Pilot172P
Member
- Joined
- May 1, 2014
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I've been looking a while for velocity data on the short barrel Shield 40 (or any other 3" barrel in 40S&W), but haven't found much. I finally just bought my own chrono. I've been reloading for 30 years, so guess it was time to buy one anyways. I absolutely love the Shield in 40. It handles the 40S&W great. I don't notice much "snap" to it and I can do quick double taps very accurately. My friend who's been shooting the 4" Glock 23 in 40S&W for years, just shot my Shield 40 for the first time last week. The next day he ordered one.
My concern with the Shield is the short barrel. I carry factory 155gr Gold Dot and have seen some reports of the bullet not performing well with the lower velocity of the 3.1" barrel. The 155gr is designed for 1200fps as an optimum velocity. Here is some data on different loads. I took 5-10 shots with each and the average velocity and muzzle energy is shown. Data was taken at 8 feet from muzzle and temp was 60F.
Factory Gold Dot 155gr: 1063 fps, 389 ft-lbs
Pow'rball 135gr: 1130 fps, 383 ft-lbs
Handload 150gr Nosler JHP:
8.0gr of Longshot (light load): 1077 fps, 386 ft-lbs
8.6gr of Longshot (Medium load): 1213 fps, 490 ft-lbs
9.3gr of Longshot (Max load): 1245 fps, 516 ft-lbs
Note: max load is still only 33,600 PSI (SAAMI is 35,000)
Handload 135gr Nosler JHP:
9.0gr of Longshot (light load): 1182 fps, 419 ft-lbs
10.5gr of Longshot (Medium load): 1347 fps, 544 ft-lbs
11.5gr of Longshot (Max load): 1436 fps, 619 ft-lbs
Note: max load pressure is well below SAAMI at 31,900 PSI
The 135gr can produce a lot of energy. I thought the Pow'rball would do better than 1130 fps. It's rated at 1325 fps out of a 4". I used Hodgdon Longshot due to the high velocity and low pressure it produces. It apparently does very well in a short barrel. I always carry factory loads for self defense, but I may load my own gold dots with Longshot after seeing this data. My goal was to get 1200 fps out of the Shield with a 155gr. I can easily get that with a medium load of Longshot. There is, however, more felt recoil with the medium and max loads over the factory Gold Dot load, but also more power.
My concern with the Shield is the short barrel. I carry factory 155gr Gold Dot and have seen some reports of the bullet not performing well with the lower velocity of the 3.1" barrel. The 155gr is designed for 1200fps as an optimum velocity. Here is some data on different loads. I took 5-10 shots with each and the average velocity and muzzle energy is shown. Data was taken at 8 feet from muzzle and temp was 60F.
Factory Gold Dot 155gr: 1063 fps, 389 ft-lbs
Pow'rball 135gr: 1130 fps, 383 ft-lbs
Handload 150gr Nosler JHP:
8.0gr of Longshot (light load): 1077 fps, 386 ft-lbs
8.6gr of Longshot (Medium load): 1213 fps, 490 ft-lbs
9.3gr of Longshot (Max load): 1245 fps, 516 ft-lbs
Note: max load is still only 33,600 PSI (SAAMI is 35,000)
Handload 135gr Nosler JHP:
9.0gr of Longshot (light load): 1182 fps, 419 ft-lbs
10.5gr of Longshot (Medium load): 1347 fps, 544 ft-lbs
11.5gr of Longshot (Max load): 1436 fps, 619 ft-lbs
Note: max load pressure is well below SAAMI at 31,900 PSI
The 135gr can produce a lot of energy. I thought the Pow'rball would do better than 1130 fps. It's rated at 1325 fps out of a 4". I used Hodgdon Longshot due to the high velocity and low pressure it produces. It apparently does very well in a short barrel. I always carry factory loads for self defense, but I may load my own gold dots with Longshot after seeing this data. My goal was to get 1200 fps out of the Shield with a 155gr. I can easily get that with a medium load of Longshot. There is, however, more felt recoil with the medium and max loads over the factory Gold Dot load, but also more power.
