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Help with .40 Defense Ammo

20K views 53 replies 36 participants last post by  CharlesMorri 
#1 ·
I have a Sig Sauer P250C .40 for a carry weapon. I would like some suggestions about some defense ammo. I have only shot 200 rounds of FMJ through it. The gun is dead nuts accurate. I have Federal hollow points from Wally World in my Glock, Kahr and Diamond Back but never shot those guns with that ammo either. When my or families life is on the line I would like zero cycle problems.
 
#2 ·
I'm using the Remington 180gr HPs in my 40cal Glocks. Never had any problems with them in compact or sub-compact. I personally think the 40S&W is an inherently more accurate round compared to other calibers....at least that's my experience. Not a wide range of loads to select from in the 40cal since the overall cartridge is near the peak for it's performance level. 165-180gr is mainly what you'll find unless it's something exotic. I tend to have my favorites for my 9mm and 45ACP pistol loads, but the 40cals pretty much run very well with whatever I have tried. I did pick up a box of Winchester PDX1 for 40S&W last year. Have not tried them yet, but it's a small box 20 or 25 rounds I believe. I just bought it because they had it.
As far as cycle problems.....we never know. Things go south when you least expect them to do so, and problems don't always show up at the range during practice. Keep those malfunction and clearing exercises in mind.
You can trust a machine (or any mechanical thing) just as much as you can trust a human not to let you down in the heat of the moment. Stands to reason.....man made machines and mechanical things.
 
#3 ·
I just did a lot of research, and ordered some new SD rounds. Personally, I like to shoot 180 grain, because I can tell a difference in recoil. To others, (and probably other guns) they can't tell as much of a difference. That said, you can't go wrong with the 155's or 165's if you like those loads.

As for the ammo, I have decided on Federal HST's, Ranger T's, or Speer Gold Dot's. After researching these rounds, I feel that they have the safest and best levels of penetration for self defense, best energy transfer, and largest / most reliable expansion. They have adopted the newest advancement in ballistic technology.

Edit:


.40 S&W Winchester Ranger T-Series 165 gr Ammo Test - YouTube

.40 Speer Gold Dot 165 gr JHP Gel Ammo Test - YouTube
 
#8 ·
I hard cast 175's, also use 180 XTP's, but carry 140 DPX.
 
#10 ·
So, you load your weapons with JHP but have never shot any of those rounds through the gun?

Not a good idea. While most major guns will handle just about anything it's a good idea to run at least a few mags ( some people like to run a 100 or 200 rounds ) of your chosen JHPs to make sure they feed properly.

Getting into a self defense shooting and finding out your gun doesn't feed your hollow points without jamming is a good way to nd up dead...
 
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#11 ·
When this comes up I post this link that my buddy "jonconsligno" told me about: Best choices available for self-defense ammunition.

Here is the .40 S&W list:
Barnes all-copper bullets (140 & 155gr) loaded by: Cor-Bon (DPX40140)
Winchester Ranger 180gr JHP (RA40T)
Winchester Ranger 165gr JHP (RA40TA)
Winchester Partition Gold 165gr JHP (RA401P)
Winchester Bonded 180gr JHP (Q4355)
Speer Gold Dot 155gr JHP (53961)
Speer Gold Dot 180gr JHP (53962)
Federal Tactical 165gr JHP (LE40T3)
Federal Tactical 180gr JHP (LE40T1)
Federal HST 180gr JHP (P40HST1)
Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)


Of course, read the article and decide what works best for you.
I was posting with a gentleman the other day and he believes the 180gr round will slowly disappear because the FBI adopted the 165gr round. Time will tell.
 
#12 ·
I was posting with a gentleman the other day and he believes the 180gr round will slowly disappear because the FBI adopted the 165gr round. Time will tell.
This article states otherwise. Also, my inability to easily find the 180 grain loads might say otherwise, too.

The US Government Has Ordered Over 750 Million Rounds of .40 Caliber Hollow Point Ammunition in the Last Three Years :

Edit: although the article doesn't say it, but the recent 450 million round contract by the DHC is 180 grain.
 
#13 ·
Right you are MKH! I didn't 'splain myself well enough. I put at least one mag of my CC rounds through the pistol each range trip. I'm a firm believer in "shoot what you carry". I just range shoot the cheaper rounds" more" at the range. Sorry I wasn't clearer in my thoughts.
 
#17 ·
Lol, no doubt. I'm going to stock up on the 180's as soon as I can find some for cheap. Last week, I had to spend $0.80 a round (with shipping) on some HST's... Hopefully, I should be getting some for a little cheaper, soon. Looks like prices are starting to go through the roof ...at least until it becomes more readily available (I hope).
 
#19 ·
I have a 250c 40sw also and I've shot 500 rounds of the big three (Rem-Win-Fed) both FMJs and HPs with no issues at all. I bought all my ammo at Wally's so I haven't tried other brands. If you're at Wally's grab the Rem UMC 180 HPs, they shot well in my Sig. Also the Win PDX1 165 BJHPs did well too but they're pricey. My Sig is loaded with the PDX1s for SD anyway and they're hot.
 
#21 ·
Federal HST

I agree with Lotus222 and JeffD. I researched the matter fairly thoroughly and have gone strictly with the Federal HST for my auto-pistols. 9mm 147gr., .40 cal. 180gr. and .45acp 230gr., all standard velocity. I had some instructive email exchanges with an official from ATK (parent company of Federal, Speer, etc.) and he said that with today's bullet technology, the only reason they even make +P ammo is that they have a market for it-- there's no real necessity for +P. Now if only they'd make HST for my .38 and .357 revolvers......!!! I bought my .40 from SG Ammo and the 9mm and .45 from Streichers, if that helps. (^_^)
 
#24 ·
I carry Gold Dot, but from what I can see, the Fed HST is pretty similar. ATK owns both the Speer and Federal brands, and both of them are known for quality and reliability. The HST is newer, but the premise seems to be the same.

I stick to 165gr in my carry stuff, the energy and velocity are both higher. The 180gr is the 'first' round developed for the .40, but the powder charge and bullet weight were really designed for the 10mm "FBI Light" load. From what I've read, the 165gr generally performs better. OTOH, I doubt you could go wrong with any .40 load, they're all pretty spectacular.




I agree with Lotus222 and JeffD. I researched the matter fairly thoroughly and have gone strictly with the Federal HST for my auto-pistols. 9mm 147gr., .40 cal. 180gr. and .45acp 230gr., all standard velocity. I had some instructive email exchanges with an official from ATK (parent company of Federal, Speer, etc.) and he said that with today's bullet technology, the only reason they even make +P ammo is that they have a market for it-- there's no real necessity for +P. Now if only they'd make HST for my .38 and .357 revolvers......!!! I bought my .40 from SG Ammo and the 9mm and .45 from Streichers, if that helps. (^_^)
AFAIK, there is no +P standard for .40S&W at this time, and anyone advertising ".40 +P" is selling overpressure rounds that are not safe to fire in factory firearms...
 
#22 ·
I almost forgot------- one plus with the Federal HST is that it comes in 50 round boxes as opposed to 20 or 25 like most of the other SD ammo; Ranger T is also in 50 rd. boxes, another really good load (by the way-- Streichers will only sell the Ranger T to official LE departments-- I tried!).
 
#23 ·
Ammo to Go will sell all the Ranger T's you want. I have a great supply of them in 9MM, 40 and 45.
 
#25 ·
Gold Dots. Far easier to find than HST, just as good, and very reliable.
 
#26 · (Edited)
My wife's ex husband paid his child support last month with a S&W 4003 and a mess of magazines of 165gr Gold Saber. I don't feel under-protected with those. When I carried a little Kahr MK40 I preferred a light, fast 135gr JHP. Even then that thing kicked a lot. I personally am satisfied with the performance of those 135s, devastating and worth it to me to sacrifice some penetration. As for cycle reliability, the rounded Gold Saber with it's hard jacket is known for reliable feeding, and the 135s have plenty of momentum to cycle those springs. No matter what brand, I'd spend the money and shoot a bunch.

Also: WTB S&W 4003/06 magazines. anybody?
 
#27 ·
I have spent a lot of time researching self defense ammo over the last few years. There are a lot of very good carry rounds on the market today (Gold Dot, Ranger-T, etc...), but I choose to carry Federal HST in all of my guns. 147+P for 9mm and 180gr for .40 S&W.

These bullets hold together like a bonded bullet through any barrier and have better expansion in both size and reliability.

KylesGunShop and SGammo have been my sources. HSTs aren't too easy to come by.
 
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