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40 S&W Major Load


40S&W

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Presently I am loading 5.0 gr. Titegroup behind a Berry 155 gr, RNHB with an OAL of 1.128 and getting a avg. power factor of 168. I like the load & accuracy for USPSA L-10. What I don't like is the amount of muzzle flip, a little to snappy. Any powder suggestions to reduce muzzle flip and still using the Berry 155 gr, RNHB bullets for a major PF load.

Edited by 40S&W
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Just as a general rule you trade soft for flip and vice-versa. (general rule!) A heavy bullet with less powder pushing it will flip more but feel softer than a lighter bullet and more powder, which generally speaking will be flatter but snappier. That being said I have found Solo 1K to be a very soft shooting powder either with 180s or 165s.

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In a 5in gun VV320 or SOLO 1000 with a 180 or 165 (6in gun) will be the softest. You can run 200s, but some don't like the slide speed. It is a Ford/Chevy thing but once you try ammo with the above powders loaded to PF against other factory ammo it really isn't even a contest.

I certainly don't have any complaints on those loads. Tightgroup is a great powder, but it burns really hot and if you shoot alot it is hard on the guns, and your hands in the summertime.

Good luck,

DougC

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light bullets tend to feel a little snappier than heavy bullets to many people. for a softer feeling recoil many folks use a heavier bullet with a fast burning powder. http://38super.net/Pages/Recoil.html

Softly spoken. I was given 8 boxes of Federal 165 gr CQB ammo two years ago, I'm still trying to get rid of it. That stuff will break your wrist. If you are a diesel mechanic or a sumo wrestler you can handle that flip. For soft shooting in a 40 limited gun its something like Precision Moly 185gr ro 180 gr Bayou bullet (thes take less powder to drive to major than jacketed bullets). VV N320 is very good and for poor boys like me I shoot WST with these. Nice shot shooting major loads, and accurate at 50 yards

That itty bitty OAL has tupperware written all over it, a big heavy steel gun like an STI Edge will tame the heck out of the flip, and the OAL of a major 40 will grow to 1.180 to 1.200. Another really nice heavy metal gun is the CZ Tacticle Sport.

Don't try Clays at that short OAL with a heavy bullet you'll be hunting for your mag base plate and trigger parts. Factory length is 1.140 but with a fast powder and a heavy bullet you still need to be carefull.

Edited by CocoBolo
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Softest I've felt is 4.7 grain of Clays, under a 180 grain JHP, loaded to 1.21.

I am doing Clays also as above but with a 4.9 grain load in my 40 cal SVI w/5" barrel. Bullet is a Montana Gold 180 JHP. OAL is 1.240. Clean and soft

Edited by bajadudes
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200 gr Frontier jacketed. 4.5 gr VV N320. 1.205 OAL. Shoots a 174 PF out of my Tanfoglio LC and feels really light.

Would love to try out some moly bullets for comparison ...

COAL of 1.135 out of a LWD stainless barrel. I sent them COAL 1.135 dummies and they reamed the chamber to fit the reloads.

I attached the wrong quote, and cannot fiugre how to add the proper one. I was responding to Trini's question asking what the overall length of my loads was. Again , 1.135.

Edited by Biloxi23
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200 gr Frontier jacketed. 4.5 gr VV N320. 1.205 OAL. Shoots a 174 PF out of my Tanfoglio LC and feels really light.

Would love to try out some moly bullets for comparison ...

I shoot the same load as Steve, but behind a Zero 200gr and in a 40sw Accu-Trak 5in.

For practice I shoot WST behind a Montana Gold 200gr cmj (shoot alot indoors). At the

Indiana Sectional the temp was in the low 90's and my PF was 180.

Not trying to start an argument, but I disagre with Rich on the General Rule. I feel that

a heavier bullet with less powder has more of a push, but less muzzle flip and that a

lighter bullet with more powder has less push and more muzzle flip. And Flatter and

Snappier are at the opposite ends of the same thing.

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Softest I've felt is 4.7 grain of Clays, under a 180 grain JHP, loaded to 1.21.

After seeing this, I worked up a Clays load for my G-35. Since it uses shorter ammo, I lowered the charge a bit and ended up at 4.2 gr of Clays behind a Precision Delta jacketed 180 at 1.125". Makes right at a 167 Power Factor. (Would bump up to 4.3 if I ever switch to this "for real".)

CAVEAT: Hodgdon shows 3.5 as the max for this round.

It was pretty soft feeling, but I'm still being a powder snob with the N-320. Burning expensive powder makes me feel so much more "exclusive". :roflol:

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Softest I've felt is 4.7 grain of Clays, under a 180 grain JHP, loaded to 1.21.

After seeing this, I worked up a Clays load for my G-35. Since it uses shorter ammo, I lowered the charge a bit and ended up at 4.2 gr of Clays behind a Precision Delta jacketed 180 at 1.125". Makes right at a 167 Power Factor. (Would bump up to 4.3 if I ever switch to this "for real".)

CAVEAT: Hodgdon shows 3.5 as the max for this round.

It was pretty soft feeling, but I'm still being a powder snob with the N-320. Burning expensive powder makes me feel so much more "exclusive". :roflol:

That shorter OAL might scare me a bit, but at 1.21 and as a brand new reloader, I loaded and shot 3k+ rounds with nothing but great results. However, since I was new to reloading (and still am) I was influenced by all of the comments about how dangerous Clays is. The most comforting information I got was from BENOS himself who confessed to shooting thousands upon thousands of major Clays loads without a single problem........

Edited by SV-COP
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Add Chris Tilley to the list of top shooters that use clays for their 40 cal competitive loads. The load data I posted above is just about identical to what he shoots with his SVI limited gun..

He shoots about 1000 rounds a day for practice. Granted most of that is with his 38 super comp open gun but he also has shot tens of thousands of 40 cal rounds with clays. It is spikey so I to would be very careful with short OAL's

I want to emphasize that I also am new to reloading and would not even have attempted the above clay data without the guidance and assistance of Chris. Everyone I talked to before I did it said it was way out of what hodges says is max and also cautioned about the use of clays. As per chris's suggestion I started at 4.5 behind a montana gold 180 JHP with a 1.240 OAL and worked up to 4.9 shooting 15 rounds of each at 4.5, 4.6, 4.7, 4.8 and finally 4.9. He sensed my reluctance and offered to chrono the loads for me at his range. He took the time to explain how critical the longer OAL was and to make sure i didn't try this with a shorter SAMMI OAL for my regular production 40 cal Vertec Beretta

Edited by bajadudes
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One of the guys we shoot with on a regular basis has been shooting regular Clays in his

40sw Limited gun for years and has not had any problems with pressure. I've tried it but,

it does not meter well through my 550 and I get popcorn loads. So I've gone to VV320 for

match loads and WST for practice. I've been reloading since 1970.

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I have switched from shooting 200 g Frontiers with vv N320 to 180 grain Berry's with 4.8 grains of VV N320 loaded out to 1.215... gives a power factor of 174 out of my Tanfoglio LC II...

It seems that the 180s are softer shooting than the 200s for some strange reason even though i am using more powder. But i am liking the load.

Dan

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  • 3 weeks later...
  • 6 months later...

Dan,

Did you notice a change in accuracy when you switched from Frontiers to Berrys? If so, which was more accurate?

I have switched from shooting 200 g Frontiers with vv N320 to 180 grain Berry's with 4.8 grains of VV N320 loaded out to 1.215... gives a power factor of 174 out of my Tanfoglio LC II...

It seems that the 180s are softer shooting than the 200s for some strange reason even though i am using more powder. But i am liking the load.

Dan

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  • 2 weeks later...

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