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longest OAL for .40 pro


Woodsk

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I've developed loads 1.150 and 1.160 for my M&P 40 Pro CORE and shot them all last season. First the longer one with N320 and when that ran out I finished the season with the shorter and CFE Pistol. Never any issues feeding at those lengths with the SNS 200gr round nose profile.

After feeding experiments with some dummy rounds I picked 1.160 as the longest I cared to go and still feel like there was enough wiggle room in the magazine. Maybe could have gone longer. All I can really say is that 1.160 never disappointed me and it leaves darned little space between the round and the walls of the mag.

Good luck!

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Loading for .40 minor I settled on 1.150 for 180 gr RNFP and 1.145 for 155 gr SWC. (Bear Creek bullets)

Best combination of feeding, chrono consistency and accuracy.

If I was pushing for major PF I would go as long as possible.

Sent from my reloading bench using Tapatalk

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Easy question, what is the longest you have loaded a .40 Pro?

Not so easy. :mellow:

Depends on the bullet. :surprise:

You might find a bullet that can be loaded to 1.18", and another that

can be loaded to only 1.13" (depends on shape of the bullet).

So, not all 180's are the same, e.g.

And, of course, it all comes down to YOUR .40 Pro.

That's why somebody much smarter than I am, invented

The Plunk Test. :bow:

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1.160" is the longest I can load and have it reliable out of my magazines. I tried 1.170" and it worked most of the time but there were some hang ups. The factory chamber can accept much longer, but you are limited by the magazines.

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Plated truncated dome projectiles I have to stay under 1.135 to run my extended base pads reliably. I have found 1.128 to be the sweet spot for me. This allows a +\- variance without issues. Set at 1.135 if they drifted to 1.138+ I had FTF & DF's.

My 200 & 180 loads are not showing pressure signs in major or minor.

Trial and error to find what works for your set up, good luck.

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Just made up a few dummy rounds and settled on 1.180. There is still about .050 clearance from bullet to the magazine. Dies and conversion kit won't be here till Saturday so won't know for sure but these all fed fine and cycled through the magazine with no issues. Using bayou bullet 200gr RN.

Thanks

Edited by Tmcfarland
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Loading long is typically done in the 2011 type pistols to improve feeding. Another benefit is lower pressure when reloading. Also getting the bullet closer to the land and grooves to decrease the jump proves to be more accurate in a lot of firearms.

Loading long is not necessary in a M&P especially if you have a stock barrel. The chambers are huge and in my experience feed everything. I found out I could load to 1.21 for my 40 and loaded up a 100 rounds. Then I tried to put them in the magazine. I got a few in before loading got real hard and I realized the rounds were too long for the magazine. I tested length for the magazine and figured out 1.16 fits and feeds so that is what I have used since.

I just got a Para Pro Custom 16.40 and all my ammo loaded at 1.16 is too long. Time to work up another load.

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Easy question, what is the longest you have loaded a .40 Pro?

Not so easy. :mellow:

Depends on the bullet. :surprise:

You might find a bullet that can be loaded to 1.18", and another that

can be loaded to only 1.13" (depends on shape of the bullet).

So, not all 180's are the same, e.g.

And, of course, it all comes down to YOUR .40 Pro.

That's why somebody much smarter than I am, invented

The Plunk Test. :bow:

Excellent post and correct info.

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 4 weeks later...

I loaded and ran about 200 at 1.180" without any issues. I did however shorten to 1.175" because I did have a couple that the coating got scraped off while loading because they weren't pushed all the way to the back. I figured it might cause a magazine failure if they were moved up like that while feeding.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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