Justsomeguy

I never had decent ES and SD figures with the "slower medium burners" until I got to around 140PF and up. 5.5 Silhouette for instance will generally give me single digit SD figures with that same bullet and OAL, and I suspect HS-6 will be no different when you push it a bit more.

Personally, I am not a fan of the ultra tight chambers some aftermarket barrels come with. They are always a pain in the butt to load for, and most will never be able to shoot a lead bullet. I would get it reamed to a more SAAMI spec either by sending it back to EFK or having someone locally do it. You can do it yourself if you want to buy a finish reamer from Brownell's or other supplier. It's a 5 minute hand operation with a bit of cutting oil, and you will always have the reamer should you need it in another barrel down the line. If you are exclusively a "bullseye" shooter then you would be loading for that gun ONLY using special dies and select cases and bullets. If you intend to use the gun in a more conventional fashion including some of the "speed games" then it is unsuitable as is and should be reamed in my opinion.

@rtp... Your results seem strange in that when you added .2grn of the stuff using the same bullet and OAL your ES and SD figures soared. This is non-intuitive, as most often with a medium burning powder it requires more pressure to make them smooth out and burn consistently. It makes it seem as though CFE is really bordering on a fast burning powder type rather than a medium burner it is touted as. I look forward to more chrono tests from the members to determine just what is happening here.

If you haven't already surmised this, a magnum primer has a bit more flame than a standard small pistol primer. This is meant to more reliably light up the somewhat slower powders and longer powder columns involved in magnum pistol loads. Using faster and medium burning powders with a magnum primer is not necessary but generally not harmful. Like Atbar said, you may (or may not) get a few more feet per second when using them depending on the powder. Fast powders with high nitroglycerin content will tend to light up so quickly that it won't matter much, while some more "medium burners" might act like they are a tad faster when using magnum primers because more of it gets reached by the initial flame of the magnum primer and so the whole column lights up just a smidge quicker. This may only matter if you are already at a so called maximum load, in which case everything matters. So... it pays to reduce your loads by a tenth of a grain or so and see what the chrono says if you change ANY component type if you are at or near maximum loadings.

OAL is ALWAYS gun and bullet specific... ALWAYS! What a factory round will do with the bullet shape it has is not always what a handload will do at the same length with a different bullet with a slightly different ogive shape. If your dummy rounds pass the "plunk and twist" test in YOUR barrel at an OAL that seems to work with factory rounds then they generally will function in your gun, but not always. Some feed ramp angles just don't like some bullet shapes. If you are talking about a Berry round nose 147grn bullet it will feed well in most guns. Some of the flat point types will be less "universal" in feeding and indeed will need a shorter OAL to work in the chamber of most guns. Plunk and twist first... cycle test after.

The only negatives I can remember from compressed loads with powders that are not sensitive to it (that is, those that respond with overpressure when fired) are that compressed loads will sometimes "grow" overnight to a longer OAL since the powder will "spring back" and push the bullet forward a bit. If you are already loading as long as the chamber will allow, or as long as will feed nicely, then such powder induced "growth" may cause some failures to feed (FTFs). FTEs or failures to eject are another thing altogether and are generally related to poor extractor tension or worn/bent ejectors. There are some guns that were designed for larger calibers that have had 9mm barrels fitted to them that, having a larger breech face, will be unreliable with the smaller 9mm cartridge, but you did not really indicate this as something your gun has had done to it.

Yes... cloudy days are much better for chrono accuracy, but can be done on sunny days when you properly shade the sensors. If you use a camera tripod to mount the chrono, you can also use the tripod's tilt feature to lay the chrono over 90degrees away from the sun and shoot through it like that. I always get good readings that way when the sun is directly overhead and I don't want to mess with taping something to the skyscreens which generally has to be larger than even a USPSA target is to properly shade both sensors completely.

Although I have yet to test RMR/Extreme bullets in the lighter weights at Open velocities, I did do some testing with 147grn plated round nose from RMR at around 1200fps using a 9X23 which has the same OAL as your 38SC. Though I did not use these with a compensated gun, they ran fine and were accurate enough so I could hit some spent shotgun wads placed on the shoulders of my USPSA silhouette target at 15 yards with boring regularity, so they will shoot. I suspect the lighter ones will too, but like Bowenbuilt says, crimp diameter control is vital using plated or any type of lead bullet, even the coated ones.

I have a lot of XD type guns and none of them stovepipe. I would take a very careful look at both your extractor (looking for burrs, missing corners etc.) and your ejector (looking for bent or broken ejector) to see if maybe something like that has occurred. The only time I get a case sort of stuck in the ejection port is when using a 9mm conversion barrel in an XD type made for 40cal. The extractor just doesn't go deep enough into the case, and the ejector is a bit far out on the case head as it hits it to throw it clear 100% of the time, though the instance is perhaps 1 in 100 or less. Otherwise, with XD types (XD and XDm) using the caliber meant for the extractor and ejector (in these cases 40cal) they are flawless, as is my XD9 Service with a variety of reloaded 9mm ammo.

Silhouette is a very good choice for the .40, and indeed may be the original powder used when the round was first produced though it was known then as WAP (Winchester Auto Pistol I believe) at that time. And yes, your 40cal rounds should be mildly taper crimped. If you are ordering Dillon dies you will get a true taper crimp die in the package. You might as well buy the Dillon dies as they seldom give any problems and seem tight enough for all the brass that I regularly pick up or buy, and give good neck tension. The U die or undersized die is ok when using very thin brass with bullets that tend to be undersized but otherwise is not necessary. If you encounter so called "Glocked" brass then you might want to invest in a Redding pass through or GRX die that will, when mounted on a single stage press, allow you to iron out those nasty bulges near the case head. Once done, and shot in your own pistol, you will not have to do it again.

At one time I lived in the Chicago area which would sometimes in the summer reach 99% humidity and over 100deg F! Ugh! I moved to Oregon where the humidity is seldom over 70% which keeps my cigars just right and my components too. A dehumidifier and air conditioning are absolutely beneficial in such high humidity conditions as can be encountered in some places, so if you can, store your components in such protected environments. It's better for YOUR health too.

All of the above information is valuable and pretty much correct. A 650 will generally not throw less than it is supposed to unless 1) the screws are loose like one poster referred to on an SDB, or 2) the operating rod has not been passed through both of the arms that come off the powder measure, in which case you can get some light throws. But the other thing to look into is the quality of the components themselves. If the powder has been kept dry and in good conditions it should not be a problem even if it is many years old. You can smell it. If It smells "rancid" it may be deteriorating and unusable. The same holds for the primers though there is no "smell test" for those. Make sure they are not exposed to moisture, even excess humidity, or oil. If you pick them up with your fingers and have oil or grease on your hands they could be compromised. Some even say that the oil on your skin can affect them, but I have no proof of this. Just be careful not to introduce contaminants into the process in some way that might in some way affect your components. And yes... a true "squib" is usually referred to as a PARTIAL detonation or sometimes a primer only detonation which generally forces the bullet from the case but does not have enough energy to make it exit the barrel. These are extremely dangerous because another properly firing round following it with that former bullet in the barrel will generally destroy your gun and ruin your day and possibly your hands or eyes.

Or maybe the chrono's sensors come into direct sunlight as the day wore on. Since a chronograph generally reads the bullet's shadow to give the speed, different sunlight conditions can produce some weird readings. That is why on sunny days you should always place something over the skyscreens to shade the sensors.

Like Shady said, crimp will NOT control setback reliably. Only a properly sized case will reliably prevent setback. If you have some thin brass and an undersized bullet you will sometimes experience setback no matter what the crimp is set at. The only real solution is an undersized (or Udie) sizing die that will reduce internal case diameter to the point where no setback is possible even with thin brass and reasonably in spec bullets.

Though it is unintuitive and puzzling, I sometimes encounter the same "anomaly" with faster powders and OAL variations. It sometimes happens that a slightly longer OAL will give a bit more velocity if it hits the "sweet spot" for combustion volume in the case with that bullet and powder combination. I am not a fan of TiteGroup, especially with bullets that are heavy for the caliber, but if you are careful it can work. Like Sarge said though, make sure you can do the "plunk and twist" test cleanly with the longer rounds because if they are indeed hitting the lands then pressure will spike and all bets are off. Otherwise if you deliberately load some to the longer OAL at that powder load and can get the same results, with a clean plunk and twist test for several of the rounds, then you may have found a good load and OAL for your gun. One must always remember that OAL is not just about feeding, but the amount of space left in the case under the bullet and how much of it is filled with a powder of a particular burn rate. Some powders don't mind being compressed, or nearly so, and some do. It could be that a little more space is resulting in better ignition with the combination you are using and giving you the higher velocity.

Your seating die insert most likely has two ends you can swap. One if for flat nosed bullets and the other for round nose bullets. If you are denting the noses with the insert used for flat nose bullets, you might try inverting it to the round nose type and see if that helps. Deformed bullets are not known for good accuracy. Also, reducing the mouth of the loaded case to just under .380... like .378-.379 may help also as you may not be seating the round on the internal shoulder of the chamber correctly if it is too large in diameter. I have used this exact same bullet but at higher velocities in a 9X23 and they were very accurate with AA7 at around 1200fps, so the bullets are not at fault in my opinion. There is a "sweet spot" in both OAL and velocity for most bullet and powder combinations and I just don't think you have hit it for your gun yet.

Indeed, Longshot will push 180grn bullets WAY faster than needed for major without overpressure, and the recoil impulse is not bad either.

You might want to list some bullet types and OAL you can use. There are several powders that will safely push 125grn bullets to 1200fps depending on the bullet and barrel length. Personally I haven't used Power Pistol, but Silhouette and AA7 are both good bets with several bullet types in 4.5" guns or longer, but again OAL and bullet type are critical.

Though I know this may sound silly for a seasoned reloader, I have a couple of possibilities which may also be a factor. Granted water and primers and/or powder are not compatible and may be the cause, so we should assume that will be the first thing checked. Also it is perhaps worth checking the amount the round enters the chamber and if it is actually seating on the case mouth as per spec and not entering the "leade" section of the chamber and causing a light strike. This could be due to overcrimping or similar results could be had from short cases, so they should be measured from any rounds that had this problem as they would be too far forward for a short firing pin to strike correctly. Since you are able to rack the slide and the bullets are out of the cases, it indicates that the primers did indeed fire, though perhaps minimally, or the bullets themselves are too loose in the cases and there is no pressure for the powder to light up. Slower powders require some pressure to fire up. TiteGroup will fire up if you whisper "fire" over the case, but other powders require more incentive. If you can move the bullets by hand after reloading they are too loose. If these things check out and are not found wanting, then either the Wolf primers themselves are faulty (unlikely since the bullet left the case, but the other cautions apply), or they or the powder got wet. One last check would be to take some of the powder used and put it out on something expendable and light it with a match or other small flame. If it readily lights up it is probably ok... if it does not, then there is your problem. Old or poorly kept powder may deteriorate to the point it is unusable, or may be the victim of high humidity at sometime during its shelf life. Perhaps the cap was left off too long on a humid day or some such thing. And please be assured I am not trying to be insulting when I mention these possibilities. I am just trying to be thorough and eliminate any factors which may be affecting the rounds.

The thing about polygonal barrels and plain lead bullets is that there is no where for the lead to go if it spalls off the bullet on the way down the barrel, and so builds up in there increasing pressure with each successive round. In standard rifled barrels the lead can be in the grooves and not cause much of a problem. Modern lead bullets, even the conventionally lubed variety are pretty hard and not so susceptible to spalling or having lead build up too much in the barrel if they are sized correctly and shot in normally rifled barrels. Coated lead, by all reports, does not leave any lead at all in most barrels and Glock shooters or other polygonal barrel shooters like some EAA pistols have found them so far to be safe. You, and you alone, can and must determine how much a particular bullet leaves in YOUR gun when shot with the number of rounds YOU consider you will shoot in a given outing. Coated lead has done pretty well so far in this regard though, and in my own experience, has left nothing of note in the barrel after 800-1000rnds, but I shoot conventionally rifled barrels. Personally, I have never been a fan of polygonal barrels as I don't see the point of pushing a round thing into a polygonal shaped hole at high pressure, but hey... that's just me. Standard rifling is very accurate anyway and I just can't seem to grasp any advantage to polygonal rifling. If someone could prove to me that there was some advantage over thousands of rounds I would be willing to listen, but so far I have heard no argument convincing enough as to make me lust after a polygonal bore.

Making major with .40cal is no problem with any number of "medium speed" powders, and indeed most factory loads will make it, especially if using 180grn bullets. My favorite for 40 is Silhouette, but HS6, AutoComp, Power Pistol, WSF, True Blue, Unique, and several others will make major in 40 with no drama and still have room to spare in the pressure department. When using powders that are faster like TiteGroup and even faster powders then things get trickier and pressure limits are often surpassed. Personally, I like Silhouette because it is clean, has a nice pressure curve, an acceptable recoil signature (I consider it fairly soft shooting for the power factor), and meters perfectly as it is a ball powder. A lot of shooters think their guns shoot "softer" when using higher speed powders with heavy bullets, and that is their goal. Mine is to find a load that is not a stress on me or the gun or the cases, is accurate, and has a very stable SD over thousands of rounds so it will always do what it is supposed to do without breaking something. For that, medium speed powders are better in my opinion.

I experimented with them last year in the 165grn variety though they were from RMR but are by all reports Extreme bullets. The idea was to produce a load yielding over 500ft/lbs. of energy in 40cal without breaking anything. Using 9.8grns of 3N38 and that bullet @ 1.140OAL in a 5.25 XDm they did indeed do just that. They shot well and were very accurate. All the plated Extreme/RMR bullets I have used so far in both 9mm and 40cal have produced good results for me. Whether these bullets would actually expand if used for anything but target purposes I leave up to other testers, but their construction makes it seem at least possible at the right velocities.

This is interesting for a couple of reasons to me. One is that no one I know of is trying to make major with a 9X19 using an 147grn bullet, mostly I suppose, since the bullet itself would take up too much room in the case for most powders to allow the resulting cartridge to make major and not stress things, while at the same time making enough gas to work the compensator on most of the pistols that might be used for this sort of thing. The second is that although there seems to be some correlation between 124/125grn bullets in 9mm and 180grn bullets in 40cal and powder charges using a few powders like Silhouette, I know of no such predictability using Longshot and 147grn bullets. By this I mean that if you use 5.8grns of Silhouette in 40cal with an 180grn bullet with a resulting safe pressure, it will also yield a reasonable pressure level if used with an 124grn bullet in 9X19, though it will be more than most people will want. Even your 163PF load seems a bit on the brisk side for Longshot, but I have no data for it with such a bullet in 9X19. In 9X23 you can easily make major with 147grn bullets with several powders. My last such loading was using AA7 @ 8.7grns which was in the low 170s PF wise in a 4.75" barrel using 1.250 OAL. My 9X23 is uncompensated since it is strictly for experimental purposes for what I think would make a pretty good defense round akin to a 357 Magnum but with a higher round count. Since you will have to make about 1155fps with an 147grn bullet to have some "cushion" in PF and most powder manufacturers will not condone that kind of thing in 9X19, you are pretty much flying by the seat of your pants in the attempt. An exception seems to be that In 9X19 VV lists 3N38 @ 1.142 OAL and using an 147grn XTP bullet at 6.9grns of the stuff as making 1207fps in a 4" test barrel which is a bit over 177PF so it seems more than possible even using a bit less, especially in a longer barrel. I too like Longshot for both 40cal and 9x19 for some uses and in 40cal especially since it will produce pretty fast velocities using 180grn bullets without going overpressure. I am not sure the same can be said in 9X19 when using 147grn bullets, so, without pressure testing equipment, I urge caution if using Longshot for trying to make major in 9X19 with an 147grn bullet. It may be possible, but I am sure that it will be overpressure. Whether Longshot will be "spikey" in that small a case capacity or remain linear is a question most of us, and I in particular, am unwilling to say.

I too recently tried some of the SNS cast coated 125grn bullets. I loaded about 1000 of them so far and am very happy with them and will order more soon. They are, so far, an accurate bullet and with the powder I have been using have left no noticeable smoke (e3). I will be trying them with some Silhouette this week as well, and expect good results.

They definitely have them 'cause I own some. Rarely will any Zero bullet be in stock, but if they accept your backorder you will eventually be rewarded with some bullets.