VV 3N38 for Major .40 S&W

[ErikW]

Anybody use 3N38 to make Major with long-loaded .40 S&W heavy (180-200) bullets?

The maximum book load for a short-loaded 200 is a honkin' 1099 fps and a 165 goes out at 1315. Giddy up!

In my testing, 3N38 was completely unsuited to Minor and near-Major loads with 155s. One might look at the burn rate dismiss it out-of-hand as too slow for soft-shooting Major, but realize that one of the softer loads out there is 3N37 under a 200. (Also AA#7 is soft under 180s and 200s.)

I'm having trouble figuring out a start load due to the much longer OAL. Using the short-length book data at long-length will produce squib-like loads.

[ErikW]

I have some results from chronographing 3N38 under Montana Gold 180 FMJ (1.20"), Bear Creek 180 LTC (1.23"), Berry's 180 CPTC (1.20"), and Bear Creek 200 LTC (1.235").

Generally, it produced big variations in velocity, a lot of cornmeal residue, and unimpressive accuracy. (Most of these bullets were inaccurate anyway.) The 200 did produce some consistent velocities when pushed to 178 PF. It would be worth trying with a jacketed 200 if I wanted to make 180 PF (e.g., for IPSC Major with a 10 PF cushion).

[Harmon]

i tried this powder with 135 grain bullets for 40 open glock. 135 grain berry bullet, 1.135 oal WSP

8.0 minor LOUD barely cycled slide DIRTY

8.5 163.9 power factor, LOUDER still dirty

9.0 165.6 power factor EVEN LOUDER..still dirty (FWIW primers are round STILL)

9.5 169.0 power factor..and it must have reached critical mass..very large blinding fireball visible in the bright of the texas sun at noon. unburnt powder still everywhere in the comp, gun, mags, everywhere. F-IN LOUD

I discontinued testing at 9.5 grains as the case was getting full of powder, the powder is very expensive and dirty(in 40SW)

and the gun is as loud as a 11 inch AR15. the gun did shoot very soft and the dot tracked good, but the cost of powder, noise flash and dirty residue eliminate this load from future use.

i started testing N350 and quickly found a load that worked well. 7.5ish and a 135 at 1.135" WSP

[Mark K]

Erik,

I have some very nice major loads worked up for 165, 180 & 200 gr Zero JHP, and for 180gr Mastercast Lead, but with N340. I load 40S&W out to 1.23 OAL. I am at work, and I have them recorded at home. Let me know if you are interested in the N340 loads.

Mark K.

[38superman]

Erik,

I have some very nice major loads worked up for 165, 180 & 200 gr Zero JHP, and for 180gr Mastercast Lead, but with N340. I load 40S&W out to 1.23 OAL. I am at work, and I have them recorded at home. Let me know if you are interested in the N340 loads.

Mark K.

+1

3N38 could probably produce some really hot self defense loads.

I suspect you would likely have to load it short to get the pressure up.

Otherwise, lots of unburned powder and massive muzzle flash.

If you want to load 200gr in a .40, N340 works great.

IIRC, I was loading MG 200 with 5.5 gr and 1.175 OAL.

This produced a reasonably soft, accurate load with the power factor about where you want it (in my gun).

I changed to N320 when I decided to go down to a 180 gr bullet.

I like the 200's but you really feel the extra weight when you're lugging several hundred in your range bag.

Tony

Edited June 12, 2008 by 38superman

[HSMITH]

200's with Clays is where it is at.

[Harmon]

im shooting 180s and clays and its pretty good.

Harmon

[Neomet]

Isn't 3N38 kinda a slow powder for anything but an Open gun? My Open Tanfo runs best on it and I love to see the ROs flee in terror when I light off my first couple of rounds, but I have not heard of many people running it in a Limited gun, not that I am any authority on the issue.

[scirocco38s]

Do you have alot of 3n38 or cannot get 320? Like howard said, Clays is probably the best and softest shooting but I would be careful with clays and 200's. That is the only load I have consistently seen as the combination for case head seperations.(Before you start flaming about the statement it has been several different shooters and bullets companies but always 200's) I know a couple of shooters that use 310 with 180's and like it but the rest are using titegroup(I didnt like) and some have tried American Select but it creates alot of smoke with lead as well as exposed base fmj's.

I know a shooter who used to use clays exclusively in 40 major and his mantra was once fired brass you could load to major using clays and 180's, after that relegate that brass to practice and a slower powder as it stressed the brass to much. I never new him to have a problem because of the procedures he took. This also was in the days of the 180pf. He still uses this when shooting limited.

I personally use 320 when shooting limited but my 320 is drying up and if I dont come up with some soon I will have to either go to clays or try something else.

[Harmon]

the third post tells the tale as to why i tried it.. i think erik tried it for S&G's

it wasnt bad in the open glock, just dirty, and LOUD

Harmon