee home cast 175 gr Tumble Lube bullet and Lee dies, my COAL variation was less than .002 in either direction. I think that will help.
 

charliechevy

New member
Come to find out, the brass I was using was different than what I normally use. A buddy of mine bought some remington UMC rounds, (I think) on sale for 250 rounds for 87$. The brass did not work with the 135 gr HP I bought. He too was shooting an M&P. So I got the answer to my question in just a few minutes thanks to the guys on this forum. There's a lot of knowledge in here.
 
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