40 caliber reloads

[SILVERBACK32]

I know that Glock Talk has a section on reloads, and I know that Kahr does not recommend shooting reloads. However, does anyone reload for the Kahr 40 and is there any prefered powder/primer/nose combo?

My brother-in-law is introducing me to the joys of reloading.

[shoen1200]

I have reloaded 9mm and 45acp for a few years now.
I do not have a preferred load selection for your 40 other than to state that you need to spend the extra money for jacketed bullets.
The type of rifling in your Kahr is not suited for bare lead.
So the alternatives are plated or jacketed.
I struggled for an accurate load for my PM9 for quite some time.
The main problem was because I was using plated bullets. I switched to jacketed and it is now as accurate as my expensive carry ammo.
You did not say which Kahr 40 you have but for my short barreled PM9 the higher the velocity the better they group.
For me switching to jacketed and keeping the velocity high (rather than download to preserve gun/hand/cost of propellant) has made a very accurate load.

[SILVERBACK32]

You did not say which Kahr 40 you have but for my short barreled PM9 the higher the velocity the better they group.


Thanks. I have the K-40 - 3.5" BARREL.
Do you prefer any special brand of bullets(nose) ?

[shoen1200]

The weight and type of bullet selected would depend on what you intend to use the loads for.

I have been happy with jacketed bullets from MPS in NC and have purchased Winchester and a few other brands.

For my 45 I usually get jacketed SWC (semi wad cutters). They feed in a 1911 reliable and cut perfectly sharp holes in targets.

For the 9mm I get ether JHP (jacketed hollow points) or FMJ-TC
(full metal jacket truncated round nose) The FMJ-TC are like round nose that have the tip lopped off.

I like to use bullets that have a flat tip because they are much easier to reload with. The reloading press has an easier job when seating the bullets. I no longer get a "coke bottle" effect when reloading 9mm because they are pressed into the case straighter. At least this is the results on my Dillon press.

As for bullet weight. I usually use a lighter bullet for practice than what I use for carry. I do this because you can adjust the point of impact with the propellant charge to match the heavier carry ammo. This usually ends up with a lighter recoiling round for practice. For example for the 45 I use 200gr for reloads and 230 for carry. The reloads with the same point of impact have less recoil.

For my Pm9 I use 115gr weight for both reloads and carry. I have had to make the reload as hot or hotter than my factory carry ammo to achieve accuracy that I need the same weight bullet to get the same point of impact for both reload and carry.

I have always found the internet suppliers to be the cheapest compared to local suppliers. Lately I have found fantastic deals on ebay.

Good luck and have fun.

[PACHARY]

Don't know which 40 you have , but my PM40 puts a nice ding in the side of ejected cases. Will this affect ability to reuse spent cases?

Paul

[AZ Traveler]

They all put a ding in the case and mine reload fine. My 40 Kahrs like 155gr lead round nose semi wadcutters. I had chambering issues until I adjusted the length. My Kahrs like them shorter (but within the length spec.) rather then longer. My 180gr lead reloads would not chamber.

I've used Hodgdon Clays and Winchester 231. Primers I've used are Remington Small Pistol and Winchester Small Pistol. I have some Federals, but have not used them yet.

Cases. I buy mixed once fired brass for about $10.00/500.

The lead shoots fine, you just have to work harder to clean the barrel.

Good Luck
:)

[SILVERBACK32]

I appreciate the responses. It seems that the reading I've done so far show accuracy/speed results for 4 and 5" barrels. Does anyone know if there are any published results from compact barrels?

[Colorado4Wheel]

Originally posted by shoen1200

The main problem was because I was using plated bullets. I switched to jacketed and it is now as accurate as my expensive carry ammo.

I am relaoding 9mm with Rainer Plated. Still looking for a load that I find is perfect. All the ones I tried are "good enough for practice at this time" I am still learning my gun. My struggle is shooting 50ft things. Either way it seems my ammo is more accurate then my eyes, but I am getting better. I reload my 9mm at starting loads minus a small amount. That may be helping my accurracy with reloads. I have had 1 reload fail to return to battery in about 1000 rds. That case was very scratched up for some reason. If you can, reload light loads and you will put less wear on the gun.

[AZ Traveler]

I would have to call my 155 lead reloads - Cowboy loads. Like Colorado4wheel's, they are the starting loads minus "a little bit". They will work in my Kahrs all day long with no problem, but they will not fully cycle the slide on my High Power. In my High Power they will eject but not strip another round from the mag.

My reloads are more pleasant to shoot in my Kahrs then factory, however I still shoot a lot of WWB 180gr FMJ from Walmart.

I carry Federal 180gr HydraShok. I've never seen the HST. At least not where I have looked.

:)

[SILVERBACK32]

[ If you can, reload light loads and you will put less wear on the gun. [/B][/QUOTE]


What did we ever decide was the life expectancy of a K-40? Some folks have said that you can't reload a 40 caliber case more than 2-3 times because of the high pressure. Is the k-40 beat up a lot because it is short barrelled and a 40?

[SILVERBACK32]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by AZ Traveler
[B]They all put a ding in the case and mine reload fine. My 40 Kahrs like 155gr lead round nose semi wadcutters. I had chambering issues until I adjusted the length. My Kahrs like them shorter (but within the length spec.) rather then longer. My 180gr lead reloads would not chamber.

Are the bullets fully supported in the chamber in Kahr pistols or only partially supported as in the Glocks?