Wondering what the collective wisdom is regarding which of the below ammo to use in my nightstand M&P .40? The data below is from ballistic tests done by Lucky Gunner. 4 layers of fabric over synthetic ballistic gel.

Remington 180 gr Ultimate Defense JHP. 15.5 inches penetration. Expansion to .79 inches, 977 fps.

Federal Hydra Shok 180 gr JHP. 16.4 inches penetration. Expansion to .6 inches, 960 fps.

Both of these compared pretty well to their competition. The reason I am asking about just these two is I have lots of each on hand and they both run well in my gun.
My gut reaction is that they are too close to really make a difference. I am concerned about over penetration since my house is small and the neighbors are close.

Here is a link to their test data if interested. http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self...c-tests/#45ACP


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The most important consideration is how reliably the rounds function in the gun you have chosen, and how well (accurately) you shoot them.

__________________
Ret. LE, FA Instr, S&W Armorer

The guy on the wrong side won't notice the difference, nor will he complain about your choice.

Amen! Where YOU put the bullet is much more important than bullet diameter, weight, design or velocity. Given modern ammo, there really isn't a significant difference between any of the major brands for self defense use. (If you're looking at barrier blind, vehicle penetration etc., there may be differences.).

Going side to side, there isn't any ammunition that will be suitable for defensive use that won't pass through most interior/exterior walls with today's building products. See Accuracy above.

No quarrel with any of the above. So if I follow you guys it makes zero difference? Both of these rounds work well in my M&P and I shoot them equally mediocre. Not even a slight preference based on the data?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You got it right. They are virtual twins in performance. Good for you that they both function thru your self defense handgun. Now, remember; the real deciding factor is YOUR BULLET placement.

IMHO, We all seem to spend a great deal of time in analysis of "What is the optimum ammo for my self defense usage." When we should select a name brand that is totally reliable in operating thru our gun and then spend the rest of our time and discretionary income in practicing and taking quality firearms instruction. .......

On reliability, Remington plain jane JHP's closely mimic the profile of ball ammo. They'll feed in many guns originally designed for ball. They may not expand as prodigiously as newer designs, but will expand, and more importantly, feed.

Same can be said for the Federal C9BP, the Classic line 9mm. It expands a wee bit better than the Remington, but I have no data on the performance of other calibers.

Since they both work well in your weapon..........

You could try the Rem. Golden Saber bullet or
the Federal HST bullet ammo.
These open up big time and will penetrate less.

Good luck.

Personally, I have found the most reliable ammunition over the last 10 or so years to be Buffalo Bore, CCI /Speer and Federal. Both Winchester and Remington have had too many failures to fire and too many inconsistencies for me to trust for SD. AND I am NOT just talking about Rimfire ammo!

YMMV, but for me I stick to BB, CCI/Speer or Federal.