P Taylor Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) Question...to shoot .40s loaded long is it neccesary to modify the barrel ? I loaded a couple of long rounds and they will not chamber in my STI .40 barrel. This is with lead bullets and they are a couple .000 bigger than a jacketed bullet. I have not tried a jacketed or moly bullet yet. Edited November 21, 2012 by P Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
56hawk Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Yeah, you are going to need to find a gunsmith with a throating reamer. Should be a fast and easy fix though. What length are you trying to load to? I found that I had to load to 1.195 to get mine to run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Taylor Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 I did a few at 1.180 to try out. I only bought the pistol a couple of weeks ago and it is feeding factory length rounds but I have 2000 lead bullets that if loaded to factory length have the bullet shoulder about .080 past the case mouth. These will also stick in the barrel which is what got me started trying out longer loads to see just what would and would not chamber in my barrel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Taylor Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 another question....once the barrel is modified does it have any negative effect on shooting factory length rounds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
56hawk Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Not sure if it would have any effect on shooting factory length rounds. Reliability should be the same, but you never know with accuracy. I only load mine long because it will jam like crazy with anything shorter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Taylor Posted November 21, 2012 Author Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) Accuracy was my concern with mods to the barrel. I have an extra Storm Lake .40 barrel here someplace , maybe I will try that one first. Edited November 21, 2012 by P Taylor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noylj Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Why are you trying to load long? I load 155gn L-SWCs to 1.200" without any problem in my EAA Witness and two Para 16-40s. The fact that the lead bullet is 0.001" or larger should not be of ANY issue to what COL works best for you. If you want "best" accuracy with a lead bullet, I have found that to be with the bullet just "kissing" the lede/lands/rifling of the barrel. Try that and see how the rounds perform before modding a barrel. This has never caused me any pressure problems. The fact that they won't chamber means they are too long for your existing chamber or the case mouth flare/bell wasn't removed fully. They do fit your magazine, don't they? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKT1106 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 How are the rounds getting hung up? I load anywhere between 1.180" and 1.200" for my STI with Rainier plated bullets and have not had any issues with them chambering. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biloxi23 Posted November 21, 2012 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I loaded at 1.185 for about 6 months, and recently extended that to 1.210. My gun will shoot factory ammo, but it hcciups on feeding every once ina while at the factory length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Taylor Posted November 22, 2012 Author Share Posted November 22, 2012 Mine has feed all the lengths that I have tried so far. The longer ones just stick in the barrel and keep the slide from closing. I can load them to feed and fire fine but the ammo ends up a little below the minimum listed length in my manual. I just started light and built up to a good power level a little at a time. Will try a different bullet profile on my next order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BASE772 Posted November 26, 2012 Share Posted November 26, 2012 (edited) I just got a .40 Super Tuned STI Edge from Dawson Precision about two weeks ago. I load 9mm and .45 but have never loaded .40 until now. I kept reading everyone loading long so I contacted Dawson and Dave said 1.130 will work. And I called STI and was told that a while back they had trouble with their magazines and loading long seem to help but should not be an issue any more. So I decided to just start with a1.135 OAL and if it doesn't work then try longer loads. So far I've fired 600 rounds with a OAL of 1.132 using MG 180 gr. JHP's without any failures. That's with two 140mm un-tuned mags. I know 600 rounds isn't very much but so far no reason to change. Just my 2 cents. That "EDGE" is a incredibly accurate weapon! First Post Edited November 26, 2012 by BASE772 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djthemac Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 (edited) I just got a .40 Super Tuned STI Edge from Dawson Precision about two weeks ago. I load 9mm and .45 but have never loaded .40 until now. I kept reading everyone loading long so I contacted Dawson and Dave said 1.130 will work. And I called STI and was told that a while back they had trouble with their magazines and loading long seem to help but should not be an issue any more. So I decided to just start with a1.135 OAL and if it doesn't work then try longer loads. So far I've fired 600 rounds with a OAL of 1.132 using MG 180 gr. JHP's without any failures. That's with two 140mm un-tuned mags. I know 600 rounds isn't very much but so far no reason to change. Just my 2 cents. That "EDGE" is a incredibly accurate weapon! First Post Im with you and just starting loading for 40 for an STI eagle. I was under the impression that people load long specifically so that bullets dont "nose dive" on the feedramp, and have a more linear route of travel from mag to chamber. 1.130 is a safe answer... but its way short if you are looking to load long. I think most glocks (which do have magazine restrictions) load in that range. I have been using 1.175 to 1.18 so far with pretty good success. Edited December 8, 2012 by djthemac Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carlosa Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 My Trojan shoots 1.180/5 no problem from the factory.. When I started loading .40 I had allot of sticky bullet issues.. The we're mostly due to the dillon seating die.. Which would seat bullets just slightly crooked.. It wasn't noticeable but lead would rub ageinst the lip of the chamber and cause problems. This issue was amplified by an under sized sizing die.. Once i switched to a shaved down Dillion sizing die and the redding competition die the problem went away. So it might not be your aol.. Cheers, Los Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BASE772 Posted December 8, 2012 Share Posted December 8, 2012 I just got a .40 Super Tuned STI Edge from Dawson Precision about two weeks ago. I load 9mm and .45 but have never loaded .40 until now. I kept reading everyone loading long so I contacted Dawson and Dave said 1.130 will work. And I called STI and was told that a while back they had trouble with their magazines and loading long seem to help but should not be an issue any more. So I decided to just start with a1.135 OAL and if it doesn't work then try longer loads. So far I've fired 600 rounds with a OAL of 1.132 using MG 180 gr. JHP's without any failures. That's with two 140mm un-tuned mags. I know 600 rounds isn't very much but so far no reason to change. Just my 2 cents. That "EDGE" is a incredibly accurate weapon! First Post Update: I've put another 1500 rounds through my Edge with the OAL of 1.135 with no failures so far. Guess I'm going with, "If it ain't broke don't fix it" for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P Taylor Posted December 8, 2012 Author Share Posted December 8, 2012 My .40 has no issues with jacketed bullets and they work loaded long or factory length. I have only tried the one brand/weight of lead bullets that gives problems loaded long. If I have no problems in both of my .40s after running a couple thousand rounds I am going to stick with loading to factory length. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isleman75 Posted December 19, 2012 Share Posted December 19, 2012 The main reason for loading .40 cal long in game guns on the 1911/2011 platform is reliability. It is much greater at lengths approaching 1.20 instead of the 1.12 or so that most factory .40 barrels are chambered for. The reason is that the 1911/2011 was designed around the .38 Super (long) and then the .45 ACP (also longer than .40S&W) and it is much easier to make the gun run very reliably with longer rounds. If you want to run longer ammo, you must have most barrels reamed. It's no big deal, and most reputable pistol 'smiths will have one in stock to do the job quickly. I use the Dave Manson reamers and they work great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boxer1 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 What kind of pressure drop vs. change in velocity are most guys seeing loading to the longer specs? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted December 22, 2012 Share Posted December 22, 2012 As rounds get longer, pressure drops because of greater case volume. One thing that I recenty found was that different bullets profiles allow/disallow longer OALs. I can run precision rnfp's at 1.185, but the super cheap tcfp's that I just picked up require me to drop back to 1.14-5 to run reliably. Every gun is a little different though. Also, as you increase OAL and drop pressures, you will need a bit more powder to make equal PF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
40S&W Posted December 26, 2012 Share Posted December 26, 2012 I use a non ramped barrel and have the barrel throat opened up so that it will shoot most any OAL. 40 S&W rounds sit high in a mag and there is really no need for a ramp if the mags are set up right. The round is almost a straight feed into the chamber, at least on my guns. I run a 1.131 OAL, no need to load long with Berry PLated Double Struck HBRN 155gr. bullet. Flat shooting and very accurate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RippSpeed Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 wait mostly everyone is quoting jacketed lenghts ... his loading lead which is .001" bigger My problem is almost the same... My slide would sometimes not go into battery all the way. And if I drop my bullets in my barrel its doesnt go all the way in maybe 1/16th of inch left hangout there, causing the slide not going to battery once every 80 to 100rds. I load Moly Coated bear creek 200gr and run a 1.180 OAL ... I'm going to have my gunsmith re-ream my barrel and see if this will remedy my issues. This might also be your answer as well ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckaroo45 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 Both my Para 16's had trouble with 1.20 ammo. Had Shay at Akai Custom Guns throat them and they now run whatever I want to feed them. Seems to be a little variation between mfgr's. Anyway, deep throating (sorry, I just couldn't resist it ) is an easy fix. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wgj3 Posted December 31, 2012 Share Posted December 31, 2012 (edited) Before you start messing with something that should have been set up "correctly" when the gun was built, you might try adjusting ammo a little. Just try shortening your OAL by .03 or so. Depending on the profile of your projectile, it may be that the full diameter of the bullet is sitting a little too far forward at current lengrh. Lots of these guns do NOT require "long" loading to run. Longer rounds MAY improve feeding in some guns, but in most it isnt absolutely required. Shoot me a PM if you would like further explanation/elaboration. Edited December 31, 2012 by wgj3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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