Black Hills 165 Gold Dot .40S&W???

[NEOH212]

Mas, I remember that you said in one of your books (sorry, I can't remember which one) that the Black Hills EXP 165 grain Gold Dot was one of your favorite loads and also one of the best performing loads in the .40 S&W.

Why did Black Hills do away with this loading? Also, how does the current Speer Gold Dot 165 GDHP compare with the Black Hills EXP 165 load? Lastly, is your position on the current Speer 165 Gold Dot (1,150 fps from a 4" barrel) load still the same today as it was in your book Combat Combat Handgunney?

(Great book by the way!)

Thanks.

:wavey:

[Mas Ayoob]

Black Hills Ammunition, as I'm sure you know, is famous for producing accurate loads. The Black Hills EXP with the Gold Dot exactly duplicated Speer's own Gold Dot load with nominal velocity of 1140 feet per second. I found the BH load just a tad more accurate, won three state shoots with it out of a Glock 22, and not surprisingly it became my personal load of choice at that time.

When Black Hills switched to the Hornady XTP for their 165 grain load, that changed things. The XTP goes more for penetration and less for expansion. While we can debate the theory of that all day, the Gold Dot 165 was street proven, and there just weren't enough actual shootings with the XTP bullet to establish the "street credibility" that the 165 grain Gold Dot had earned.

These days, when I carry a .40, it's loaded with either 165 grain Speer Gold Dot or 155 grain Winchester Silvertip (nominal 1200 fps), which has worked remarkably well in actual shootings that I've reviewed.

best,
Mas

[NEOH212]

Thanks again! :wavey: