.40 reloading question

[diveRN]

I've just started reloading .40s&w. My first batch of 50 was tonight. I've successfully loaded tons of .45acp without any issues and have found that the .45 is pretty forgiving. I'm hearing that this isn't so with the .40.

The background: My recipe is 5.1 to 5.3gr of Unique under an Armscor 180gr FMJ in de-GLOCKed range brass primed with a CCI small pistol primer. The 5.1 to 5.3 "spread" is due to the fact that my Lee thrower is off 0.1 either way of where it's set, no matter how consistently I throw the arm. I finished these with a light crimp to an OAL between 1.133 and 1.135.

I'm loading for economy and fun and intend only to shoot these loads at the range out of my GLOCK 23, so I don't need a particularly hot or hyper-accurate round. I'm shooting 500 - 1000 rounds a month just to remain proficient so once I find a particular recipe that works, I'll probably stay with it.

The question: On several rounds, I noticed a very distinct ridge where the base of the bullet sits inside the case. It doesn't show on all rounds, but does on several and seems predominant on Winchester cases. The top and bottom of the case mic at 0.423 and the "skinny" section mics at 0.418. I randomly sampled 10 bullets from the 1,000 lot and all mic to between 0.3995 and 0.4005

- Is this a problem?



Additionally, even though I've deGLOCKed these by running them through the FCD prior to sizing, you can still see the bulge. It mics correctly and fits perfectly in both the barrel and a cartridge gauge.



There is no more or less slop in the barrel than a factory round.



Thoughts, ideas, suggestions? I'm new to reloading the .40 so any input is welcome. Don't want any Kabooms.

[M27]

it's normal and your fine.

especially if you work your loads up like you are supposed to.

I am surprised you haven't seen it on 45 before. It tends to be more common on brass that is thicker like fiocchi.

[diveRN]

... I am surprised you haven't seen it on 45 before. It tends to be more common on brass that is thicker like fiocchi...

Thanks for the info. It's there on some of the .45s if you really look for it, but no where near as pronounced as I've seen on these.

[cruddymutt]

I just resized and primed 150 range pick up 40 caliber cases and your post got me alittle concerned about the Glock bulge. This will be my first time reloading 40. I pulled the barrel on my XD and manually set each piece into my chamber while watching TV, they all slid in just fine. Now I know there HAD to be some Glock brass in there but just to be sure I went into my unprocessed brass and found a Glock 40 brass. Sure enough, it wouldnt fit in my chamber. I ran it through the deprime/resize die and set it in my chamber and it chambered just fine. Seems all that needs to be done is just resize the brass unless Im missing something.

[sd_shooter]

Looks ok to me.

[diveRN]

I just resized and primed 150 range pick up 40 caliber cases and your post got me alittle concerned about the Glock bulge. This will be my first time reloading 40. I pulled the barrel on my XD and manually set each piece into my chamber while watching TV, they all slid in just fine. Now I know there HAD to be some Glock brass in there but just to be sure I went into my unprocessed brass and found a Glock 40 brass. Sure enough, it wouldnt fit in my chamber. I ran it through the deprime/resize die and set it in my chamber and it chambered just fine. Seems all that needs to be done is just resize the brass unless Im missing something.

In reality, the GLOCK bulge may not make that much difference in your gun, particularly if you're reloading light. If it fits into your chamber, then you're probably GTG. I would question case life though after reloading that same case again and again.

As I understand it, none of the commercially available dies will remove the bulge during resizing. I could be wrong. My Lee carbide dies won't take out all of the bulge.

Pic 1 shows cleaned brass, which barely fits into the gauge. Pic 2 shows a cleaned, sized, and decapped case getting hung up at the bulge. I can push it the rest of the way in and it won't come out without help.

With the crimping cap removed, I run them through the Factory Crimp Die using a push rod I fabricated from a 3/8" bolt x 2". Cases will freely slide in and out of the gauge after I do this. I may be adding an extra, unnecessary step here. Don't know ... still figuring this out.

Both were fired from a GLOCK.

[cruddymutt]

I'm not using a gauge, just my chamber and after running through the resize die they drop in flush and remove without any resistance. I'm still waiting on projectiles so we will see what happens after they are fired.

[gotglock99]

Get a case gage. It's a must for 40. Sometimes when I get 40 range brass, after resizing the brass still has the glock bulge and would not case gage. I always run all 40 brass through the Lee FCD.

[lhecker51]

The issues you described above are normal and are not cause for concern in my opinion. I have loaded 1000's of .40 for my Glock 23 on my Dillon 550 and have zero issues with my reloads. The key here is to constantly monitor your brass before & after reloading for signs of metal fatigue due to overworking (several reloads), high pressure (loose primer pockets, cracks, splits, etc). Toss 'em at the first sign of any of the above. All of my Dillon 550 re-sized brass fit nicely in my gauge. Ensure your sizing die is correctly set.

[RippSpeed]

Another thing to watch out for is crimped primer pockets in 40sw. I have a close to 4000rds of crimp primer brass ... I ended up buying a Super 1050 soo I swage them and deep seat my primers...

[CEDaytonaRydr]

Another thing to watch out for is crimped primer pockets in 40sw. I have a close to 4000rds of crimp primer brass ... I ended up buying a Super 1050 soo I swage them and deep seat my primers...

Really? In 40...?

I have to say that I've never seen that...

[RippSpeed]

Really? In 40...?

I have to say that I've never seen that...

Yup... the Coast Guard is currently using 40sw with crimp primer pockets. I found out who was shooting a bunch of 40sw crimp brass in Norco. It was guy from the Coast Guard.

[diveRN]

Swell. I'm thinking that the NT brass is going into the 'trash-brass' bucket since I don't have a 1050 or a swager.

I inspected and decapped about 800 cases today and saw a couple of them but I didn't look that closely at the primers. If I can use my chamfering/primer pocket cleaning tool on them, I may salvage and try to reload... but I have thousands of .40 cases and adding yet another step to the reloading process isn't appealing. I don't seem to recall having any issues decapping any.

After reading more about this, it appears that crimped cases are limited to Winchester NT and some Federal.

[Munk]

The small bulge from the bullet is no big deal.

The glock bulge is also no big deal.

The important parts are: Does it chamber? and Did I overcharge it?

You don't need to worry about a "Go NoGo" gauge if your own chamber is looser than it is (a vast majority are). Just take the worst "glocked" case you can find, resize it, then see if it chambers with the bulge in every direction. If you find a position where it won't go fully into the chamber, then you need to ditch the glocked brass or fix it. Used .40s&w brass can be had for 3-4 cents a piece (at least before all the chickens started running around with their heads cut off), so you aren't losing anything significant by tossing the worst of them.

The second pic where you see the bulge still after "deglocking" it yourself in the Lee FCD isn't a proper bulge, it's just a scuffed bit because it was bulged for so long. You'd be hardpressed to bend and squish metal without leaving some telltale marks behind. The marks are fairly inconsequential.