Most "powerful" .40s&w FMJ?

[buck91]

I want to maintain an inventory of FMJ target loads to use at the range which would also serve as emergency back up defense rounds. Not that its a terribly likely situation but since I like to keep a stash of target loads they may as well function as a backup supply.

Obviously FMJ has plenty of drawbacks as a defensive round, although there is something to be said for 4 legged problems. Anyways, I was looking through the data at Ballistics101.com and it looks like the Speer TMJ is some of the "hotter" 180gr 40's, plus its been my experience that they are pretty reliable quality... and easy to clean up after! Any other suggestions? I was suprised by the numbers on Blazers, but would like to stick with higher end loads if possible.

 

[Doog]

FMJs will go through your intended target when used for a defense round. Unless you live alone I would never use them for a home defense situation. Too much chance of stray bullets going through walls etc.

I would look at Federal or Hornady defense rounds.

 

[bubbatime]

First off, do you have hollow points as your first line defensive rounds? And if so, what brand and type? Full metal jacket rounds should not be used for defense in .40SW unless you run out of hollow points or you are in a end of the world disaster situation and that is all you have.

And as far as "hotter" FMJ performing better, that's a fallacy. All FMJ performs about the same, leaving ice pick wounds. Doesn't matter if the round is going 775 feet per second or 1100 feet per second, they will perform similarly.

The only exception is for a preference for heavy hard cast lead bullets for use on predators/4 legged creatures because it has the energy to smash through skulls and bone instead of ricocheting off of them.

 

[Astro14]

I would just use Winchester White box at the range.

I would also buy at least 200 rounds of good defensive JHP....then shoot most of them to verify weapon/magazine function. Keep 50 for loading. If you need more, then buy more. Defensive ammo, like parachutes and pacemakers, isn't a place to save money.

Speer Gold Dot, Federal, Buffalo Bore are the ones I've carried, but there are many good brands. I've got a couple of .40 S&W pistols and I am a fan of the cartridge. I carry the Federal 180 gr. JHP as duty ammo.

 

[niero]

Originally Posted By: buck91

Obviously FMJ has plenty of drawbacks as a defensive round, although there is something to be said for 4 legged problems.


What does the 4 legged problem mean? Never heard that.

 

[Stewart Fan]

Originally Posted By: niero
Originally Posted By: buck91

Obviously FMJ has plenty of drawbacks as a defensive round, although there is something to be said for 4 legged problems.


What does the 4 legged problem mean? Never heard that.


In my neck of the woods, four legged would be Cougar,Black Bear,and Wolf.

 

[AlaskaMike]

If you can't afford to practice with the same ammo your carry for defensive purposes (and let's face it, good JHP ammo is expensive), then I would strongly recommend some kind of flat nosed bullet over the typical round nose FMJ. If you have to use it in a defensive situation, the flat nose will cause more tissue trauma than a round nose.

Astro14's got good advice on verifying 100% reliable functioning with your ammo.

 

[Stewart Fan]

I'd look at Buffalo Bore's hard cast .40 S&W load.

 

[Robenstein]

The problem with a hot 40S&W is that even though it has more power, that most of it is going to be wasted because of over penetration. It will not dump that energy into the target because it will continue to keep on going after it leaves the target. It would really only be of help on something like a black bear, but even then, 40 S&W is a pretty iffy choice to use. That is more 44 mag territory.

 

[EdwardC]

I think someone else mentioned it, but a decent compromise would be the WWB JHPs. They're not exactly high tech new hollow points that expand perfectly, but should be much better than any FMJ in a SD role.

Inexpensive enough to use at the range more than occasionally too. $23 for 50 at Cabelas right now.

 

[90crvtec]

All of the Speer Lawman ammunition is loaded to be a factory duplicate of their Gold Dot rounds of the same weight and pressure. For instance, Speer Lawman 115gr 9mm would be the same velocity and pressure as Speer Gold Dot 115gr 9mm.

This is why most folks refer to Speer Lawman as "hot" ammunition, it's just loaded at the upper end of the curve to match the standard pressure Gold Dot loadings of the same weight. To my knowledge Speer does not sell a Lawman +P line to match their +P Gold Dot loadings but, in 40S&W you don't have to worry about +P anyway.

I would buy the most economical FMJ ammo that you still trust. A hollow point requires a certain velocity window to be able to perform, this is why they are generally going to be loaded hotter. An FMJ just penetrates and is not particularly sensitive to velocity. Winchester or Remington FMJs may be 50-100FPS slower but you'd never know it with an FMJ. Buy whatever you trust that gets you the most ammo for the $$$ and functions well in your firearm.

 

[bubbatime]

Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I think someone else mentioned it, but a decent compromise would be the WWB JHPs. They're not exactly high tech new hollow points that expand perfectly, but should be much better than any FMJ in a SD role.

Inexpensive enough to use at the range more than occasionally too. $23 for 50 at Cabelas right now.


Or just skip the low grade Winchester white box JHP and get the best self defense hollow point on the market for a similar price.

http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...-brass-case-amm
http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...nt-ammo-p40hst1
http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...nt-ammo-p40hst3

 

[zerosoma]

It's really hard to say whether certain brands load their target rounds hotter than others. JHP is the optimal defense round and youd have better luck comparing those since its a utility round. After that the most effective is Flat Point, and then round nose. The only way to make your target rounds hot is to take up reloading. It's a great skill to learn and you'll NEVER be short on ammo again.

 

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: EdwardC
I think someone else mentioned it, but a decent compromise would be the WWB JHPs. They're not exactly high tech new hollow points that expand perfectly, but should be much better than any FMJ in a SD role.

Inexpensive enough to use at the range more than occasionally too. $23 for 50 at Cabelas right now.


Or just skip the low grade Winchester white box JHP and get the best self defense hollow point on the market for a similar price.

http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...-brass-case-amm
http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...nt-ammo-p40hst1
http://www.sgammo.com/product/federal/50...nt-ammo-p40hst3


Good call! I guess my overall thought is that if you're going to keep anything that might be needed in a survival situation, I'd rather have any JHP over a ball round.

 

[29662]

Maximum energy is going to be put out by the lightest rounds(155gr) with the fastest velocity. As far as brands go, I would suggest Buffalo Bore, Double Tap, and Underwood. If you're looking for the maximum knockdown power what you want is energy transferance which will not typically be achieved by a FMJ. For light skinned game go with a high velocity Hollow point round. For heavy game a heavy FMJ would be acceptable for maximum penetration. But check your local game laws as some states and localities outlaw any FMJ ammo for hunting.

Best thing to do is load your own. I do, and I'll never look back.

 

[danthaman1980]

Hottest FMJ is probably going to be Underwood.

One of the hottest 'off the shelf' FMJs I've encountered is the Fiocchi 170gr load.

 

[buck91]

I appreciate the concern over fmj vs jhp for defensive loads but clearly you did not read my post. My goal is simply to use target ammo- for the range time- that would also best work "in a pinch" as defensive loads if TSHTF ( and maybe would double well as woods loads).

So far the speer lawman looks best. Doubletap makes some nice options but they are comparable in.price to the pdx1 loads I use defensively.

 

[Olas]

Would you consider loading your own? Or going to a longer barrel for more fps with the same or event reduced load?

 

[UncleS2]

There exists at least one European FMJ 9mm load designed to tumble after impact. It seems to tumble reliably. A gelatin-block video shows it creating larger cavity than a regular 9mm RN FMJ. If anything similar is made in .40 S&W, that might be a contender.

 

[EdwardC]

Originally Posted By: buck91
I appreciate the concern over fmj vs jhp for defensive loads but clearly you did not read my post. My goal is simply to use target ammo- for the range time- that would also best work "in a pinch" as defensive loads if TSHTF ( and maybe would double well as woods loads).

So far the speer lawman looks best. Doubletap makes some nice options but they are comparable in.price to the pdx1 loads I use defensively.


I see what you're saying, but I'm curious, why limit range ammo to ball rounds? To be honest, I'm new to firearms and have a bunch of FMJ ammo for range use stocked up, but I think that I'm going to replace that with low end JHPs as I run out, so that it's more useful in a shtf situation.