I don't load for the 40 S&W, but for a defensive load I think a Speer Gold Dot in either 155 or 165 grains would be a better choice for a defensive load. Lighter is faster and a better chance of expansion. And the Speer Gold Dot bullets seem to have a good reputation for expansion. And even a 155 grain bullet is plenty heavy enough for a defensive round when used on homo sapiens. According to the Hodgdon loading data page, you can get almost 1300 ft/sec with a 4" barrel and a 155 grain bullet (Longshot). That's getting real close to 357 magnum territory.