trying to get over old ideas, anyone able to help...

B

Blindjim

New member
....me overcome my past experiences?

I've always been a member of the larger the hole the better the chance what gets that hole in it will drop. Almost immediately if not immediately. So larger bore or calibers were always the norm for me and actually today, still are.

recently moving off the .45ACP pistol to a .40SW carbine, both for Home protection purposes, I find myself faced with a fairly large number of choices of ammo designed for the 40SW caliber.

From 135 to 200gr. and a lot of stops in between.

because the weapon also has changed to a longer barrel another circumstance prevails, 'speed'.


is the smaller and a lot faster 135 JHP (+P or not), a better pick than the 200 jhp (+p or not), in this rifle, or should one split it down the middle and stick to something in the 150 - 155 area?

Personally, without any thought given this topic I'd as soon as get the largest slug the caliber and my weapon support and be done with it.

one worry is missing and/or over penetration. Naturally. that concern returns me to thinking lighter smaller rounds would be best then.

If the .40SW carbine is the go to home keeper weapon, which direction lends itself to a better situation.

I live alone but with neighbors close by on 3 sides. The next door home is perennially vacated and seemingly abandoned.

Stick to fat and slow or step into the brave new world of quick and itty bitty-er? +P or no?

Thanks.
 
Whichever one you can shoot most accurately and fast.
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Shoot the biggest caliber you can shoot accurately (not so much recoil that it makes you flinch or takes excessively long to get back on target). But don't over think it. 2 or 3 well placed shots in the chest will do the job with any standard caliber 9, 40, 45.

I personally would be more concerned with what type of bullet was leaving the barrel (JHP, FMJ, etc) than what cartridge was pushing it out.

Me personally, yes, I'll shoot +p as long as my weapon is designed to do so.
 
From a carbine I don't know that it matters as much as with a pistol. As others have said, pick one that's accurate and that feeds 100%

And the question doesn't really fit with your first sentence--all of them will make the same sized hole going in.
 
is the smaller and a lot faster 135 JHP (+P or not), a better pick than the 200 jhp (+p or not), in this rifle, or should one split it down the middle and stick to something in the 150 - 155 area?
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That's the old argument in a nutshell and one that we've been debating since way before I got involved in the discussion. Light and fast, or heavy and slow? You're not the first to ask this question and you won't be the last, and there are actually great arguments to be made for both.

I'm assuming that this pistol-caliber carbine is a semi-auto, so the deciding factor for me would be to find the bullet weight/velocity that the carbine prefers. One ammo type that feeds, shoots, extracts with iron-clad reliability. As far as the other choice, it will boil down to your personal preference. I tend more toward the middle weights in all calibers, but that's just my personal choice and I have been known to deviate from it on occasion.

Good shooting!
 
Elkins45: From a carbine I don't know that it matters as much as with a pistol. As others have said, pick one that's accurate and that feeds 100%. And the question doesn't really fit with your first sentence--all of them will make the same sized hole going in.


I tend to agree with that first thought, but felt to feel out the knowledge base here on it, before I begin ordering various weights and loads of JHP ammo. On the second portion, well, I actually did not know this was true, figuring the heavier slug opened farther out and made a slightly bigger entry wound.


Another concern is the opening of the round itself. Is this one or that one shedding the jacket entirely too soon, or not opening up soon enough due to a slower rate…. Etc.??? or are those worries only the handgun sorts and not the longer barreled weapons troubles?

I read this article a year or so ago, and then once more recently while perusing info on the 40SW in a 16 in barrel…. “AMMUNITION FOR THE SELF-DEFENSE FIREARM” from:

http://www.chuckhawks.com/ammo_by_anonymous.htm

in it, a choice for the lighter .40s is made for pistols. As well as a frown is made for +P ammo, as I recall. No category was refered to for carbines or special duty rifles


PawPaw: I'm assuming that this pistol-caliber carbine is a semi-auto, so the deciding factor for me would be to find the bullet weight/velocity that the carbine prefers. One ammo type that feeds, shoots, extracts with iron-clad reliability. As far as the other choice, it will boil down to your personal preference. I tend more toward the middle weights in all calibers, but that's just my personal choice and I have been known to deviate from it on occasion.


Thanks.. I believe we're pretty much on the same page. It's a Beretta CX 4, in .40SW. Now that is a fine notion about finding out what the rifle likes. Although I was aiming at shortening the “shoot ‘em all” parade and concentrate on merely 2 or 3, or maybe 4 different rounds. lol It does make good sense and I did think about it, but felt in general the CX4s in 40SW would shoot a lot alike in ammo terms, but then I really don’t know.

All the notes here on what is most manageable and what the rifle enjoys feeding and firing, all make great sense.


I guess I was/am seeking a best of the rest sort of answer for my Beretta 40 carbine, and thus avoid trying the bulk of the available 40SW shells out there. Such as every 135gr JHP made by every manufacturer, and so forth.

I’m guessing that every Beretta 40sw made in the PX 4 series should have more than esthetics in common with each other and not be so much so a ‘Fingerprint’ or unique to itself, shooter…. Shouldn’t it, er, they?


Then there’s the case one can make for this or that JHP as well, despite the actual size or weight of the bullet itself. Do Core Bond open better than Hornaday? Or are Buffalo Bore best overall? Does this round or that HAVE to be traveling at or over 1400fps to be at their best?


On this site some tests were made at length and the lighter and faster rounds appear to possess the greater energy as the 40 SW responds pretty well to a longer tube than did the 45ACP, and what led me to acquire the CX4 in 40SW, as well as some other prime factors which denied me a different rifle.

http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com/40sw.html

In my book, personal first hand experiences carry much more weight ordinarily, and can support tests such as these while revealing more depth than do mere numbers.

AS said too, maybe it’s best to not over think things and merely try 3 or 4 different types and see what’s up with them. If none are remaining in a close enough group, try some others…. Just thinking out loud now.


Input here as always is sincerely well received. Thanks to all so far.
 
Blindjim said:
I guess I was/am seeking a best of the rest sort of answer for my Beretta 40 carbine, and thus avoid trying the bulk of the available 40SW shells out there. Such as every 135gr JHP made by every manufacturer, and so forth.
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I don't believe that anyone indicated that you should buy a box of everything. Sometimes we get lucky and the first thing we try is the best.

Perhaps you might mirror my experience with my Ruger LCP. When I bought that little pistol, I bought two boxes of ammo for it. It ran fine on one and didn't like the other, so I stuck with the ammo it liked. My total expenditure was two boxes of common ammunition. Frankly, I don't recall which one it liked or didn't like because I'm not at my bench right now, but I kept the ammo it liked and passed the unused other box on to a buddy.

That carbine should run fine on any quality ammunition. Find one you like and try it out. If it doesn't work, try another. It's a great excuse to range-test your carbine.
 
Sorry didn't mean to intimate someone said try 'em all... those were my thoughts, of which I wanted to avoid doing them all, or a good many of 'em, by initiating this thread.


True I'm sure, perhaps the second box will be my bullet fix. My first box is FMJ 180gr Remington. Although it might run well in the CX4, I'll keep seeking out some JHP instead.


I want to try out some Buffalo Bore & Core Bond, but for the life of me, I can't even find a seller online I can get some from! All I find around here are Hornady TAP & Federal HS.
 
First, read this for some realistic expectations regarding velocity from carbines:

http://www.shootingillustrated.com/index.php/6626/pistol-caliber-carbines/

Then, I'd load it with Federal 165 grain HST. I've chrono'ed it at about 1160 fps from our duty Glock 22's and it's worked wonderfully on injured deer and 100+ pound charging dogs; it'll grind through shoulders and stay together. Its feed profile is excellent. Should do close to 1400 from your carbine and that's a decent thump by any measure.
 
Sarge....

Good to go. Thanks.

I read that article a few days ago actually... worth reading once more though.

I like that idea of the weight of the round. 100lb + charging dogs? Sure they weren't something else? good grief!

I bet I'll wind up in that area anyhow... 140 - 165.

I'll have to look into what Federal ammo you speak of though... that one is news to me.



I suppose what suprises me some is no one has said anything positive about the 135gr JHP.
 
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