Lighter Bullet versus Heavy?

K

Ky Bob

New member
I've been looking for a good hollow point .40 personal defense round to use in my M&P and during my google search most come up with 180 gr rounds.
Whats your opinion? Lighter faster bullet or the slower heavier bullets?
 
I've always preferred the heavier ones.
If for no other reason than they are longer, engage more of the rifling, and are usually more accurate.
 
I like the lighter. They're more likely to fragment and cause massive wounds. My personal favorite is the Hornady 155gr XTP driven to at least 1200fps. I don't care about shooting through windshields and barriers - I'm not in the cop business. And I certainly don't care about pretty mushrooms either. I want dead meat....preferably hamburger...;)
 
They're more likely to fragment and cause massive wounds.
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Do you have a source for this? My experience is a round that holds together tends to create a better wound channel.

As fragments separate from the mass they may go different directions but I doubt they go as deep as a round that holds together...

Choose as you wish of course.
 
People "prefer" this, and some "prefer" that. Don't know of a bullet weight that's worked better than a good 155 gr. load. Like HST. One could just as easily choose the 165 gr. HST, or Gold Dot and never look back.

And, I haven't heard of any bad reports on the effectiveness of the 180gr., either. Again, HST would be my choice.
 
I've read that the 180 are usually undercharged as insurance against setback. Today I shot my new gun and it's my first time I own and shot a 40sw. I don't know if this was a fair comparison but I shot some Fed 180 FMJs and some Win 165 PDX1s. The 180s felt like a hot 9mm while the 165 PDX1s kicked like a mule.
 
I've got no definite proof but after years of hunting deer, pigs etc... I prefere the heavier bullets. In my limited expierence heavy for caliber bullets tend to work better and more reliably.

Just my opinion.
 
I prefer heavy bullets. Truth be told, 155 or 180 gr, either will likely get the job done.

As a hunter, I've killed with heavy bullets and light bullets. As long as I put them where they need to go, I've noticed no difference.
 
Lighter faster bullet or the slower heavier bullets?
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I shoot the .357 and .44 magnums rather than the .40, so my preferences may or mayn't be relevant, Ky Bob. The ideal solution is heavy and fast. When that can't be achieved, I prefer light and fast in both calibers, though heavy and slow is entirely good enough in .44 magnum. If you load your own ammunition and you're willing to put up with recoil, you can nearly always achieve heavy and fast, though not always with ideal accuracy.

Between the compromises and the conundrums, you're never quite done with load development.
 
I'd stick with 155gr or heavier. The lighter, faster 135gr loadings seem to fragment too much and penetrate too little for my taste. It seems that within LE circles, the 155-165gr loadings are most popular though the 180gr loadings are not by any means uncommon.
 
I like the lighter. They're more likely to fragment and cause massive wounds. My personal favorite is the Hornady 155gr XTP driven to at least 1200fps. I don't care about shooting through windshields and barriers - I'm not in the cop business. And I certainly don't care about pretty mushrooms either. I want dead meat....preferably hamburger...
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While I agree with the 155, its a combination of mushroom and penetration that works.

Thats as good as it gets in the truncated 40 caliber.
 
Ky Bob:

I'm not sure about a .40 but let me tell you about Hornaday's 200 grain .45 acp bullet loaded to 1020 fps in my Smith & Wesson modle 625. I was hunting boar with dogs so my shot was at point blank range. The bullet hit the hog in front of its shoulder and penetrated about twelve inches of neck taking out three inches of neck bone on the way. The bullet lodged behing the jaw and just under the ear on the off side.

Semper Fi.

Gunnery sergeant
Clifford L. Hughes
USMC Retired
 
Fragmentation in a handgun bullet is usually not desirable as it leads to more shallow penetration (the 55 gr. 5.56mm depends on fragmentation at rifle velocities). I don't know if the 155 gr. fragments or not.
 
I like a heavier bullet in my 40. If anything 180's hit where I aim, lighter bullets do not. I just bought a box of the new Hornady Critical Duty to carry just because they are heavier than the Critical Defense. 175 vs 165.
 
"Heavy and equally fast as a lighter buller is usually better combination than light and fast."

There's no disputing that. :)
 
I've been looking for a good hollow point .40 personal defense round to use in my M&P and during my google search most come up with 180 gr rounds.
Whats your opinion? Lighter faster bullet or the slower heavier bullets?

More energy the better.

Winchester PDX1 165 gr looks good at 476 ft-lbs.

Inferior to its "bigger" brother PDX1 180 gr at 420 ft-lbs.
 
Speed causes hydrostatic shock if you can get enough penetration then the faster the better in my opinion. I like 155 or 165 in .40.
 
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