What ammo would you carry in your .40 cal and why?

two fingers

two fingers

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I have several different kinds of .40 cal ammo.

Liberty Civil Defense - Light, fast, apparently goes through Type II body armor. I imagine a downside would be that it can go through walls and potentially damage things and or kill innocents on the other side. An obvious factor is that it's LOUD!!! Super lightweight. An 11 round Model 96 magazine feels like it only has a few rounds in it. It's the "easiest" to carry due to weight. My M&P Shield feels unloaded and the extra mag sits in my pocket and vanishes due to weight and size.

Buffalo Bore - Hits like a hammer. +P. Can literally kill a deer. (Ask me how I know.) Heavy as crap. The heaviest ammo I own by far. An 11 round model 96 magazine is like a brick.

Speer Gold Dot (if I recall... got them from my LEO uncle when I got the gun) - Supposedly a pretty good HP. Middle of the road weight.

Federal Syntech Defense - Interesting technology. Middle core plows straight through. Three pedals break off and slice a wide (8") wound cavity. Middle of the road weight.

Several FMJ variants.
 
They've all cycled fine in the Model 96. I've only shot FMJ and a couple of Liberty Civil Defense in the Shield. (Honestly that gun isn't any fun to shoot. It's just a tiny carry gun.)
 
two fingers said:
They've all cycled fine in the Model 96. I've only shot FMJ and a couple of Liberty Civil Defense in the Shield. (Honestly that gun isn't any fun to shoot. It's just a tiny carry gun.)
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There’s a guy on here who used to show up at our regular monthly IDPA matches, where we supposedly shoot our defense guns, but everyone shoots the biggest dang gun they own, and he kicked everyone’s butt with a Shield, every month.
 
fieldgrade said:
There’s a guy on here who used to show up at our regular monthly IDPA matches, where we supposedly shoot our defense guns, but everyone shoots the biggest dang gun they own, and he kicked everyone’s butt with a Shield, every month.
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I didn't say I COULDN'T shoot it. I just said it's no fun.
 
two fingers said:
I didn't say I COULDN'T shoot it. I just said it's no fun.
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I get giddy shooting the smallest gun I own and hitting the same targets at the same speed as others with larger guns.
 
fieldgrade said:
I get giddy shooting the smallest gun I own and hitting the same targets at the same speed as others with larger guns.
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Yeah I'm OK with it. It just doesn't sit well in my big hand. It was a compromise at best for me. I should have gotten a double stack. But the Shield tucks in my back so nice and skinny. With the 6 round mag my pinky is dangling. With the 7 round I can squeeze the pinky in but it's tight.
 
The fast lightweight ones will penetrate walls the least. Velocity helps penetrate thin hard things like body armor but the bullet quickly comes apart and I expect by the time those Liberty Defense rounds made it through 2 layers of sheetrock they would be just small fragments. The Buffaloe Bores will penetrate walls the most. Gold dots have always been my carry ammo so I vote for those but in some HD situations it might be smart to use the Libertys.
 
@Flashpoint is correct. For years some have argued a 5.56 round was too deadly for home defense because of over-penetration. Lightweight bullets traveling at high speeds will destabilize and start fragmenting upon contact with walls. The smaller, lighter pieces lose energy at a rapid pace causing less penetration. Slower heavy bullets maintain their energy and flight path causing continued penetration. Another reason hollowpoint bullets will penetrate more interior walls than a 5.56 round is drywall and wood. The hollow point bullet will often fill with drywall and wooden debris and essentially becomes an FMJ round failing to open and expand. I have witnessed this in many ammunition tests by most major manufacturers and real-world shooting situations. When I have loved ones in the house for home defense, I will choose 5.56, but will still be cautious and have shoot don't shoot lanes predetermined depending upon the location of my loved ones in the house.
 
One thing folks don’t often consider is muzzle flash in the dark. Less is better. Not as blinding after the first shot. But it’s awfully hard to compare ammo in this regard. Thirty of us had an opportunity to do this in a night class a few years ago. Everyone ran their preferred defense ammo in this drill and all of us watched as we took turns one at a time to assess that particular round. There were several varieties of defense ammo that were more desirable than others in this regard. I don’t recall the others because I was just pleased that my carry ammo was one of the crowd pleasers in this drill. Speer Gold Dot.
 
fieldgrade said:
One thing folks don’t often consider is muzzle flash in the dark. Less is better. Not as blinding after the first shot. But it’s awfully hard to compare ammo in this regard. Thirty of us had an opportunity to do this in a night class a few years ago. Everyone ran their preferred defense ammo in this drill and all of us watched as we took turns one at a time to assess that particular round. There were several varieties of defense ammo that were more desirable than others in this regard. I don’t recall the others because I was just pleased that my carry ammo was one of the crowd pleasers in this drill. Speer Gold Dot.
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Years ago Cor-Bon was known for very little flash, I’ve no clue about modern ammo flash.
 
No "magic bullets" here. Heaviest and Fastest Ball you can lay your hands on. Remember. nothing counts with a handgun but Placement and Penetration. Electrics and Hydraulics...you have to get to them. The Electric generator Brain-Spine and the pump Heart.

We must all seek our own salvation..spend Your money you earned Your way....just don't forget your Pistol was designed to run on Ball.
 
two fingers said:
I'm gathering the first part is 200 grain. The rest of it is not English to me.
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I only use .40 in a competition gun for “major power factor” as 9mm is not allowed for that particular division (limited division USPSA. So yeah, reload nerdspeak.

200gn blue bullet (powder coated lead) over Totegroup powder.
 
Go with the Gold Dots. I’m always of the mind to use what our LEO is carrying. Currently, any decent PD will be carrying Federal HST, Speer Gold Dot, Winchester Ranger T’s, and maybe a Hornady Critical Duty thrown in there. When it comes to bullet weight, it’s all preference. I like 180gr because to me, it had less snap/punch than the 165gr and especially the 155gr. They will all do just fine, whatever you prefer

Any decent hollowpoint from a reputable company will do just fine in .40, it’s a monster of a round which doesn’t need the highest end, most advanced bullet tech to perform as well as a high end, modern 9mm.

 
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I’ve been carrying 180gr WWB JHPs in mine for a decade or more.

I do have a stash of 180gr HSTs that I’ll eventually transition to, I just haven’t burned through a couple boxes of them to make sure they function fine in my G22/G23/G27.
 
BrettB said:
40 is a hot little round , i would pick something that is reliable and accurate.
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I've never had any problems with reliability or accuracy with a forty.
 
From your list, Gold Dot for sure. Known quantity, no 'magic bullet' and as Billy points out it's all about shot placement with handgun rounds.

When I carried 40, Hydra Shok were all the rage. I still have one box left.... and you can see how prices have changed since the bad old days when ammo was actually expensive.

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Average Joe said:
@Flashpoint is correct. For years some have argued a 5.56 round was too deadly for home defense because of over-penetration. Lightweight bullets traveling at high speeds will destabilize and start fragmenting upon contact with walls. The smaller, lighter pieces lose energy at a rapid pace causing less penetration. Slower heavy bullets maintain their energy and flight path causing continued penetration. Another reason hollowpoint bullets will penetrate more interior walls than a 5.56 round is drywall and wood. The hollow point bullet will often fill with drywall and wooden debris and essentially becomes an FMJ round failing to open and expand. I have witnessed this in many ammunition tests by most major manufacturers and real-world shooting situations. When I have loved ones in the house for home defense, I will choose 5.56, but will still be cautious and have shoot don't shoot lanes predetermined depending upon the location of my loved ones in the house.
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Use 45gr varmint bullets with the slow twist jackets. The will fragment on drywall and the bullets don't usually exit, dumping all their energy on target. It's what we used to train with for hostage rescue and especially anti-hijacking scenarios for the close quarters where over-penatration could hit a friendly or down the plane.
 
I've never owned a .40 and don't intend to, but light loads for my 10mm used to train my son are close to the same velocities. The gold dot looks good from water jug testing. I can also say I carried it for daily loaded in the 10. It performed excellent on every pig or deer I have shot with it, and is very decisive on lighter animals like coyotes and groundhogs.
 
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