Reloading 40 cal.
- Thread starter jasonzee
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atsah
Elite Member
If I had a guess I wouldn't tell you one way or the other.. 40 is a high pressure round, be careful..
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Get a Wilson case gauge. if it sticks up out of the gauge. It is NO GO. This will gauge all of your ammo in several dimensions at about a second a round. Worth every penny. Get one for every caliber. It is what I do.
L.E. WILSON, INC. WILSON PISTOL MAX CASE GAGES | Brownells
It checks the following:
Pistol Max Gages: Used to check all critical dimensions of the pistol case - mouth diameter, base diameter, rim thickness and diameter, case overall length and bullet diameter
L.E. WILSON, INC. WILSON PISTOL MAX CASE GAGES | Brownells
It checks the following:
Pistol Max Gages: Used to check all critical dimensions of the pistol case - mouth diameter, base diameter, rim thickness and diameter, case overall length and bullet diameter
atsah
Elite Member
I need to get some of those..
k0ua
Epic Contributor
"back in the day" when I bought mine, it seems like they were about $10 each... Inflation seems to have set in. But they are really worth having. Just take every round and shove it in and then run your finger over the case head. You will know if it it too long real quick, if it wont fall in, you have a sizing problem. Should also fall out if upturned. Take some factory ammo and run a few of them thru it to get a "feel" for how it should go. Then run yours thru it.. Take the time to run your finger across the primers to test for high primers.
Build quality ammo and your pistol will run well for you and not let you down in the middle of a hot competition. Build crap ammo, and you will get crap results.
AWSubie
Platinum Member
I do not load 40 cal however, I am looking at the SAAMI chamber dimensions for the 40 and it shows a minimum chamber length of 1.197 (and a maximum Cartridge Overall Length of 1.135). My personal opinion is that I would not shoot the round that is (I assume you meant to say COL not AOL) COL of 1.19 because I am concerned about developing high chamber pressure with the bullet so close to the lands and grooves. I recommend putting the cartridge back in the die and seating the bullet to no more than a COL of 1.135 (minimum COL is 1.085 in case you seat a bit deeper than planned.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
I wouldn't shoot that round. As others have pointed out most .40 rounds are pretty high pressure as the case is small and the bullet is large. Also are you firing this in a fully supported chamber (think 1911 with a ramped fully supported chamber) or a no supported chamber (think Glock and others). Big difference in handling a blow out at case head. I have seen several blown out in Glocks from firing too hot loads. Or oversise lead bullets. Not a good thing.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
I have safely loaded 10's of thousands of .40 rounds without incident that make major power( power factor of 165) in my SV custom pistol. It can be done, and done safely. Or you can build crap ammo that can cause problems. Get that case gauge first thing.
k0ua
Epic Contributor
Here is something to think about especially with too long COL rounds:
The .40 S&W has been noted in a number of cartridge case failures, particularly in older Glock pistols due to the relatively large area of unsupported case head in those barrels, given its high working pressure. The feed ramp on the Glock .40 S&W pistols is larger than on other Glocks, which leaves the rear bottom of the case unsupported, and it is in this unsupported area that the cases fail. Most, but not all, of the failures have occurred with reloaded or remanufactured ammunition. Cartridges loaded at or above the SAAMI pressure, or slightly oversized cases which fire slightly out of battery are often considered to be the cause of these failures, which are commonly referred to as "kaBooms" or "kB!" for short. While these case failures do not often injure the person holding the pistol, the venting of high pressure gas tends to eject the magazine out of the magazine well in a spectacular fashion, and usually destroys the pistol. In some cases, the barrel will also fail, blowing the top of the chamber off.
The .40 S&W has been noted in a number of cartridge case failures, particularly in older Glock pistols due to the relatively large area of unsupported case head in those barrels, given its high working pressure. The feed ramp on the Glock .40 S&W pistols is larger than on other Glocks, which leaves the rear bottom of the case unsupported, and it is in this unsupported area that the cases fail. Most, but not all, of the failures have occurred with reloaded or remanufactured ammunition. Cartridges loaded at or above the SAAMI pressure, or slightly oversized cases which fire slightly out of battery are often considered to be the cause of these failures, which are commonly referred to as "kaBooms" or "kB!" for short. While these case failures do not often injure the person holding the pistol, the venting of high pressure gas tends to eject the magazine out of the magazine well in a spectacular fashion, and usually destroys the pistol. In some cases, the barrel will also fail, blowing the top of the chamber off.
