Ballistic gelatin test results : .40S&W 180gr Speer Short Barrel Gold Dot (Glock 27)

[Brass Fetcher]

Cartridge : 180gr Speer Short Barrel Gold Dot (Part # 23974)

Firearm : Glock 27 with 3.5" barrel length

Block calibration : All depths corrected (From 8.0cm @ 567 ft/sec)

All shots fired from 10' distance into a bare gelatin block.

Shot 1 - Impacted at 941 ft/sec, penetrated 12.5" and was recovered at 0.638" average diameter.

Shot 2 - Impacted at 945 ft/sec, penetrated 12.2" and was recovered at 0.609" average diameter.

Shot 3 - Impacted at 935 ft/sec, penetrated 13.1" and was recovered at 0.609" average diameter.

Shot 4 - Impacted at 934 ft/sec, penetrated 11.9" and was recovered at 0.598" average diameter.

Shot 5 - Impacted at 932 ft/sec, penetrated 15.8" and was recovered at 0.584" average diameter.

 

[BsChoy]

Outstanding, I have never wanted to like the 40 cal, even though i carry one on duty. I am a dyed in the wool 45 fan and these make me think....why not 40 cal.

 

[Kimber1911_06238]

looks like they performed very well

 

[wally]

Exactly why I prefer the .40S&W to .45ACP in sub 4" barrels. Its able to maintain penetration even with good expansion.

--wally.

 

[trueblue1776]

That settles it for me, Gold Dot's are worth the money!

 

[Brass Fetcher]

I like the performance of this particular gun and ammunition combination. If all of the cards fall into place, this next weekend I should be repeating the test with the same Glock 27 but another brand of 180gr JHP ammo.

Depending on what the other ammo does, I am contemplating running the 'winner' out of the two through a few of the FBI barrier tests : interior wall, heavy clothing, and maybe windshield glass. Should be lots of fun.

 

[trueblue1776]

Damn, I'd love to see that test, same gun, with factory loaded XTP's.

 

[BobMcG]

Dang! I knew I carried Got Dots in my .40 for a good reason.... and now the proof is in the pudding, er, gelatin.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Well, there is gelatin in pudding so... never mind.

 

[CPshooter]

Why do those not look like the other expanded Gold Dots I have seen in gelatin tests before?

Great perforance nonetheless!

*edit*...just looked at Double Tap's .40 ammo and the 180g gold dot loads travel at 1050 fps (3.5" bbl),100 fps more than these loads. Would this cause more or less expansion. Seems like it could go either way. How about any perceived added recoil? Any comments?

 

[RyanM]

Very interesting. It's hard to see what the jacket/plating is doing from the photos, though. What kind of expansion changes would you guesstimate you'd see, out of a 4" barrel? How stiff were the "petals," about as much as normal jacketing? 180 gr Speer SBGDs were the only premium .40 rounds my local gun store had, other than Cor-Bons, last time I was in there.

They don't look too bad at all, although I'm starting to believe that 15" is a better minimum penetration than 12", after running some numbers in my calculator.

What's the other round going to be? If it's 180 gr Rem non-bonded GS, I'll chip in $5 or so to help pay for the test. Can't really afford more than that, unfortunately.

 

[The Annoyed Man]

JE223, Very impressive. Have you run this test before on Federal Hydra-Shoks? And if so, how did they compare to the results you got for the Gold Dots?

I own two 1911s in .45 ACP, but I'm about to pickup a new HK USP Compact in .40 S&W, and I like what I see for this cartridge so far.

 

[Glockman30]

I have Hornady 180 gr. JHP/XTP in my Glock 27 now. Any idea how they compare? I am learning something every time I read a thread on THR. Thanks for the information.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

@RyanM - You don't mean these, do you ?!

Contributions are always welcome and appreciated. Thank you. The petals were definately not what I was expecting either... the jacket petals were quite stiff - they would likely cut the gelatin, instead of having the gelatin push the petals back during bullet penetration.

At a higher velocity.. heck, I don't know. I would not push these short-barrel versions of the Gold Dot much faster than what they reached out of the Glock 27 - I would assume that the jacket petals would tear off at much higher velocity.

@Glockman30 and trueblue1776 - The Hornady 180gr XTP can be tested just as easily as the Gold Dots were, but I am not currently planning on testing them. Although I can add it to my 'list' of tests to do in the near future, if you would like to cover the cost of the testing.

@The Annoyed Man - I like the .40S&W too... it is a nice compromise between the 9x19mm and the .45ACP. The Federal Hydra-Shok is not in my plans to test at this time. Although I can add it to my 'list' of tests to do in the near future, if you would like to cover the cost.

I'd like to do more work with the .40S&W, though my time is limited now, such that I can only test a maximum of 4 gelatin blocks per week... so I have to limit my testing to those tests that I am doing for other people.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Donations recieved:

From RyanM and Francis for their kind donations to Brass Fetcher.com. Thank you.

Please expect the 180gr Remington .40S&W Golden Saber test to take place either this weekend or the next.

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Special thanks to Glockman30 for picking up the tab for the ammunition for an upcoming test of the Glock 27 with 180gr Hornady XTP in ballistic gelatin.

 

[usp9]

Man! I may have to look at the GD short barrel 9mm again. Tried one box but didn't see a reason to change to another carry ammo. Hmmmm.