Need a cheapish plinking 40sw round that is also good enough to "carry"

[Poopers]

Can anyone recommend a 40sw round that is cheap enough to practice with but has good self defense properties? Preferrably something in the HP 180 grain realm



Thanks

[grizzlyadams1874]

cheap self defense rounds??? what value do you place on your life? your families lives? a couple boxes of premium self defense loads is not going to break the bank! plink with the cheap stuff and shoot a few mags of the premium to check for reliability and poi!

[keith44]

cheap self defense rounds??? what value do you place on your life? your families lives? a couple boxes of premium self defense loads is not going to break the bank! plink with the cheap stuff and shoot a few mags of the premium to check for reliability and poi!

What do you call reliability??  500 rounds is my benchmark before I bet my life on it.  Cheapish ammo that works all the time, may require two or three hits instead of one, but if you can afford an extra three boxes what the heck.


Poopers, cheap ammo days are pretty well gone.  Find something in your price range that the gun likes and buy all you can.

[Graybeard]

Take your choice. Most are aslo available in 250-500-1000 packs at reduced per round cost. All these are good dependable 180 JHP ammo at less than 50 cents a shot.

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/fiocchi-shooting-dynamics-40-sampw-180-gr-jhp-50-rds.aspx?a=1003628

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/50-rds-180-gr-40-smith-amp-wesson-jacketed-hollow-point-ammo.aspx?a=755329

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/hsm-40-sw-180-gr-jhp-ammo-50-rds.aspx?a=919189

http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/cb/remington-umc-handgun-40-sw-180-gr-jhp-50-rds.aspx?a=938942

[Empty Quiver]

You are going to need to order online. You will want to look for the 50round packs of hollow point ammo. Winchester Ranger seems to be the most common "premium" cheap personel defense ammo. There are about 4 different loadings, with some being super premium and others not so much. The cheaper ammo is of older design or a run for an agency that changed there preferences.
 
Winchester markets the Ranger to LE and typically does not sell to the public at large. However the discontinued ammo is available and is a good buy generally speaking.
 
Another choice is the Speer Lawman ammo. It is ball ammo, loaded to same specs as the defense ammo Gold Dot. Buy an extra mag fill it with Gold Dot, plink with the Lawman. 
 
A .40 hole is nothing to sneeze at you could forsake the expanding ammo and rely on ball ammo. Good shot placement trumps all. Might have over penetration issues but how likely is that for most folks? 

[grizzlyadams1874]

cheap self defense rounds??? what value do you place on your life? your families lives? a couple boxes of premium self defense loads is not going to break the bank! plink with the cheap stuff and shoot a few mags of the premium to check for reliability and poi!

What do you call reliability??  500 rounds is my benchmark before I bet my life on it.  Cheapish ammo that works all the time, may require two or three hits instead of one, but if you can afford an extra three boxes what the heck

Poopers, cheap ammo days are pretty well gone.  Find something in your price range that the gun likes and buy all you can.

     what do i consider reliability?? i carry a revolver, always goes bang and always feeds the next round!

[keith44]

LOL grizzlyadams1874, a revolver malfunction is fatal, if you ever have a primer back out and tie up that wheelgun you won't have to ask.  Don't misunderstand, I recommend revolvers for those who simply want a gun and do not intend to shoot much.  Or for those who (like me) want a point and click interface in the middle of the night and not want to fumble with safeties.

[Bugflipper]

I would recommend to get 25-28 cents a round fmj for practice and read up on ballistic gelatin results for your carry ammo. Where to get? Ventura Munitions, iAmmo, Georgia Arms or Ammo.net are the cheapest right now for fmj. There's really not any discernible differences in accuracy  with the average fellow shooting fmj or hp in a pistol. Where I work we qualify twice a year. The first one is with fmj, the second one to get rid of the 1 year old duty ammo. The scores stay consistent. In most cases a pistol is more accurate than the shooter when firing off hand. Another option may be to get yourself a 22 conversion. Shoot a whole lot with that. A little with fmj, to stay used to the recoil/recovery and keep the good performing ammo in it for carry, just in case you need it.
Good Luck.

[grizzlyadams1874]

nope never had a primer problem, and i shoot ALOT. when my primers dont press in firmly anymore i discard the case. and i METICULOUSLY inspect all my rounds repeatedly.dont get me wrong, i like my 1911s and glock too. was just trying to get the point across that cheap ammo in a defense gun is not a good idea. also, i'm rarely in a spot where i'd have to worry about a two legged threat. i carry in the field, and no we don't have grizzlies here but we have big black bears that are not afraid of people. i stopped a bear from attacking two ladies out for a walk two summers ago. as far as home protection goes. i use a 12 gauge. we can debate what ifs all day. bottom line is, a handgun is a piss poor battle weapon unless absolutely nothing is available! i think it was clint smith that said "the only thing a handgun is good for is to fight your way back to the long gun that you should have never put down in the first place!"

[t-reg]

I've been impressed with the $38 / 100 round Remington 180 gr JHP's in the green and white box from Walmart.  They did well in my backyard testing, nice mushrooms and no jacket separations on milk jugs, mud or sand.  No misfires or jams in about 140 rounds.  They shoot < 3" at 25 yards from my PT101 which ain't bad for lowball factory ammo.  I have since begun to handload for the .40 but wouldn't hesitate for a minute to carry - continue carrying - that ammo for SD/HD.  Matter of fact it's the only factory ammo I didn't blast away for the brass once the reloads got tuned in.

[Basicguy]

I think most any 180 grain bullet that will cycle your 40 handgun will have enought umph to provide defensive protection, personally I shoot lead 180 grain TC in a compact 40.

Can anyone recommend a 40sw round that is cheap enough to practice with but has good self defense properties? Preferrably something in the HP 180 grain realm



Thanks

[Empty Quiver]

I've been impressed with the $38 / 100 round Remington 180 gr JHP's in the green and white box from Walmart.  They did well in my backyard testing, nice mushrooms and no jacket separations on milk jugs, mud or sand.  No misfires or jams in about 140 rounds.  They shoot < 3" at 25 yards from my PT101 which ain't bad for lowball factory ammo.  I have since begun to handload for the .40 but wouldn't hesitate for a minute to carry - continue carrying - that ammo for SD/HD.  Matter of fact it's the only factory ammo I didn't blast away for the brass once the reloads got tuned in.

I used to find that load in 9MM at my local wally world and was very impressed with it especially for the price. I figured if I were in 1985 I would have a premium round in my gun. It is no longer stocked locally, and that is a shame.

[Savage]

Contrary to the advertising hype, you don't have to spend a buck plus per rd for premium self defense ammo. This "What's your life worth" stuff is a load of crap. Any reliable weapon with decent HP ammo will do the job. The persons I associate with are all shooters, 3-5 matches a month. Most are LE and or former military. ALL carry daily, reload and shoot a lot. A fair percentage of these individuals have been involved in (Directly or indirectly) shootings. Bet there's a very small percentage that carry the buck fifty a pop ammo in their personal weapons. I'd also wager NONE of them fire $500 worth of premium ammo through their guns as a reliability test. Premium ammo and a mega bucks gun won't make up for poor martial skills and tactics. I'd buy a good generic HP ammo that I could afford, run a couple mags through your gun to insure proper feeding and a POA/POI check, and go on your way. Graybeard provided some good links to ammo sources, the Wal Mart stuff works well too if you can find it.
Savage

[Dee]

LOL! Poopers, I carry Federal 180 grain FMJ flat nose in mine. I have seen hollow points NOT OPEN more than open on shootings, and the wide flat face of a pistol bullet is not only a good energy transfer system, it bites into the bone rather than glance off.
WalMart sells it, and it works.

[ronbow]

Can anyone recommend a 40sw round that is cheap enough to practice with but has good self defense properties? Preferrably something in the HP 180 grain realm



Thanks

Mag-Tech 155 gr., 1205 fps, 500+ ft. lb. JHP. About $30 for 50. Cycled 50 rounds through my FNX40 with no problem. However since they are made in Brazil, Iload every other round with 165 Win. PDX1 or 165 Rem Golden Saber JHP .
I have yet to find a 180 gr. round that has more kinetic energy (ft. lb.) than a hot 155 or 165.
Remember penetration kills, "knockdown power" is a myth.