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Reloading .40


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I'm going to start reloading .40 for the first time. I have an M&P 5" barrel and want to shoot major PF. I'll also be reloading for an STI in .40 but am strating with the M&P. My questions are I have WST and Tite Group powder, which would be best to use for the caliber? Also I have an idea of where to start with the powder but none for the crimp or OAL. Thinking of using the same OAL and crimp from Winchester factory loads that have been running well in the M&P. Any suggestions are very welcome.

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Both powders are well regarded.

The amount of powder needed/used will vary depending on your OAL (for one).

You should run more of a standard OAL for the M&P. The STI may feed better with a longer OAL.

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Both powders are well regarded.

The amount of powder needed/used will vary depending on your OAL (for one).

You should run more of a standard OAL for the M&P. The STI may feed better with a longer OAL.

Thanks for responding, I've been hearing horror stories about reloading .40's so I'm proceeding with caution. Been reloading 9mm w/o any problems, but want to be sure with .40

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Does your bullet look like the factory Win, and does it have the same weight? If so then a similar OAL is fine. If the bullet profile is different then you need to find the correct OAL for that profile.

Yes Poppa Bear they are both 165's, and I will weigh the rounds after they are reloaded. I plan on starting with TiteGroup powder at 4.0 grains OAL of 1.124 and crimp of .418. These numbers I'm starting with are from the factory Winchester rounds that the M&P eats up, just found out my STI won't be in until Sept.

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Does your bullet look like the factory Win, and does it have the same weight? If so then a similar OAL is fine. If the bullet profile is different then you need to find the correct OAL for that profile.

Yes Poppa Bear they are both 165's, and I will weigh the rounds after they are reloaded. I plan on starting with TiteGroup powder at 4.0 grains OAL of 1.124 and crimp of .418. These numbers I'm starting with are from the factory Winchester rounds that the M&P eats up, just found out my STI won't be in until Sept.

Crimp sounds a little excessive to me. I am using .4215, 1.125 OAL using Montana Gold 180's. Titegroup shot pretty well, will be testing 3 more powders tomorrow in my 5" M&P.

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Crimp to the diameter of the bullet, plus the case wall thickness x 2. Your crimp should be somewhere around .420 - .423. Loading 40 is no different than loading any other caliber. All can be reloaded safely with due diligence.

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So if I understand, you want major power factor, but you're loading 4.0gr of Titegroup under a 165gr bullet? I'm pretty sure that'll be a nice shooting load, but it will make minor PF.

You can look up some titegroup recipes here: http://data.hodgdon.com/cartridge_load.asp

According to them (Hodgdon) about 5.1gr of Titegroup under a 165gr bullet in .40 SW should make major PF, and they suggest a 1.125" OAL, FWIW. I use the lower end of this Hodgon recipe (4.5gr) for an M&P40c that is great for eating up paper targets, but I'm sure it only makes minor.

Hope that helps!

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You might want to check loads with chrony 165gr montana gold fmj bullets col 1.190- 1.2 with STIs Executive and Eagle's .40's take 5.4 grs titegroup to get around 170 pf.....5.1 titegroup was around 160 pf or less (if my memory serves me)no where near hodgens data. Crimp is .42 depending on brass case being used this from my guns yours my be different.

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sorry to hijack your thread.

since we are on this topic. looking to handload .40sw MINOR with clays or titegroup with MG JHP 180g . what recipes do you guys have and what OALs? thanks in advance. gonna use this for a glock 23.

Edited by tAcTiCaL_D
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You might want to check loads with chrony 165gr montana gold fmj bullets col 1.190- 1.2 with STIs Executive and Eagle's .40's take 5.4 grs titegroup to get around 170 pf.....5.1 titegroup was around 160 pf or less (if my memory serves me)no where near hodgens data. Crimp is .42 depending on brass case being used this from my guns yours my be different.

Yep. I checked them this past Saturday. It was HOT out, but it was hot the last time I chrono'd them. I'll check them again when it cools down. I've gotten to the point I verify a few rounds almost every time I go to the range now. 4.7 grains made around 160 PF. I even verified my chrono with another chrono.

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When I had a G23, I used the bottom end of Hodgdon's website listing for Titegroup and 180gr (Zero in my case) jacketed bullets for minor: 1.125" OAL and 4.2gr of TG. I also ran some down to 3.9gr or so, which also ran my G23 OK. Worked just fine, was well over minor even with the short G23 barrel (more like 155PF), but I don't think my shot-to-shot split is what's slowing me down - it's transitions and reloads... but that's another thread.

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If you are going to use jackete bullets I would recommend a Lee Facorty Crimp Die. I don't measure the crimp persay I go by what runs. Turn the crimp down enough to pass gage, then tweak as needed to run reliably. I've seen gage passing rounds that didn't run because they needed a tick more crimp.

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