Is 40 SW a good Boolit to cast?

[Bkid]

Well what I mean is it ok to use the cast 40 SW Booolits? I would raether cast them than buy them. I just want to be sure that a cast lead boolit will hold up ok in 40SW. Also how about 9mm while I am at it?

[Kirk Miller]

I cast the Lyman 175gr tc out of a four cavity. In my Sig 229 it shoots very well as long as it is cast fairly hard. It seems, as if the shallow rifling requires a harder boolit.
Kirk

[Doby45]

40 and 9 are both good in cast. I use them in pistols and carbine.

[BulletFactory]

a .40 can be a real PITA. In hindsight, I would have bought a .45

[Crash_Corrigan]

The window for good accuracy and no leading is kinda tight. OAL is critical along with powder selection and boolit size. Generally a more difficult round to cast for than a 9 MM and much more difficult than the .45 ACP.

I just do not like the calibre. Too much snappy recoil and high pressure to get results which I really do not need. The .45 is a perfect target and ccw load. The 9 MM does well on targets and such but for CCW I would only use the new exotic hp rounds that are costly.

The 40 short and weak does not float my boat.

[BulletFactory]

I agree, except the weak part. The .40 isnt exactly a powder puff round.

[9.3X62AL]

The 40 S&W is a bit less of a PITA than the 9mm, largely because its chamber/barrel internal dimensions and its cartridge component dimensions are much more closely controlled than the 9mm, which can be all over the map. Neither of these is a good "beginner's caliber" for the reloader or the caster, like the 38 Special or 45 ACP. I view the 40 S&W and the 9mm as being similar to rifle calibers, since they run at high pressures--have fast twist rates in most barrels--and (esp. the 9mm) dimensional variances must be accounted for.

[Bkid]

Can I use WW to cast the 40 sw and the 9mm? I guess what I need to ask is , that alloy going to be hard enough for two calibers? Also I use Accurate #2 for my 45 and 40 calibers now. The 40sw`s that I am loading now are a copper jacketed bullet however.

[casterofboolits]

I mix an alloy that is very close to Lyman #2 alloy for the 9mm, 38 Super and the 40 S&W.

I have two Lyman four cavity #401638 40-175-TCBB and the both moulds drop boolits at 175 +/- one grain.

This boolit works well in my Tanfoglio autos with no leading problems.

[thegreatdane]

save yourself the frustration and eliminate one variable by ensuring you have ALL the copper fowling out of your barrel before experimenting with cast boolits.

[LWSTARKS]

I have been casting for the 40 for a while and having had any problems. I've been using WW in it as well. I have a couple of molds, a Lee swc, and a lyman rnfp. I prefer the Lee for the 40 and the RNFP for the 38-40.

[sqlbullet]

.401 cast bullets stand up fine to 10mm level pressures and velocities. 40 S&W levels are going to be fine as long as they are sized and lubed correctly for your gun.

[BulletFactory]

Will straight Lyman #2 work? Air cooled or water dropped?

[Doby45]

I would water drop.

[JRR]

I cast for my CV75 BSA using a RCBS 180 gr. flat point sized .401. I water drop them into a 5 gal bucket which has a towel submerged so the boolits don't hit the bottom too hard. Excellent accuracy at 25 yards with minimal leading.

To clean, I remove the barrel and submerge into cleaning fluid overnight. The next day I just wipe out the barrel and run a brush with a chore boy strand wrapped around it. Patch it out once more and then have a spotless barrel and re-install.

Jeff

[Rangefinder]

I don't shoot 9, but cast a LOT for .40. Straight WW works fine, but as mentioned before--size and lube correctly for your gun. Also, pay close attention to your seating depth and OAL. .40 isn't exactly a powder-puff load, and pressures need to be watched closely until you have your load dialed in correctly. Not to say that shouldn't or doesn't need to be watched anyway, just that it's not a real forgiving configuration if you have an "oops".

[mpmarty]

I shoot cast 170 gr Truncated Cone Lee boolits in my 10mm with no problems at all. Max loads of AA-9 burn clean and my Witness pistols eat them like candy. I dumped all my 40 short and weak to other folks for them to suffer with. 10mm is a much more cast friendly round IMHO.

[BulletFactory]

not trying to hijack, but how should I determine OAL? If you have been watching my posts, you'll know that Ive had a lot of trouble with my .40, and I'm basically lost. I know I need the barrel worked on, but thats about it.

[JRR]

The key to the 40 is to load as long as possible. This is a very high pressure round and loading long reduces it.

First, seat the boolit as long as the magazine will accept. Next, remove barrel and drop the round into the chamber. If it drops clean with a metallic clink, you are probably good to go. If it does not, then seat deeper until it does. This will determine your OAL.

A medium burning powder like Unique, Herco (my favorite), AA5 and AA7, etc. are best with the 40. AA2 is much too abrupt. The medium powders cannot be double charge accidentally.

Maximum OAL, and a powder that cannot be double charged are the keys to safety and accuracy with the 40.

Jeff

[sqlbullet]

JRR nailed in on COL. Seat them as long as you can and get reliability in your gun.

I run Lee 175 gr TL SWC and a Mountain Mold 205 gr RFN in my 10mm. I have a buddy that is in med school and gets free bullets from me cause I am a nice guy who runs the 175 gr bullets fine in his Ruger and XD. I don't know his charge, but I know he uses unique.