Hi all,

im looking into doing some 40 cal. is there anything that i need to take special attention too. i usually load 45 acp. with the 40 cal, can you use lead and fmj or just fmj. planning on shooting it in a xd 40. how many times can you reuse a 40 cal casing?

thanks
lojack

I experimented with making a Glock 40 SW go kaboom.
It took 23%, 32%, and 36% extra powder beyond the max load per the powder manufacturor with various bullets and powders to make a feed ramp case bulge, the pre curser to kaboom.

Then I TIG welded up the feed ramp as shown in this picture.



[ 07-07-2003, 18:33: Message edited by: Clark ]

Then I re cut the feed ramp and chamber and was able to shoot 146% extra powder without feed ramp case bulge.

There are warnings in some load manuals that incomplete case support in 40 sw is cause for not handloading for those pistols. The problem is brass that has been resized from the very large [but still SAAMI] Glock chamber too many times until the poor case support cannot hold it together.

Dean Spier, the once famous gun writer who coined the term "kaboom", has a quote from me on his web site about measuring the case support:
http://communities.prodigy.net/sportsrec/glock/gz-glock-kb.html



[ 07-07-2003, 18:42: Message edited by: Clark ]

Lojack, handloading the 40 is as straight forward as the old 45acp. Your choice of lead/fmj will be dictated by the pistol/bbl. Many say you can't shoot lead from a Glock. I have loaded & shot a couple thousand 175grLFP .40s @ 900-1000fps from my 4006 & USP w/ great results. I usually loose the cases before I have had any problems w/ them.