Is 180 gr. FMJ .40 S&W good enough for home defense?

NOBODY uses a .40 S&W anymore, get a 9mm, why even the FBI has done so, therefore it must be true!!

Randy

PS, sarcasm intended, your cartridge and firearm are VERY good choices. I have about 10 of them. (.40 S&W's)
 
IMO, Any ammo that works reliably, and functions as its suppose to; is better than throwing rocks or waiting for LEO to arrive. There are better choices, but use what you have on hand. I would not want to be on the receiving end of a 180 gr 40 Cal projectile of any kind!
 
As someone said..any round on target is much better than a miss. And as far as NJ not allowing HPs...Can the poleece carry Hollow points? Please tell me no!! If they are too nasty for the common folk...They should be verboten for the police too. I assume HPs are too deadly to be allowed? Does that also include 22 rimfire HPs??
 
Skeet I sense your purposed sarcasm but yes in NJ police and any person who is covered under the LEOSA law (HR218) can carry hollow points.
BUT state law says NOT the common riff raff I mean citizen.
 
stansdds said:
Since you are in the People's Republic of New Jersey, where hollow point ammunition is banned for possession or use by civilians, you don't have a great deal of choices. At least the FMJ ammo for 40 S&W is actually flat point, so that will help a little with over penetration, but it will still penetrate more than an expanding bullet. You might consider the more exotic rounds like the expanding solid bullet ammo, but make sure you are not crossing the lines of local ordinances or state law.
Click to expand...

The NJ hollow point ammo law is widely misunderstood. It exempts possession in your own home or property or when traveling to or from a target range and hollow point ammo is available from dealers. You can not carry hollow points outside your home or property, but almost no one has a carry license anyway in NJ. This information is from the NJ State Police website.
 
Raise your hand if you've worked on a shooting case involving overpenetration into an unintended victim. ;)



I'm retired now but I've had a few: they require an additional layer of (improbable? Who's to say?) bad luck beyond the initial really bad luck that has you shooting at someone in the first place - while unintended shootings due to overpenetration are improbable, I have seen that they can happen.
Is it something you need to think about? Beats me. You know how your house is situated with regard to other houses and how any other residents in your house are situated with regard to your field of fire. You may or may not know how that particular .40 ball round does in drywall and the outer walls of houses of the type where you live. (I would heartily strive to avoid that combo in our personal situation.)

That (overpenetration) is the only concern I would have with ball ammo. I can tell you that of the couple hundred handgun killings I worked on, a hole in the heart/aorta or brain/spinal cord stopped aggressive action 100% of the time. The .40 FMJ round and P226 you reference are fully capable of making that hole . . . and you're practiced and accurate with the reliable-in-your-pistol combo.

Here's a prayer it all forever remains a theoretical concern for all of us.
 
1. .40 S&W FMJ will punch a serious hole in any target.
2. Hollow point ammo is legal for purchase in the PRNJ. Keep it at home
and the range. No street carry.
3. Hornady Critical Defense ammo has a polymer plugged tip and is
NOT considered a hollow point by the PRNJ. The NJSP have a
document posted on their web site confirming this.
4. In PRNJ only Police Officers can carry hollow point ammo. Retired
Officers are considered civilians and cannot carry HP. Civilians
may possess HP ammo and use it at home, business and range.
They may not use it for lawful carry, which is a joke since the PRNJ
severely restricts (basically prohibits) concealed carry by law abiding
subjects.
Stay safe!
 
Erich said:
Raise your hand if you've worked on a shooting case involving overpenetration into an unintended victim. ;)



I'm retired now but I've had a few: they require an additional layer of (improbable? Who's to say?) bad luck beyond the initial really bad luck that has you shooting at someone in the first place - while unintended shootings due to overpenetration are improbable, I have seen that they can happen.
Is it something you need to think about? Beats me. You know how your house is situated with regard to other houses and how any other residents in your house are situated with regard to your field of fire. You may or may not know how that particular .40 ball round does in drywall and the outer walls of houses of the type where you live. (I would heartily strive to avoid that combo in our personal situation.)

That (overpenetration) is the only concern I would have with ball ammo. I can tell you that of the couple hundred handgun killings I worked on, a hole in the heart/aorta or brain/spinal cord stopped aggressive action 100% of the time. The .40 FMJ round and P226 you reference are fully capable of making that hole . . . and you're practiced and accurate with the reliable-in-your-pistol combo.

Here's a prayer it all forever remains a theoretical concern for all of us.
Click to expand...




And then there are those that feel a AR15 or AK47 makes a dandy home defense weapon or even a shotgun with Buc Shot. But do they worry about over penetration?? Naaa.:rolleyes:
 
K Frame Keith said:
They may not use it for lawful carry, which is a joke since the PRNJ
severely restricts (basically prohibits) concealed carry by law abiding
"subjects".
Stay safe![/QUOTE

Sarcastically speaking of NJ.. I love your choice of word in that sentence...Subjects. But of course I live in a mostly unrestricted state. The police here just consider most people armed including the ladies. In fact I have been lead to understand that a former felon? is allowed to possess black powder firearms.. But of course no one has been killed by one of them(BP firearms) in hundreds of years:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
 
I would obtain and test an expanding .40 S & W round when you are able; the Critical Defense load sounds like a good one and is legal in your state.
 
Depending on the room it is shot in and the direction of the muzzle..........

it could protect the neighbors , too............. !!
 
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K Frame Keith said:
1. .40 S&W FMJ will punch a serious hole in any target.
2. Hollow point ammo is legal for purchase in the PRNJ. Keep it at home
and the range. No street carry.
3. Hornady Critical Defense ammo has a polymer plugged tip and is
NOT considered a hollow point by the PRNJ. The NJSP have a
document posted on their web site confirming this.
4. In PRNJ only Police Officers can carry hollow point ammo. Retired
Officers are considered civilians and cannot carry HP. Civilians
may possess HP ammo and use it at home, business and range.
They may not use it for lawful carry, which is a joke since the PRNJ
severely restricts (basically prohibits) concealed carry by law abiding
subjects.
Stay safe!
Click to expand...

Seriously? Thank God for loopholes.
 
A little trivia: in a recent video, Paul Harrel tested some 10mm and .40 S&W loads. The Federal AE pair of 180 grain FMJs showed almost no difference in velocity (but a substantial difference in price!). I don't have any .40s, but if I was looking for an FMJ load in that caliber, I would start by testing the AE offering.

Just looked up the video. The AE 10mm was 1047 fps, while the .40 was 1029. The two pistols were a Glock 20 and a Glock 22.

Just another (slightly irrelevant) data point.
 
Rule3 said:
And then there are those that feel a AR15 or AK47 makes a dandy home defense weapon or even a shotgun with Buc Shot. But do they worry about over penetration?? Naaa.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Because a high speed, fragilely constructed bullet doesn't tend to stay together in something denser then air. For instance SMKs, OTMs, and those terribly varmintry types.

ARs loaded with JSPs or monolithic bullets; both lightweight but hardier constructed bullets do have deeper penetration because they are designed for barrier encounters. Thus they do penetrate more.

Pistol rounds are designed to stay intact, much like quality pistol JHPs.
 
I am reminded of a negligent shooting in the apartment complex I lived in about 35 years ago. After an afternoon at the range a couple of military types were having a gun cleaning party. One had the ND. The FMJ .45 entered his buddy's open mouth and exited through the neck. By the grace of a higher power and the bullet design, it missed the spine and pushed all the other important stuff (cardiod artery and jugular vein) aside and exited, leaving a serious but not life threatening wound. I never asked/learned where the bullet ended up.

I also used to have clippings and copies of reports of other incidents where similar shaped bullets deflected on bone and resulted in some interesting results.

As Erich and others have noted, it may work but it isn't a preferred solution to the problem. Any bullet with a similar shape to your current ammo should feed without issue and shoot close enough to point of aim for that not to be a problem. Hornady Critical Duty/Defense would be an option, as would some other ammunition.
 
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