The Accurate Reloading Forums THE ACCURATE RELOADING.COM FORUMS Guns, Politics, Gunsmithing & Reloading Personal Defence And Concealed Carry Best 40 S&W defense loadGo | New | Find | Notify | Tools | Reply | |
| Best 40 S&W defense load | Login/Join |
| one of us |
I'm still breaking in my new Springfield EMP. I've put around 300 rounds down the pipe so far with one FTF. I shot the WW 180 JHP bonded bullet on paper and through some milk jugs filled with water. It's in contention for a carry load. I've got a box of Hornady Critical Duty and a box of Remington 165 gr Golden Sabers still to test. What's the favorite factory carry load out there for the short 40? | ||
|
| one of us |
Doesn't your Saugerties Garlic breath chase away the BGs ??   I've been a .40 fan since it first came out. It's hard to find a bad load except for the 'reduced recoil ' type .You have a great selection of weights and types . Popular are the Speer Gold Dots ,Remington Golden Sabers.I haven't tried the Hornady Critical Duty yet .Originally I carried a 155 gr as it had about the same trajectory as the 9mm 115gr. Now I've been using the Corbon DPX with it's all copper Barnes bullet. Stick to a premium bullet and you will do very well. Search www.stoppingpower.net for excellent discussions. | |||
|
| One of Us |
Most of the PD's in my area are using 165gr Gold Dot's for the 40 and 124gr GD's for 9mm. | |||
|
| one of us |
It might if I ever attend the garlic festival. I've not gone yet. | |||
|
| one of us |
I like the Winchester 155 Ranger loads. They have always fed and worked perfectly for me. Larry "Peace is that brief glorious moment in history, when everybody stands around reloading" -- Thomas Jefferson | |||
|
One of Us |
I handload 200 grain XTP's in mine and like em pretty good but they do have plenty of recoil next to lighter bullets. I load 'em pretty hot too, its used mostly as a bear deterrant. That is; when I don't carry my .41 Mag. Only black bear around here. If protection from two legged offenders is the only issue I'd think any good hollowpoint would work wonders. Probably lighter than heavier to prevent complete passthroughs. There are alot of premium personal defense loads out there now. Let us know what you decide on. God Bless, Louis | |||
|
| one of us |
I carry 165 golden sabers in mine right now | |||
|
| One of Us |
I carry with 165 gr Critical Defense, but pretty much anything coming out of the pipe will get the job done with the S&W 40. ___________________ Just Remember, We ALL Told You So. | |||
|
| One of Us |
I think that this pretty much sums it up. Pick your poison | |||
|
| One of Us |
When I carried my Glock 23 I carried the 180gr Hydra shock or the Eldorado Starfire in the same weight. I then tried out the Winchester Rangers and found that they were just like the Black Talons that I had when I first bought the gun. I carried them for quite some time until I moved to a Kimber Ultra CDP. It prefered Remington Golden Sabre ammo. | |||
|
one of us |
Gold Dots. Good enough for LE, good enough for me! Rangers are good too. Really though, you are splitting hairs trying to find the "Best" self defense bullet. Any good name brand bullet, that shoots somewhat accurately in your gun, will work fine. The .40 is a pretty salty round. It's no .45, but darn sure not a 9mm either. Buy brand name and hope you never have to use it. | |||
|
| one of us |
I decided to carry the Winchester bonded 180 JHP load. It penetrated three one-gallon milk jugs filled with water ( lined up in a row ) at 15 yds. and did devastating damage to the first jug. The Remington Golden Saber load did about as well and the Hornady Critical Duty 175 gr did less damage to the first jug. All loads penetrated the three jugs. | |||
|
| one of us |
Try Double tap 165 grain HP's. They hit HARD and very accurate. PAH The Hunters Hut Firearms Sales & Service PAHunter/ The Head Hunter DRSS,NRA,SCI,NAHC www.huntershut1.com | |||
|
| One of Us |
Winchester Range T 180 Gr. Has good anti flash powder for low light shooting. Golden Saber takes away your night vision. Cold Zero | |||
|
| one of us |
WW Black Talon | |||
|
One of Us |
Shoot ANY JHP in 40 S&W into ballistic gel or the cheapo facsimile -- which is crumpled newspaper soaked in a 5 gal. bucket -- and you'll find that ANY of the JHP in ANY bullet weight is going to be pretty lethal if you hit your target. I opt for 45 ACP. Remington makes a cheap box of 240 gr. JHP -- a box of 50 ran me about $25. Feeds fine, deadly, adequate. I'll be DAMNED if I'm going to shoot some felonious jerk with expensive "designer" ammo. 9mm I like Federal Hydra-Shok, 115 gr. Someone ages ago advised. "With ammo, stick with the top five: Federal, Remington, Winchester, CCI, Western." ================================================================== A. Hamilton "The Federalist, No. 29, 'Concerning the Militia'" [I]f circumstances should at any time oblige the government to form an army of any magnitude that army can never be formidable to the liberties of the people while there is a large body of citizens, little, if at all, inferior to them in discipline and the use of arms, who stand ready to defend their own rights and those of their fellow-citizens. This appears to me the only substitute that can be devised for a standing army, and the best possible security against it, if it should exist. | |||
|
| one of us |
It wasn't always the case that any JHP would work a lot of better designs have come out. Sense 1986 and the FBI shoot out that started it all. A lot JHP bullets we have now are more relilable in expansion and penetration then they were pre 86. | |||
|
| Powered by Social Strata |
 | Please Wait. Your request is being processed... |
|
Visit our on-line store for AR Memorabilia
| View $GS_USERNAME's Public Profile |
| Add $GS_USERNAME to my Buddies |
| Add $GS_USERNAME to my Ignore List |
| Invite $GS_USERNAME to a Private Topic |
| View Recent Posts by $GS_USERNAME |
| Notify me of New Posts by $GS_USERNAME |