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Best defense round

5K views 53 replies 25 participants last post by  HighlandLofts 
#1 ·
What in you mind is the best defense round for concealed carry in a s&w .40?
 
#4 ·
I too am a fan of the Critical Defense, though there really isn't much of a difference in performance between the domestic JHP self-defense rounds. The Critical Defense are my preference because they feed well.

The JHP rounds from most of the foreign ammo companies aren't really made for expansion like the US-manufactured ammo is.
 
#12 ·
Find out what your local PD is using and go with that.
This is the best defense in court should you need to use it. Or one of the best defenses. (highly subjective there but only concerning ammo choice)

I tend to stay with lighter weight/higher velocity bullets, 165gn is about middle of the road though and my favorite for the .40 which I carry every day. Gold dots are my preferred although due to price of loaded factory rounds, I've been using Fiocchi 165gn JHP's, no idea what they use but it looks plenty adequate. The price is right and they function perfect in my Glock.

As said, more people are killed with FMJ's world wide than anything else. Anything you use will work, some better than others, but they all work! Any .40 cal projectile going through you at 1000 fps is gonna tick a little....
 
#13 · (Edited)
The 1911 shot ball ammo on the battle field, it worked, ball ammo is still used today on the battle field, and it still works. Lead, and ball ammo does not perform as well as modern ammo, but it will still get the job done. Ammo has advanced a lot in the last 50 years. Semi jacketed lead bullets were replaced by simi jacketed, and full jacketed hollow point ammo that worked better than lead ball. Now we have ammo that meets or exceeds almost any barrier tests. I use Cirtical Defense, or Critical Duty, in almost all the hand guns I carry. It will open up, and the lighter bullets, when expanded will result in a lot fewer through n through shots. In the home my hand guns are mostly loaded with my own lead semi wadcutters, or double ended wadcutters. The cops around here use Golden Sabres, but I just don't trust them to expand when they should.
 
#14 ·
Since I'm reloading for home defense, no bullets available, I use sierra 85 grain round nose soft points in .30 cal. Drill them with a 1/8 drill bit for 1/4 depth. Bullet weight ends up at 72 grains. Velocity with the 85 grain is 1200 fps. So with the lighter bullet, it should be about 1350 fps. I also use a speer 110 half jacket hollow point flat nose that is traveling 1350 fps. These are in 7.62x25 for my cz-52. Both perform well and accurate.
 
#15 ·
I too use Hornady Critical Defense in all of my handguns unless I'm target shooting. I've shhen some comparison charts on the different personal defense loads and am I am impressed with what Speer Gold Dot does in the ballistic gel. If Gold Dot was readily available locally I'd switch over to it. The local gun stores just don't stock Gold Dot, I can go out any day of the week and get the Hornady Critical Defense in any caliber I have.

Another type of defense ammo they stock in a large variety of calibers is Buffalo Bore, I have a friend who is a retired cop and he swears by it.

The most important thing when it comes to self defense is shot placement, a well placed 22 long rifle projectile will do better then any larger projetile off target. I don't like the smaller caliber guns for personal defense, but if that all you can hit your mark with you're better off useing a smaller caliber handgun with a good defensive round.

Personally I carry a S&W 642 Airweight 38 + P as an every-day carry gun, when I go to Everett, Seattle, Tacoma or Olympia I'll also carry a 357 revolver or my 1911 in addition to my S&W. "New York Reload" it's quicker then reloading the emty gun.

As far as the round nosed bullets or FMJs killing more people then are killed with hollow-points goes if you had all of the statistics I'd bet the ratio per deaths between a thousand hard nosed bullets and a thousand hollow points the hollow points whould be way in the lead.

A lot of people will not spend the extra money for a good decent quality defensive round. The'll spend $700 for a handgun but will not spend a dollar a round for good defensive ammunition. It cost me $25 for twenty rounds of Hornady Critical Defense, a fifty round box of target ammo runs about the same price locally. I personally know three people that carry every day that use FMJ ammo and feel comfortale with it,To each their own. I want a load that was designed for personall defense. Their thought is with FMJ ammo you get deeper penitration, my view is I want a load thet will do the most damage possible to STOP THE THREAT! not a bullet that will pass through the trageted threat and in to what ever is beyond the target.

The Hornady Critical Duty is designed to pass through tough barriers before mushrooming. If you don't plan on having to shoot through barriers I'd stay with Critical Defense for your carry load.
Just my view of it.
 
#16 ·
...The Critical Defense are my preference because they feed well...
This comment surprises me. I've never purchased .40 S&W Critical Defense ammo but their .380 90 gr. and 9mm 115 gr. offerings feed well as the gun cycles but seem to get hung up on the feed ramp when cycling the first round into the chamber. I've had this happen in a Keltec P3AT for the .380 rounds and both the Ruger SR9 and LC9 for the 115 gr. 9mm rounds. When they hang I have to pull the slide back again and be certain to let it drop unassisted. If the slide doesn't go forward very hard the rounds don't feed. I assume this is why I don't see the phenomenon during normal firing. I attributed it to the more conical shape of the 90 gr. .380 and 115 gr. 9mm FTX bullets. Maybe everyone doesn't see this same problem.

As for .40 S&W, I like the 155 gr. +P Gold Dot round that Georgia Arms offers. It's a little hot in my Kahr PM40, so Hornady's 180 gr. TAP offering is a little more enjoyable to shoot.
 
#18 ·
In Washington, in warm weather, Hornady CD or Golden Saber's...

Cold weather, when folks are wearing heavy jackets, ball or AP (Armor Piercing)
 
#19 ·
Honestly… go buy a box of each that you want to consider… run it through your gun and pick the best one.

You'll need to do that anyway. They usually come in boxes of 20. Make sure that all 20 feed and fire correctly… that is the one you'll want to carry.

Expensive to do? Not really in the overall scheme of things.
 
#21 ·
When I bought my Sig P938 I decided to do a little test of my own. I bought three different types of 9mm self defense ammo, they were Critical Defense, Golden Sabre, and one other that I don't remember.

My test was highly UN-scientific, it involved shooting at pumpkins. I shot the different ammo into the pumpkins and I found that the biggest exit hole was the Critical Defense so that is why I carry it. Stupid test I know, but it works for me.
 
#22 ·
Next time line them pumpkins up, see how many you can penetrate with one shot. You can pretty much tell how much penetration you will be getting in such an un-scientific test. I use plastic milk jugs.
 
#26 ·
What pistol are you using. I carry Underwoods 155gr GD at 1302fps out of a 4" barreled tp40 kahr. A friends 3 1/2" cw40 was a blasing 1292fps with the same ammo but was over running the slide or mag spring. Maybe both the recoil spring and mag spring. I would hate to rack it was an extra 2lb+ of recoil spring. Not sure if a little cm40 could be made to run them. They also load the XTP bullet
http://www.underwoodammo.com/
 
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