Hottest/Most Muzzle energy load for Beretta 96 (.40S&W)?

[Headless]

Hello guys. I've done some extensive searching for info on the beretta 96 but haven't come across alot on these forums; mainly a LOT about the 92...which is fine for most things as they are almost identical, but one thing that the 92 isn't useful for is comparing loadouts.

I've been trying to decide on what ammo to load my new 96 with and i'm wondering what the highest muzzle energy rounds that you guys are aware of in .40S&W that would be safe to fire from my .96 - in the hundreds (i practice with what i carry. Expensive; sure, but useful too).

Most of the rounds i've read up on don't exceed muzzle energy of a cor-bon DPX 9mm @ 415ft/lb and i bought the .40 so i could take a step up. I've seen .40S&W corbon @ 135gr that pushes 1325fps/526fpe which looks enticing. Is there such thing as a .40S&W +P, or would that be going up to a full 10mm? Can the 96 digest the hotter .40S&W rounds without damage? She sure feels fragile compared to my S&W 659 but i expect that's merely appearance because she's so much lighter.

Note to self; research ammo first, buy second. Ahh, heck with it, i wanted it ANYWAY lol

Thanks for any information you guys might have; don't wanna KB my new .40

D

 

[DMK]

There's no such thing as +P in .40 S&W. Your Beretta shouldn't have any problem with any commercial .40S&W on the market unless it has a defect or something.

I'm not sure what you are looking for. Do you want a round with the best terminal performance (ie. a round that would be a good badguy stopper)? Or are you just looking for something that feels powerful?

The lighter rounds will be the fastest. My research has indicated that the best manstoppers in this caliber are the middleweights, 155gr and 165gr. Sometimes, there's more to a round than just the numbers on the paper. Research actual police use and ballistic gel tests. Luckily, .40 is very popular in the LE community so there's a lot of info about it's use if you search patiently.

 

[Headless]

Thanks DMK; i'm not looking for something that feels powerful just because it blows a ton of powder out of the end of the barrel and kicks like a mule; i'm looking for the best manstopper, the most energy placed on target. I fire my .38 snub a lot and i have a hard time believing there's a .40S&W out there that could possibly bother me more than that snub with +P .38's, so i'm not worried about heavy recoil if that's what it takes to get the best performing round. So far the corbon 135gr @ 586ft/lb seems to be the highest delivery of energy on target. Thanks for the info re: LE..i'll do some searches centered around the round rather than the gun; i'd been loking for info on the 96 more than on the .40 until now. If, as you say, it can digest any of the .40S&W SD ammo around these days, then i'll go with what i discover the best track record of real world shootings. I just didn't want to damage the 96 with too hot of a load and had not seen +P or +P+ .40 so was wondering if it existed. Thanks for your response

 

[mete]

PLEASE stop looking at "energy" figures !! They mean very little. It's hard to find a bad 40 round [except 'reduced recoil'] Any of the premium rounds will do very well .I favored a 155 but I now carry what is perhaps the best of all the Corbon DPX which is an all copper Barnes bullet of 140 grains. Pick one that functions reliably and is accurate in your gun !! I've used the 40 for over 12 years and it's a fine round ,as good as the 45 ,it's taken many 'chucks, feral dogs etc !!

 

[DMK]

Here's a good article to get you started. there's only a small paragraph on .40 specifically, but it's a good read overall.

http://www.backwoodshome.com/articles2/ayoob93.html

Here's a couple more good links:

http://greent.com/40Page/general/defammo.htm

http://www.firearmstactical.com/tactical.htm

http://www.firearmstactical.com/hwfe.htm

 

[Headless]

Excellent reading, DMK. Thanks for the information