Best .40S&W JHP Grain

[7.62mm.ak47]

I have been looking at defensive ammo for my .40 and am kind of confused about what ammo is best for defense. 165gr, 180gr, etc. Are lower grain rounds faster? Do higher grain rounds hit harder?

 

[LiveLife]

Yes, the lighter bullet is faster. These are ballistics data from Double Tap. For my G22/G27 SD/HD combo, I prefer 165 gr bullet but many prefer the heavier 180 gr bullet for deeper penetration.

165 gr Remington JHP:
1240 fps / 563 ft/lbs from G22
1200 fps / 528 ft/lbs from G23
1140 fps / 476 ft/lbs from G27

180 gr Nosler JHP:
1140 fps / 520 ft/lbs from G22
1100 fps / 484 ft/lbs from G23
1050 fps / 441 ft/lbs from G27

 

[REAPER4206969]

180gr. is preferred by most.

 

[7.62mm.ak47]

According the the chart though, the 180gr has a lower ft/lbs. Why is that lower than a lighter grain? I would think it would be more powerful and would have more ft/lbs.

 

[Apocalypse-Now]

Federal HST 180gr jhp is the best on the market right now.

According the the chart though, the 180gr has a lower ft/lbs. Why is that lower than a lighter grain? I would think it would be more powerful and would have more ft/lbs.

generally lighter bullets impact at a faster velocity, and therefore deliver more energy than heavier ones. however, energy delivered makes no difference in effectiveness with 40cal. it's penetration and expansion that count.

180gr. is preferred by most.

is that what you keep in your xd?

 

[hammerklavier]

The 180's have higher momentum (mass x velocity)

 

[maddy345]

180 grain Speer Gold Dots are my favorite.

 

[Loosedhorse]

Depends on well you shoot them, IMHO. Of the common HPs, 180 gr will have the most penetration, and the most recoil. 155 gr (or even 135 or 125) will have less of both, so it's a trade-off.

If you shoot better with the lower weights, I'd recommend Gold Dots or Barnes X.

 

[7.62mm.ak47]

Okay thanks for clearing this up guys. I appreciate the info.

 

[2wheels]

I always carried 180gr. Winchester PDX1s in my XD40-SC. I prefer heavy for caliber bullets (180 in .40S&W, 230 in .45ACP, etc.).

Nothing wrong with 165gr. though. I think you'll be ok with anything 165 and up from any premium name brand company. I carried Winchesters because they're easy to find in my area. I'd stay away from anything significantly lighter than 165 though.

 

[19-3Ben]

Depends on well you shoot them, IMHO. Of the common HPs, 180 gr will have the most penetration, and the most recoil. 155 gr (or even 135 or 125) will have less of both, so it's a trade-off.

Kind of subjective. I've found lighter bullets to have a nastier "snap" to them whereas the recoil of the 180gr rounds "rolls" a bit more kind of like a 230gr .45.