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Thread: Casting for .40 S&W

  1. #1
    Boolit Buddy Jamesconn's Avatar
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    Casting for .40 S&W

    I need a boolit mould for 40 cal in six cavity I can really only afford lee.
    It's just for punching paper and I want to use just enough powder to cycle the gun I've been using titegroup for copper plated projectiles in the 9mm and it worked fine but somebody said I should get a slower powder for cast.
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  2. #2
    Boolit Master



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    Here's the one I'm using for my M-22 glock.

    http://leeprecision.com/6-cav-401-175-tc.html

    With mine you could run it as cast without sizing, and lube it with LLA. I cast them hard because you have to when loading in an OEM glock barrel. I get good accuracy with no leading.

    As for the slower powder theory, I don't know why. There's loads for any appropriate pistol powder out there.

    The truncated cone design feeds flawlessly as well.
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  3. #3
    Boolit Master


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    I bought this one:

    http://leeprecision.com/6-cav-tl401-175swc.html


    I really like it.

    I have a S&W and a SIG. It feeds perfectly in both. I have fired about 300 of them in each with not a single failure to feed.


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  4. #4
    Boolit Mold
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    I have had good luck so far with the Lee 175TC mold out of 2 different pistols.
    http://fsreloading.com/lee-6-cav-401-175-tc.html

  5. #5
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    I got a few samples that i have been trying so far my gun shoots true to point of aim with the lee 401-175 tc it also feeds well now i just need to get it a bit larger as my samples were sized just touch small for my bore , slug your barrel 40 seems to vary just like 9mm

    i will be getting the 401-175tc standard lube groove as one of my next molds , i will hope to be able to shoot them un-sized , or i will probably need to make a 402 or 403 die

    a case expander is nearly a must to keep from swagging them down or was for me

    right now i run sizing/decap die , then lee universal case expander and it opens it up a fair amount then powder thru charging die then add boolet and use the seating die , they are seated and it straitens out the bell from the expander , i don't crimp they are in there so well that it took mangling a bullet to pull one out when i tried it was more than i could do with my own strength pulling the brass with one pliers and the bullet with the other no primer or powder it was just a dummy to test , but with a press and pliers i was able to pull one free but it mashed the nose of the bullet with the pliers to keep a grip on it
    it hadn't swagged down any form the seating die as long as the expander had been used
    before that they were squeezing down a bit.


    my gun didn't care for SWC boolits at all maybe if the were seated very deep they would have fed , but that caused other issued.

    that gun has never not fed anything factory any brand but it just didn't like SWC

  6. #6
    Boolit Buddy
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    Can't help you with the mold but I use titegroup powder and 180 grain lead bullets and the combination works exceedingly well.

  7. #7
    Boolit Master Rangefinder's Avatar
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    Lee 175gr SWC over 4.4gr Red Dot will punch paper on a budget all day long.
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  8. #8
    Boolit Buddy boltons75's Avatar
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    Been wondering about titegroup myself, that's what I've been loading berrys with. I just measured some cast from my lee 175 tc mold, and they measured in at .405, so in my case sizing is indeed needed, as my bore slugged right at .401. Loaded an unsized dummy, and it expanded the brass and won't drop freely in my chamber.

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  9. #9
    Boolit Master
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    i cleaned my barrel with chore boy , and solvent , and got it sparkling clean then
    i went thru my test boolits found some that were .402 used a soft lube , used remingtion brass expanded them just a touch more and i think i found a combo that doesn't lead

  10. #10
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    Titegroup's fine in the .40 for plinking-level loads with air-cooled wheel weights, just don't get crazy with it because it gets spooky when the pressures are run up above about 20K psi. It's a shotgun powder, not really designed for magnum handgun pressures, and with cast, you ARE better served with a slower powder like HS6, Longshot, or even Blue Dot if you want more.

    The Lee 175 TC has performed very well in three different guns I load for.

    Gear

  11. #11
    Boolit Master ku4hx's Avatar
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    My Glock 23 and 27 with either the OEM or Lone Wolf barrel will simply not reliably chamber any SWC profile boolit. No matter how I tweak the dimensions it just won't. And frankly it's not worth the effort to solve this problem given how they shoot everything else so well. For the Glocks I stick with Lee 175 grain traditional lube TC boolit.

    My Smith 411 chambers and shoots everything equally well. As does it's big brother my 1006.
    Last edited by ku4hx; 02-11-2012 at 03:46 PM.

  12. #12
    Boolit Master rsrocket1's Avatar
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    I use the 401-175-TC in my S&W M&P40 with 3.5g Bullseye and 790 fps. Ultra light recoil and reliable cycling with no leading at all. The fast powder builds up pressure quickly to seal the case in the chamber and prevent gas blow by into your face. It runs just fine up to 5.0g Bullseye and 1030fps. Those are my tested limits with that powder. This is with a 1.135" COL and the standard lube groove bullets tumbled in 45/45/10 lube.

  13. #13
    Boolit Master
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    Quote Originally Posted by ku4hx View Post
    My Glock 23 and 27 with either the OEM or Lone Wolf barrel will simply not reliably chamber any SWC profile boolit. No matter how I tweak the dimensions it just won't. And frankly it's not worth the effort to solve this problem given how they shoot everything else so well. For the Glocks I stick with Lee 175 grain traditional lube TC boolit..


    Odd how ofter very similar guns shoot differently. My Glock 23 "loves" the Lee TL401-175-SW. And to me, that boolit looks to the TL "twin" of the traditional lube 401-170-TC. OE barrel and no leading at all.

    prs

  14. #14
    Boolit Master XWrench3's Avatar
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    i have 2 lee molds that i use in mine. a 2 cavity tumble lube and the one the first 3 guys have. i actually like the 6 cavity ( http://leeprecision.com/6-cav-401-175-tc.html ) one better than the tumble lube version. even though i only tumble lube. i have used titegroup, with no problems, i have also used hp-38, bullseye, and aa#2. all of them work fine.
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  15. #15
    Boolit Master
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    3.7 gr WST and Lee 175gr TC std lube type.
    Almost 2k rounds per pound of powder.

  16. #16
    Boolit Master
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    I use the Lee TL 401-175 SWC six cavity mold.



    I have no complaints with it, and it looks like you can't go wrong with this Lee mold in either the Tumble Lube, or the normal lube version.

    I tumble lube using Recluse's 45-45-10, push em all through a Lee .401 sizer, and then tumble lube again.

    I personally like to use Blue Dot in 40S&W. It would be pretty difficult to double charge Blue Dot in a 40S&W case. I have also successfully used both Unique and Red Dot as well, with no problems to speak of.

    I think a light charge (4 grains or so) of Red Dot, would be an economical load to shoot.


    - Bullwolf

  17. #17
    Boolit Bub Net_Ranger101's Avatar
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    you cant go rong with lee

    Ive been using a lee 6 cav .40 you do get what you pay for my 4 cav seco mold is extremely nice however the 6 cav can really pump them out and at 1/2 the price

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Abbreviations used in Reloading

BP Bronze Point IMR Improved Military Rifle PTD Pointed
BR Bench Rest M Magnum RN Round Nose
BT Boat Tail PL Power-Lokt SP Soft Point
C Compressed Charge PR Primer SPCL Soft Point "Core-Lokt"
HP Hollow Point PSPCL Pointed Soft Point "Core Lokt" C.O.L. Cartridge Overall Length
PSP Pointed Soft Point Spz Spitzer Point SBT Spitzer Boat Tail
LRN Lead Round Nose LWC Lead Wad Cutter LSWC Lead Semi Wad Cutter
GC Gas Check