Help with 40S&W and Trailboss

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dgod

dgod

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I ended up on "Thefiringline" Blog and read many different opinions about Trailboss, Some said Lead Only, Some said No Crimps, others the exact opposite.

Others said Trailboss will work in any case as long as it is not compressed by the bullet. Some said crimps were required to reach significant pressure to cause the bullet to exit.

My Question/Request for Knowledge... Is Trailboss safe in the 40S&W?

Thanks
Dan
 
I have used it in 357 revolver and 308 rifle worked well, but never considered it for 40 sw does hodgdon show data for trailboss and 40sw,
Never known anyone to use it in an auto loader would it cycle the slide
Checked hodgdon don’t show trailboss and 40sw that I seen may not be a usable powder in that caliber
 
Trail Boss loves lead, but not plated. Do not compress it. Good neck tension is always needed in .40. Might not cycle the gun. Never tried it in any auto calibers.
 
Dang, now I gotta get a 40S&W Mold.... Oh well, ya gotta do what ya gotta do.

Thanks
 
Trailboss is very bulky and 40 S&W has a relatively small case capacity, you're not going to get much velocity. I bet you have cycling issues.
 
Trail Boss is really not meant for this caliber. The bullet will probably exit the barrel but the slide will likely not cycle. A case filled with Trail Boss will likely be about 2-2.5g which will get you just over 500 fps with a 180g bullet. You'll be lucky to cycle the slide with that low a velocity. Much better powders can be used such as Red Dot, Clays, Titewad, e3, AA#2, Clay Dot. 2.7 to 3.0g is a good starting point with these powders. You aren't anywhere near compressing these powders at this charge and you have both volume and peak pressure margin to work up/down loads with these powders.

The method to use with these powders if you are looking for low recoil loads is to use the minimum powder to reliably cycle the slide and lock back on the last round. Meaning that if you use any less, the slide will not lock back 100% of the time or you don't get 100% full cycling. This will be way above the minimum needed to get the bullet out of the barrel. With uber fast powders you don't want to even think about getting additional velocity out of them. They simply build up peak pressures way too fast.
 
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