I recently purchase some Federal 135 Gr HP ammo in a silver box from my local Walmart. Since most of the .40 ammo that I see is 165 Gr or 180 Gr., I am not sure what I have. I was told that it is a surplus high velocity round that was made for the Border Patrol or some other federal agency. Is this a good defense round or is Federal getting rid of it because it didn't live up to expectations?
.40 cal ammo question
- Thread starter jdavis
- Start date
I think it is just an overrun from a large contract. Why not keep pumping them out if they are already tooled up to load that particular round. I have shot some of that ammo, and it has been great, as well as the Winchester ranger LE ammo that is sold from time to time.
I don't have a link handy but I believe 135 grain will not penetrate as deeply as 165 or 180 grain. You might want to try out your google fu & do some research on this.
While I haven't shot 135 grain bullets out of my .40's I prefer either 165 or 180 grain bullets for them. I have used 155 grain & the recoil seems a little snappier.
While I haven't shot 135 grain bullets out of my .40's I prefer either 165 or 180 grain bullets for them. I have used 155 grain & the recoil seems a little snappier.
That ammo is Federal HST hollow points....really good stuff! You can find ballistic and expansion tests results on youtube....look for the "tnoutdoors9" channel. He test LOTS of ammo, and has some interesting results. Any HST ammo will be top-notch. The 135 gr. doesn't penetrate as well as 165 or 180, but it's still pretty good at 11" or so, and with the usual perfect HST expansion. Great stuff to stock up on for any SHTF scenario.
A
Anonymous
I have .40 cal HP ammo of 135, 165 and 180gr, all of which performs fine in my SR40c but am curious if there has ever been any heavier than 180. Not that 180 isn't sufficient for good penetration but I'm just curious. I know how much the .45acp shooters like the heavier bullets.
Double Tap sells .40 caliber cartridges with 200 grain bullets. http://www.doubletapammo.com/php/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=21_26&products_id=108
I do not know how good it would be as I haven't used any of their products. I would be interested to see some ballistics testing done with that. I'm kinda wondering if over penetration might be more of a concern with that load.
I do not know how good it would be as I haven't used any of their products. I would be interested to see some ballistics testing done with that. I'm kinda wondering if over penetration might be more of a concern with that load.
I think Buffalo Bore also sells stout .40 rounds (used for hunting or bear/ hippo defense). I don't know if I'd make it a habit of shooting those heavy hitters out of a compact SR9!! I think a P944 or similar large-frame pistol would be a better choice.
A
Anonymous
There's a line of thinking out there, including some from Mr. Ayoob, that a lower-grain bullet may penetrate further. It's due to the higher speed pushing the bullet. Also read because of the preference for the heavier bullet, and the speed of the lighter bullet, the mid-size is probably best. Oh, and with the added speed of the light-weights comes more expansion.
Is that wishy-washy enough?
Is that wishy-washy enough?
lineman73
Bearcat
A number of years ago, my son and I were turkey hunting when we encountered a pack of about 35 hogs. Both of us had shotguns loaded for turkey. I also had a .40 S&W pistol loaded with Hornady Custom 135 grain JHP bullets. I hoped it would do the job on one of the medium sized hogs.
I got a 35 yard broadside shot at an approximately 150 lb boar. When the bullet hit, it left crater about 8" in diameter behind the front shoulder. It did not penetrate the tough grissle plate. The hog, squealing loudly, trotted away, barely bleeding. WRONG_O!! :shock:
End result...I will not ever use a .40 S&W load lighter than 180 grains for anything other than target shooting. There is a reason that Bill Jordan, Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith said that the ideal LE/SD cartridge was one sending a 180 grain JHP bullet, of at least .40 caliber, out at between 900 and 1000 fps. The ammo companies gave us the .41 Magnum. What was intended was the 180 grain JHP .40 S&W.
This was real world result, not hypothetical hoopla!! Make mine 180 grains please!!
I got a 35 yard broadside shot at an approximately 150 lb boar. When the bullet hit, it left crater about 8" in diameter behind the front shoulder. It did not penetrate the tough grissle plate. The hog, squealing loudly, trotted away, barely bleeding. WRONG_O!! :shock:
End result...I will not ever use a .40 S&W load lighter than 180 grains for anything other than target shooting. There is a reason that Bill Jordan, Skeeter Skelton and Elmer Keith said that the ideal LE/SD cartridge was one sending a 180 grain JHP bullet, of at least .40 caliber, out at between 900 and 1000 fps. The ammo companies gave us the .41 Magnum. What was intended was the 180 grain JHP .40 S&W.
This was real world result, not hypothetical hoopla!! Make mine 180 grains please!!
GhosT
Blackhawk
JMHO,of course.
Think of the .40 SW 135 grain loads as ya would a .357 magnum 125 grain load.
Faster, lighter,faster expanding, less penetration.
They hit hard and fast,for defense ya could do worse......BUT!!!!!!!!!!....
Keep in mind bullet weight ,and speed will effect aiming.
A faster, lighter bullet will shoot lower than standard sites.
I remember when the SW.40 round first came out,
I remember the tests of bullets....
A fast moving 135 grain .40 caliber bullet ....is EXTREMELY effective...
At close to middle range....just never saw one accurate at 25 yards plus!
"I was told that it is a surplus high velocity round that was made for the Border Patrol or some other federal agency. "
One of my house guns is a SW.40.
I prefer 155 or 165 grain bullets.
But honestly, yer 135 grainers sound find too.
Think of the .40 SW 135 grain loads as ya would a .357 magnum 125 grain load.
Faster, lighter,faster expanding, less penetration.
They hit hard and fast,for defense ya could do worse......BUT!!!!!!!!!!....
Keep in mind bullet weight ,and speed will effect aiming.
A faster, lighter bullet will shoot lower than standard sites.
I remember when the SW.40 round first came out,
I remember the tests of bullets....
A fast moving 135 grain .40 caliber bullet ....is EXTREMELY effective...
At close to middle range....just never saw one accurate at 25 yards plus!
"I was told that it is a surplus high velocity round that was made for the Border Patrol or some other federal agency. "
One of my house guns is a SW.40.
I prefer 155 or 165 grain bullets.
But honestly, yer 135 grainers sound find too.
A
Anonymous
I refer to Chuck Hawks refquently for ammo questions, here's what he says:
Your choice comes down to either the 180 grain jacketed hollowpoints or the 135-155 grain jacketed hollowpoints by Cor-Bon, Winchester, Federal, CCI or Remington. All are good stoppers, but the lighter weight bullets have the best stopping power records on the streets.
The real-world shooting database clearly favors the lighter 135-155 gr. JHP loads. I personally would carry the potent Cor-Bon 135 or 150 grain jacketed hollowpoint or the Winchester Silvertip 155 grain jacketed hollowpoint (X40SWSTHP). The 135-155 grain JHP kicks less and has higher kinetic energy and stopping power than the 180 gr. JHP loads. The 135 gr. JHP appears to be a real stopper.
This is his ammo=page.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm
I think he's pretty consistent with Mr. Ayoob, who has also said lighter bullets- they travel a little faster, so expand a little further- sometimes.
Your choice comes down to either the 180 grain jacketed hollowpoints or the 135-155 grain jacketed hollowpoints by Cor-Bon, Winchester, Federal, CCI or Remington. All are good stoppers, but the lighter weight bullets have the best stopping power records on the streets.
The real-world shooting database clearly favors the lighter 135-155 gr. JHP loads. I personally would carry the potent Cor-Bon 135 or 150 grain jacketed hollowpoint or the Winchester Silvertip 155 grain jacketed hollowpoint (X40SWSTHP). The 135-155 grain JHP kicks less and has higher kinetic energy and stopping power than the 180 gr. JHP loads. The 135 gr. JHP appears to be a real stopper.
This is his ammo=page.
http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm
I think he's pretty consistent with Mr. Ayoob, who has also said lighter bullets- they travel a little faster, so expand a little further- sometimes.
Buckeye! said:
There you go! I've always used the old Cor-Bon 150 gr and currently use the 155 gr Speer Gold Dots, simply because I ran out of the Cor-Bons. Why that weight? Just because... :wink:
