The key facter in the bullet is what material it is made of , with a jacketed lead bullet I would guess about 240 to 260 would be a good area, you might check out
http://www.prbullet.com/
If you can check the specks of the bullet for length. You might check with Lane to he is very sharp on an awful lot of this stuff, you also will have to get the right fit that takes the right sabot as well as the right bullet. Lee

Heavy, Heavy conicals. 400+ grains. Just my opinion. Should shoot these big bullets great. Tom.

Right you are Tom. Could possibly start as low as 360g. And I wouldn't venture anymore than 70grains, of any powder

The Bull Shop: http://bullshop.gunloads.com/ or No Excuses: line of conicals would be a good place to start, and would have to slug the bore and get the actual barrel diameter measurement.

Off the shelf bullets that might work are the 300g Platinum PowerBelt, And you could pay the big money for this bullet, and have it shipped to ya from PRBullet.com: Ultimate 1 QT .45 Polymer Tip - 360 grain

prbullet offers the heaviest .40cal bullets available, 240 and 260gr. I would certainly try the 260gr in that rifle as it was originally designed for the higher rpm of the Savage. Start low and work up.

I've got a supply of the ligher Dead Center weights, I could send you a few of each if you want to try them instead of paying quite a bit straight from prbullet just to try them. I've got some 240s too but I want to test those one more time myself before I let them all go

I've got a ton of 250gr QTs too. Another good, cheaper option if maxiumum ballistic coefficient is not your primary concern.

Sadly, no one yet offers a jacketed .40cal bullet heavier than the 200SW. I am considering the modest purchase of software to design one based on some ideas I have, but it looks like it would cost me around $5,000 for basic swaging gear to make one (yes I checked into this!). Unless I was convinced of significant demand it'll remain a pipe dream for awhile.

Spaniel, you might try having Dan at Mountain Molds make you a paperpatch style .40 in about 250 - 270 grains. I think that would be a winner and came real close to ordering one myself. Casting is certainly a cheaper route to take.

He could do something like this

Check out some of the traditional suppliers. they make a heavy conical for the 40 caliber Gibbs. And you can also buy some .451 heavy conicals for the Whitworth Rifle. I have a .451 mold for my Whitworth. If I remember it drops right at 400 grains. I bought that mold from Buffalo Arms. However I like the idea about the paper patch bullets. Tom.

Thanks, but for close stuff I have plenty of options. Most of my thoughts and curiousity is for long range options (ie pointy bullets!). The 200SW is NOT the best long range .40 thing that will shoot in a ML, only the best one currently marketed.

Hey, I used to be a scientist, I have to tinker with such things!!