Reloading .40

H

Hog head

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I am going to start reloading .40 s&w for an XD and am curious if there are any issues that I need to watch out for, specific to this caliber. Is it any different than 9mm and .45. I've loaded those calibers for years. I'm just looking for new problems with a new (to me) caliber. Thanks in advance
 
The books tell you this: watch your OAL. By that they really mean watch your seating depth. Pressures can spike really easily if your bullet is seated even a little bit too deeply.

"Glocked" brass has never been an issue for me.

Otherwise, it's just like 9mm or .45. I have had good results with Bullseye, SR7625, and N340.

One nice thing about .40 is the fact that there are no old, decrepit guns chambered in it, so you don't have to worry about loading to a lower pressure to accommodate antiques.

Another nice thing about .40 is that you don't have to worry about crimped primer pockets.
 
Thanks for the replies. I'm picky about seating depth so no worries there, but it never hurts to pick people's minds.
 
Same as 9MM and 45 ACP as far as loading for the 40 S&W. My number one powder is WSF Winchester Super Field followed by Unique and Power Pistol. I have no issues with brass fired in my pistol and carbine rifle but I've bought once fired brass on-line and find some of it has been fired in generous chambers and my sizing dies do not size far enough down the case. What I end up is getting a ring around where the carbide sizing ring stops. I purchased a carbide Redding GR-X push through sizer and it completely sized the case. I run all 40 brass through the GR-X push through die then size and load normally. I highly recommend the Redding Carbide GR-X die for sizing 40 brass especially if you'll be buying once fired or picking up range brass. I have ran into a very few pickups or bought brass with a guppy belly swelled brass that should be scrapped. You need to closely inspect 40 brass as well as other pistol brass for the large bulges near the case head on only one side of the case. Other than closer inspection of 40 brass it loads the same. My favorite 40 brass is Winchester but haven't had issues with others. My preferred bullet weight is 165 grains but that's just me.
 
Years ago, I loaded for .40 S&W using projectiles ranging from 150 to 200 gr., and powders as different as Bull'sEye and Blue Dot. I got best results from projectiles weighing 165 gr. or more, and with powders having burn rates between Green Dot and Herco.

The firing pin "scrape" was most prevalent with the faster-burning powders, but pretty much went away when I stuck to Unique, Herco, or AA#5 powders. I SURMISE that their more gradual burning rate caused chamber pressure to take a "micro-millisecond" longer to rise high enough to operate the action, during which time, the firing-pin has enough time to retract, and not "scrape" the primer as the chamber and barrel move downward to disconnect.
 
i have load 100's of 40 and the only thing that I can think is yo tell you is to bell your brass a little when putting your bullet in. I use Lee dies and I have them set to bell when putting in the powder. I did not do that the first time and mash my brass when trying to seat the bullet. The brass is a little thin. GOOD LUCK on reloading them.
 
To the OP: If you picked my brain, you would have slim pickings. :-)

I second the notion of belling the brass to accept the bullet more easily. A lot of folks worry about shortening case life. I don't worry about that, brass is cheap and I want things to work smoothly. I do the "plunk" test on each one I reload in one of the pistol barrels.
 
I ran a batch of loads from range brass through my 550b before I knew about "glocked cases". Sure as s**t, they wouldn't chamber fully. Now I only use new brass and my own fired cases. I believe the reason for bulged case walls near the head is due to the higher pressures that 40 runs at relative to older rimless semi auto catridges. Other than that I don't do anything different loading 40 than I do with any straight wall stuff.
 
Is it any different than 9mm and .45.

Yes. It is larger than the 9mm and smaller than the .45ACP. Other than that, there is not difference in loading for the .40S&W.

It ain't Rocket Science. Just reload and enjoy.
 
You may need to pay attention to seating depth depending on the type of bullet you load.

My 40 is a Taurus PT-140 Millenium Special Edition.

I cast my own bullets using a Lee Truncated Cone bullet mold. This mold makes bullets with a shoulder. The Lee manual gave a specific seating depth (COL) that left the bullet "shoulder" slightly above the case rim.

I had lots of feed problems until I seated the bullet shoulder to just below case rim, only a few thousandths deeper than what was recommend as the COL seating depth. Then all was good. :)

Like all auto loaders, you gun will require a specific minimum pressure to cycle the action. Don't use too light a charge or you may find feed problems.

If you are near minimum charge with your loads, you become part of the functional equation. A limp wristed shooter will have feed problems at minimum charges because they absorb energy that is required to cycle the action. Hold the gun with authority like you mean it if your loads are at the low end of the charge range.
 
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