Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast
Results 11 to 20 of 30

Thread: So what were the hard-hitting 155gr .40 S&W loads of the 1990's?

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    2,352
    Feedback Score
    14 (100%)
    I always preferred the 135gr Cor-Bon load back in the 90s.

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jul 2008
    Location
    Urban Cessmaze
    Posts
    4,843
    Feedback Score
    25 (100%)
    Hornady made a pretty hot load in that range - for .40 and for 10mm, as I recall.
    - Either you're part of the problem or you're part of the solution or you're just part of the landscape - Sam (Robert DeNiro) in, "Ronin" -

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Tennessee
    Posts
    11,718
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by wahoo95 View Post
    I always preferred the 135gr Cor-Bon load back in the 90s.
    Yeah depending on what ballistic theories you bought into it was an explosive round but with shallow[er] penetration.

    I would equate 90's tech bullets as follows:

    9mm lightweight = 115gr, .40 lightweight = 135gr

    9mm middleweight = 124gr, .40 midweight = 155gr

    9mm heavyweight = 147gr, .40 heavyweight = 180gr

    What's notable for duty loads today is that 9mm 115gr is hardly seen much anymore, nor is .40 135gr or 155gr. The biggest duty loads seem to be 147gr > 124gr for 9mm, and 180gr for .40. While subsonic 147gr and 180gr bullets used to be rather blah, with modern bullet technology they apparently are the way to go.
    11C2P '83-'87
    Airborne Infantry
    F**k China!

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    Eastern N.C.
    Posts
    371
    Feedback Score
    9 (100%)
    The "mid-range" .40 S&W offerings are what moved me toward the 180gr choices. To me, the 155-165gr loadings lived up to the "snappy" adjective that some folks like to use when speaking of .40 S&W recoil. In my hands, the Hornady 155XTP and some now forgotten 165FMJFP topped the chart when run through my old Gen2 G23. As an aside, the 155STHP offering seemed quite tame when compared to those two loads.

    Keith

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    208
    Feedback Score
    0
    The ones I remember were the Winchester Silvertip, Federal Hydrashock, PMC Starfire, and Winchester Talon. The Silvertip was a holdover from the 80s, the others were the first attempts to meet the FBI terminal performance protocols. I think the Remington Golden Saber came along a few years later. Most of these did well in bare gel but not as well in any of the other tests.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    208
    Feedback Score
    0
    Here’s a link to an old American Rifleman article that discusses the then new FBI ammunition studies and has a table of some results. It’s interesting that back then, the 9mm rounds did poorly, which is why we all went out and bought 10s and 40s. Now the 9mm has caught up in penetration and has the advantage in recoil, capacity, and pistol longevity over the 10 and 40.

    https://www.americanrifleman.org/art...bi-ammo-tests/

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2020
    Posts
    106
    Feedback Score
    0
    Speer 155 grain Gold Dot has a listed muzzle velocity of 1200fps. These were the first self defense rounds I carried in my Glock 23. For what it’s worth, they always seemed less snappy than their 180 grain counterparts in my opinion.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
    Posts
    4,370
    Feedback Score
    1 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by ABNAK View Post
    What's notable for duty loads today is that 9mm 115gr is hardly seen much anymore, nor is .40 135gr or 155gr. The biggest duty loads seem to be 147gr > 124gr for 9mm, and 180gr for .40. While subsonic 147gr and 180gr bullets used to be rather blah, with modern bullet technology they apparently are the way to go.
    My department just switched our 9mm duty round from the 124+P Gold Dot to the new Winchester Ranger One 147 grain. The new Ranger One is the 147 Ranger Bonded with a blue polymer insert in the hollow point to help prevent clogging.

    My entire 14 year career (up until 2018ish) the standard issue service gun has been a Glock 22 loaded with 180 HST. It does have more recoil than the Glock 17 but the 180 HST has been an outstanding bullet in our gunfights. Has worked well through car body and windshields. I haven't seen or heard of any shootings where the bullet didn't perform as expected.
    C co 1/30th Infantry Regiment
    3rd Brigade 3rd Infantry Division
    2002-2006
    OIF 1 and 3

    IraqGunz:
    No dude is going to get shot in the chest at 300 yards and look down and say "What is that, a 3 MOA group?"

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Aug 2020
    Posts
    42
    Feedback Score
    0
    Quote Originally Posted by markm View Post
    I just fired up my G22 a week ago. Someone gave us 200 rounds of practice ammo.

    I've always just had 165 gr Gold Dots for the most part, and never gave much thought to which round I carry. As long as it was quality manufacture, anything out of the 40 cal was going to be more than adequate.
    Well said Mister, +1 here thinking just like that.

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    9,518
    Feedback Score
    45 (100%)
    Quote Originally Posted by wahoo95 View Post
    I always preferred the 135gr Cor-Bon load back in the 90s.

    Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
    Same here, it was suppose to theoretically mimic the much vaunted 125gr .357.
    Gettin' down innagrass.
    Let's Go Brandon!

Page 2 of 3 FirstFirst 123 LastLast

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •