40 S&W bullets in 38/40 Win

[pfaffoto]

Has anyone tried to use 40 S&W bullets for 38/40 Win?  40 S&W bullets spec at .400 in. and that's the spec for 38/40 Win; but are there problems?

[MichaelK]

Two things I would suggest.  Slug your barrel and slug your cylinder throats.  You can buy a 3/8" wooden dowel from Home Depot for about a dollar.  Use a short section of dowel to tap one of your .40 caliber bullets down the barrel.  Pure lead is easiest, but you can use an alloyed bullet with only slightly more effort.  Do the same for the cylinders.  The standard recommendation is you size your bullets .001" larger than the slugged diameter.  Of the two, matching the throat diameter is more important than matching the bore diameter.  Once you have the slugged number start testing bullets you've sized .001" larger than that number.
Good luck,
Michael