Self defense ammo please help

[paulmac]

Hey guys, was in the store looking to stock up on some home defense ammo.
Regarding grain, fmj, and jhp, in .40 cal., I saw;
135 grain, fmj
180 grain fmj
and
165 grain jhp.
I'm still not an expert on this stuff yet, so which one for defensive round?
Thanks very much.

 

[jakes01234]

I like using the hornady with the rubbery stuff in the tip instead of hollow
http://www.hornady.com/store/critical_defense/
and some more info
http://www.tactical-life.com/online/exclusives/hornadys-critical-defense-ammo/

 

[ntomsw]

Hollow Points, or JHP

 

[paulmac]

Thanks for the replies

 

[DehydratedCorn]

generally used for self defense would be either jacketed hollow points like hornady critical defense or efmj like guard dogs

 

[LR308_GNR]

Federal HST and Corbon DPX is all I use now, all the testing I've seen has them at the top of the heap.

 

[ochmude]

180 gr. Federal HST is what I carry for .40

 

[Smash05]

Gold Dot, HST, or DPX.

 

[SSShooter]

180 gr. Federal HST is what I carry for .40

+1

 

[whatluck]

I generally pick the heaviest loading in that cal. I like Speer Gold Dot for .40 or HST if you can find it.

 

[ufd108]

Hey guys, was in the store looking to stock up on some home defense ammo.
Regarding grain, fmj, and jhp, in .40 cal., I saw;
135 grain, fmj
180 grain fmj
and
165 grain jhp.
I'm still not an expert on this stuff yet, so which one for defensive round?
Thanks very much.

FMJ = Full Metal Jacket, or ball ammo. This is not the best for self defense but it is usually much cheaper than hollow points so many (most?) people will use this for target practice.

 

[Hiltonizer]

In doing my research I arrived at Hornady Critical Defense as the best option.

 

[sacksjacked]

my choice is Speer Gold Dot. can't go wrong

 

[AmmoSapien]

I've got some Speer Gold Dot 165 Grain .40 cal SD ammo. Even out of an all metal gun it still has a really "energetic" recoil and muzzle flash. I'm wondering if a 180 Grain loading would allow for better follow up shots....Either way I'll stick with Speer in all my guns.

 

[Sniper977]

+1

+1 again. HST are top performers.

In 40 I find the 180 and 165 grain loads work the best. 155's are good too if a particular company doesnt make a 165 or 180.
180 loads are above the 400 mark on muzzle energy and they have a nice controllable push in Glock, SIG, etc. 165s are a bit snappier on recoil but they generally give you an extra 60-80 lb-ft of muzzle energy. Try them all and see what you like best.
Dont be looking for any +P loads in 40 as they dont exist...unlike 9mm or 45, the 40 defensive loadings were generally designed to the max allowed SAAMI pressure.
Other great 40s are DPX, PDX1/Ranger, Critical Defense and GoldDot.