[jimsair]

Hello all. I'm new to the forum but have been peeking my head in hear for a while. I was hoping to get a little insight from some of you guys who know a LOT more than I do. I'm getting a SIG p226 X5 in .40. I might try using it in Limited or L10 at some point down the road. But for now, It just like to use it as a target gun. My question is on loads that might work best..... I'm leaning towards using either 165gr or 180gr FMJ or JHP Zero's. As far as powder.... I have Tite Group, but can get Clays, WST, and even V320. My goal is to get the most accurate combination I can, preferabley at a low PF around 130. Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated! Thank you all.

[Jman]

Hello! and Welcome to the forum.

Do a search in the .40 S&W sub-forum for "favorite minor load".


Jim

[2MoreChains]

Or if you're like me and your Search-fu is weak: 180 gr FMJ w/ 3.7 gr WST is about 130 PF in my Glock. Fairly accurate, and nice shooting for Production. Tried 3.9 gr, and accuracy wasn't as good.

[Darrell]

180 Zero or MG JHP and 3.5 of tightgroup at 1.135 is very accurate in all my .40's. 185 precision moly also works well with same load.
Edit to show 3.5 T. G instead of 4.7 my bad. Thanks guys.

This post has been edited by Darrell: 23 September 2009 - 11:36 AM

[briansea2]

Darrell, on Sep 22 2009, 11:21 AM, said:

180 Zero or MG JHP and 4.7 of tightgroup at 1.135 is very accurate in all my .40's. 185 precision moly also works well with same load.

wow Darrell .......what kind of PF is that.
I use 4.4 of TG with 180 BearCreak and it puts me at 171.5 PF w/ a 5" STI edge
I guess my JHP 180 zero were close to yours.

[jimsair]

Can I get great accuracy with 180gr Zero FMJ's and TG powder at a PF around 130? About 720 fps.... or do I need to push them alot faster to get the accuracy? Thank you all.

[Flexmoney]

Start with

Zero 180g JHP
at 1.135 OAL
with 3.5g of TiteGroup.

That is my minor load. I've shot thousands and thousands of Alphas with it.

You will have to develop a load that your gun likes. That is kinda what load development is all about.

It involves reading up on prior posts on the subject, as well as reading and learning the craft from a variety of reloading manuals.

[jimsair]

Thanks Flexmoney. I think I'll try your load as a good starting point. I figured that 3.2 - 3.5 of TG would be a good place to start. I was just curious if that powder-bullet-PF combination is inherently good.... I guess Should I be concerned about the difference in length between JHP and FMJ in a 180gr Zero? Or just treat them as the same bullet?
Thanks

[Flexmoney]

I dunno. I only loaded JHP's.

The general rule is to adjust OAL to maximize feed reliability....while remaining with in safe tolerance levels for pressure.

Bullet shape is a factor in feed reliability. So, adjusting OAL might change feeding.


But, you should be fine at 1.135, I'd guess.

By the way, that load..in my gun (Glock 35) ran at 135+ power factor. It felt like a pussycat. It just barely cycled the action fully, with a stock recoil spring in the gun.
(so, going that low...might put your gun on the edge of not running)

Remember...YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LOAD AND YOUR GUN!!

Keep that in mind when you are getting load recipes off the internet. Using somebody else's load is like borrowing their underwear.

[D. Manley]

Flexmoney, on Sep 23 2009, 08:00 PM, said:

I dunno. I only loaded JHP's.

The general rule is to adjust OAL to maximize feed reliability....while remaining with in safe tolerance levels for pressure.

Bullet shape is a factor in feed reliability. So, adjusting OAL might change feeding.


But, you should be fine at 1.135, I'd guess.

By the way, that load..in my gun (Glock 35) ran at 135+ power factor. It felt like a pussycat. It just barely cycled the action fully, with a stock recoil spring in the gun.
(so, going that low...might put your gun on the edge of not running)

Remember...YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR LOAD AND YOUR GUN!!

Keep that in mind when you are getting load recipes off the internet. Using somebody else's load is like borrowing their underwear.

Flex's load is a good one and is my personal favorite using TG powder. TG runs my G-35 100% down to 3.2 grains (wife's favorite). I do find that 3.5 provides surprisingly good benched groups out to 25 yards and bests the 3.2 load there a bit. Shooting a 180 Rainier or Zero JHP over 3.5 TG or 3.2 N-310...just can't help but smile.

[Chills1994]

Thanks Flex, for helping out the new guy.

Jim sent me an email via BENOS here, which I didn't even know was possible. He found my posts on another forum and kinda tracked me down here.

Anywhooo.... I haven't shot .40 minor in a while, and when I did, it was with the Berry's plated bullets, which suck (because their outside diameters run + or - a thou or two).

Yeah, via email, I told Jim to check, re-check, and check again whatever reloading data you/he would get via the internet forums with for real published reloading manuals or the powder manufacturer's websites.

Yeah, you're right....reloads are like somebody else's underwear...[Forest Gump voice] you never know what you're gonna get [/voice]

[Beans]

Quote

Keep that in mind when you are getting load recipes off the internet. Using somebody else's load is like borrowing their underwear.

However you might find some that are a perfect fit

[tigerfan_9]

2MoreChains, on Sep 20 2009, 06:40 PM, said:

Or if you're like me and your Search-fu is weak: 180 gr FMJ w/ 3.7 gr WST is about 130 PF in my Glock. Fairly accurate, and nice shooting for Production. Tried 3.9 gr, and accuracy wasn't as good.

what pistol was this out of? what was your OAL for these loads? i am looking for a minor load for a glock 35 using WST and 180gr FMJs or HPs.

[big_kahuna]

tigerfan_9, on Jan 5 2010, 12:04 AM, said:

2MoreChains, on Sep 20 2009, 06:40 PM, said:

Or if you're like me and your Search-fu is weak: 180 gr FMJ w/ 3.7 gr WST is about 130 PF in my Glock. Fairly accurate, and nice shooting for Production. Tried 3.9 gr, and accuracy wasn't as good.

what pistol was this out of? what was your OAL for these loads? i am looking for a minor load for a glock 35 using WST and 180gr FMJs or HPs.

tigerfan_9,
For my glocks I load to OAL 1.130-1.135 with both 180 and 165 bullet weights.

my old G35 liked 180 MG bullets with 3.6-3.7 WST... and it also liked 4.2 WST with 165 MGs.
With jacketed bullets at minor PF, 3.6 grains of Titegroup was a little more accurate than WST out of my Glock.

I also posted my loads for 165 and 180 lead/moly in the other thread, but here they are again:
180 lead, 3.3-3.4 WST
165 lead, 3.8 WST

YMMV so work up carefully and use a chrono.

[splashdown]

My Glock 35 production load I've been using for a few months:
140 grain Bear Creek moly bullet
4.0 grain Ramshot Competition
1.135" COL
136 PF

[glocklover]

I use 180gr cast bullet with 2.7gr of Bullseye in my Glock 35 and it gives me a 130pf.

[raz-0]

precision delta 165gn FMJ, 3.7gn of ramshot zip. 1.130 nominal OAL. Out of my M&P full size 40, it was very accurate and nice mellow recoil.