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.40S&W powder choice


noylj

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When deciding to work up loads for the .40S&W, I assumed the best powders would be in the range of:

Power Pistol (Alliant)

SR-7625 (IMR)

HS-6 (Hodgdon)same as 540

Silhouette (Ramshot) same as WAP

N340 (Vihtavuori)

Herco (Alliant)

WSF (Winchester)

SR-4756 (IMR)

3N37 (Vihtavuori)

800X (IMR)

AA7 (Accurate)

Longshot (Hodgdon)

True Blue (Ramshot)

Still pretty much at the beginning, but so far, the most accurate powder, by a LONG shot, has been AA5. Seems almost any charge and any bullet gives me sub-2" groups at 25 yards.

Also, for any one interested, Herco has done well, but 6.7gn under a 155gn L-SWC appears to be maximum.

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I find N3xx to be temperature sensitive and TiteGroup to show large increases in pressure as I reach Max. I am very leery of Clays, N310, N320, and TiteGroup for extreme sensitivity to temp and charge weight. I will be trying 231 and WST, but I expect they will be at their best in mid-range target loads, but we will see.

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I find N3xx to be temperature sensitive and TiteGroup to show large increases in pressure as I reach Max. I am very leery of Clays, N310, N320, and TiteGroup for extreme sensitivity to temp and charge weight. I will be trying 231 and WST, but I expect they will be at their best in mid-range target loads, but we will see.

Uh... I would read more and type less. You have shooters here blastin mid range five figure numbers of reloaded rounds through 40 cals every year on this site. Shoot what you want, but most giving advice in this thread are way past the testing phase.

Some of the above is off. WST is temp sensitive the most out of the above listed powders. All powders are temp sensitive to some extent or another. The question is are they sensitive enough to drastically alter your velocities. Of the ones above, WST is the only one that I've found to do this with my reloads. The rest will gain or lose a pf or two from 20 to 80, but not enough to worry about. TG can be touchy in the extremes if you load close to pf as some have found out the hard way. Clays and N310 can also be pretty touchy with the shorter OALs and bullet set-back.

Read the older threads. The testing and data is already there.

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N320...no need to look any further for what we do. I've chrono'd it across probably a 70-80* temperature spread and seen very little change (slightly positive). It's super clean, meters well, and seems very consistent lot to lot. I've heard great things about E3 being very similar, but haven't gotten to try it yet (have a pound waiting). Solo 1000 also works well, but the reverse temp sensitivity is a pain, and it doesn't meter terribly well (but is waaaay cheaper, so it's worth trying). R,

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VV n320 for everything: 9MM, 40S&W, 45ACP. Burns cleans, easy to clean up, and very very consistent between lots. IT always cracks me up when people talk about how expensive compared to cheaper powder. My reality is that it is not, it is worth every penny.

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I would add Universal Clays for the 5th in the list.

+1 for Universal! I use it for everything from 9mm to 44 Mag, inexpensive and easy to find. Burns very clean, especially if you work up your loads using magnum primers. I can stock just one handgun powder buying in bulk for even further $ savings. Since I'm cheap that suits me perfectly. :cheers:

Sal

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I might be old school but I like Bullseye. It may be dirty and smokes more than some with cast bullets but it less than half the cost of vv and seems to be easier to find (probably because not as popular). Also BE has not proven to me to be temperature sensitive and very versatile in a number of handgun loads.

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You assumed "Best" powders,,, but didnt list best for what ? What application ? what gun? comped or not, short barrel long barrel, bullet weights ? games? The.40 is such a popular game round because it is so versatile, describing your application will really help get you more relevant replies.

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