.40S&W Ammo question

Badkarma 1

Badkarma 1

US Veteran
Joined
Oct 3, 2010
Messages
1,698
Reaction score
618
Location
East St. Louis, Il.
Hello all, I got a few questions about a couple if boxes of .40S&W ammunition I bought today.
I found an SW99 in .40 last week for $429 and seeing that I had neither a polymer pistol nor a .40 I decided to get this one since it fit my hand very well!
Anyway, the shop had a lot of .40 on sale and I bought 2 boxes of different brands and am wondering what exactly they are?
One is Winchester Ranger 135gr JHP product code Q4368
The other is Federal Classic 155gr. JHP (the bullet looks more like the HST than the old pointy HP) product code XM40SWB and the box is marked "not for law enforcement use".
I Googled both and didn't find much except that on the Brian Enos site that a guy there said his box of the Federal ammo was doing almost 1400fps!
So what do I have here, good stuff or stuff that might ruin my SW99? Dale
 
Register to hide this ad
If I'm not mistaken, I believe the Winchester load you have was an over-run of ammo Winchester made for the Department of Homeland Security. I believe they were intended for Customs and Border Protection officers.

I can't help with the Federal ammo. I know a lot of the 155gr loads from various manufacturers were usually loaded pretty hot. I believe the Winchester 135gr Ranger loading was a reduced velocity load, somewhere around 1200fps if I remember correctly. It was meant as a low-recoil load, possibly as a low-penetration load considering the environment CBP officers are often in (crowded airports, ports-of-entry, etc.). Again, this is coming from memory, so I may not be entirely correct.

I'm more of a Speer Gold Dot guy (165gr for my Glock 23, 165gr Lawman TMJ for training/practice).
 
Thanks Op! I intend to go with the Sperr ammo as a regular load, but wanted some "shooting ammo" for the range to familarize myself with the weapon. Think I'll load the Winchesters for now, it ought to make a good HD round. Dale
 
Personally, out of a 4 inch or longer barrel my preferred 40 caliber SD load is the Winchester 180 gr. Ranger-T. For a barrel shorter than 4 inches I like the 165 gr. Speer Gold Dots. As for the 155 gr. Gold Dot, it's snappy enough in a lighter pistol that I find it impedes my recoil management, in addition it causes a bit of after session wrist problems. However, for someone with healthier wrists it may be a better choice for a shorter barrel.

As for that 135 gr. Winchester, I do hope it's a reduced recoil load. Corbon offers a hot 135 gr. 40 caliber and with that load even a shooter such as Rob Leatham considers it a bit much.

Personally, I'm a proponent of heavier bullets. It's one reason why I chose to go with the 40 S&W for my semi's. Maybe I'm old fashioned, however the 158 gr. 38 spl. proved to be pretty darned effective as a Defense caliber for a lot of years long before the 9mm with it's zippy little bullets became so popular. IMO, a 180 gr. 40 S&W is today's 38 spl. and provides an excellent balance in Power, Effect, and Recoil. I've also found that the heavier bullets reduce the "sharpness" of the recoil impulse when compared to lighter bullets, especially in lighter pistols.
 
Thank you gentlemen! And Sarge thanks for the link to ATK, very informative!
My own take on ammo selection is this is mainly for personal protection/ HD. I'm no longer kicking in doors or spelunking caves in Afganistan looking for a certain someone(although if I were still active in the Teams I'm sure I'd be somewhere near Lybia) so the overpenetration bugaboo is something to consider, which is why I tend to go with the lighter faster loads. But I'll do some research into the 180gr loads especially the ones you mentioned. Dale
 
Dale,

I thank you very much for your service to our country !!!

Concerning over penetration that is over-hyped and one of the biggest myths out there in the self defense world. With all the shootings going on the media would certainly grab that if it happenend with any regularity. Main problem is shallow penetrating bullets may not reach deep enough to stop the bad guy-and I have run into lots of XXXL sized bad guys. Many factors to consider such as cross torso shot, angle, arm in way, etc. Choose ammo that will perform under any conditions. What your real worry is shots that miss. Bill
 
Roger that Sarge and thanks again! I just found a few boxes of Federal 180gr.HST loads and intend to load up with those.
By the way, welcome to the forum. And be careful out there, I hear that Pittsburg can be pretty mean! Dale
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top