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

[bushmaster1313]

I regularly shoot 180 gr. FMJ .40 S&W at the range from my SIG P226. It cycles flawlessly and I shoot it accurately with good control. But this target ammo is not exactly a well known defensive load. In this time of Covid-19, I am, for the very first time, keeping the P226 loaded and ready to go at home in a locked quick access secure storage case. Is the 180 gr. FMJ .40 S&W an effective enough load for my purpose of home defense?

My American Eagle target ammo is flat nosed FMJ. My feeling is that because I know it cycles and I am very familiar with the recoil, I do not want to switch horses mid-stream unless it would not be effective.

 

[sigp220.45]

Its not a first choice, but it would certainly get the job done. My son carries a USP Compact and he loads it with 180 grain flatnosed FMJ.

 

[Univibe]

Sure. Placement and penetration. All my protection guns are loaded with Q4318.

 

[triaxle]

Yes that 40 would rip a guy up . Gold Dot or HST would be better .

 

[rwsmith]

They make standard loads......

...with good defense ammo, it doesn't have to be the "+P Max Load Super Defense" stuff. Standard load Gold Dots, HSTs, Golden Sabers and other good defense ammo in regular loadings make great defense ammo in .40. What you don't want is over penetration. The flat noses help with that some, but FMJs have a reputation for shooting THROUGH an attacker.

 

[federali]

Is it enough?

I would not want to catch a .40 S&W in any flavor. Many .45 ACP buffs also use FMJ ammo to insure reliability and the round is already fat without expansion. I happen to like Hornady "Critical Defense" as the bullet shape insures flawless functioning. I've owned and carried a SIG 226 and they have a well-deserved reputation for reliability, even with garbage ammo.

 

[Erocksmash]

Any bullet is going to hurt. I would be concerned with over penetration threw the house. Standard pressure in a 180grn hollowpoint should be enough to stop a threat, but may still over penetrate,

I had a Underwood Speer Gold Dot 124gr +p+ go threw 7 sheets of drywall before coming to a stop. Hope this helps

 

[Maddog 521]

If you shoot it accurately and your pistol does not malfunction you are good to go. Confidence is a big plus.

 

[Goldstar225]

While my preference would be a quality hollowpoint, your FMJ flatpoint does not leave you defenseless and IMO surpasses any roundnose round.

 

[Rule3]

No, 40 SW is no good anymore, they all went back to 9mm,
FMJ will just make holes and not have any pretty expanding flower petals to look at and all the temp wound cavity data.

 

[double-dipper]

bushmaster, So you have a gun that "cycles flawlessly" and ammo that goes boom every time you pull the trigger. (very high confidence level in gun/ammo) everything after that is secondary. Will it stop the threat? yes

 

[Steve912]

Federal "Guard Dog" is an FMJ designed to expand.

Should be legal in NJ, check before you leap.

 

[SC_Mike]

Flat nose is better than rounded, HP is better than flat nose and they are all better than a sharp stick, IMHO.

Over penetration is a concern but it does make two holes to bleed out from twice as fast.

 

[stansdds]

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.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

The OP stated that the FMJ ammo functions perfectly in his pistol and shoots accurately. Those are the two major considerations right there, everything else is secondary.

Some may tell you the virtues of this or that super-duper hollow-point. Others may lecture you on the over-penetration dangers of FMJ bullets, perhaps even to the point of accusing you of inexcusable negligence. A few will quote publications, or FBI studies, or yammer on about gelatin tests until the cows come home.

Bottom line, you have ammo that functions reliably and shoots accurately in your pistol, so you may feel confident in using it for defensive purposes.

 

[Echo40]

I won't patronize you by speaking as if you're somehow unaware of the downsides of FMJ for defensive use.

As far as FMJ goes, .40 S&W is probably the best option among semiautomatic pistols due to having flat-nosed bullets by design which are more likely to cut clean holes through a target and less likely to deflect off of hard/angular surfaces.

Folks will criticize the use of FMJ for defensive use, and it does have its downsides, but if it's all you can get, then by all means use it. Besides, most of the folks who will put you down for using FMJ are most likely unironically using buckshot, 5.56, or are otherwise completely unaware that pretty much anything with enough penetration to reach the vitals on a human will penetrate interior/exterior walls as well, and that their "extensive training" shooting stationery or otherwise predictably moving targets during daylight hours at the range isn't going to be as helpful as they think shooting at a moving target who kicked down their door at 3:00am that shoots back, so any missed shots with JHPs will go right through their walls as well.

The US Army has been using FMJ for over a century despite never actually signing the Hague Convention's treaty regarding the use of expanding bullets in warfare, and they've been using 9mm Luger since 1985.

TL;DR: You're good.

 

[robertrwalsh]

If you can hit with it it will do the job. Shot placement is criteria #1. Adequate penetration is criteria #2. Everything else is a distant #3.

 

[ContinentalOp]

It will, but personally I would try to avoid FMJ if at all possible. Flat point or round makes no difference.

The only reason I'd use FMJ is if it was all that was available, whether by supply limitations or legal prohibitions. If that were the case, I'd try to get the EFMJ/Guard Dog ammo which should meet the FMJ restriction while minimizing the risk of overpenetration. If not, I'd do what I could to plan potential lines of fire to mitigate the risk, including strategically placing items like bookcases to act as backstops.

Just my opinion.

 

[elpac3]

Any round on target will do the job

 

[cd228]

You have a known good round. Stick with it. You may not find enough defensive rounds to test on the range for functionality and point of impact. I would recommend sticking with the known good round vs a round you aren't even sure works or where it hits.

After this is all done, check into legally acceptable expanding rounds, research their effectiveness and try them in your pistol. You may or may not find something better.