Need help selecting a good SD .40S&W loading

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chaim

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I haven't owned a pistol in .40S&W since I sold my CZ 40B around 2 years ago. I just bought a Taurus PT140 Millenium Pro in .40S&W which I pick up in a week or two. In other calibers I tend to be pretty happy with Speer Gold Dot. I assume the GD in .40 will be a good choice but what else should I consider?

My only general guidelines-
-I tend to prefer bullet weights that tend towards the strength of the caliber. No 147gr in 9mm, nothing under 180gr in .45ACP. I don't think I'd be happy with the lightest options in .40S&W. Also, with my last .40S&W I was pretty happy with 165gr rounds, but I'd consider 180gr.
-Obviously I want JHP for defensive rounds in an auto.
 
I use the Remington 165 grain Golden Saber in my Glock 23 and Sig 229 due to their reliability and accuracy. I can't recall where but I do remember reading that these performed very well in a variety of tests as well as street results. I've got to believe that the Speer Gold Dot in either 155 or 165 grain would be an excellent choice as well.
 
You really can't go wrong with any of the 165 or 180 grain JHP loadings from the big ammo manufacturers. Federal, Remington, Speer...all good. As long as your pistol eats it without jamming, you'll have nothing to worry about.

I'm carrying Federal 180grain Hydrashoks in my USP at the moment, but would also feel fine carrying Golden Sabers or Gold Dots.

:D
 
I was once involved in the selction of new duty ammo for my police department and based on what I saw and researched, any round put out by the major ammo companies should do. We ended up with the Federal Tactical 165 grain in the .40S&W but I know that it can be hard to find. If I had to pick one today, it would be the Speer Gold Dot 165 grain. What I like about these two is that they are bonded and that means that there is less chance of the jacket and bullet breaking apart and creating two projectiles. This can become a problem for liability and often happens if the shooter were to fire through a car windshield. I realize that this may not happen to most people but for law enforcement it was a concern.
 
Any good load in the 155gr. to 165gr. weight range is going to be fine. These rounds have the best "street" record of all .40 S&W loads. My first choice is Remington Golden Saber 165gr., with the CCI Gold Dot load in the same weight as a second choice. I don't trust the Federal load, though - it's got significantly lower velocity than the first two.
 
I'm no expert on the .40, sold the one I had a few years ago to finance a new 1911 and haven't looked back. However, I tend to prefer the Golden Saber or Gold Dots in a heavy loading so I'd buy a few boxes of each in the 180 gr loading and see which is more dependable (1) and accurate (2) in my gun. If neither were acceptable I'd go to the Winchester and Federal offerings with the same criteria.

I have nothing against the Win or Fed offerings, but I've mostly shot GS and GD in my 1911's and both have been great so I figure why mess with a good thing. If the GD's have worked well for you in the past that's what I'd stick with as long as T&E didn't show them to be unreliable or inaccurate in the new gun.
 
Preacherman brings up a good point. I would suggest you stay away from the Federal Hydra-Shok 165 grain round. It is for some reason downloaded and is not a very good choice. The Tactical ammo from Federal is top notch.
 
Hmm must take note that the hydrashocks are bad... I bought a box of these. 15 bucks for 20! anyways, I want to get some speer stuff as I love CCI w/ my .22
 
Medmo,

Do you have a link on the INS study?

I have the Remington Express in 180 grains and it seems like a well built bullet of a modern design. I have not seen any Remington Express in 155 grain.

The Remington Express 180 grain has quite a flash when fired in the dark.
 
I'd say pretty much any hollowpoint in 155 gr and up. I like the XTP for it's feeding reliability and good penetration. I don't know what if any factory options use this bullet as I handload. The Gold Dots and Golden Sabres also have excellent reputations but the GS give me more trouble for feeding and bullet setback than others I've tried so I don't normally recommend it. The MagTechs have a huge HP on them so I'm leary of them as well. I just picked up some to try not long ago but haven't shot any yet.
 
Based on the information provided to me from a Federal (the company, not the government) LE ammo dealer and from what I have personally seen and heard, only the 165 grain .40S&W Hydra-Shok is downloaded. I know an officer who had an ND with that round from a GLOCK 22 and it was stopped by a piece of plywood. Needless to say, that department got new duty ammo in a hurry. In the .45ACP the 230 grain Hydra-Shok would be my top choice. I don't know about the .380. If you would like to use Hydra-Shoks in your .40, I wouls suggest the 155 grain load.
 
does that explain the shiney clear box that comes w/ the lower grain ones, vs the brown paper box that comes w/ the 165 grains? If I can find speer gold dots I think I will switch to them.
 
Actually the clear boxes are the Personal Protection line of Federal ammo. The have the Hydra-Shok bullet but are usually loaded with lighter grain, for example I think the .40 load is a 135 grain bullet.

If I had to pick any load in the .40 it would be the Speer Gold Dot 165 grain. I have seen what they can do both in testing and I am aware of several shootings where that load was used with good results. That being said, I still think any load from a major company like Winchester, Remington, Speer etc. should work well, other than the 165 Hydra-Shok.
 
Does the downloading for Federal's Hydrashok only apply to their .40 S&W, or all Hydrashok? This is what I have in my .45ACP and my .380ACP, and what I HAD been planning on putting in my next pistol, (Which will be .40 S&W.)
Click to expand...
All Hydrashoks in the "Personal Protection" line of ammo are downloaded on the theory that it will make for less recoil and thus quicker follow-up shots. What it also often means is much lower penatration than other loads in the same caliber and weight. The regular Hydrashoks (which are much harder to find) doesn't have this problem and can be wonderful defensive ammo.
 
So is the cardboard boxed ones the "better" ones from federal? Are those NOT downloaded?

the reason I ask is there was like only 2 of these boxes at my local scheels, and a bunch of the personal protection. Made me wonder about the smaller grain bullets also.
 
With regards to the Federal ammo, in the cardboard box stuff (the actual Hydra-Shok ammo) the only load that you should stay away from is the 165 grain .40S&W. The 155 and 180 grain stuff is good. The story is that the FBI asked for a dowloaded version and it became part of the lineup. The clear box stuff, although loaded with the Hydra-Shok design bullet, is actually call Personal Protection.


Does that make sense? If you have further concerns, PM me and I can get some specific info on whatever load you have. I have all the manuals from a workshop at the state LE academy.
 
My carry piece is a HK compact 40 and is loaded with Corbon's 135 grain bullets. They are 100% reliable and give good penetration.. I will give the "heavier" bullets a test drive.
 
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