Best .40 cal Bullet Weight?

[.45&TKD]

Well I went to the range and fired 50 rounds of 180 grain and 75 rounds of 165 grains, both WWB, and it was hard to decide on a preference. The 165 grains were a little "snappier" and the 180 grains were more of a "push". I wasn't sure, but the 165's might have been more accurate, and follow up shots were a little easier with 180's.

I'll probably go with 180 grainers just because I'm used to 230 grain .45 acp, and bigger is usually better.

The Glock 22 was flawless, as expected.

 

[Lonestar49]

180gr is more like the 230gr, 45 push

Quote: Well I went to the range and fired 50 rounds of 180 grain and 75 rounds of 165 grains, both WWB, and it was hard to decide on a preference. The 165 grains were a little "snappier" and the 180 grains were more of a "push". I wasn't sure, but the 165's might have been more accurate, and follow up shots were a little easier with 180's.

I'll probably go with 180 grainers just because I'm used to 230 grain .45 acp, and bigger is usually better.
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...

I wrote the same evaluation over in the Beretta Forum about my Px4 40 and the difference between the 165gr and the 180gr after 300 rounds of each.

And for the exact same reasons you felt, and described, I, too, went with the 180gr and 5300 rounds later, without any failures of anykind, the 180gr is far better getting follow-up shots-on target with more punch, IMHO, as well.


LS

 

[birdbustr]

I loaded some Nosler Competition Handgun bullets in 135 grain with 8 grains of Power Pistol powder at 1350 fps and they shoot the best groupings ever tried from my H&K Compact .40 cal.
At first thought, I would have preferred the 155 or 165 to shoot the most accurate, but after trying those 135 grainers I trimmed my normal grouping from softball sized down to golf ball sized.
Another consideration is the fact that the heavier bullets should acheive much higher penetration. This could include traveling through more walls in your home and possibly your neighbors. I don't know about you, but if you ever wanted something that would dump all energy within and not exit, it would be in a home defense situation.
I also read somewhere on the web an article from a coroner a couple of things that stuck in my head about his personal findings about caliber and bullet weights. 1. He said that in his opinion the best bullet performance on people he autopsied was with lighter weight bullets from a .357 (best)or .40 cal.(2nd best) with high velocity. 2. Normally in shooting with these calibers it only took 1 or 2 shots for a fatality. 3. When he heard multiple gunshots he always assumed 9mm or .380 handguns at first.

 

[Lonestar49]

FMJ or JHP ?

...

Yes BB, I would agree with that assessment if one is shooting FMJ. But, shooting 180gr JHP's hits the hardest, goes in deep, but like any good JHP, it mushrooms with soft tissue and stops within the BG, or a wall, but not thru one's wall then thru your neighbors wall and into them..

Speaking, of course, from within my house, not an adjoining Apt, or Condo, with a common wall..

The lighter the bullet, the faster and "straighter" it goes, and over distance, which is good for tight range groupings..

IMHO,


LS

 

[DHart]

I'm another guy who prefers "heavy for caliber" bullet weights, which means 230 gr. in .45 acp, 180 gr. in .40, and 147 gr. in 9mm. Generally speaking, penetration is better with heavy-for-caliber bullets and I'm a huge believer in penetration - with expansion secondary, if you can get it.

Lot's of folks complain that .40 caliber is a less-than-comfortable caliber to shoot, complaining that it's too "snappy", etc. I have found that the 180 gr. .40 caliber bullet is more comfortable to shoot, probably a bit easier on the gun, and allows more rapid follow-up rounds than the 165 gr. and 155 gr. loadings. I prefer 180 gr. Gold Dots for defense and 180 gr. plated ammo reloads for practice. For those who find .40 caliber a bit harsh... just switch to 180 gr. bullets and you'll probably enjoy .40 caliber a lot more!

I would feel quite well protected with 165 gr. for sure, even though those loads are less comfortable to shoot and slow down recovery time vs. 180 gr. loads. I wouldn't even consider 155 gr. bullets in .40 caliber at all.

It's 180 gr. for me all the way.

 

[ERDOC]

165

Many good 165 grain hollow points out there.Just stay away from the sub loads.
Remington,Speer,Federal,Winchester,Corbon are all good loads .

Doc

 

[Peakbagger46]

I've put down 2 mule deer does with 180gr gold dots with good success...

 

[Mello]

It is not so much what bullet weight is best as what is you planned purpose.

Is your primary purpose:
1) punching paper
2) shooing fast
3) shooting cheaply
4) self-defense

If you are primarily concerned with self-defense, you get into the debate of what constitutes stopping power. This debate has raged of decades and will never be settled with everyone.

In my humble opinion stopping a human threat depends on what the bullet encounters inside of the target. The brain and spinal cord are relatively hard to hit. So shooting for center of mass is taught as the preferred target area. This assumes that a bullet has the best chance to encounter tissues which will be destroyed and lead to incapacitation though either blood pressure loss or nerve insult.

Note that incapacitation due to blood loss takes time, even a heart shot has proven to allow some bad guys to continue for some number of seconds. I have no authoritative stories to cite for this. It conforms to my experience in shooting white tail deer. Of the 14 or so heart shots on deer, about half still ran about 100 yards the others just dropped.

To have the best chance of encountering critical tissue to destroy the bullet must penetrate consistently through not only human tissue but also heavy clothing. Some say that the bullet must be able to penetrate a car's windshield or door as well and still have sufficient penetration through heavy clothing and human tissue.

If you choose a bullet that is designed to expand and has penetration characteristics that limit it to say four (4) inches, you have reduced the chance of destroying the heart, liver or spinal cord depending on the shooting angles and reduced the tissue damage that could lead to blood pressure drop and incapacitation.

Generally speaking, bullets of similar construction but greater weight tend to penetrate more. Of course, this is not always true. It is possible for a 40 caliber 150 grain FMJ bullet at 1100fps to penetrate more than a 180 JHP bullet at 950fps, assuming the same bullet path.

So I choose the 10mm in 200gr XTP at 1200fps.

 

[wnycollector]

My CZ 40B seems to be most accurate and consistent w/ 165gr bullets. But in all honesty, the difference is only ~1-1.5" in group sizes between 155, 165 and 180gr weights! My keltec sub2k likes 155gr bullets past 75 yards.

 

[Gracian's Hero]

paper shooting - FMJ 180gr

self-defense - JHP 155-165gr

 

[possum]

it depends, when i reload lead i use mostly 180gr in the past but i am gonna transition to using 155gr, i have 10,000 on the way.

when loaing plated, or jhps' i like to use 165gr the best, Rainier as a matter of fact.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I have Hornady TAP 155's and 180's, as well as Gold Dot 165's. On paper, it seems the 165's are the way to go, but I'm sure the 180's perform just fine. The Border Patrol uses Golden Sabre 155's, for what its worth.

 

[pitty920]

FOR ALL U PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ARE AT WAR ARGUIN OVER WHICH IS BETTER THE 9MM OR THE .45. WELL UM NEITHER THE .40 s&w IS. THE FEDS AND POLICE AND THE CIA ALL USE IT AND THEY TEST THE ROUNDS MORE THAT ANYONE ELSE COULD, AND THEY USE OUR MONEY TO DO IT, AND WHAT OUR MONEY HAS SHOWED THEM IS THE MOST LETHAL ROUND IS THE .40S&W. NO ARGUMENTS, READ MUZZLE ENERGY BELOW ON SOME GOOD 40 ROUNDS AND THAT MIGHT SHED A LIL LIGHT ON IT FOR U BUT THAT IS JUST ONE OF THE MANY REASONS!

If u want the most muzzle energy go with the 135 grain bullet, corbon has jhp that have well of 535ft/lbs of muzzle energy, and their velocity is around 1400 i beleive. Muzzle energy is vary similar to stopping power, but as i have tested and recommend all of u do take gallon milk jugs and fill them full of water and shoot them with you hallow points, the biggest hole wins, and for me the 180 GRAIN WINCHESTER SUPREME ELEITE BONDED( PRETTY MUCH THE RANGER ROUNDS BUT BETTER MADE) DID THE MOST DAMAGE! BUT THE 165 GRAIN REM GOLDEN SABRE WAS CLOSE! AS WAS THE 135 GRAIN CORBON.

IF U CAN KEEP UR BULLETS WITH MUZZLE ENERGY OF 450FT/LBS OR MORE U ARE SMOKIN MOST 45ACP ROUNDS AT 390FT/LBS.

IF Ur LIKE ME LOVE TO KNOW WHAT THE AMMO U ARE BUYING IS CAPIBLE IF THEN GO TO THIS SITE, THE PRICES ARE NOT GREAT, BUT EVERY RND U CLICK ON HAS THE VELOCITY AND MUZZle ENERGY AS WELL AS 25 AND 50 YARD ENERGY!
http://www.ableammo.com/catalog/default.php?cPath=10480_14658_14743_14908_14749

I PERSONALLY LIKE TO HAVE MORE VELOCITY SO I GO WITH THE MOST MUZZLE ENERGY THE 135 GRAIN ARE THE BEST FOR THAT 135 TO 155. YOU CAN GET THOSE GLASSER ONES THAT ARE LIKe 65 GRAINS AND HAVE MORE, BUT THAT IS LIKE SHOOTIN A 22.

SO TO SUM IT UP, THE 40 CAL IS SUCH A GOOD GUN BECUASE IT HAS THE VELOCITY OF THE 9MM AND THE STOPPING POWER OF THE 45.

SO YEAH U ARE GOIN TO WANT A LIGHTER BULLET LIKE THE 135 TO 165 RANGE, THEN U ALWAYS HAVE 1100 PLUS FPS AND 460 PLUS FT/LBS OF MUZZLE. YEAH YEAH BIG AND SLOW, WELL I SAY NO, THE SLOWER THE BULLET THE LESS RANGE AND MORE DROP, AND THE FASTER THE BULLET THE MORE RAPID THE JHP WILL EXPAND!

MY RANGE ROUND IS A 165GRAIN FMJ WINCHESTER, AND MY CARRY ROUND IS A 135 CORBON 1375fps, 540FT/LBS, AND OR A GOLDEN SABRE OR WINCHESTER SUPREME ELITE, BOTH ESSENTIALLY THE SAME ROUND. 1180fps/485ft/lbs

ANY ONE WHO LIKE THOSE WEAK FEDERAL HYDRA SHOCKS MIGHT WANT TO RETHINK THERE APPROACH, THEY ARE UNDER 400 FT/LBS FOR MUZZEL ENERGY AND ARE SLOW, THERE IS NPTHIN GOOD THE NAME SOUNDS COOL BUT THATS IT, A TARGET FMJ WILL OUTDO ONE OF THOSE, STICK WITH THE ROUNDS THE LAW USES, 180-165 GRAIN JHP REM GOLD/WINCH RANGER. AND THE 135 155 GRAIN CORBON.

(yea ive bump fired a clip or two, who hasnt!?)

DONT USE 180 GRAIN FOR TARGET, TOO MUCH KICK THE 155 TO 165 IS GREAT, A LOT LESS KICK.

***EVEN THOUGH MOST COMPETIVE SHOOTERS SHOOT THE 9MM, THE LIGHTER FMJ .40 ARE JUST AS GOOD THE 135GRAIN IS OUTSTANDING AND HAS JUST ABOUT AN EQUAL KICK TO THE 9MM.