Ballistic gelatin test results : .40S&W 180gr Winchester Ranger

[Brass Fetcher]

Just got done testing 5 rounds of the Winchester Ranger in 180gr :

Block calibrated at 8.5cm and 590 ft/sec (all values are corrected values, actual calibration is not as good.)

Shot 1 - Penetrated to 12.5", expanded to 0.596" average diameter and impacted at 955 ft/sec.

Shot 2 - Penetrated the entire 16" block and was not recovered. Impact velocity was 946 ft/sec.

Shot 3 - Penetrated to 13.3", expanded to 0.630" and impacted at 949 ft/sec.

Shot 4 - Penetrated to 12.8", expanded to 0.617" and impacted at 950 ft/sec.

Shot 5 - Penetrated the length of the 16" block and was not recovered. Impact velocity was 957 ft/sec.

Special thanks to Winchester for making this round - and to the commercial distributors who sell it to non-LE civilians, despite the 'evil' lineage of the cartridge. I like to call it 'Black Talon's friendlier cousin'.

JE223

 

[Rampant_Colt]

180gr Ranger T

Cool post!
I'd be curious to see what it would do using the FBI tests number 2 and 7.
I'd also like to see the 165gr. loading tested as well.


Did you use 10% gelatin?

 

[Biker]

As usual JE223, great info. Thanks for sharing. I'm a big fan of the "fo-tay", second only to the mighty 45LC!
We should all pitch in and buy the man some gellatin so he can continue the work he shares with us.
Seriously...

Biker

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I bought 250 rounds of Winchester Ranger 155 grain JHP last month. This round clocks 1205 fps and gives 500 ft lbs energy. Its what I load in both of my 40's.

 

[Odd Job]

To be clear, these are Ranger-T and not ordinary Ranger JHP, right?

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Biker, thank you again for the kind words. What I could use, more than people chipping in for gelatin powder - is sponsors for my website. I have tried to keep the site as non-commercial as possible, but it would be nice to host one or two banners at this point.

Odd job, yes, these are the Ranger 'talon' bullets. Part number was RA40T - the 'talons' were extremely sharp after cleaning the gelatin out of them. Almost cut myself shaking them clean (under a stream of water with a handfull of soap).

I probably shouldn't say it, but here it goes : the past two times that I have 'closed' brassfetcher.com (with regard to new updated tests), and asked for contributions (because at the time I had no money and all of the testing that I needed to get done, got done about two years ago), many people said that they would help out. In concrete terms, like 'I will send you some cash via paypal, etc , for thus and such test. Never happened.

What I think about that : it says a lot about the gun/freedom people on the internet - that they cannot organize a 'fund' to pay $30 (my cost last time I calculated it )to see a gelatin test of 1-5 pistol cartridges. And it's not due to lack of demand : my website gets an average of 50 new visitors daily (distinct IP addresses) and I transfer something like 1.5GB per month (keeping in mind that the average image on my site is something like 30kB long.)

So, when I read things like : "when SHTF, me and my training partners are going to organize and ... ". Yeah, right. Same goes with firearms law and funding for test cases : among all the reasons why I wouldn't want to become one, is because my experience with the gelatin indicates that I would be out of gas financially, unless the NRA or similar organization stepped in to help me.

But the idea is still out there and I am still amenable to testing the cartridges that you all on THR would like to see. We need to work out some kind of selection/payment process that is as fair and inclusive as possible.

Thank you,

JE223

 

[Oregongundude]

The .40 S&W is making quite a name for it's self on the streets.

i have the XD .40 subcompact and right now I have it loaded up with 155 gr Federal hydra shoks, but I plan on getting some of the ranger rounds for it as well. I have the Ranger 127 grain +P+ JHP's in my 9 mm and I really like them.

Thanks for the information.

Cool Post.

 

[Odd Job]

@ JE223

Well sir, perhaps we can be of mutual service. I am sitting here in London, crying for fired projectiles. I suggest you come to a figure in your mind, that would make it attractive for you to provide me such projectiles, and let me know by PM what that figure is. I will pay for the whole cartridge and your time/labour, and postage to the UK. Perhaps you could shoot them into a gel block you have already used and photographed, or even a water tank will do. I'm not fussy, I just want the expanded projectile (an unexpanded one is a bonus but not essential).

Just make it worth your while and I will be happy to pay. How does that sound?

 

[condoor]

Were you using bare gelatin or some sort of denim barrier?

 

[Brass Fetcher]

Odd Job, thank you. PM sent.

Oregongundude, my pleasure. Thank you for the reply.

Condoor,

The blocks were bare gelatin. Barriers are interesting, but I don't do much of that unless on request. The biggest reason is that, in a defensive event, it is guaranteed that the opposition will be composed of material similar to a bare block, but an uncertainty whether your misfortune will involve a car door or heavy clothes, etc. Good tests, just are expensive/harder to do, so I don't do so many of them.

JE223

 

[MD_Willington]

I fired my first .40 last sunday (Glock fo-tay ), same day as my S&W5906... I'm thinking I should have picked up a S&W4006 instead