40 S&W Shield Carry ammo?

[greg_r]

There is research that suggests 180 gr will not expand when used in short barrel 40,s. I would stay with 155, or 165 gr hollowpoints. My preference is Hornady XTP.

 

[marlin39a]

I have fired 135 - 180 gr personal defense ammo out of my shield. I have settled on 165 Hornady Critical Defense for carry.

 

[S&WForty]

I have fired 135 - 180 gr personal defense ammo out of my shield. I have settled on 165 Hornady Critical Defense for carry.

How did you settle on the HCD?

 

[beebop]

I use Speer Gold Dots, because that's what local Law Enforcement use have, 155, 165 and 180g

 

[konertjm]

Lots of good discussion and info here. Good suggestions for carry ammo. It all comes down to not only personal preference, but what you are comfortable carrying, how confident you are with that rounds ability to protect you and your family, while reducing the possibility of innocent bystander injury.

My personal preference for carry is Speer Gold Dot 165gr GDHP

For home defense:
Federal Guard Dog:
9mm 105gr
40S&W 135gr
45ACP 165 gr.
http://www.federalpremium.com/products/handgun.aspxhttp://www.federalpremium.com/products/handgun.aspx

 

[Kadonny]

I use Speer Gold Dots in my 9mm....if I can find them, they seem to be scarce but one of the best SD round made in any caliber.

 

[USMC1188]

I use either PDX1 or Hornaday Critical Duty in my full size M&P40 and plan to continue using them for my new shield as well.

 

[DASA]

Hollowpoints for self-defense. Period. Mountains of research and results from the street/morgue prove bullets that expand and stay inside the body of the perp are better than those bullets that drill icepick like holes through flesh then exit the body, possible hitting other people. NYC Metro PD was forced to finally switch to hollowpoints after a ton of lawsuits in the 80s-90s.
I like the 165gr weight in the 40 S&W, especially in a short barrel. Make sure you buy several boxes of the load you intend to carry from the same lot number and keep a box stored away in case you ever need to have a gunshot residue test performed after a SD shooting. Look here for load ideas:
Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

Sam Gabbert at SGAmmo.com offers awesome deals on some of the top loads available, many loads like the Winchester Ranger line are normally LE only but he carries them at great prices.

Stay safe.

 

[Arkie45]

I use Winchester Ranger T...good stuff. I usually purchase from sgammo.com

 

[El Campo]

Winchester PDX1 is what I have in all of my M&Ps including both my wife and my Shields. I would feel safe with Hornady Critical Duty also and I have some in my ammo bin. I know the government doesn't do much right but from what I understand (and I could be wrong) the PDX1 was what passed all of the FBI's tests with the highest marks. I REALLY hope that if I ever need to use a firearm that I will be able to use one of my shotguns/SBRs but if not I feel like good (even if it is expensive) ammo to carry is probably one of the best investments you will ever make. If I knew that I was going to be involved in a shoot out and there was ammo that cost 100 dollars a round that was superior I would buy that instead! Using price of ammo as a factor at all in a self defense discussion is like buying a Hi Point instead of your M&P. Just opinions of mine (the new guy)...

 

[Rastoff]

To recomend using FMJ over a modern hollow point for self defense is irresponsible when you have the option for a much better bullet.

This is where this whole conversation is breaking down. I never said I'd recommend hardball ammo over hollow points. You seem to have this locked in your head, but that's not what I said.

What you said was, "DONT use FMJ for personal defense." What I said was that hardball was better than nothing. See the difference?

 

[HeavyDuty Ken]

There is research that suggests 180 gr will not expand when used in short barrel 40,s. I would stay with 155, or 165 gr hollowpoints. My preference is Hornady XTP.

This is the reason I'm trying the Gold Dot Short Barrel 180 g load - it appears to be optimized for the little guns.

 

[S&WForty]

Where are you guys getting this "Short Barrel" ammo? Unless I am overlooking it, I don't see it at SGAmmo. I've bought from them twice, and they were good to deal with each time. What other sellers can anyone recommend?

 

[90crvtec]

Where are you guys getting this "Short Barrel" ammo? Unless I am overlooking it, I don't see it at SGAmmo. I've bought from them twice, and they were good to deal with each time. What other sellers can anyone recommend?

The Speer Short Barrel loads are harder to come by. In the past I have ordered them from Grafs. Except for the .38 +P 135grn, I have not been able to find them in a 50 round box, only the 20 round "consumer" boxes.

Usually I have better luck sourcing them at my local gun shop. Most of the time they are priced identically to the other Gold Dot loadings in the shops that are local to me.

 

[HeavyDuty Ken]

Where are you guys getting this "Short Barrel" ammo? Unless I am overlooking it, I don't see it at SGAmmo. I've bought from them twice, and they were good to deal with each time. What other sellers can anyone recommend?

CTD and Bud's both have them - I couldn't find them locally.

 

[CB3]

Internal ballistics

A bullet in a case in a chamber initially has zero velocity. As powder burns and builds gas pressure in the cartridge, the bullet starts to move down the barrel, accelerating rapidly. The farther a bullet can travel in the restricted space of a barrel with continually expanding gas behind it, the faster it will go. Yes, powder selection has an important bearing on this, but let's just stick with the basics.

A short barrel gives a bullet less time to accelerate than a longer barrel. Short barrels produce less velocity than longer barrels, especially in handguns.

Heavier bullets either accelerate more slowly than lighter bullets, or if because of powder selection they do accelerate as fast as a lighter bullet, especially in a short distance, then there must be greater force applied to that movement. This translates to greater recoil.

While a slower moving heavier bullet may have as much energy as a faster moving lighter bullet, the resultant increased recoil, especially in a small, lightweight handgun, translates into reduced control with the gun, adversely affecting speed and accuracy of subsequent shots.

Often you can gain a slight tactical shooting advantage by using lighter bullets out of short barreled guns. Since the one shot stop from a small handgun is largely a myth, multiple fast well aimed shots have a much higher percentage of terminating the attack of a motivated individual.

IOW, more well aimed bullets delivered faster is an advantage.

I use the all copper Barnes TAC-XP bullets from various manufacturers (Including now Barnes ammo) as lighter weight bullets that perform like heavier weight bullets because of their monolithic design. They actually outperform other common, less expensive designs in all critical tests, but because copper costs 4x the cost of lead, LE does not use them based on cost.

Functional reliability, consistent upper end velocity with lighter bullets (copper is not as dense as lead), deep penetration with 150% expansion and 99-100% weight retention combines all the self defense attributes you could want, including barrier penetration. You don't have to feel like a grenade is exploding in your hand to launch this quality projectile.

Yes, I worked for Barnes but retired three years ago.

This 140 grn Barnes Military/Law Enforcement (M/LE) TAC-XP copper bullet is about as long as a lead 165 grn. The 10mm 155 grn bullet is almost too long to load successfully in a .40 S&W case, but some do it. The extra weight is not necessary for top performance.



M/LE TAC XP Pistol Bullets | Barnes Bullets

 

[southswede]

Best Choices for Self Defense Ammo

 

[Roger S&W]

There is research that suggests 180 gr will not expand when used in short barrel 40,s. I would stay with 155, or 165 gr hollowpoints. My preference is Hornady XTP.

Then why does Speer produce ONLY the .40S&W Short Barrel hollow point self defense ammo in 180 grain? They do not offer the short barrel ammo for 40S&W in 155 grain or 165 grain.
Do you think they know what they're doing?

And in 9mm, Speer only makes Gold Dot ammo for the Short Barrel variety in 124grain+P.
They do not offer it in 115grain or 147 grain.

I would think they know which bullet weights and velocities are optimal for self defense (ballistics) when fired out of short barrels. (Less than 4'')

They have a long and respected track record in ammunition manufacturing and ballistics studies.

 

[zipmac22]

Speer Gold Dot 155 grain

 

[HeavyDuty Ken]

This is the reason I'm trying the Gold Dot Short Barrel 180 g load - it appears to be optimized for the little guns.

I put two boxes of the Gold Dot Short Barrel load through my Shield Friday with no problems so I'm starting to carry these. I'll continue putting a box through it every few months to be absolutely sure it is compatable, but I'm optimistic.