Ammo preferences for a .40 S&W...

[Autolycus]

I have a few .40 S&W Hk pistols. An P2000 and an HK P2000sk that I keep for home defense in addition to a Mossberg 590.

I was just looking for some suggestions on a good hollow point round that I can use for self defense.

Currently I am using 165 gr Speer Gold Dots. I also have a box of Silvertips in the same weight.

Does anyone prefer anything else? These are short-barrelled guns with a barrel length less than 4 inches.

Just looking for suggestions.

I only plan to stock .40 S&W for home defense.

 

[HBW]

Here are some recommendations that I came across recently. They are apparently based upon results of current FBI type expansion / penetration tests.

.40 SW defensive loadings recommended for 4 - 5 inch barrels

1. Federal HST 180 gr
2. Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr
3. Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr
4. Federal Tactical Bonded 165 gr
5. Federal Tactical Bonded 180 gr
6. Barnes DPX 140 gr
7. Winchester Partition Gold 165 gr
8. Barnes DPX 155 gr
9. Remington Golden Saber 180 gr
10. Speer Gold Dot 180 gr
11. Speer Gold Dot 165 gr

.40 SW defensive loadings recommended for 2.5 - 4 inch barrels

1. Barnes DPX 140 gr
2. Barnes DPX 155 gr
3. Federal HST 180 gr
4. Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr
5. Federal Tactical Bonded 165 gr

 

[project5k]

when i had my 40, i kept hydrashocks in it. i compared them against other rounds in a "watermellon" test and found that they made the biggest mess of the watermellon. goes in small, comes out HUGE! ofcourse goes in small and dosent come out at all is the best, but it was a watermellon, whadidya expect?

now that i have a 45, i just got the hydrashocks for it, i havent done any comparison on it, i just shot some to make sure that they cycled through well... havent had a problem yet.

just my opinion tho, a more scientific approach may yeild more desireable results.

 

[648E]

I run Remington Golden Saber 165's in all 3 of my 40's for defensive use. The actual numbers beat anything else available in the gun store that day and the price beat them too.

I've shot a deer with a broken back with one and it worked.

 

[.357 magnum]

Tecumseh

For Barrels less then 4 inches the two best would be the Speer Gold Dot 155gr and the Barnes DPX 155gr. Right up there is the Corbon 150gr. It is hard to go wrong with .40 caliber ammo, because of the higher initial velocities. These rounds are all tested in the 4inch length, but you are not losing that much in a slightly shorter barrel, such as 3.5 or even 3 inches. I am even sure your current load the 165gr Speer Gold Dots would test out well. The .45acp is the load where you have to drop your bullet weight when you get under 4 inches because the initial velocities are much slower. Hell I keep 180gr Golden Sabers, 180gr Winchester Ranger T or SXT, or 180gr Federal Hydra-Shoks in my SW-MP .40- 4 inch barrel. The POA and POI, and Recoil are just great at that weight. The .40 was made to shoot a 180gr bullet. The lighter loads however are excellent stoppers in the 150-165gr.

The Best To You and Yours!

Frank

 

[RyanM]

I used to recommend 180 gr Golden Sabers, but apparently some lots penetrate less than others. Either that or they don't get along all that well with short barrels. More testing is needed.

 

[.357 magnum]

RyanM

The 180gr Golden Saber is a very good round. Penetration is pretty good in 5 inch and 4 inch barrels not too bad in a 3.5 inch --it almost makes the 12inch minimum the FBI wants to see. They do however expand quite well. The Winchester Ranger T and SXT are real penetrators at 180gr though. The Ranger T being the best expander and the SXT not too far behind. I feel fine with the 180gr Golden Saber in my 4 inch I have really come to trust the Winchester and Speer Gold Dot Rounds though, they are hard hitters. I do not want to forget the Federal 180gr Hydra-Shok-it may be old tech-but it is a very good Round! Take Care!

The Best to You and Yours!

Frank

 

[.357 magnum]

RyanM

The 180gr Golden Saber is a very good round. Penetration is pretty good in 5 inch and 4 inch barrels not too bad in a 3.5 inch --it almost makes the 12inch minimum the FBI wants to see. They do however expand quite well. The Winchester Ranger T and SXT are real penetrators at 180gr though. The Ranger T being the best expander and the SXT not too far behind. I feel fine with the 180gr Golden Saber in my 4 inch I have really come to trust the Winchester and Speer Gold Dot Rounds though, they are hard hitters. I do not want to forget the Federal 180gr Hydra-Shok-it may be old tech-but it is a very good Round! Take Care!


Sorry for the double post-IE 7 has its moments! See why I prefer FireFox!

The Best to You and Yours!

Frank

 

[S&Wfan]

Hi,

In case you don't already know this, lighter bullets shoot lower and heavy bullets hit higher from a handgun at combat ranges. Thus . . .

I'd recommend going to the range and testing accuracy to your exact point of aim at ten yards . . . and buy the ammo that puts the bullets "dead" onto your "Point Of Impact!"

Bullet accuracy of placement is most important vs. the minor differences in today's premium defense ammunition!

I recommend shooting at black, 1" square targets at ten yards. This size target will sit perfectly on top of your front/rear sight alignment, with a 6 o'clock hold, and allow you to do more precise shooting from the bench . . . and thus learn which load shoots best to your P.O.I.

I make my own targets, using Microsoft's "Publisher" program. My 1" square targets typically have five 1" squares on them (four fairly near the corners and one in the center of the typing paper, then I run off a bunch in my copier.

This is a cheap and very accurate way to sight your handguns. I use the same ratio for other distances too . . . 1" per ten yards of range. Thus, a 25 yard target has 2 1/2" black squares, etc.

Here's a couple of 25 yd. targets and a 10 yd. target from testing different loads in a '64 S&W .38 snubbie I recently purchased, so you can see the targets:

And . . . here's one of the 1" black squares from the ammo that groups and shot best to P.O.I. at ten yards:

Hope this helps,

Tom

 

[Scorpiusdeus]

I like the Double Tap using Gold Dots

 

[jakemccoy]

I like Double Tap 155gr. It uses a Speer Gold Dot bullet.

 

[contactcole]

I changed from Golden Saber 165gr (after 8 years) to 180gr GS because I got 23 boxes for $9/box clearance. Shoot these from a Glock 23. I like the POI, overall defensive accuracy and more of a "push" recoil of the 180gr GS compared to the 165gr. I think it's a nice shooting load and effectiveness data makes me more than comfortable carrying it. With a 3.5" barrel, I'd go 165gr to get the added 50+fps velocity, or even 155gr.