My handgun hunting thread...

I caved in to magnumitis and ordered a 7" KKM barrel for the G40.

Rumor has it that might get it over 800 ft. lbs. at the muzzle.... With a 200 grain bullet.

I'll wring it out and see, but I'm not going over published load data so I figure somewhere around 1,275 fps or so will be about it (~750 ft. lbs.).

Won't have it for about 6 weeks though, got it with the black nitride finish.



My reasons:
The longer barrel will slightly delay the unlocking, it needed that with the full toot loads.

In a hunting pistol, every bit of power your can get is good.

I can now shoot pretty much any lead bullet I want, probably never will, but I can if I want.

I actually think the extended barrel will look cool, I know thats of no real use for anything that matters... KKM will make a barrel to any length you want (no extra charge), I considered 7.5" because that is a popular length for revolvers but I think the 1" extension is enough without protruding too far out of the holster.

Possibly more accurate, but I sorta doubt it.

And I've always had a need for speed.
 
Another thing to try is different recoil springs to tame down the slide and ejection. It also raises your velocity by unlocking a little later.I have used up to 24# on my SF but have a 22# in now with the FFIII riding on top. Also added the SS guide rod. Factory weight is 18#. Shooting mostly the 180 XTP with Blue Dot.
 
I don't believe springs do anything to slow unlocking, at least not enough to matter.... I know a lot a people claim that, but the physics just don't add up... Due to spring rate, it takes very little pressure to move the slide/barrel assembly from battery... Likely less than 2 pounds, even with a 24 pound spring.... It's only 24 pounds at full compression.

The single most effective way to slow down unlocking is to add mass (weight) to the slide/barrel assembly (guide rods don't count, they don't move).

I'm on my way to Cabela's to add another ounce or so... The Leupold Deltapoint Pro is on sale and the local store has one in stock.

I'm gonna compare the weight of the sight and mounting plate to the filler plate that is on there when I get back.
 
Well shoot...

The only one they had in stock was the display model, which would have been fine, but not at full cost with thumb prints all over it.

I ordered one though, should have done that too begin with, saved me $32 in sales tax, and Cabelas has free shipping on orders over $99 right now.

2.5 MOA Deltapoint Pro for $399 total, not bad.

I'll do the weight comparisons when I get it.
 
The filler plate and screws on the G40 MOS weighs 1.8 ounces.

The mounting plate and screws for the Deltapoint Pro weighs .8 ounces.

According to Leupold the Deltapoint Pro, with a battery installed, weighs 1.9 ounces.

So, that so adds up to an increase in barrel/slide assembly weight of right at 1 ounce (.9), just by adding the sight.

I expect the KKM barrel will weigh at least 1.5 ounces more than the factory barrel.

So, when all is said and done, I will have increased the slide/barrel assembly weight by appx. 2.5 ounces.

That is a lot in this context... And will have a significant impact on unlock timing.
 
Got the Deltapoint Pro... The weights above are confirmed and correct.

The Deltapoint Pro added exactly 1 ounce to the slide weight.

I'm curious to see how much the 7" barrel adds when I get it.
 
I just confirmed that my G40 is unlocking a little early with warm loads.

Measuring the chamber and the smiled brass leaves no doubt that the slide moved ~.050" before the brass swelled on those warm loads.

This begins at about 7.8 grains of Longshot and 12.8 grains of AA #9 under a 200 XTP ... In my pistol, yours may be different.

I was pretty sure of it before I did the measuring, now I'd bet a weeks pay on it...

The 7" barrel I have on the way should slow the unlocking down a bit. The length of it will add some barrel time and the extra weight of the longer barrel will hold things in place a little longer as well.

Then there's the ounce that I've added to the slide weight too (Deltapoint Pro).... I'm still using the stock spring, with the added length and weight, I believe the stock spring will be fine.
 
Heavier recoil springs can also increase velocity. If you're stuck on using the factory one you should get some slide buffers.
 
I gave in and ordered a new chrono just now...I've had I think 3 ProChrono Digitals in a row now, maybe 4, if you use them, you will eventually shoot them, especially getting long range readings...that is firing through the chrono from 600-1,000 yards.

This last one has been hit 4 times but it has managed to keep working after some reconstructive surgery...at least until a couple of weeks ago when it started misbehaving. It was time to put it out of its misery.

I decided to try something different, but didn't want to spend the $$$ on a LabRadar...OK, I did want to...my wife, however, did not.

I ended up ordering a Caldwell G2 Ballistic Prescison chrono, funny thing...I thought of that inverted design about 20 years ago.

I figured I'd better get one that works before I get the new barrel and blow my fingers off! So far I still have all 10, I'd like to keep it that way.
 
From the 7" barrel...

12.6 grains of AA9 under a 200 grain XTP, seated at 1.26" oal...

6 rounds....

1,293
1,296
1,293
1,295
1,294
1,296

For an average of 1,295 fps at 15 feet from the muzzle...

True muzzle velocity at the muzzle....

1,305 fps!

And the brass says I could go more...
 
The new barrel is .8 ounces heavier than the stock barrel....

So I've added 1.8 ounces of mass to the slide assembly.

There are no longer any signs of unlocking early.

The KKM has about .050" more chamber support than stock.
 
8.2 grains of Longshot, 200 XTP...

Not so good.

1,261 fps...64 fps more than the stock barrel with the same load.

ES 37, SD 15
 
I think I'm done fiddling around with powders.

AA #9 is gonna be my 10mm powder with 200 grain bullets.

And Power Pistol for everything else (plinking and practice), likely some Unique too, since I have a couple pounds.

I'll burn the Longshot up in some 12 guage hunting loads.... I'm just not liking it much in 10mm.
 
Got the G40 sighted in today.

From a solid rest I can reliably hit a 12"x12" steel plate at 150 yards...I honestly didn't expect it to come that easily.

I'm confident I can take game with it at 75 yards, maybe even a bit more.

I fired 50 rounds of full power 10mm reloads (200 grain bullets at over 1,300 fps)... I now understand very well why the FBI watered the 10mm down... It's not brutal, but a 9mm it is not!

I'm looking at trigger options... The trigger itself (the part you pull) is uncomfortable to me, my finger is sore after those 50 rounds. The trigger won't be a problem for hunting but it makes it less than ideal at the range.

The trigger pull... Is hard to work with... You try to do a slow steady squeeze and it starts and stops 2-3 times before it goes bang....I don't much like that, looking at spring combos that might help there.
 
Also.... That's about 70 rounds through the new 7" KKM barrel.

No malfunctions of any kind.... And it is ACCURATE!
 
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