bronko22000

Hi guys. I just picked up a Steyr M40 in 40 S&W this morning. Going to get some dies, bullets etc. some time this week.
Would like any suggestions on bullet weight and any favorite loads.
I'm leaning toward the 155 gr or the 180 gr. bullets but would like some opinion.
This pistol is going to be used as my primary carry.

USMC PMI

I do not have a .40 but I have read into it quite a bit. I can't recomend a bullet weight but I can tell you to please be careful when reloading the 40. It operates at a very high pressure and most of the gun makers do no have chambers that fully support the rear of cartridge by the feed throat. 40's are known to buldge near the rear of the case, just make sure you check your brass carefully and do not overload the 40, it is already a "hot" load with high pressure to start with. I load .45 almost daily and may be able to answer any general questions, sorry no one out there is responding. Try posting this in the reloading section.

Aught Six

My M40 is also my primary carry pistol for the time being. I haven't had a chance to get into reloading, so I stick with Federal Hydra-Shoks for now. I've tested 155, 165, and 180 grain JHP's, and all worked flawlessly. I'm an OK pistol shot, and I didn't notice much difference in the groups between the three firing offhand.

Either of the three would do the job well, but I use the 180 grain loads because of better penetration. In the summer it probably doesn't matter much, but heavy layered winter clothing can take some of the bite out of the lighter loads. I prefer to stick to the same ammo year-round, so that's how I made my choice.

Aught Six

Btw, the M40 does have a supported chamber, unlike the Glocks that were designed around the 9mm and later adapted for the .40S&W.

USMC PMI

Glad you did your research about the chamber, there were many other brands that did not fully support the case although this has proven to not be much of an issue if you are using quality brass that you have inspected. I did not clarify either, the buldge did not take place in factory loaded ammo, only in reloaded cases that were either poor quality, out of spec., or loaded to the max. As far as the round, the 180 gr. sounds good to me, I am a .45 person myself and feel at the close range a handgun would be used, the bigger/heavier the better. A threat on the ground is much better than a threat still standing with a hole in them. How do you like the Steyr so far, I have never looked at one but am curious?

Aught Six

Excellent points. Wilhelm Bubits designed the M40 because he realized the 9mm handguns really weren't up to the abuse of the higher-pressured .40S&W cartridge (particularly after many thousands of rounds), despite being able to fit into the frames without any major modification. Since I'm not a reloader, I'm glad you mentioned the bulging of reloaded cases. A blown .40S&W case in a Glock probably wouldn't be very pretty.

It's interesting to note that Bubits tried selling the design to Glock, but was rejected.

Amen to that! Unfortunately I don't have too much experience with the .45 ACP, although I have studied some of what its advocates have said (Cooper, for instance). I've fired my grandpa's Auto-Ordnance WW2 Mil-Spec 1911-A1, but I experienced that famous "slam-bang" recoil its known for. After I save some money to buy a 1911 with closer tolerances, I'll give the .45 another shot.

For now I'm confident that the .40 will probably take care of business (after hearing about hopped-up and/or overly muscular criminals refusing to go down without a hard fight, who really knows?). The most important thing is that I can fire it well and accurately in darkness or light, with or without earplugs (everyone please wear them at the range--I only went without once just to make sure I was comfortable), and its stopping power rivals the other great fighting cartridges out there. It's comfy to carry and shoot, and recoil is pretty low, relatively speaking.

The only complaint I have goes back to bulged brass. Some of the early models (like mine) really had some serious jamming issues, which makes or breaks a carry piece. Cheap, thin brass could stick in the chamber (watch out reloaders) and take a lot of elbow grease to remove. I hear that they fixed that issue, but now Steyr isn't importing the pistol anymore. I use only Federal or Winchester cartridges now, after having a few jams and stovepipes with Remington UMC during target practice. It's had about 1200 rounds through it, and the last 1150 have been flawless.

I'd recommend it for a carrier on a budget (picked mine up at a gun show for $350+tax), but check the serial number and heed my warnings about cheap brass.

bronko22000

Appreciate all the input guys. I don't intend on loading the 40 "hot". I think I settled on a moderate load - 150 gr Nosler moving along about 850 fps with a taper crimp.
When I want a bit more oomph, I will be packing my 1911 Govt. .45 acp. It ain't pretty but works just fine.

USMC PMI

Nothing wrong with the .40 S&W, it is a nice medium between a 9mm and a .45, I am sure judging by the numbers it will have more than enough knockdown power at close range. It really was the only option for a small carry gun until the .45 GAP came out. But that GAP round needs to prove itself first, I think the .40 has done that.

bronko22000

The 40 is working just fine. I love the way it points. The trapezoid sights are easy to pick up. Just seems to come back to target very quickly making it the quickest rapid fire pistol I've shot to date.
I did notice one "problem" however when I brought it home after a session today. It seems as though the Loaded Chamber indicator rod is protruding even with an empty chamger. I don't know if I got a pices of dirt in there or not but it seems to be free, just not protruding out the chamber end of the slide.
Any help in correcting this would be appreciated.