155/165/180 grain .40 comparisons

S

Super-Dave

New member
which is the best SD round for .40

155/165/180

What I have seen is that the gel testing is similiar for all 3?

How about real world results or your own testing. Which is best?
 
depends on the length of the barrel, standard I'd go 180...sub compact barrel I'd go lighter. A buddy of mine killed a boar with a 180 grain HST out of a Glock 23 and it xpanded almost perfectly.
 
You'll find fans of all of the bullets - but I prefer the 180gr Hydra Shok for carry ammo in my .40S&W chambered guns / and I shoot a 180gr CMJ Montana Gold bullet for practice/range ammo in all of my guns chambered in
.40S&W just for consistency.

I haven't done any tests on my own / I'll let the experts do that .....but I'm confident Hydra Shok ammo will do what I need done ( in the one in a gazillion chance that I ever have to draw and fire a weapon ).....
 
which is the best SD round for .40

155/165/180

What I have seen is that the gel testing is similiar for all 3?
Click to expand...

First off is a quality bullet. Fact is that most major manufacturers offer premium self defense loads with good bullets designed for each of these weights and more.

The reason you see that these weight bullets tend to penetrate and expand to about the same depths in 10% ballistic gelatin is because they are built to do that irregardless of bullet weight.

Some rounds like the Winchester Ranger T are designed to penetrate certain type barriers (auto glass, sheet rock, etc.) and still penetrate and expand 12-14". These are available in various weights as well.

So the question comes down to which weight bullet do you shoot best from your guns?

Hornady makes a good round in it's Critical Defense line that has a 165 gr. pill at 1175 fps and 506 ft pds of energy available to it. But if you find that this ammo is not accurate in your hands or from your guns a 180 gr. pill or another makers line may be a better choice.

Get a few boxes of quality stuff and over time check out which works best for you. The best round is the one is the most powerful one that you can shoot well from your guns at speed and with accuracy. Testing and practice will enable you to figure that out.

tipoc
 
I shoot 155 Gr. Federal Hydra-Shok. I read somewhere that the ballistics of the lighter rounds are superior due to impact force being a combination of speed and mass. Truth be told, I'll shoot any of them, so long as I've done my practice they'll do the trick.
 
lightweights

I use and prefer the Nosler 135g JHP in my 40 S&W (and 10mm) SD loads; I recommend something heavier for non-civilian use.
 
Shooting a SIG P229, I prefer, and seem to be most accurate, with 165gr Winchester Ranger SXT rounds.

I have a CZ-75B in .40 that doesn't seem to care between 155-165-180 but didn't like my lone experiment in 200gr :rolleyes:
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top