RELOADING 40 SW

[XSubSailor]

Glocks have a micro-groove barrel and I hate shooting lead bullets in them. I used to cast, and if I was going to shoot lead in one of my Glocks I'd buy an aftermarket barrel like a Lone Wolf that had regular lands and grooves.

I know. Some people are going to tell me they've been shooting lead bullets just fine in a stock Glock. It still isn't a good idea.

I would agree that shooting lead through your Glock polygonal barrel is not a good idea...IF you don't understand the mechanics of barrel leading and bullet obturation. I am one of those that exclusively shoots lead (almost half the cost of jacketed bullets...and I like to shoot a lot) through all my pistols including those with barrels having polygonal rifling (G19, H&K P30, P2000, and a Kahr K40). If you do choose to shoot lead, clean and inspect your barrels frequently as you develop your loads. If you want to learn the mechanics behind successfully shooting lead bullets, get a copy of Lyman's Cast Bullet Handbook...lots of info there you won't find anywhere else.

Glock and Kahr warn against using lead in their user manuals (not sure about H&K)...but then again, they warn against using reloads too.

 

[Gunner3456]

but then again, they warn against using reloads too.

NEVER shoot reloads, LOL. You must give me all your brass, bullets, powder and primers. I wouldn't want you to get hurt, LOL.

 

[deadshot2]

I find the discussion on "no lead in Glocks" to be rather interesting. Especially when reading the "advantages" of polygonal rifling.

A number of advantages are claimed by the supporters of polygonal rifling. These include:
Not compromising the barrel's thickness in the area of each groove as with traditional rifling.
Providing a better gas seal around the projectile as polygonal bores tend to have a slightly smaller bore area, which translates into more efficient use of the combustion gases trapped behind the bullet,[5] slightly greater (consistency in) muzzle velocities and slightly increased accuracy.[6]
Less bullet deformation, resulting in reduced drag on the bullet when traveling through the barrel which helps to increase muzzle velocity.
Reduced buildup of copper or lead within the barrel which results in easier maintenance characteristics.
Prolonged barrel life.

I don't own any polygonal rifled firearms but I sure know about leading. I had a .357 that seemed to "grow" lead fouling in the bore by just loading the cylinder with cast bullets.

Could it just be that some powder/bullet combinations just lead bores, something that doesn't happen with jacketed bullets?

It's amazing the number of people that just go ahead and shoot lead bullets in their Glocks and don't have any problems. Sometimes "ignorance" IS "bliss".

 

[darkminstrel]

One thing to watch for in 40 S&W, especially if you use "Range Brass" is to look for a "muffin top" bulge near the case head. A standard sizing die won't remove this and it can cause the slide to not go fully into battery on some pistols.

There are "Bulge Buster" dies that do a great job from Lee and others. They use a ram to push the case through the die from the bottom which forms the case to a uniform dimension from base to mouth. '40's, 10mm's, and .45acp can all have this depending on the pistol they've been fired in original.

G-Rx Push Thru Base Sizing Die | Redding Reloading Equipment: reloading equipment for rifles, handguns, pistols, revolvers and SAECO bullet casting equipment

 

[Gunner3456]

The Lee bullet seating die has a carbide ring which goes all the way to the bottom and removes that bulge. That is, if the top bullet seater is adjusted so it sets the correct depth of the bullet just as the ring reaches the bottom of the case and that's easy to do.

This bulge is common in most semi-autos because part of the feed ramp goes into the chamber leaving an unsupported area.

 

[deadshot2]

The Lee bullet seating die has a carbide ring which goes all the way to the bottom and removes that bulge. That is, if the top bullet seater is adjusted so it sets the correct depth of the bullet just as the ring reaches the bottom of the case and that's easy to do.

This bulge is common in most semi-autos because part of the feed ramp goes into the chamber leaving an unsupported area.

Seating die????

Sizing die yes. Factory crimp die yes. Seating die, no carbide there.

The problem isn't how low the die goes, there is still the small area just above the extractor groove that is hidden by the top of the shell holder. The "bulge" can appear in this area as well. That's why the "push through" die that makes sure there is no bulge at all between the top of the case and the case head. This type of die won't work on tapered cases like the 9mm, only 40's 10mm's, 45acp's, etc. Granted, the Lee Sizing dies and FCD's are better than those dies that have a large taper in the "throat" that eases their operation on progressive presses but they still don't go all the way to the head of the case.

 

[JedB]

<broken link removed>

This has been helpful to me.

I did my first batch at the following:
Powder: Winchester231
Bullet: 200grain
10 bullets at 3.9 grains
15 bullets at 4.1 grains
15 bullets at 4.3 grains
10 bullets at 4.5 grains

Then we went to the range. I Put them through my HK-USP without any issue. I did not approach the max load of 4.7 grains until i tested through 4.5.

After getting back, I then proceeded to load 500 @ 4.3 grains on my friends Dillon progressive. Took about 3 hours start to finish for the 500.

 

[Mica]

Did You notice any diffrences with shooting the 200 grain. , were you using Hornady bullets. , I am thinking about some of the diffrent round I want to try loading, and the 200 grain sounds pretty good.

 

[JedB]

This was the bullet: <broken link removed>

I found that the lower loads of 3.9 and 4.1 seemed to drop more than the 4.3 and 4.5, since I had a lot of clustering at the bottom of the two targets with the first 25 rounds. I found the 4.3 and 4.5 to be more in line with factory ammunition. This was at 25 yards at the Tri-County gun club. I'd like to be able to try them on an indoor range with a closer target (my eyes aren't so good) to see how they compare*. If you click the link above, you can go to Midway and buy them.


* As with any practice, if you don't get feedback, it's hard to adjust your shooting. I have difficulty seeing the holes from the previous shots at 25 yards. I need to use the targets that change colour when you hit them next time