Got your four-tay and want the best ammo possible?
Read on for the best recommendations of self-defense, concealed carry, and target ammo based on ballistics gel data.
Need the quick answer?
The Testing
Sometimes called the “short & weak” since it is a scaled-down 10mm round. I prefer to think of the .40 as a “Goldilocks” round that is a step up in power from the more popular 9mm.
Learn more about all the popular handgun calibers here.
So how do we figure out what’s the best self-defense .40 ammo? We look at Lucky Gunner that has done all the hard work for us in terms of testing and add in our own personal criteria.
Here the tests were set up to mimic the FBI’s protocol:
- Shot at a distance of 10 ft
- 4 layers of fabric: For a “worst case scenario” of the most heavily bundled up bad guy
- Ideal penetration of 12-18 inches: Again, some Goldilocks thinking applies. You want the bullet to enter a good amount but not so much that it exits the bad guy before it gets the chance to expand. 12 inches was chosen in case of thicker targets or if the round hits another body part first before entering the torso.
- 5 Shots
- Shorter barreled handgun: A longer barrel equals more velocity but most people carrying for self-defense are going with a shorter barreled handgun. For the .40 S&W, the test was a Glock 27 with its 3.42″ barrel.
I stick with 165 gr and 180 gr since those are the two bullet weights that I shoot as target practice rounds. And since we’re in self-defense mode, let’s make those jacketed hollow points (JHP) for maximum expansion and stopping power.
I tend to veer towards heavier rounds since I find the recoil a little more of a push than a snap. But make sure you choose what you normally shoot and like!
Now…onto our favorites for self-defense.
Best .40 S&W Ammo
Best Self-Defense .40 S&W
1. Winchester 180 gr Ranger Bonded
A newer round from Winchester, the 180gr Ranger Bonded is showing off the latest in bullet technology. Penetration distance is Goldilocks with great expansion and fast velocity.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
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- Average Penetration: 16.9″
- Average Expansion: .72″
- Average Velocity: 930 ft/sec
2. Remington 180 gr Ultimate Defense
Penetration depth is good, one of the best expansions, and great velocity for a short barrel. Remington .40 S&W Ultimate Defense is a great option to have!
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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25% off all OAKLEY products - OAKLEY25
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- Average Penetration: 15.5″
- Average Expansion: .79″
- Average Velocity: 977 ft/sec
3. Winchester 165 gr PDX-1
Penetration for the Winchester 165gr is good for the weight, along with impressive expansion and fast velocity.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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- Average Penetration: 14.6″
- Average Expansion: .74″
- Average Velocity: 1066 ft/sec
4. Winchester 165 gr Ranger Bonded
It’s a clean sweep for Winchester in the 165 gr category. This is another of their newer rounds that displays great penetration, expansion, and velocity.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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- Average Penetration: 14.7″
- Average Expansion: .77″
- Average Velocity: 1098 ft/sec
Best .40 S&W Ammo for Target Practice
We’re back to target practice…where cost reigns supreme.
Of course, we’re choosing the ones that aren’t so cheap that they become a reliability factor. We’ve shot a bunch of these in .40 and other calibers so we know the brands are good to go. I lean towards brass casings so I can reload.
Try out the different weights for yourself to see what you like best.
5. Blazer Brass – Assorted – 165/180 gr FMJ
The cheapest brass-cased option…I’ve shot thousands of these through my 9mm and my buddy who shoots .40 has too.
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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What do you think of Blazer?
6. PMC – Assorted – 165/180 gr FMJ
My go-to brand for plinking…always goes bang and accurate enough!
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Conclusion
So there are our recommendations for the best .40 S&W ammo for both self defense and target practice. What did you end up choosing and how does your gun like it?
33 Leave a Reply
I always ask what's the best ammo for grizzly bear, and NEVER had a sod and straight answer, I live in Alaska, Bear territory, I have a 12gauge shot gun, an HK VP40 cal, a Taurus Tracker 44magnum revolver 5 rounds and a Taurus 44model 44magnum 6shot. Can you go please straight to the point and let me know what's the best ammo for my weapons to protect myself against big grizzly bear when I go camping??? I'd really appreciate your help. Thank you.
From my experience, which is only reading everything I could on reloading ammo and reading everything from supposed experts, my humble opinion would be a 260 gr lead (12 -15 bhn) flat base, wide nose semi wadcutter. Powder would be Alliant 2400, 19 - 20 grains. I shoot them frequently and it definitely has the speed and ability for deep penetration. It needs a good 44 Magnum revolver to handle that load. Your Taurus should have no problem handling that round. Just in case you reload, I use Rim Rock Bullets, they are a great company. Sincerely, Pete Piazza
Underwood 100 gr Xtreme Defender SD 40 S&W Ammo firing at above 1,500 zipping muzzle velocities delivering over 500 energy lbs would be the top 1 carry 40 ammo for self defense. Underwood 115 gr Xtreme Defender SD 40 S&W Ammo firing at over 1,400 blistering velocities delivering more than 501 energy ft is the 2nd best carry 40 S&W ammo, Underwood 135 gr Nosler JHP 40 S&W which fires at over 1400 blistering muzzle velocities delivering 588 energy pounds would be the 3rd best carry 40 ammo then the 4th best 40 S&W carry ammo for personal protection is Underwood 150 gr Nosler JHP full house 40 S&W firing at greater than 1,300 screaming muzzle velocities generating +563 energy ft out of a compact, 4 barrel 40 S&W handgun. I've liked hot, fast 40 S&W better than normal, subsonic 40 caliber since 1996 to now.
Great info. Thanks!
For the Blazer, .40 cal rounds, you show a box of 250 rounds for $14.85. Then, when you click on the link to buy it, their site shows 50 rounds, not 250, fo $31!! NOT $14.85. 250 ROUNDS, 50 ROUNDS, $14.85, $31...???
You actually thought you could buy 250 rounds for $14.85 ???
Good to know you have nothing to do but comment on comments I made to the author of the article. It wasn't proofread or checked for inaccuracies and/or mistakes prior to publishing. If comments bother you that much, maybe you should ask for a job proofreading all their articles. Because just about every article uses incorrect grammar, misspelled words and wording, incomplete sentences and double wording. Most editors are happy to have these things brought to their attention. So, in other words, get a life.
Hey EW, as far as I know, most of our articles are grammatically correct and do not use incomplete sentences. That said, we are in the process of updating older articles in need of a little sprucing up. So, if you come across errors, definitely drop us a comment. As far as pricing, sometimes retailers change links and pricing. We do our best to keep up with those things but with over 1,000 articles on Pew Pew Tactical, it can take us some time. So, bear with us, and thanks for reading!
Ladies please...
Speer Dot Gold Bond did not offer enough percentage of redirected sales from your site?
If you use heavy for caliber. 40 or .45, that is 180 or 230 grain rounds. You're basically getting 9mm power out of the round. Around 350 ft/lbs. You get twice the energy out of velocity that you get out of mass until a certain optimal point and from there reducing mass to increase velocity reduces power.
Actually...
Both the std. pressure .40/180 gr. and .45 ACP/230 gr., from service length barrels, is ~ 400 ft-lbs.
Where as the std. pressure 9mm is ~ 350 for the 124 gr., and ~ 325 for the 147 gr.
About defense rounds - I am surprised that Federal HST 180 grain LE (nickel plated) did not got on the list - from what I have seen so far that been solid and best round. Regard plinking rounds I am also surprised that I have not see Fiocchi 170 grain FMJ - very clean. very reliable, very predictable round and cheap
Good info here! I generally prefer a .45 acp which has never failed me and that's what I keep in my night stand. A few years back I started carrying a 9mm, since it's lighter and smaller for concealment. However, I'm thinking of switching over to the .40 since my carry 9mm failed to kill a racoon at the house one evening at about 7 feet with 124 grain JHP's. I had to shoot the darn thing twice and it still hung on for awhile. Can you guys do some more testing on higher velocity 180 grain bullets around the 1050fps range?
im afraid barrel length is the problem with the velocity. you will need a 4 inch barrel for that. the 165gr listed here will go 1100+ fps in a 4inch gun. the 180 will get slightly over 1000 around 1038 is max ive seen them. but these round still go deep as the weight of them keeps momentum longer. i use pdx1 in 165 and 180 for carry. i would like the rangers but they are so hard to find.
Go with Underwood. Their stuff is so hot that it often actually over expands and overpenetrates in lighter loads. So the heavier loads are the sweet spot with them.
May I make a suggestion? If you are going .40 check out the HK P30, V3 or LEM variant or HK VP40. Both shoot with the recoil of a .380 and are deadly accurate even with little training. Plus, the prices have dropped drastically to the affordable category. I purchased a HK P30v3 in .40 for 499.99, came with 4 different side panels and back straps to fit any hand and two 13 round mags in a HK case. I am not a fan boy of any manufacturer but if the weapon is OTB capable and can own it without breaking the bank...SOLD!
what's wrong with Hornady's critical defense loads, Gloden saber, HST for my G-27?
Nothing? Hornady Critical Defense, Golden Saber, and HST are all very good rounds. I personally load the Hornady Critical Defense in all of my 9mm and 45 ACP guns.
Remember that this article was about best VALUE ammo. The writer's advice is skewered towards that, rather than prestige or style.
Federal Premium is, well, PREMIUM, and therefore tends to be expensive. It also tends to be slow and low-energy for caliber, which means underexpansion and often underpenetration. In 2018 it introduced its Hydra Shok Deep line featuring deeper penetration than before, but all this accomplished was to finally achieve consistent penetration satisfactory to the FBI standard. Wow, what an accomplishment for a brand that has been so expensive and hyped for so long. (I suppose that makes standard Hydra Shok "Hydra Shok Shallow", then?)
At least speaking for 10mm, the Critical products are slow and weak. They underpenetrate, big time. 11inches from a standard barrel, and 14inches from a 6 inch, without even encountering any significant barrier beyond clothing. Again, overpriced and overhyped.
My money is on Hornady XTP's. Consistent velocity, expansion, penetration, and bullet jacket integrity even when sped up by Underwood.
Nothing. Shoot what you and your gun likes.
Please tell me you are kidding! PMC? That stuff burns dirtier than coal. IT leaves carbon deposits in the mechanism and is the dirties amo on the market. Please revise.
Yeah, I agree. I shoot 10mm instead of 40, and I use Sellier & Bellot. Burns clean and requires very little cleaning after. Cheapest I've been able to find too. Sometimes it's stalemate MagTech is a penny less per round, but it burns dirtier.
Yes it is kind of dirty but not horribly dirty - it always go bang, no jam, no misfire, no problem with ejection
Maybe test G2 Research's RIP bullet. They run almost twice the cost of even BJHP defense ammo, but look like they'd stop just about anything with a shot or 2. If you do test it, see if there is any barrel damage from the bullet, looks like it could happen. Safe and happy shooting!!!
I haven't used the 40S&W version but I've toyed around with the 9mm. It wasn't impressive. I had feeding issues on 3 different guns, magazines are annoying to load, and the wounds to gel didn't seem to be any more damaging than normal HP rounds.
They also cost a stunning amount. My normal devensive ammo is Hornady Critical Defense, costs around 70-80cents per round when I get it. The box of G2 RIP I bought cost 1.90 a round. At that price, the bullet better aim itself.
It is impossible for the rounds to damage a barrel, the rounds are pure copper - significantly softer metal than any pistol barrels.
Ever test any of underwoods xtreme penetrators or defenders? not cheap, but i plan on getting some to try in my p-09 soon. Also I want to try some HST's. I will try to acquire some win rangers after reading this review and briefly researching them. Thank you for this Eric.
Have you found any problems with all above in a Sub-Compact like the S&W MP 40 Shield M2.0 Centerfire Pistol ?
Anything less than 180g causes my Shield 40 to feed jam about every 5-6 rounds. With 180 JHP or ball ammo it is flawless.
very lightly grease the slide grooves/and male counter part, with a que tip and some white lithium grease, just a slight amount. This can get the gun working, maybe not but sure did fix my semiautos more than once.. a small can will last you a lifetime.. This can speed the forward motion quite a bit. also wipe the bullet feed ramp on the barrel with some solvent on a rag..Alot of fouling could be the culpris.. Every once in a while the wrong bullet nose shape wont work in a semi id like to use, so you have to change bullets in that case. dave
135 Gr. Corbon.
You forgot one try the civil defense round by Liberty
Hi Joseph, thanks for the tip. Haven't heard of them yet but I'll keep an eye out!