40 S&W Ammo Selection

Ten Man · 10-27-2009, 11:57 AM

IF you carry a personal defense handgun that shoots .40 S&W caliber ammo, what brand and bullet weight do you feel is the best for Personal Defense use?

I am not concerned about the price of the ammo. I just want to know what the BEST ammo in this caliber is for rapidly and effectively stopping a bad guy's attack.

Any supporting articles or references will be appreciated.

Redbeernuts · 10-27-2009, 09:12 PM

I carry the cor-bon Powerball. But I don't know how good it is at stopping power, I've never shot anyone

. But, .40 cal is a good size round anyway and used by ALOT of Law Enforcement all around the US.

A good Idea is to find out what type of ammo you local Police/Sheriff carry and carry the same. Chances are they use a good round and if you ever shoot anyone, WHEN you go to court it should look better using that round than using a round they can say is most likely to cause death and that it was your intention to kill. If that makes sense.

HEMI · 10-27-2009, 11:42 PM

Hard to find a bad 40 sd round, we carry 180gr gold dots
DPX,golden sabers,hydra shoks are all good in 155-180grns.
Red makes a good point.

GlockMeister · 10-28-2009, 12:38 AM

These here work just fine:>>>

Here's supporting 411 for the Hornady TAP >>> http://www.fulton-armory.com/Hornady/40TAP.htm

411 for the Federal 155gr. Hydra Shok, well, I think the picture of the expansion of the round pictured on the box speaks for itself. lol

Ten Man · 10-28-2009, 01:30 AM

Thankyou, gentlemen, for your replies, so far.

I am very well acquainted with the ramifications of carrying the various types and styles of ammo, legality wise (due to having been a CCW Instructor for six years in support of the Sheriff Dept.), and I am also very well acquainted with the 9MM, .357, and .45 ACP Personal Defense ammos.

I just do not have any experience with the .40 S&W other than about 30-40 rounds through various students' guns.

Just as a 230 gr. bullet is considered "standard weight" for a .45 and a 115 gr. bullet is considered "standard weight" for a 9MM, what is considered "standard weight" for a .40 S&W bullet? Is it the 155 gr. or the 180 gr.?

Which bullet weight seems to feed/function better out of your gun? Please mention the brand of gun.

The reason I am looking for such detailed info on this is because I am considering pressing one of my .40 S&W handguns into "Backup gun" mode to my .45 ACP Glocks. There are times when the limited ammo capacity of the .357 revolver does not lend itself to certain scenarios.

I have .40 S&W guns sitting in the safe, mostly because they would be able to utilize LE ammo in SHTF scenarios. I have them in SIG and Glock, both.

Thanks for your input.

HEMI · 10-28-2009, 03:06 AM

180s were what the 40 was originaly designed around if that helps.
The lighter bullets can be snappy, but all are very controlable
for follow up shots. Any brands mentioned are good.

sea_chicken1 · 10-28-2009, 05:31 AM

I belive the 165 is pretty much standard for the .40

Rogue Tom · 10-28-2009, 07:37 AM

I have .40 S&W guns sitting in the safe, mostly because they would be able to utilize LE ammo in SHTF scenarios. I have them in SIG and Glock, both.

Great point TEN MAN on the .40 possibly having more ammo from LE stock available in a SHTF scenario. I never thought of that. Fortunately I have my M&P full size 40 that I bought simply because it has more punch then my m&P 9c.

FWIW - I have found much more excess 40 ammo at my local Walmarts - probably because it is more expensive than the 9mm ammo and that most of my area Walmarts have either a 2 or 6 box per day limit. The 9mm is still pretty scarce and I have not seen 380 in 6 months there. RT

LefthandShooter · 10-28-2009, 10:12 AM

Winchester Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1 40 S&W 180 Grain JHP.

mitchr · 10-28-2009, 04:32 PM

Ten Man,

I'm not sure what standard weight for 40 cal. may be. But, I usually take what ever they have in stock, for my target ammo, and it has been 180 grain. So, if not the intended "standard weight", at least it seems to be the most commonly stocked. My SD ammo is also 180 grain, but JHP.

TXplt · 10-28-2009, 11:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LefthandShooter

Winchester Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1 40 S&W 180 Grain JHP.

+1 -- this passed all the FBI tests.

If not this, look at the 165's.

180's perform flawlessly in my HK USP.

I really don't think you'll notice a significant difference between the 165's and the 180's in stopping power, etc---any 3rd generation + bullet will be fine and it's pretty much what your gun will reliably feed with and have decent accuracy with (if you need more performance than this you probably ought to be getting to a shotgun or rifle). The WSE PDX is plenty accurate in the HK and no feed issues. I feel confident using this.

I don't have a .40 from SIG but do have a 220 and 239 in 9mm. I would imagine if your Sig performs like mine it'll eat almost anything in the .40 (but I'd be sure and test it with your carry ammo as I'm sure you well know).

Availability has also been really good.

There were a couple of good articles in American Rifleman and some other gunmags about the Crit Defense and the PDX a while back; both seem to perform just fine for CCW defensive work. But DPX, Gold Dots, Hydra Shok, etc. are fine too.

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HEMI

180s were what the 40 was originaly designed around if that helps.

Yes, that is what I wanted to know.

Thankyou.

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LefthandShooter

Winchester Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1 40 S&W 180 Grain JHP.

Sounds like a real "gee whizz" ammo. LOL

I'll have to check it out.

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TXplt

+1 -- this passed all the FBI tests.

If not this, look at the 165's.

180's perform flawlessly in my HK USP.

I really don't think you'll notice a significant difference between the 165's and the 180's in stopping power, etc---any 3rd generation + bullet will be fine and it's pretty much what your gun will reliably feed with and have decent accuracy with (if you need more performance than this you probably ought to be getting to a shotgun or rifle). The WSE PDX is plenty accurate in the HK and no feed issues. I feel confident using this.

I don't have a .40 from SIG but do have a 220 and 239 in 9mm. I would imagine if your Sig performs like mine it'll eat almost anything in the .40 (but I'd be sure and test it with your carry ammo as I'm sure you well know).

Availability has also been really good.

There were a couple of good articles in American Rifleman and some other gunmags about the Crit Defense and the PDX a while back; both seem to perform just fine for CCW defensive work. But DPX, Gold Dots, Hydra Shok, etc. are fine too.

Thanks for the excellent data.

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mitchr

Ten Man,

I'm not sure what standard weight for 40 cal. may be. But, I usually take what ever they have in stock, for my target ammo, and it has been 180 grain. So, if not the intended "standard weight", at least it seems to be the most commonly stocked. My SD ammo is also 180 grain, but JHP.

Do you like the way it shoots?

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rogue Tom

I have .40 S&W guns sitting in the safe, mostly because they would be able to utilize LE ammo in SHTF scenarios. I have them in SIG and Glock, both.

Great point TEN MAN on the .40 possibly having more ammo from LE stock available in a SHTF scenario. I never thought of that. Fortunately I have my M&P full size 40 that I bought simply because it has more punch then my m&P 9c.

FWIW - I have found much more excess 40 ammo at my local Walmarts - probably because it is more expensive than the 9mm ammo and that most of my area Walmarts have either a 2 or 6 box per day limit. The 9mm is still pretty scarce and I have not seen 380 in 6 months there. RT

Lots of folks shoot the 9MM because it is cheaper to shoot. I think they do not look at it from the SHTF scenario viewpoint. They just want to use something light and cheap for Personal Defense. Not that it's a bad thing, I just tend to look at more long range variables when analyzing a situation.

Ten Man · 10-29-2009, 07:26 PM

Thankyou ALL for the great input.

Lot's of good data here.

mitchr · 10-29-2009, 09:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ten Man

Do you like the way it shoots?

I do like it. In fact, like it better than the PF9 Kel-Tec 9mm as for recoil. Of course, pistol weight & size may have something to do with that. Mine is a Bersa Firestorm Mini 40.

zseese · 11-03-2009, 07:22 PM

I like speer gold dot GDHP in .357 sig. feeds gread out of my sig and Glock 22. I would recommend giving it a try if they have it in .40...

10-27-2009, 11:57 AM	#1
Ten Man Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 430	40 S&W Ammo Selection IF you carry a personal defense handgun that shoots .40 S&W caliber ammo, what brand and bullet weight do you feel is the best for Personal Defense use? I am not concerned about the price of the ammo. I just want to know what the BEST ammo in this caliber is for rapidly and effectively stopping a bad guy's attack. Any supporting articles or references will be appreciated. __________________ AR10 - THE Battle Rifle! When Freedom is outlawed, only outlaws have Freedom.

10-27-2009, 09:12 PM	#2
Redbeernuts Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 494	I carry the cor-bon Powerball. But I don't know how good it is at stopping power, I've never shot anyone. But, .40 cal is a good size round anyway and used by ALOT of Law Enforcement all around the US. A good Idea is to find out what type of ammo you local Police/Sheriff carry and carry the same. Chances are they use a good round and if you ever shoot anyone, WHEN you go to court it should look better using that round than using a round they can say is most likely to cause death and that it was your intention to kill. If that makes sense.

10-28-2009, 12:38 AM	#4
GlockMeister Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Northern Illinois Posts: 9,676	These here work just fine:>>> Here's supporting 411 for the Hornady TAP >>> http://www.fulton-armory.com/Hornady/40TAP.htm 411 for the Federal 155gr. Hydra Shok, well, I think the picture of the expansion of the round pictured on the box speaks for itself. lol __________________ "The people never give up their liberties but under some delusion." "Edmond Burke" Last edited by GlockMeister; 10-28-2009 at 12:43 AM.

10-28-2009, 01:30 AM	#5
Ten Man Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 430	Thankyou, gentlemen, for your replies, so far. I am very well acquainted with the ramifications of carrying the various types and styles of ammo, legality wise (due to having been a CCW Instructor for six years in support of the Sheriff Dept.), and I am also very well acquainted with the 9MM, .357, and .45 ACP Personal Defense ammos. I just do not have any experience with the .40 S&W other than about 30-40 rounds through various students' guns. Just as a 230 gr. bullet is considered "standard weight" for a .45 and a 115 gr. bullet is considered "standard weight" for a 9MM, what is considered "standard weight" for a .40 S&W bullet? Is it the 155 gr. or the 180 gr.? Which bullet weight seems to feed/function better out of your gun? Please mention the brand of gun. The reason I am looking for such detailed info on this is because I am considering pressing one of my .40 S&W handguns into "Backup gun" mode to my .45 ACP Glocks. There are times when the limited ammo capacity of the .357 revolver does not lend itself to certain scenarios. I have .40 S&W guns sitting in the safe, mostly because they would be able to utilize LE ammo in SHTF scenarios. I have them in SIG and Glock, both. Thanks for your input. __________________ AR10 - THE Battle Rifle! When Freedom is outlawed, only outlaws have Freedom.

10-28-2009, 10:12 AM	#9
LefthandShooter Got Jesus? Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Northeastern Ohio Posts: 4,354 Blog Entries: 2	Winchester Supreme Elite Bonded PDX1 40 S&W 180 Grain JHP. __________________ May God give us the wisdom & strength to live our lives in a manner that will be pleasing unto Him.

10-27-2009, 11:42 PM	#3
HEMI Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,180	Hard to find a bad 40 sd round, we carry 180gr gold dots DPX,golden sabers,hydra shoks are all good in 155-180grns. Red makes a good point.

10-28-2009, 03:06 AM	#6
HEMI Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Canada Posts: 1,180	180s were what the 40 was originaly designed around if that helps. The lighter bullets can be snappy, but all are very controlable for follow up shots. Any brands mentioned are good.

10-28-2009, 05:31 AM	#7
sea_chicken1 Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Everett WA. and Norfolk VA. Posts: 1,017	I belive the 165 is pretty much standard for the .40

10-28-2009, 07:37 AM	#8
Rogue Tom Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 98	I have .40 S&W guns sitting in the safe, mostly because they would be able to utilize LE ammo in SHTF scenarios. I have them in SIG and Glock, both. Great point TEN MAN on the .40 possibly having more ammo from LE stock available in a SHTF scenario. I never thought of that. Fortunately I have my M&P full size 40 that I bought simply because it has more punch then my m&P 9c. FWIW - I have found much more excess 40 ammo at my local Walmarts - probably because it is more expensive than the 9mm ammo and that most of my area Walmarts have either a 2 or 6 box per day limit. The 9mm is still pretty scarce and I have not seen 380 in 6 months there. RT

10-28-2009, 04:32 PM	#10
mitchr Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Posts: 109	Ten Man, I'm not sure what standard weight for 40 cal. may be. But, I usually take what ever they have in stock, for my target ammo, and it has been 180 grain. So, if not the intended "standard weight", at least it seems to be the most commonly stocked. My SD ammo is also 180 grain, but JHP.

10-29-2009, 07:26 PM	#17
Ten Man Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Pacific Northwest Posts: 430	Thankyou ALL for the great input. Lot's of good data here. __________________ AR10 - THE Battle Rifle! When Freedom is outlawed, only outlaws have Freedom.

11-03-2009, 07:22 PM	#19
zseese Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Edmond, OK Posts: 115	I like speer gold dot GDHP in .357 sig. feeds gread out of my sig and Glock 22. I would recommend giving it a try if they have it in .40... __________________ Beating Texas, so easy, a caveman can do it.