Glock .40 reloads

[Wolfgang7]

For what its worth, I have been loading for Glocks for years in 9, 40, 357sig and 45 using stock barrels.
I have never encountered the much feared "bulge" that is so apparently common and slide-stopping. I have seen the minor swelling at the base which is common but have yet to have it remain after resizing. I also use the Lee FCD and it has functioned perfectly every time. FYI, I have loaded the mild to wild loads. Now, that is not to say it doesnt exist, as I have seen some distorted brass but its not always been from Glocks as there are others out there with the 'unsupported chambers'. If I see its that badly swelled I dont even bother to attempt to reload it as brass is cheap(see it on range brass where the gun fires out of battery). Others may have experienced different results, but I have only loaded 15-20K rounds for the Glock over the years.
dB

how many times can you reload your 40 brass you figure??

 

[daBear]

It all depends on how hot u load them. The 40SW is already running at high pressures so I always inspect the brass carefully. Having said that, I am happy to get 4x or until the cases start to show signs of wear. Brass is cheap and not worth the risk of separation. I have also seen factory loads suffer from case splitting on their first firing or primers blow out. Nothing is perfect.
Cheers
dB

 

[carsmovies]

Thanks dabear. Just the info I was looking for. Cheers.

 

[Wolfgang7]

It all depends on how hot u load them. The 40SW is already running at high pressures so I always inspect the brass carefully. Having said that, I am happy to get 4x or until the cases start to show signs of wear. Brass is cheap and not worth the risk of separation. I have also seen factory loads suffer from case splitting on their first firing or primers blow out. Nothing is perfect.
Cheers
dB

Cheers!

 

[markos_chaos]

I reload for my 22 as well, the brass does bulge but the dies take care of it no problem. Most of the brass has been used over 3 times and non of them had any cracks, splits, etc. Like dabear said, just be careful of how hot the load is.

 

[carsmovies]

As long as the load is hot enough to make major.

 

[pac_man]

I've been reloading .40 since about 1996 and the problem of the bulge is easiliy solved. Lee sizing dies are an example of dies that fully size the brass. Other manufacturers also do a full length size but some do not. I found that my dillon dies didn't full length size which meant that I could use the ammo from the dillon dies in my glock or HK but could not use the same brass in my Beretta.

When the ammo is used in a glock the base of the casing expands slightly more than it would with a completely supported barrel. So you have to full size the brass. If you don't fully size the brass it will still work in your glock etc but won't work in pistols with fully supported barrels like Berettas.

By the way, my loads are middle of the road in power and I use my brass 10 times before I throw it away. If you're doing hot loads you will have to look for signs of brass fatigue and throw it away once a few in a thousand brass casings are cracked.

 

[martinjozwa]

If you purchase G35, you could buy G34 barrel (OEM or aftermarket), and use your G17 mags to shoot 9mm.
It would most likely work fine and you would not need to change extractor etc... as is the case with many people that did same with G23 and G19.

Could there be any technical/ ballistic reason that such combination would be less accurate then original complete G34?

sorry, glock 34 barrel in a glock 35 slide will not work fella, dont give the guy wrong advice. you have to get a 40-9 mm conversion barrel from lone wolf or storm lake, along with the proper mags and extractor. you are still not guaranteed a completely reliable pistol

 

[lanis]

sorry, glock 34 barrel in a glock 35 slide will not work fella, dont give the guy wrong advice. you have to get a 40-9 mm conversion barrel from lone wolf or storm lake, along with the proper mags and extractor. you are still not guaranteed a completely reliable pistol

You could be right on that, but it is possible to do, question is- is it feasible.

I got G23 will do conversion to 9mm, got Lone Wolf barrel on order and will get G19 mags.
I am considering getting G17 mags which would stick out a little, but could use them on my other guns.

I might have to get different extractor, but it is around 20 bucks and 5 minute job and it gets me two guns out of one.

I am doing it both for saving some cash and to try things out.


Regards,
Dan

 

[Wendell]

Read my post above.

Regardless of what .40 you buy, if you pick up casings from the range deck, sooner or later, you're going to inadvertently pick up someone else's brass. When that happens, and that piece of brass gets into your brass, it is now your brass. And that one piece of brass - among your brass - may be bulged.

it doesn't matter who loads your ammunition. What matters is that the person who would reload your .40 brass (including your brass and that one piece of brass that you picked up by accident) understands the bulge factor and how to correct it.

Or else.

 

[mp5k]

aftermarket barrels cut down onm the bulge drastically.

 

[B]

aftermarket barrels cut down onm the bulge drastically.

If you have bulging cases a stronger recoil spring would help a lot too.

 

[Socrates]

I just ran into this problem. I bought 1000 rounds of Wolf .40 TMJ...after many jams...I decided to manually drop (one by one)...all 1000 rounds...into the IGB Barrel of my Glock 23....200 (20%) out of 1000 would not seat properly into the barrel...meaning they are bulged. Not very good for factory reloads.

 

[daBear]

Dont be too quick to assume the cases are bulged. It may also be a problem if using plated bullets if the crimp is strong. Some plated bullets may not be sized consistently and when squeezed with the crimp, the thin plating allows the lead core to flow upward slightly which may be your problem as well. In any case,the Lee FCD easily solves that problem but I do agree that it should not be happening on commercial ammo, remanufactured or factory fresh. May be a sign of a flaw in the QC before packaging.
Cheers
dB

 

[RUPZUK]

My 2 cents...
I've had a G21 (for several years and few thousand rounds), a G22 (very few rounds), a M&P40 (under a thousand, can't remember exactly how many though) and several 1911/2011 pistols in 40 & 45 (lotsa rounds...)
-The Lee bulge buster is a must have reloading item for either caliber and not just for the bulge.
-The G22 (at least some of them anyway, or mine) shouldn't use reloads. I was catching partial case head seperations in my chamber checker after the first minor reload (glock range brass-once fired then reloaded minor and fired once). I found two of them in about 2-300 rounds.
-The M&P is as acurate as you are-its a great gun, But I do understand the desire to have the same type of handgun for another division. Seeing you already have a Glock and like it then get a G22 and put a barrel in it.
-None of my other 40 S&W pistols (3) have ever shown any case head issues at any time over thousands of rounds and many, many reloads so again - get the barrel if you go Glock.