What 40 caliber ammo for home defense?

[Cat-o-matic]

Gen

[Cat-o-matic]

I

[Clem Eastwood]

Welcome to the forum Marine. Tactical Forums has excellent terminal results for all calibers. Their recommended loads for .40 s&w are:

Barnes XPB 140 & 155 gr JHP (copper bullet)
Speer Gold Dot 155 gr JHP (53961)
Federal Tactical 165 gr JHP (LE40T3)
Winchester Ranger-T 165 gr JHP (RA40TA)
Winchester Partition Gold 165 gr JHP (RA401P)
Federal HST 180 gr JHP (P40HST1)
Federal Tactical 180 gr JHP (LE40T1)
Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP (53966)
Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)


my personaly preference goes towards heavier as they tend to penetrate deeper, and i like the speer gold dot line. so if it were me I'd go with the 180gr gold dot. but any of the above should be fine. :thumbsup:

[happyguy]

Were I in your position I would probably go with either Corbon Powerball or Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket. Those two would probably eliminate the likelyhood of being prosecuted because of your ammo.

If you are determined to use a hollowpoint and are concerned with over-penetration the Corbon 135 grain load might do. The South Bend, Indiana PD has had great results with it.

I personally carry Federal Tactical Bonded 165 grain ammo (LE40T3). It is somewhat downloaded, like the FBI load, and is very mild shooting in lightweight pistols.

Edited to add: The two Corbon loads should meet your requirment for quick expansion though they might not give you a full 12 inches of penetration in gelatin.

Regards,
Happyguy :)

[agentl074]

The best performer for the .40 is the 135gr Nosler bullet which scored a 96% OSS.

[GroovedG19]

180gr. Winchester Ranger and 180gr. Federal Tactical in my .40 pistols for home defense.

[Ak.Hiker]

Plus one on the Power Ball. If it was me I would play it safe with the legal issues in New Jersey.

[gjwheels]

SEMPER FI MARINE: I carry 155fr speer gold dots in the summer and 180gr (for penetration thru heavy clothing) in the winter months. Thanks for your service.
From an old (literally and figuratiely) swabbie

[hokieglock]

165gr ranger t's for me.

[MOHAA Player]

Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP (53966)
Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
MOHAA

[Gordov2]

Winchester 180 grain, .40 cal RA40T's, all the way!!!!

[K-DOG]

Originally posted by MOHAA Player
Remington Golden Saber 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer Gold Dot 180 gr JHP (53966)
Winchester Ranger-T 180 gr JHP (RA40T)
MOHAA

:agree: 180gr all the way. .40 cal was built around that bullet

[MOTHERGREEN]

180 really? I've been using 165's whats the difference between the two, in say golden sabres.

[K-DOG]

Originally posted by MOTHERGREEN
180 really? I've been using 165's whats the difference between the two, in say golden sabres.

You might find the 180gr shoot a little softer, kinda like a push instead of the snap. 165gn is still a good load. I just find I can shoot faster follow ups with the 180gn. And as the body is made up of bone not just ballistic gel I like the mass behind the 180.

[MOTHERGREEN]

never really noticed a difference in shooting regular ol practice rounds. bunch of 165 and 180s mixed in the ammo can. but extra mass behind it makes sense to me. might have to switch to 180s soon

[windplex]

Cat, Welcome to our formum!

Thank you AND YOUR FAMILY your sacrifices for our country and for my family in particular. My family and I truly appreciate it! America and all of our rights depends on patriots like yourself! Thank you very much!

Cat, You already know the important stuff and are well trained. You chose the 40 and it is difficult to near impossible to go wrong with most any 40 ammo. Caviot: I would never use any weird special effects ammo regardless of caliber.

Having said that I like the Ranger T ammunition. It has the added benefit of sharp brass pedals that remain within cutting position dring its trip. Get it in any weight you like. I too like 180.

The LEOs have not warmed up to the 180 grain 40 rounds so the 180 Ranger is bargain priced at dirtcheap.com and likely other suppliers. (IIRC $18 for 50)

Walmart has winchester white box 180 grain hp as well for a good price. Older tech but still expands reliably in all tests -- will get the job done.

Some of the brands get significantly more velocity out of each 40 round weight than other brands. Unfortunately I cannot remember which brand at the moment ****Perhaps another poster will provide that brand?**** About another 10% IIRC.

Like NJ, In my state we get winter and we wear layers of heavy clothing plus we also have some bad people who are very fat and so penetration is imperative, IMO, after placement.

Stay safe!
Windlex

[NickZac]

If you do not want to go the hollowpoint route but want reliable expansion, the Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket (EFMJ) is a good player. If you do want to go hollow point, go Winchester Ranger T or Federal HST. The Speer Gold Dot and Remington Golden Saber are also great performers. Of all of those mentioned, HST will penetrate slightly less and expand MUCH more.

[texas 48]

Originally posted by agentl074
The best performer for the .40 is the 135gr Nosler bullet which scored a 96% OSS.

+1 on the 135gr Nosler. 3.46 barrel 1310 FPS 515ftlbs energy from Double Tap. Longer the Barrel the higher velocity and energy. 12 inch penetration though 4 layers of denim and 2 layers cotton tee shirt. expension .70 or the 155gr GDHP 1250/495 penitration 13" .76" expansion.

[pilot996]

I carry 155fr speer gold dots in the summer and 180gr (for penetration thru heavy clothing) in the winter months

same here :)


Were I in your position I would probably go with either Corbon Powerball or Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket. Those two would probably eliminate the likelyhood of being prosecuted because of your ammo

.If you do not want to go the hollowpoint route but want reliable expansion, the Federal Expanding Full Metal Jacket (EFMJ) is a good player

the law prohibits hollow point, expanding full metal jacket, and any other armor piercing mution. (i thought it was funny that they lumped HP in with armor piercing) also, you are allowed to have them in your house, use them at the range, possibly hunt with them (thought im not positive about that one) you just cant have them anyplace inbetween unless they are locked away securely and only while in direct route from a legal place of use back to your house

[texas 48]

Originally posted by pilot996
same here :)




.

the law prohibits hollow point, expanding full metal jacket, and any other armor piercing mution. (i thought it was funny that they lumped HP in with armor piercing) also, you are allowed to have them in your house, use them at the range, possibly hunt with them (thought im not positive about that one) you just cant have them anyplace inbetween unless they are locked away securely and only while in direct route from a legal place of use back to your house

I am sorry I didn't notice your location. Most of the NE, Vt. and NH excepted, doesn't recognize the 2nd Amendment. The socialist,oops liberals, only want BG's to have guns.

[cole]

You might find the 180gr shoot a little softer, kinda like a push instead of the snap. 165gn is still a good load. I just find I can shoot faster follow ups with the 180gn...

Ditto this. I find the 180gr GS more a "push" than a "snap" in recoil compared to the 165gr GS. Not sure how this compares across loads, but I found Speer GD 180gr similar to the "push" of the 180gr GS.

[BigBoogie]

in addition to ranger t and hst, consider corbon dpx

[SDGlock23]

My G23 currently houses 14 Winchester Ranger RA40T's. HST's rock too. Gold Dot's also rock, and rock hard. 155gr-200gr hp = it's all good.