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Need a good minor load for 40


ghost21

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I'm looking for a good stating load for 40 minor

It will include Rainier 155 FP bullets, the powders I have are titegroup. VV N340 and unique and a half pound HS-6

Any starting points anyone could give me would be appreciated

Gun used will be a G35 glock factory barrel

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N340 and HS-6 are too slow for light minor loads with the 155. I can't stand TG. I'd use the Universal if I wasn't going to buy another powder.

Personally, I use e3 for light minor loads. With the Rainier 155, 3.3gr makes 131PF, and 4.0 gives138. No need to go heavier than that.

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Tite goup is all i use for my minor loads. Have played with claydot but cant track the sights for some reason. Titegroup is not the softest powder but i like the impulse. My load is 3.8 grains with BBis 165s. 133 PF. 3.6 grains is about 126 PF. Gun is stock 2.

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I shot minor for a while with my 5.25 .40. I found that I needed to run at about 142 PF for the gun to cycle properly with an 11lb recoil spring. I can look up my load but I was using Win 231 with coated 180 gr bullets. I just know anything under 142 PF the gun would not cycle right.

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What about reducing the recoil spring to say 9 lb, would it be possible then for it to cycle at a PF 130ish?

i have a cz ts that runs all the way down to a 112 pf without any problems using the factory recoil spring. Just felt too light so normally run about a 128pf
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I thought the 142 PF felt really light with the 180 GR bullets so I didn't try any lighter springs. It was soft enough that I went from a C to a B in a short time and now shooting a 9mm I cannot do as well. I wish I was still a C. I am actually trying to sell the 9mm XDm 5.25 now and will just use the .40 in minor if I want to shoot Production.

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Thanks guys!

I loaded up 50rds 155 gr Rainier FP bullets over 6.0 grs of N340. Haven't had a chance to chorno them yet, But from shooting the 50 rds. recoil was just a tad on the snappy side, but nothing that couldn't be handled, and sights were right back on target. I think I have a good load, Just need to chrono them now.

Edited by ghost21
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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I've been using TG with success also, but concerned over tiny amount of powder (using 3.5g for XDm5.25) in large .40 case making it tough to see in my Dillon 550. Worry about squibs or double charges. I have no problem with TG in 9mm, easy to see.

W231 often mentioned as bulkier, which would be good.

Any newer bulkier powders with clean burns, low smoke for light loads in .40? Thanks.

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Starting to answer my own question, that is, powder bulkier than Titegroup for ".40 lite" using 180g bullet (goal PF 130 or so), choices based on further reading seem to be:

W231

WST

VV N320

VVN340

e3

Ramshot Competition

Looking for "ideal' powder, of course, with powder-puff recoil, low smoke, clean, fills more of the case, available. Kinda like the unicorn on the hot-crazy matrix. Any help on trimming this list?

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I've used Titegroup for a long time just over 3 grains with 180's. Trying clays now in the 2.9-3gr area. Definitely fills up the case more than Titegroup. Also meters very consistent so far.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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  • 5 weeks later...

Z, culling your list is fairly easy, IMO.  N340 is too slow for the loads you are trying to make.  You'll use more powder and produce more recoil.  W231 is a powder I don't care for.  Dirty and you have to use too much.  WST is a superb powder, but again, you need more than the others to make the same velocity.  Same with N320, except that is is temp sensitive, as are most of the VV pistol powders.  Plus it is much more expensive.  Many consider e3 and Competition to be pretty equivalent powders, so one of them would be my choice, with a fall-back to WST if I could find neither.

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On July 18, 2016 at 8:08 AM, HCH said:

I loaded 3.2grn of titegroup on a 180grn bullet. It makes a good minor load. I would agree with the 3.4grn charge for the 155's.

I just tried this load with a batch of 180 gr. Blue Bullets out of my Glock 35.  Very accurate and soft shooting.  796 fps/ 143 pf.  

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For minor 40 clays is my go to powder

4gr with a 140gr bayou was my favorite but 3.5 under  a 155gr works you need a fast powder to make 40 work at low velocities   

With WST I could not get my pistols to run  reliably until I was well over 1000fps, my 140gr clays load runs at 975fps in a 5" barrel and runs at 27,000 psi (I  used to have access to a real pressure lab so that's not a guess) 

you could also try VV310 but I've never used it, I'm too cheap to get hooked on VV powder 

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  • 2 weeks later...

My "light" load is 4.0gr of Unique under a 155gr SWC (lead), averaging 840-850fps.  It's perfectly reliable and very soft shooting.  I tried less powder, and it wasn't enough to cycle the gun.  

Now I have some Clays and some 140gr lead bullets to play with...

Edited by Bimmer
Wrong data... I meant 4.5 grains of Unique. 4.0 short-stroked.
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