What .40 S&W Ammo?

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XDShooter07

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What .40 S&W ammo are you using and why did you make your decision?

I'm thinking about selling both of my 9mm's.........Glock 19 and XD-9 and getting an XD-M in .40 S&W.

I have been using 124gr +P gold dots in my 9's. I looked at the 155gr and 180gr offering from speer and it looks like the 155gr has better overall numbers....energy too...which surprised me.

Just let me know what you are using.
 
I like the Federal HST's 155gr and 165gr. both shoot great out of my CZ's and I love the expansion/flowering pattern of these bullets.
 
165gr Winchester SXT Rangers (RA40TA) simply because a bought a few boxes before this shortage and it's about all I have now besides an odd box of 165gr Golden Sabers and Remington 180gr JHPs.

I must say I'm content with the Rangers though.
 
TAP PD is my first choice because of the coating on the case that is supposed to increase lubricity. Federal P40HS2 Hydra-Shok is my second choice because of Federal Cartridge quality and terminal ballistic performance.
 
I am currently using Doubletaps 165gr gold dots. I'm using them because I really liked their .357 ammo (super hot and very reliable). Their .40 ammo is no different.
An added plus was that they had a decent deal for their "sampler pack" last year (IIRC ~$120/200 rounds).
 
Winchester LE 180gr Bonded -My Favorite-Reliable-Accurate.

Or Speer LE Gold Dot 180gr/Federal LE Tactical Bonded 180gr. Heavier bullets mean less recoil, and More Penetration. Which means Better Accuracy and More Bone and Tissue, Crushed. Hopefully an Artery Ruptured.

The Best to All!

Frank
 
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I am currently using Doubletaps 165gr gold dots. I'm using them because I really liked their .357 ammo (super hot and very reliable). Their .40 ammo is no different.
An added plus was that they had a decent deal for their "sampler pack" last year (IIRC ~$120/200 rounds).
Click to expand...

Excellent company. I bought 10 boxes of 165gr gold dots, very pleased. Shipped w/in 10 days, good for the current shortage. These are the hottest factory loads I can find for my .40. No one knows 10mm like DT, so they have my business. If you want your .40 to shoot like a HOT .45+P, this is your ammo. I stick w/ 165's because I want the same ammo for my XDm and my G27; 180's are a bit heavy for the G27's short barrel IMO.
 
What .40 S&W Ammo?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What .40 S&W ammo are you using and why did you make your decision?

I'm thinking about selling both of my 9mm's.........Glock 19 and XD-9 and getting an XD-M in .40 S&W.

I have been using 124gr +P gold dots in my 9's. I looked at the 155gr and 180gr offering from speer and it looks like the 155gr has better overall numbers....energy too...which surprised me.

Just let me know what you are using.
Click to expand...
Careful!

A 155gr bullet might move faster and create more energy in numbers, but it won't penetrate nearly as much as a 180gr bullet. It will expand more abruptly and lack the momentum of a heavier bullet, which will limit penetration to a distance that's less than desirable (12" is typically the standard for adequate penetration). 165gr is a nice comprimise, but IMHO 180gr is the only way to go if you want adequate penetration.

I recently bought five 50rd boxes of Federal HST 180gr JHPs for my USP .40 Compact. HST and Gold Dots are the best JHP designs out there in my opinion. I'm sure most would agree with me on that one.

Double Tap has some very nice .40s&w offerings at a very reasonable price and they use Gold Dots almost exclusively.
 
155 for me

I only carry 155 grain JHP in my own .40 caliber handguns. It was the duty ammo of my agency till we went to the 135 grain JHP for use in the H&K. In 10 years, I have not heard any horror stories about failure to stop with these loads.
We have used different brands with the same success, so that is not as important as it might seem.

We formally used the 110 grain and 125 grain JHP .357 magnum loads and the 155 grain .40 has proven just as effective as the 125 grainer .357 magnum.

I would stay away from the 180 grain loads. Penetration has not proven to be an issue with the 155 grain loads and the stopping power is really impressive.

Jim
 
I carry 165gr Golden Sabers. The GS is accurate, expands very well and is one of the more affordable SD rounds. I carry the 165 grain because I carry an M&P compact. I figure the shorter barrel loses some velocity and the lighter bullet gains some of that back. It probably isn't really much of a factor, but I considered it anyway. All the terminal ballistic information I have seen points to the 165 grain as a more effective stopper than the 180. Honestly though, I would go with whatever you can get because I don't believe the differences are going to be that great between the two grains.
 
Federal HST 180 or 165 grain for me. 155,165, and 180 grain loads of HST all get within an inch of penetration of each other, generally 13-14", and they all expand extremely well, plus the shape of the expanded bullet seems like it would be more effective at disrupting blood vessels.

With the .40 though it is pretty hard to find a bad defensive JHP load. I think that is one of its biggest advantages.
 
About 8 years ago, i tested both the 155 gr and 165 gr gold dot in a big ham and through water jugs, the 165 expanded more every time (because it had more to expand?) and penetrated very slightly more, cant remember details , but i've carried the 165 gold dot ever sence.
my original goal was to mimic the 357 with 158 grain using the 155 gr.,my favorite,. but the 165 gr was better .
 
I had read/heard such good things about the speer gold dot 155’s that what I tested and went with in my hkp2000sk.
Then I found some speer le golddot 180’s at a great price.
While playing with both at the same time, in three diff sessions, I discovered a few things.
The 155’s have noticeably more recoil and have much brighter flash in low light conditions.
I also had more reliable expansion thru media with the 180’s.
I have switched to the 180’s.
I would say the 155’s would hit harder but like the shoot ability, almost non-existent flash and penetration of the 180’s.
 
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