.40 cal i production?

[Field]

i was starting to cook on the idea of getting into reloading .40 cal instead of 9mm. It is versatile. If you wanted to shoot it in production you could load lighter minor loads. If you wanted to take the same gun or a different gun and shoot in major all you would have to do is increase your powder charge. (and you dont even blow your gun up like with 9mm)

.40 makes bigger holes, that are easier for you to see, which is good, especially when you are not good at calling shots yet.

I just havent had much opportunity to shoot .40 out of any handguns. So i dont know what it will FEEl like.

The price difference doesnt really concern me THAT much.

for anyone that loads .40 and shoots both minor and major with it just drop a line and tell me what you think/what guns you shoot it out of ect.

i appreciate it.

[Field]

ohhh wow im looking at bullet cost and the differences in powder charge and .40 is really not that much more expensive than 9mm. the only expensive thing would be getting my dies and shell holder and junk.

Edited May 31, 2010 by Field

[MustangGreg66]

All those positives are the reasons I chose to start USPSA a few years ago in Production division with my Glock 35 in .40 shooting minor. My mentor introduced me to it and I really liked the soft sluggish push the .40 loaded in minor gave in the glock. I also figured that I could easily move to limited or L10 when I got better and wanted a change, but after a few years I don't see any reason to change. Production is a great division and after getting some nice sights the gun's still mainly stock and functions great.

I've been playing with the idea of switching over to 9mm for the cost savings in bullets. Which were you thinking of going with? Lead, Moly, jacketed? I guess it really does depend on how many rounds you plan on shooting each year to figure how much you'd save with 9mm vs .40

[G-ManBart]

.40 loaded to the same power factor as 9 will often be a bit softer since you can use a heavier bullet. Other than that it's really about what gun and how you have it set up...springs etc. R,

[Pro2AInPA]

I shoot production and limited with my Glock 35. I just recently finished working up my minor load and it's so soft it feels like I'm cheating.

[Field]

how many A-M-GM class production shooters have you guys seen shooting .40 ? i havent gone through with anything yet but its just hard to ignore what cool kids are using because they are using it for a reason. and if nobody good is using .40 minor in production maybe its not smart to use it for some reason or another?

Edited June 1, 2010 by Field

[Gary Stevens]

I shoot a 40 loaded to minor with 180 FMJ bullets for Production. It is very soft shooting. I run an XD Tactical and Rich said to keep it about 135 power factor, so I do. I can't answer the question about how many top guns use a 40.

As you said, it also gives you options to shoot other Divisions at major power factor.

Gary

[Chris iliff]

I say go for it! Don't know about your statement of 9's blowing guns up at major. I just don't see that after 6 years of competition. I do know that a lot of people that have more experience than me think 9 at major is a problem. Talking with some of them I've found that they are relying on data and powders from their years of reloading and they are just not current with what is safe. Furthermore, I don't even try to convince them. But on this forum, you can find all the current safe ways to make major with 9 and not blow up your gun.

[Sarge]

I only personally know one GM in production. He shoots a 34. I shoot a 34 as well. If I move soon to limited I will probably shoot a 35.

The only advantage I can see in shooting a 9 instead of 40 is cost. If you shoot a bunch you will spend quite a bit more over the long run shooting 40. I don't count powder since it is cheap any way you look at it. The bullets are where the money is. A quick look on Montana Gold site finds 9mm 124 FMJ's $292 per case of 3750. Thats a little under 8 cents each or around $80 per k. 180 grain 40's work out to about 12 cents each or $120 per thousand. I don't shoot near as much as some but I am pushing two cases a year give or take. The difference over a year would be $300 plus.

Also, 9mm brass is like litter at most ranges. Most shooters tend to pick up as much of their 40 brass as possible. So you might end up buying brass for 40 unless you have a supply readily available such as a PD range. I have never bought brass and I hope to never have to.

Just food for thought. You may choose to go a cheaper bullet route such as some moly coated bullets but like you said its hard to ignore what the cool kids are using and a good jacketed bullet fits that phrase well. I used moly's for a short time and got tired of the smoke and dirty gun so I went back to MG.

All the figures I mentioned are just ballpark and can vary some depending on quantity purchased etc.

[Flexmoney]

I shot a 40 (G35) in Production. A handful of other GM Production shooters did as well.

The topic is pretty well documented on the forums. There is even a article from Front Sight (by Carina) that is copied here on the forums.

[Del]

I shoot a 40 in production. I have alot of 40 brass, more than 9mm, and my pistol is a 40 so thats the way I went

I dont know how many GM do it, I am a C class shooter.

[splashdown]

I like to keep things simple and load only 40 cal for everything. My Glock 35 production load was 3.2 grains of Ramshot Competition with a 180 grain moly bullet. That clocked in at 144 PF and I didn't like the feel going any lower than that. Now I shoot 4.0 grains of Competition with a 140 grain moly bullet (136 PF). I like the load quite a bit and the bullets are cheaper than the 180's.

[soaringf22]

how many A-M-GM class production shooters have you guys seen shooting .40 ? i havent gone through with anything yet but its just hard to ignore what cool kids are using because they are using it for a reason. and if nobody good is using .40 minor in production maybe its not smart to use it for some reason or another?

that question can be answered with two words Rob Leatham or as he prefers "TGO"

http://robleatham.com/vaultequipuspsaproduction.htm

[Flexmoney]

how many A-M-GM class production shooters have you guys seen shooting .40 ? i havent gone through with anything yet but its just hard to ignore what cool kids are using because they are using it for a reason. and if nobody good is using .40 minor in production maybe its not smart to use it for some reason or another?

that question can be answered with two words Rob Leatham or as he prefers "TGO"

http://robleatham.co...aproduction.htm

Those 5in XD's tend to run better with a heavier load, fwiw.

[Field]

huh. interesting it doesnt mention the load he shoots, which is pretty important.

[raz-0]

Did it for a couple years, mostly with two loads. 

165gr precision deltas over 3.7gr of titegroup at 1.130, and 165gr precision deltas over 4.0gr of ramshot zip at 1.130. Both were 130-135pf depending on temperature. 

Objectively, both handle pretty nicely compared to the ever popular 147gr projectile in 9mm loaded to about 130pf. However, there seems to be less issue with component choice vs loading and gun than with the 147 in 9mm.  (that's not based just on me and the M&P, but on observing other regulars that compete the same places as me on various platforms).

If you also shoot other guns in .40, you can not mess with your reloading setup too much. Here in NJ, .40 means you have a number of choices of platforms offering you unmolested magazines that are 15 rounds or less, which isn't the case with 9mm.  those two things, along with the fact that the smaller components of .40 SERIOUSLY slowed me down with reloading, were my motivation for switching. They may not apply to you. 

Now, if you want to get to GM, you NEED to live fire practice a decent amount and simply get out there and shoot. AT high volumes, component cost becomes a serious factor.  Which is why I suspect a lot of the better guys who tried it switched back. 

primers are a push. Powder is close enough that you can suck up a lot of volume before you are out more than a movie ticket. But 124gr 9 bullets are about $75 per k, 147 about $88, 165gr 40 are 103, and 180 gr 40 are 110.  4k of 9mm costs $300, 3k of .40 costs $309.  On top of that 9mm brass tends to be in steadier supply, and cost fluctuates less (although right now, 9mm brass is unusally slightly more expensive). 

[Field]

so basically if cost wasnt a deciding factor (though it almost always is) then .40 minor might be indeed a good way to go.

[Cy Soto]

so basically if cost wasnt a deciding factor (though it almost always is) then .40 minor might be indeed a good way to go.

I wouldn't say this is the case. There are many shooters making their way up the class ranks in other divisions where shooting minor would put them at a point disadvantage. If cost of bullets alone was the limiting factor we wouldn't have the amount of Limited, L-10 and SS shooters that we do; everyone would be shooting Production.

In my opinion, the only reason why I chose to switch from shooting .40 minor to shooting 9mm is that I perceive that slide moving quicker with 9mm. In fact, I don't even shoot 147gr bullets. For a long time I was shooting 124gr and now I have been playing with 135gr. Either of these makes the slide recycle quicker than shooting .40 minor with 180gr bullets.

My wife shoots .40 minor and loves it because the slide moves so slow that this allows her to see her sights trough the entire cycle. When I shoot her gun I feel like I am having to wait forever for the sights to come back to the target. At least in our case, it all boils down to personal preference.

[Field]

i was thinking of trying 155g bullets or something lighter first. i probably wont ever shoot the heavier bullets. ive never shot 147g either myself, pretty much only 124g and a little bit of 115g. I mean ive tried out a few 147g loads that people had and i didnt notice anything crazy different or superior about it, the price difference also isnt really worth it imo especially when making the same diamter holes

[twodownzero]

I think much of this talk is hogwash. If I could practice 2-3x a week, it wouldn't matter if I was shooting a slingshot. Just pick a gun and wear it out. Who cares what the GMs are shooting? I'm a C class shooter.

Edited June 5, 2010 by twodownzero

[Neomet]

huh. interesting it doesnt mention the load he shoots, which is pretty important.

The same site shows him shooting 180 JHPs and 320. That should be a pretty darn soft shooting load.

[Flexmoney]

so basically if cost wasnt a deciding factor (though it almost always is) then .40 minor might be indeed a good way to go.

I certainly think so.

But, it matters little. Pick one and practice.

[soaringf22]

how many A-M-GM class production shooters have you guys seen shooting .40 ? i havent gone through with anything yet but its just hard to ignore what cool kids are using because they are using it for a reason. and if nobody good is using .40 minor in production maybe its not smart to use it for some reason or another?

that question can be answered with two words Rob Leatham or as he prefers "TGO"

http://robleatham.co...aproduction.htm

Those 5in XD's tend to run better with a heavier load, fwiw.

I have a 4" XD40, this week I loaded up 250 rounds using 180gr Berrys, and the powders are WST, Titegroup, and Clays. They are all minor loads since I couldn't find any reasonable load data for the Berry's. I can let you know how they shoot. This will be my test to see which powder to build up to major with and also which powder to keep minor with. Now all I need is an oppurtunity to get to the range and not forget my Chrono again.

-Steve

[Zerwas]

i was thinking of trying 155g bullets or something lighter first. i probably wont ever shoot the heavier bullets. ive never shot 147g either myself, pretty much only 124g and a little bit of 115g. I mean ive tried out a few 147g loads that people had and i didnt notice anything crazy different or superior about it, the price difference also isnt really worth it imo especially when making the same diamter holes

I wouldn't load a lighter 40 cal bullet like a 155gr. I would load up a 180gr to minor velocities and the felt recoil will be less than a standard 9mm load. I did this with a Glock 35 I used to have and it was like I was shooting a pellet gun. Many guys I shot with thought I was cheating. I shot my G35 next to a G34 with standard loads and the G35 shot flatter with less recoil.

No joke.

Try it.

[soaringf22]

My load of 180 gr Berrys FP was around 150pf with 4.1 gr WST. the recoil was very very light. I am going to try and back it down some more. I will try and get it down to a lower pf that will still reliably cycle with factory springs. theres not a doubt in my mind that it wouldnt be like shooting a pellet gun like Steve said. This was in my 4" XD40. This is going to be my gun of choice mainly because my glock 19 I feels as if the recoil is different once the magazine becomes half empty. the xd40 feels the same the whole way through.

-Steve