who shoots hard cast in .40?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

okie reloaded

Marksman
Special Hen
Joined
Jun 10, 2014
Messages
5
Reaction score
0
Location
okc
JK bullet casters have bullets at decent prices in Moore. I have shot 1000's(3k) through my glock 22 and baby eagle with a variety of powders with minimal leading if kept at 1050 fps. love their prices and people!
 

Brandi

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
2,663
Reaction score
8
Location
OKC
Buffalo Bore sells some hard cast .40S&W stuff that's a little hotter than normal, I always figured it would make a decent trail/camping choice for here in Oklahoma since we don't have much for big critters. I know Glocks have that unsupported chamber issue but my .40 is a S&W40 so that shouldn't be an issue. What you guys think...would a M&P40 loaded with Buffalo Bore hard cast flat nose ammo (hot standard pressure) be a good outdoor "just in case" gun (assuming that's all you had)? I know S&W doesn't support using +P in any of their guns that I know of but lots of folks still do it without issue, would a +P version of the previous cartridge mentioned be a better choice? I've always thought that a .40S&W +P would make a good trail/camping caliber but I'm pretty much a .40 noob so maybe not a good idea?
 

Rod Snell

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Aug 10, 2006
Messages
2,555
Reaction score
362
Location
Altus
would a +P version of the previous cartridge mentioned be a better choice? I've always thought that a .40S&W +P would make a good trail/camping caliber but I'm pretty much a .40 noob so maybe not a good idea?

There is no such thing as a "+P .40 S&W" listed by SAAMI.

Let's talk about SAAMI standards: +P is a specific pressure range for an individual cartridge that is higher than the standard pressure, but is listed as a SAAMI standard. The pressure varies with the specific cartridge. For example a +P 9mm is nearly twice the pressure of a +P .38 Special. (38,500 vs 20,000)
http://www.handloads.com/misc/saami.htm

A .40 S&W has a maximum of 35,000 PSI MAP, and there is NO higher pressure load listed for the .40 S&W. The 10mm parent cartridge lists 37,500 PSI MAP.

If you load .40 S&W higher than 35,000 PSI MAP, you are shooting proof loads and risking failure of the handgun. How risky it is depends on how much higher the pressure goes. Do you feel lucky?
 

Brandi

Sharpshooter
Special Hen
Joined
Aug 13, 2012
Messages
2,663
Reaction score
8
Location
OKC
There is no such thing as a "+P .40 S&W" listed by SAAMI.

Let's talk about SAAMI standards: +P is a specific pressure range for an individual cartridge that is higher than the standard pressure, but is listed as a SAAMI standard. The pressure varies with the specific cartridge. For example a +P 9mm is nearly twice the pressure of a +P .38 Special. (38,500 vs 20,000)
http://www.handloads.com/misc/saami.htm

A .40 S&W has a maximum of 35,000 PSI MAP, and there is NO higher pressure load listed for the .40 S&W. The 10mm parent cartridge lists 37,500 PSI MAP.

If you load .40 S&W higher than 35,000 PSI MAP, you are shooting proof loads and risking failure of the handgun. How risky it is depends on how much higher the pressure goes. Do you feel lucky?

Nope, I don't reload anyway.
 

swampratt

Sharpshooter
Supporting Member
Special Hen Supporter
Joined
Nov 3, 2010
Messages
12,843
Reaction score
19,724
Location
yukon ok
Camp gun for critters. I would not want to be shot by a 750fps 22 bullet that weighed 36gr
Think about a 180 or 230 or 260 gr projectile hitting you at the same speed. that 750fps is like 3X faster than most (older) bows will shoot.
For defense against critters etc it does not take much.

I tried making hard cast bullets for my 45 work. but it likes a 50/50 mix or a 23 soft 1/3 hard mix.
My 357mag at 170gr likes hard cast gas checked at 1376fps for long range stuff.
Not worth a hoot up close .
You may experiment with bullet hardness and come up with a winning combo.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom