# .40 cal lead ball



## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Have been trying many different types of ammo over the last several months including 1/2", 7/16", 3/8" steel and .36 and .45 lead roundball. Really like the lead ammo for best impact and most efficient use of Flatbands.

So I decided to try .40 cal as medium weight ammo between the .36 and .45 lead balls. After ordering a .395 Lee roundball mold from titan reloading I sat down today and cast up 150 balls to try out.

They shoot great out of my rig which consists of a homemade multiplex mule shot in full butterfly with 1" straight cut bands of .30 hygenic latex. It's a bit cool here today (50 degrees f.) But I seem to be getting very good speed with much better impact than the .36 lead balls.

I will be shooting this new .40 ammo exclusively for awhile and will post updates as I test it out further. Think this may be the best compromise between speed and impact energy I have found so far.


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## Northerner (Nov 9, 2010)

You pull some strong bands. What length are they set at and what is your draw length? The .40cal must be moving fast!

I haven't tried .40cal lead yet. The chart says it should be about 92 grains. I currently have LEE molds for .319, .375, .440, and .457. I also have some steel balls in .177, 1/4", 5/16", and 3/8".


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## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Hi Northerner!

My bands are 1 inch wide straight cut .30 latex with an 11.75" active length pulled to my full butterfly draw of 62 inches. This makes for an elongation rate of about 525%. The .40 ammo does have some good speed. I don't have a chrony yet so I'm not sure of the true speed. I plan on doing the soupcan penetration test tonight and see what happens.


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## Mr-W (Jun 17, 2015)

Ive just had the same calibre mould arrive today too... I was a big fan of the .38's for a long time. And after afew test shots today with the new size ball they are performing very well!

I bagged tonnes of wood pigeon over the summer with the .38's so I think the .40's are going to be brilliant - they are blowing through both sides of a bean can at 12m with my setup of 35-25 single tbg and 35" draw so its deffinatly a deadly combo for the fields


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## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Well the more I shoot these .40 lead balls the more I like them. Tried the soup can test and they pass clean through cans both empty and full of water at about 13 yards.

The Lee mold is for 92 grains when pure lead is used. These balls are cast of a harder alloy (range scrap) and are weighing out at about 90 grains.

Can't wait to do more shooting with these. After shooting alot of .36 and .45 lead these .40s are my favorite by far. Way more punch than .36 and much flatter shooting than .45. Good compromise.

I don't hunt with the slingshot (yet) but I like speed and power for plinking and longer range shooting. Gonna do more testing and see how they do on other targets.


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## Sr.Miss Alot (Jul 3, 2015)

Did you get the 6 cavity mold? If so how do you like it?


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## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Sr.Miss Alot said:


> Did you get the 6 cavity mold? If so how do you like it?


Hi Sr. Miss Alot! No I got the 2 cavity mold. I didn't know that Lee made a 6 cavity roundball mold! I would have got the 6 cavity for sure.

I do however have a couple other Lee 6 cavity molds that I am very happy with. A 158 grain .358 double ended wadcutter mold and a 230 grain .45 truncated cone mold for my handguns. The 6 cavity molds are much better quality than the 2 cavity in my opinion. However when the 2 cavity costs only $20 and casts fine boolits you really can't complain!


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## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Oops my .358 wadcutter mold is 148 gr. Not 158 gr.


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## Mr-W (Jun 17, 2015)

Yeh I agree, they pack just that bit more punch than the .38's I was using all summer - and the fly alot faster and flatter than my .47's too. I still haven't managed to get out to the woods to hunt with them yet untill the weekend but against the catch box they are blowing through both sides of an empty hanging soup can and an unopened baked bean can at 12meters. Very happy with it.

I use a 10shot mould without the spru cutter. Only take 2mins to trim 10 shots to a good standard.


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## Mr-W (Jun 17, 2015)

For the record - the dog had the baked beans afterwards lol. I was gonna give them to him anyway, I just got creative in how I opened the can


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

simple fool said:


> Hi Sr. Miss Alot! No I got the 2 cavity mold. I didn't know that Lee made a 6 cavity roundball mold! I would have got the 6 cavity for sure.


Lee does special 6-cav round ball mold runs for TOTW in .395 and other sizes:

http://www.trackofthewolf.com/Categories/PartDetail.aspx/1202/2/LEE-395-6C

A .395 ball should weight about 93 gr. in lead and about 89 gr. in WW (wheel weights) so your balls are approximately as dense as WW alloy:

http://beartoothbullets.com/rescources/calculators/php/roundball.htm?v1=.395&v2=2771.4542

I have somewhere close to three dozen projectile molds--most of them Lee and several of them round ball and buckshot molds. The 18 cavity 000 buck mold is nice for mass producing cheap SS ammo (.360). I have the 00 18-cav mold too. You end up with a sprue that you have to cut with the eighteen-ers. Also, as is the case with all molds, the greater the number of cavities the lower the consistency of what the mold drops, but it really doesn't matter for SS ammo.


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## simple fool (Jul 18, 2015)

Mr-W said:


> For the record - the dog had the baked beans afterwards lol. I was gonna give them to him anyway, I just got creative in how I opened the can


You have to eat it if you kill it right?!

Yeah my catch box is getting torn up fast from .40. Going to have a few hours to myself tonight and get some solid shooting time in.

Yeah I saw that track of the wolf sells the 6 cav. Roundball molds. I have always ordered from titan reloading and did not see one on their site. Guess I will have to wear this one out to warrant buying one!


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## calinb (Apr 4, 2015)

simple fool said:


> You have to eat it if you kill it right?!


Or at least feed it to your dog, who relies on your for sustenance! Around here, our dog is a family member (or are we part of his pack)?


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## Mr-W (Jun 17, 2015)

My Charlies one of the kids. I occasionally roast him pigeons that ive shot - he is my hunting partner after all


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## Ifab25 (Jun 5, 2013)

Mr-W, what is you active band length you use? Your draw length is near mine, which is 36". I use TBG almost exclusively, but the speed you get sounds interesting.

Thanks!!

Terry


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## Mr-W (Jun 17, 2015)

Cut my bands at 21cm mate. And a 35-25taper... Once ive tied up gives me pretty much my 35-36" draw perfectly as the bands are maxxed.

If im not using 35/25 tbg im using 30/20 0.040 latex or double 1745's.

I shoot with abit of a flick too as thats what I do when I hunt.


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