Reloading .40S&W and having some problems. Please help! lol

CanuckShooter

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My dad had been having some problems with his reloaded .40 rounds not chambering. About 30% of them would not chamber. He is using lead RNFP bullets. So we bought the Lee Factory Crimp Die and I am not sure if it has helped....

We originally thought that it was the brass that was bulged keeping it from chambering since some of it is Glock fired. But after resizing the brass, it drops right it to the chamber no problem. So I figure that is not the issue. The OAL we are using, is the recipe for this type of bullet in the Lyman and Hodgdon manual, and I am scared to go any shorter since from what I understand that could cause a great pressure spike (even though there are some .40 recipes that call for an OAL as short as 1.110.... which I don't understand). So the only thing I can come up with is the lead bullets. He has used plated, and FMJ's before with nary a hiccup.

We tried dropping some factory ammo into the chamber of his gun (S&W 4006 with Bartso barrel), and of course it dropped right it, and none of the case wall was showing. But when we drop a reloaded cartridge in, it doesn't drop in all the way like the factory ammo. It chambers fine when cycling the slide, even when I ease the slide closed lightly, yet there is a bit of resistance when cycling the slide to eject the cartridge manually.

Is that ok? Or should ejecting the cartridge be as easy as if the chamber was empty, with absolutely no resistance. We are using an OAL of 1.124 with the RNPF bullets. I am ripping my hair out trying to find what the hell is going on, but just can't seem to figure it out. I am apprehensive about turning down the crimp die too much as to avoid a pressure spike, but I read that the Lee factory crimp die will not allow you to go below SAAMI case mouth specs. Does this mean I can crank it down all the way with no ill effect? I have ony turned the crimp insert down half, to a full turn past where it engages an empty casing as the instructions say.

Help anyone? I am losing my mind! lol :redface::redface:
 
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OK....
OAL is just a guideline...
Different bullet designs/size will factor in the pressure curve...

Have you measured the bullets? are they oversize? wax covered???
is it the length that is causing you problem or the diameter?

is there any crap in the chamber???
 
Sometimes the lead bullets have a shouder that hits the chamber wall. Take an empty case sans primer, load a bullet, try it, keep shortening the length till it feeds correctly, measure that and compare it's OAL to the book. I have a 9mm barsto barrel for my 229 and it won't feed reloaded lead RN that all my other 9mm will happily feed. Barsto's are known for tight chambers. Likely your load will work fine in other guns but you may need to use FMJ in the barsto barrel.
 
Hey colin I thought the same about the barsto but you re-read the barsto is fine... my 5906 has a match grade barrel... Really tight... But I don't shoot lead and never had a problem with it...
 
Use some FMJ

If you use FMJ you will no longer encounter this problem. Too many lead makers use their own specs.

I too encountered this problem, the FMJ's it has disappeared.

Try it before you knock it.
 
We measured the bullets and if I remember correctly they were either right on, or 1 thou oversize. But isn't the Lee Factory Crimp Die supposed to be able to resize lead that is slightly over?

How short an OAL can I use considering the fact that we are using the minimum charge weight of 231 listed for this calibre?

One thing I don't understand, is if the max OAL for a .40S&W chamber is 1.135", and we were loading to 1.124".... how could changing the OAL help? I am not slagging the idea at all, I just don't understand. The only thing I could think of was that the rounded shape of the RNFP lead bullets we were using is wider closer to the nose than a plain flat point bullet. So it might engage the rifling sooner, where as a plain flat point's conical nose could poke into the barrel slightly without engaging the rifling since it is more narrow.

Does that make any sense?

Man, if loading .45ACP lead bullets for a 1911 is as hard as this I may just sell all my stuff before I even get to use it lol This is insanity. It is as far from being fun as it could possibly be right now.

PS - One thing that I did notice, was that every time I chambered a round (uncharged, and unprimed) it would get one little mark on the edge of the nose. Each time I chambered the same bullet another mark was added. Not quite sure what it was. Maybe you guys will know....
 
We measured the bullets and if I remember correctly they were either right on, or 1 thou oversize. But isn't the Lee Factory Crimp Die supposed to be able to resize lead that is slightly over?

How short an OAL can I use considering the fact that we are using the minimum charge weight of 231 listed for this calibre?

One thing I don't understand, is if the max OAL for a .40S&W chamber is 1.135", and we were loading to 1.124".... how could changing the OAL help? I am not slagging the idea at all, I just don't understand. The only thing I could think of was that the rounded shape of the RNFP lead bullets we were using is wider closer to the nose than a plain flat point bullet. So it might engage the rifling sooner, where as a plain flat point's conical nose could poke into the barrel slightly without engaging the rifling since it is more narrow.

Does that make any sense?

Man, if loading .45ACP lead bullets for a 1911 is as hard as this I may just sell all my stuff before I even get to use it lol This is insanity. It is as far from being fun as it could possibly be right now.

PS - One thing that I did notice, was that every time I chambered a round (uncharged, and unprimed) it would get one little mark on the edge of the nose. Each time I chambered the same bullet another mark was added. Not quite sure what it was. Maybe you guys will know....


O.K., there are many points to cover here, so I will try to point some things out. You can tell by my signature that I am a little familiar with the .40 round. I have shot WELL into the six-figure mark with .40's in competitions and had VERY little troubles with my guns, or loads I have made for others.

You did not state what brand of bullet you used. The only successful lead bullet I have used in .40 is DRG 180 grain FP. There really is no need for RNFP except for people that demand it seeking to cure problems. I don't know how many manufacturers that I have talked to with this situation. One of them in the U.S. (West Coast) told me I didn't know what I was talking about when I indicated to them that if you loaded one of their RNFP bullets to SAAMI specs, that it was not crimping on the full diameter of the bullet. Obviously no shooters in that company. They have now been bought out by Berry's, and brought back the FP (truncated cone) bullet. Smart move.

The nick you see on the bullet nose is because it is hitting the ramp or chamber edge when it is fed into the barrel. The bullet shape has everything to do with it, as well as OAL and magazine lip shape.

You do NOT need a LEE factory crimp die for 40 loads if your existing dies are set up properly. The diameter at the leading edge of the brass should be about .419" for a proper crimp. A standard crimp die should be fine.

The SAAMI OAL for .40 is 1.135" I have loaded from 1.110" to 1.180" with no difficulty in some guns. This would be a high cap. 1911 style pistol with a custom Scheuman barrel that would devour almost anything. Others, like Glock, need an OAL of less than 1.145" to just fit into the magazine. If you load to 1.135", and then have problems, it is most likely either the bullet shape, diameter, or a magazine problem.

I am not real crazy about .40 lead bullets as I use either plated (good) or jacketed (best) for shooting in my own guns. If you do use lead, then buy a good brand name bullet to start with. Sounds like your bullets are the problem.
 
Personally, I believe with the heat and pressure in a 40 you will end up with lots of fouling.. the Lee factory crimp dies will not adjust the bullet.. that's not it's purpose.. it's supposed to adjust the case and crimp
 
"But when we drop a reloaded cartridge in, it doesn't drop in all the way like the factory ammo."

I shoot .40 S&W as well, and nothing but lead bullets. I have shot LRNFP and now I'm shooting Lead Truncated Cone.

I've had no problems with either after adjusting the OAL. Your reloads must drop into your barrel. Most common problem IMO is the OAL. Shorten the OAL until your rounds drop fully into the barrel and you should have no problems.

Mine are shot through an M&P. And I can shoot all day long with no problems with 4.3 grains of W231. (OAL LTC 1.12" crimp .420)

RGD

PS: Pressure fears. If you're loading up to the maximums, fear is good. Start at the minimum and go up from there.
 
I figured it would be better to hijack a related post versus starting a new one, here is my problem.

I have an M&P .40, my reloads don't fully chamber if there are 10 or 9 rounds in the magazine. I can load up with 8 and it is fully functional. All that is required is a light release of the slide to get it to chamber, so I am not sure what I can do to the round to make it work better.

Here is what my round looks like.

P1040492v2.jpg


So it is a 155gr LSWC, 4.9gr 231, 1.125 OAL, and it has a factory crimp on it.

Should I try seating it deeper to remove the ledge?

Thanks for the help, I have a match this coming weekend and I can put 8 in the mag instead of 10 until I figure it out.
 
I think you should try a shorter OAL, to much shoulder showing, at least from my .45 experience with LSWC. Thickness of a thumb nail they say.

RGD
 
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