40 S&W Duty Load ?

S

Sarge55

New member
I've been "delegated" to research a new 40 S&W duty load for my (semi-rural) department. We're currently carrying Federal 180 Gr. JHP in our Glock 22's. What's your departments issued duty load? Any suggestions and/or recommendations? Many thanks in advance!

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DAH BIG DAWG'S ON DUTY
 
Call John Koppel, owner of ProLoad ammunition, at (208)773-9444. Not only does he make some of the best ammo around, he knows all about ammunition and ballistics, and would be happy to discuss same with you.
 
Check out the Handguns April,2000 issue inside they have the "10 best police and defense loads" The number one load was the Federal 155gr. Hydra-shock with a 97 percent one stop shot rating. The number six on the list was the 135gr JHP loaded by Triton and Corbon with a 92 percent one stop shot rating. And finally number nine was the Federal 180gr Hydra-shok with a 90 percent one stop shots. The data comes from a guy named Evan Marshall. He spent 20 years collecting data from police shootings.
 
Not Marshall and Sanow again? :(

Search around. Finding the problems with these two guys is easier than finding Waldo.

OK, Waldo is easier. Sometimes. :)

Erik
 
I would keep bullet weight between 155-165 grains. Like the guys above me said, try ProLoad - Speer. Also look at 165 Remington Golden Saber. You want a little more velocity to increase the chance for expansion. 135 grains is ok for subways, airports, malls, etc. where you do NOT want over penetration.

These are my "Duty" ammo links: http://www.federalcartridge.com/ http://www.black-hills.com/ http://www.remington.com http://www.winchester.com/ http://www.hornady.com/ http://www.cor-bon.com/ http://www.proload.dmi.net/ http://www.triton-ammo.com/ http://www.pmcammo.com/ http://www.fiocchiusa.com/ http://www.blount.com/

I hope they lined up correctly,
Ben

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Almost Online IM: BenK911
ICQ # 53788523
"Gun Control Is Being Able To Hit Your Target"
 
you simply can not do better than the current crop of .40 S&W 155 to 165 grain hollow points on the market. the hydrashocks have thier following but my fav is the 165 grain Remington Golden Sabre. in our tests it proved to be a great round. expanding even when stopped up with fiber, cloth and hair. it penetrated well and as an added incentive its feeds like a champ in all guns i have tried it in. i carry it year round in both short barrels like the Kahr and standard duty weapons like the S&W 4006.

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Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what is for lunch.
Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the outcome of the vote.
Let he that hath no sword sell his garment and buy one.--And they said. Lord here are two swords. And he said unto them. That is not enough. Luke 22-36,38
They all hold swords, being expert in war: every man hath his sword upon his thigh because of fear in the night. Song of Solomon 3-8
The man that can keep his head and aims carefully when the situation has gone bad and lead is flying usually wins the fight.
 
Duty ammunition is a complicated matter where many make claims, and few have data. Be skeptical and ask to see the data for yourself.

Ask for a ballistic demonstration. A ballistic demonstration is a test of ammunition, including the stuff you are carrying, shot into the FBI test protocol. The results can often be eye-opening.

Depending on where you are located, a demo may be brought to your location, or other hosting police department. I have seen one of these demonstrations in Spokane, WA, at a police department range there. I cannot remember the agency involved.

Call Blount, Inc. for the demo. They sell Federal and CCI-Speer.

The number from the back of the Law Enforcement catalog is 1-800-666-5761. Ask for information regarding a ballistic demo.

Please make a post for the rest of us to let us know how things went.

Regards,

Slim

[This message has been edited by Slim (edited March 21, 2000).]
 
Have you considered switching to .357SIG? I just bought a Glock 31C .357SIG for use as my duty pistol. I am loading it with Federal 125gr JHP's. Based on "the tests", in ballistic gelatin the 125gr .357SIG out of a Glock 31 performs "as good as or better than" 125gr .357 magnum loads from a four inch revolver.

One criteria that seems to show an advantage to the .357SIG over the .40 in the tests I've read is better penetration after defeating certain barriers. It appears that the .357SIG fairs better than the .40 against certain barriers like auto sheet metal and glass.

If the advantages in "the tests" do carry over to the street, this means quite a bit to me since I am assigned to traffic duty. I don't really know how accurate any of the ballistic testing data is but if there's a possibility of an advantage to be had, I want it.

Just my .02 cents worth. :)



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Watch your six...

R6
 
For duty carry recommend 155gJHP from Pro Load, Remington, or Federal.

This weight range gives good barrier (car glass) penetration.

For non-duty 40S&W (back-up/off-duty) recommend 135gJHP from Gray Area Ammo (sorry, plug), Pro Load, or Federal.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
Dear Sarge, I hope you get to read this as I was unable to get through all the E-traffic earlier. I carry the 180gr HydraShocks "just like the FBI" my LT says. Well this was not my choice in bullet but it was in weight and here is why. You need to look at the consistancy of the 180gr .40 cal rounds to give good penitration and expansion since newer bullet designs dont rely nearly as heavily on velocity anymore. I checked out the FBI's own data and cant imagine why they use Hydrashocks. Bare gel they are excellent. Any barrier they clog and penetrate excessively deep or through the target. Now I like the Gold dot and Golden Sabre bullets but the best performers appeared to be the Winchester LE Only ammo. Very consistant penitration and expansion in the tests of about 14" and bullet expansion of 1 and 1/2 times the bullet diameter. I truely believe that you would be well served by the 180 or the 165gr Winchester but the 135 and 155 are too light and usually wont provide the penitration desired in heavy clothing or pesky animal hide. Best of luck, my dept went for cheaper is better! PS we also carry th G22, IMHO the best in the field.
 
For .40 I have always preferred the 135 grain loads from Corbon and Triton's HiVel 135 grain loading. With these loads, I always had very good results and no failures of any kind. The heavier 180 grain laod is going as slow as a .45's 230 grain load - so I dont see an advantage to that. The 155 grain laods I have fired have all been very pleasant to shoot - but lacked the "Oomph" I wanted for a duty load.
 
Matt, Duty ammo is usually changed at least every 2 years. LE carry the same ammo year round through all weather, dirt, and anything else you can imagine. The ammo may be rendered useless by oil in the primer or watered powder, etc.. The world of ammunition is constantly improving and moving into different areas and directions, some last while some become outdated. It is still better to hit your target than miss with a wonder bullet. There are no bad questions, only uninteresting answers.
 
I posed the same question to Chuck Taylor.
His answer was: Hornady 155gr JHP XTP
That is what is in my Glock 22 right now.

There are no magic bullets.

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BOYCOTT SLICK & WESSON

"To be wronged is nothing unless you continue to remember it."
Confucius
 
I too am of the 155-165gr ilk. I like the hydra-shok, golden sabre, or (gasp!)silvertip. My dept issues the 165gr win.ranger. In the shootings that I have seen with it, it seems to overpenetrate. Everything has been though and though. But, determine YOUR dept needs.
 
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