Compensator Gas

[Hi-Power Jack]

2 hours ago, zzt said:

 There is no real disadvantage to shooting 40 Open.

I've never shot .40 Open, but I would Guess (from a Lot of Reading)

 

that the 9mm Major comp works a LOT better - making shooting it

 

nice and faster than a .40 Major ??? 

 

Anybody shoot both?

[superdude]

47 minutes ago, Hi-Power Jack said:

I've never shot .40 Open, but I would Guess (from a Lot of Reading)

 

that the 9mm Major comp works a LOT better - making shooting it

 

nice and faster than a .40 Major ??? 

 

Anybody shoot both?

 

It probably depends on how you make the comparison.  The larger caliber will produce less muzzle rise if they push the same bullet weight to the same speed with the same gunpowder using the same compensator design. This is because the larger caliber requires more gunpowder to accomplish this, and more powder means more gas pressure.

 

Since the larger caliber generally uses heavier bullets, the smaller caliber probably feels, and is, more effective in reducing muzzle rise and is less harsh than the larger caliber. 

[zzt]

Jack, a lot of what you read about 40 Open is bunk.  The two most commonly used bullets in 40 are 135 and 155.  In 9mm, 115 and 124, with the 124s at over 80%.  Same with 155s, they work better.  If you compare the 9mm 124 load and the 40 155 load, you'll see they use about the same amount of the same powder, in the medium slow range.  The loads are straight up comparable.

 

The volume of the 40 case is huge in comparison to 9mm, especially if you load 40 long.  Many 40 Open shooters complain about too much gas in 40.  You can certainly do that.  For example, a 188PF load of HS-6 under a 135gr bullet is extremely loud, harsh and hard on the hands.  You can't call it flat, because if you grip the gun normally, the muzzles goes down upon firing.  That is an example of way too much gas.  Lighten the load up a bit and switch to faster WAC or Silhouette and things tame right down.

 

My standard Major load is 7.2gr Silhouette under a 155 for 172PF.  I shoot that load at my home club matches where there are not a lot of USPSA shooters.  Everyone remarks that the gun doesn't move when fired, except straight back.  I see the dot track, so there is some upward movement, but not much.  When I do my part, splits are in the .2 to .3 second range (two handed).  At the last outlaw steel match there was one stage with heavy 1/2" thick AR500 plates hanging from chains.  Everyone else was using 9mm Minor loads, or 115 factory.  When they hit these plates all you heard was a ting.  When I hit them, they danced.  One of the female shooters came over and asked what the heck I was hitting them with.  I told her, and offered to let here try the gun after the stage was over.  She did and was amazed that something could hit so hard and recoil so little.  She had been shooting a 1911 with 45 bullseye loads (155PF).  She thought that recoiled way more than mine.

 

So most of what you hear about 40 Open being bad is just bunk.  There may have been grains of truth in i back in the day when Major was 175, but certainly not today.  And certainly not with modern comps and poppel holes.

[Hi-Power Jack]

12 hours ago, zzt said:

   One of the female shooters came over and asked what the heck I was hitting them with. 

 

thanks for all the info - wasn't aware of that - sounds like the ONLY disadvantages

of .40 Major are cost of bullets and lower mag capacity.

 

BUT, you had me at  "chick magnet".   

[zzt]

Jack, 9mm 115gr HAP bullets cost me 10 cents each.  The .400 155gr Rainiers cost the same.  Powder and primers are the same.  A 9mm case costs 1/2 cent less than a 40 case.

 

Mag capacity is not an issue for me, but it is for some.  Some guys say that 29 in a mag is HUGE.  All of the clubs I shoot at design stages to be "hard" on Open shooters.  That is, there is never a stage where you can hose from two spots and get all the targets.  They make absolutely sure you have to cover the same ground the Production shooters do.  As such, there is always a place or two where you can easily reload without costing any time.  Last week was the first time in 2 years I ran a 26-round mag dry.  I had shot several makeup shots and finished the COF with an empty gun.  So having only 26  and 20 in a mag is no disadvantage to me.

[theWacoKid]

3 hours ago, zzt said:

As such, there is always a place or two where you can easily reload without costing any time.  

 

I understand where you are coming from, I do. However, no matter what, a reload always costs time.  

Edited April 30, 2017 by theWacoKid