Range and Hunting Loads

[TXCOONDOG]

I have a Glock 40 with a KKM 6" barrel and RIA 52000 with a 6" barrel and settled on the following:

My range loads run 1200FPS with my 180 gr TC cast boolits (CWW alloy).

My woods carry loads run 1200 FPS with my 200 gr WFN cast boolits (CWW alloy)

I worked up an accurate load using a 180 gr XTP bullets at 1350fps out of the same two pistols.

What velocities are you running at the range (plinking), woods carry and/or hunting ?

[Kenk]

Afternoon Txcoondog,
For range time, my favorite bullets are 180gr XTP's and or 180gr HAP. As for powder, I mostly use 10.4gr Blue Dot, but have become interested in working with BE-86. As for hunting, I like Underwood's 200gr XTP (Whitetail) If bears were a concern, I would go with UW's 220gr Hard cast.

Ken

[TXCOONDOG]

Afternoon Txcoondog,
For range time, my favorite bullets are 180gr XTP's and or 180gr HAP. As for powder, I mostly use 10.4gr Blue Dot, but have become interested in working with BE-86. As for hunting, I like Underwood's 200gr XTP (Whitetail) If bears were a concern, I would go with UW's 220gr Hard cast.

Ken

What pistols are you using and do you know what your velocities are ?

With me averaging 100 plus rounds a week, the XTP's would get expensive which is why I started casting.

I use to run top velocities on my range loads and settled on the aforementioned velocities  as a happy medium.

I don't think I've tried Blue Dot in the 10mm but have in my .357 magnum along with my shotgun loads.
Longshot and AA#9 have been my go to powders for plinking and woods carry.

Thanks for the reply Ken.

[Kenk]

In 10mm, I primarily shoot my Rock Ultra full size HC with a 5" factor barrel, as for velocities, I would say in the 11's someplace, but don't know an exact. As for bullets, the HAP's aren't as bad as the XTP's but are still expensive, plus I don't shoot as much as you do
Thanks

Ken

[Trapper6L]

My range and hunting loads are the same. I've tried to save a buck by buying coated bullets and they shoot good but there's not much money saved. I'm shooting mostly the 180GR HST bullet over 12.8 grs of 2400. By the book, it's suppose to give me 1250'ps but I'm also shooting a long slide so velocity is probably higher. I don't have a chronograph anymore so who knows what the velocity is. The load is pretty accurate out of the Remington R1 Hunter. I've pretty much decided that what I'm loading is going to be the ticket for my hunting needs and I see no reason to back up with plinker loads. If I need to plink, I have all kinds of pistols to shoot. Now that the R1 is inducted into being the truck pistol, I don't need to practice with something other than what I shoot on a normal day hunting. Any of the lighter 40 caliber bullets have been noted for the 40SW. I just got 1000 rounds of 40 SW brass ready today. Between now and Christmas, I hope to have it all stuffed. Still, no plinkers with it either. About the only pistol I load down for plinking is 38 Specials with 148gr DEWC lead that goes out of the Smith stainless 38 or one of the Pythons.

[Paul James]

I just got a G40 during hunting season,so I have not hunted with it yet. My favorite so far has been 10.6grs of blue dot and a 200gr Acme TCFP for 1300fps in the stock 6in barrel.

[sep]

For range plinking, I'm running 180 grain plated bullets fueled by 5.2-5.4 grains Win 231/HP38. I haven't chronographed them but they function my G40 with KKM barrel, STI Perfect 10, Dan Wesson Bruin and Dan Wesson Kodiak with no problems. I buy whatever brand of plated bullets I can get the cheapest. Recently, I've been using The Bullet Works, Extreme, Berrys and HSM bullets.

For woods carry, I'm running a Montana Bullet Works NOE 200 grain WFN-GC with 10 grains of Blue Dot, CCI 300 primers, Starline cases. I've chronographed this load out of my G40 at 1275 fps average velocity and out of my STI Perfect 10 it chronographed at 1257 fps average velocity. 

I used to run the Montana Bullet Works 200 grain WFN-PB with a giant meplat but the last round or two I try to put in the magazine binds a little even when seated to 1.24. So, I opted for the narrower profile of the NOE bullet. The NOE bullet shoots a little faster than the giant meplat version too with the same powder charge. My STI pushed that giant meplat version bullet to an average velocity of 1216 fps with 10.0 grains of Blue Dot. So, with the NOE version, I get rounds that fill the magazine with no binding and a little more velocity.