Factory .40 S&W Hunting/Full Power Load Recommendations

[nchunt101]

I realize the .40 S&W is far from an ideal hunting caliber but long story short I picked up an older Tangfolio Witness target pistol a few months ago and am toying with the idea of using it to shoot a deer this season. I have other pistols more suited to hunting but this one has become one of my favorite to shoot and is one of the most accurate pistols I have shot. Underwood's 155 Gr XTP and the Buffalo Bore +P/Heavy 155 JHP seem like they would work well but I am not sure if I would be better off with a lighter, solid projectile like the Underwood 115gr Xtreme Defender due to increased penetration. Any advice/input will be appreciated.

 

[thrillhill]

I've killed lots of critters with handguns. Sometimes "on purpose" because I was hunting for them with a handgun.

Other times have been more spur of the moment or "unplanned" like putting down wounded animals or dying livestock.

I know that what I am about to say may be mildly "controversial" for the nets. And of course mileage will vary.

But, I have a lot of experience with this subject, good and bad.

And based on that experience I will NEVER purposely carry a hollow point pistol round (to include "ballistic tip styles") when thinking I may need to kill an animal.

Semi jacketed flat points or hard cast flat point is all that I will run.

The above statement is NOT AS IMPORTANT when you are using a caliber that is "appropriate" for deer hunting with a handgun, although I do that anyway. Can you ethically kill a deer with a .44 mag with a HP? Of course. Do I carry flat points anyway? Yep.

When you use "sub-standard" handgun calibers the expansion you get is negligible and does very little to help you recover the animal.

You want TWO holes in the animal, and the rounder the better. You WANT penetration. You WANT the ability to break bone if you come in contact with it.

I will always carry the heaviest, fastest, flattest metplat round I can find in that particular caliber and that my platform will safely handle and that shoots to point of aim.

 

[Jtkaz]

Yes you can and I have taken a deer with a 40sw. 180gr Hornady Xtp handloaded to the max out of a 5" semiautomatic. Shot was taken at about 15 yards. It was a 6point Western New York buck. Probably 180 pounds dressed. Full broadside shot just behind the shoulder blade. It's all about placement. Got both lungs never took another step. The HP doubled it's diameter turned the insides to mush. Was stuck in the hide on the other side. Fell out on the floor when I skinned it.

 

[thrillhill]

Yep. You sure can do it with hollow points. Done it plenty of times myself with the same drop dead results.

But that depends on everything being pretty much perfect. You do it often enough, and long enough, and you'll eventually make a mistake and not make the perfect shot, or get unlucky and have the animal move the second your trigger is breaking.

And when that happens you'll regret having used a HP instead of a flat point.

Like I say, I know not everyone is gonna agree with me. But I've learned a lot over the past two decades living somewhat of a homesteading lifestyle. We are way past the hundreds of animals I have "autopsied". At this point it's probably somewhere between 1,000-2,000 animals over the course of my lifetime. Although all those animals have not been shot or even harvested by me it teaches you a lot.

Hollow points can do it and do it fine. Flat points help cover the margin of error.

 

[Flashpoint]

The only thing I have to add is that if you get into reloading, I have read from two different sources that some 40 brass can be loaded hotter than typical factory rounds. One source said that it has a thicker web than 10mm. Not recommending it without a ton of research but that's what I read. YMMV and I'm not liable when you blow yourself up.

 

[nchunt101]

I've killed lots of critters with handguns. Sometimes "on purpose" because I was hunting for them with a handgun.

Other times have been more spur of the moment or "unplanned" like putting down wounded animals or dying livestock.

I know that what I am about to say may be mildly "controversial" for the nets. And of course mileage will vary.

But, I have a lot of experience with this subject, good and bad.

And based on that experience I will NEVER purposely carry a hollow point pistol round (to include "ballistic tip styles") when thinking I may need to kill an animal.

Semi jacketed flat points or hard cast flat point is all that I will run.

The above statement is NOT AS IMPORTANT when you are using a caliber that is "appropriate" for deer hunting with a handgun, although I do that anyway. Can you ethically kill a deer with a .44 mag with a HP? Of course. Do I carry flat points anyway? Yep.

When you use "sub-standard" handgun calibers the expansion you get is negligible and does very little to help you recover the animal.

You want TWO holes in the animal, and the rounder the better. You WANT penetration. You WANT the ability to break bone if you come in contact with it.

I will always carry the heaviest, fastest, flattest metplat round I can find in that particular caliber and that my platform will safely handle and that shoots to point of aim.

Thanks for the input. The main reason I was considering both the loads I mentioned was fps/fpe listed in the specs. In the past I have used either a 357 or 44Mag for deer but this pistol seems to shoot itself. The last deer I killed with a pistol was actually with a beater G23 and 165 gr Golden Saber. I made the mistake of taking a nap in the stand and woke up to two does feeding underneath me. Granted it was a five yard shot but she was DRT.

 

[thrillhill]

Thanks for the input. The main reason I was considering both the loads I mentioned was fps/fpe listed in the specs. In the past I have used either a 357 or 44Mag for deer but this pistol seems to shoot itself. The last deer I killed with a pistol was actually with a beater G23 and 165 gr Golden Saber. I made the mistake of taking a nap in the stand and woke up to two does feeding underneath me. Granted it was a five yard shot but she was DRT.

I gotcha. I realize you weren't really even asking about that aspect of the topic. The older and more experienced I have become the more cantankerous (or opinionated) I get on this subject. Get a little long winded trying proselytize! LOL

 

[KnotRight]

I do not hunt anymore but when I was duck hunting, I carried a 357 mag with 158 gn soft points in case we stumbled across a hog in the marsh. When I went hog hunting I carried hard cast lead in a 44 mag.

 

[nchunt101]

I gotcha. I realize you weren't really even asking about that aspect of the topic. The older and more experienced I have become the more cantankerous (or opinionated) I get on this subject. Get a little long winded trying proselytize! LOL

No worries bud. I am also prone to delivering a sermon when a simple answer will do. Your post has a lot of valid points. I have all ways used either hardcast flatpoints or a jacketed sp when hunting but after looking at the specs on the Underwood & Buffalo Bore loads both seemed to offer a decent amount of penetration combined with great FPE/FPS. Given the 40s limtations I was thinking high fpe/fps would be critical.

 

[Ikarus1]

I have found that a 165gr JHP moving at 1150 will do what you want in just about every situation (except be subsonic)
It has close to 500ft-lbs of ME which should be plenty at close range. I'd stay within 40yds of your whitetail and put it in the lungs.

 

[BatteryOaksBilly]

I will always carry the heaviest, fastest, flattest metplat round I can find in that particular caliber and that my platform will safely handle and that shoots to point of aim.

And That gets you the Battery Oaks ATTABOY for today!!!! Yes I am sure that doesn't complete your life But it is meant as a compliment.