# 200gr Bullet for the .40 S/W



## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

Has anyone found a source for 200gr self defense load for the .40.

I carry a Kahr PM40 with an ArmaLaser sight in my right rear pocket. No sights on the barrel! Fantastic... but I'd prefer a lower recoil, lower velocity, heavier bullet for personal protection... 

Heaviest bullet I've seen in a jacketed hollow point is 180gr.

-Jeff


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

Answering my own post...

www.doubletapammo.com

has 200gr loads for the .40S&W...

Expensive... but they exist


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

Just curious, why do you prefer the heavier slower bullet? I actually chose the 165 grain for better chances of expansion out of a 3 inch barrel.


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

*Interesting reading....*



propellerhead said:


> Just curious, why do you prefer the heavier slower bullet? I actually chose the 165 grain for better chances of expansion out of a 3 inch barrel.


http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/40.html
http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/terminal.html

I found this facinating... regarding larger slower bullets, vs. faster lighter bullets in a self defense roll.

According to this research:

1) Basically, assuming you get "reasonable" expansion out of the heavier bullet, it delivers much more momentum. Less wasted energy.

2) Bullets 200gr and larger are much less likely to deflect, and more likely to expand in a kill-zone, instead of a less vital body part.

3) For the same reason a .45, at a relatively low velocity, delivers more total energy to a target than a faster .40; so does a 200gr .40 deliver more of its energy than a higher velocity 165gr...

I'm convinced a .45 is a better man-stopper than a 9mm or .40. But I want .40 capacity and concealability.

Educate me if I'm wrong...


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

I haven't seen numbers, but I'd be surprised if the slower 200gr round had more energy than the 165gr. So technically unless the 165gr bullet overpenetrates and passes through the bad guy, you'll deliver more total energy (really all kinetic) with the lighter, faster projectile. 

However, I'm also a big believer in momentum where the big bullets fare much better. Even so, the numbers that I have seen on one-shot-stop % show the 165gr .40 to be the best of all automatics and second only to the .357 mag.


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

JeffWard said:


> http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/40.html
> http://www.angelfire.com/art/enchanter/terminal.html
> 
> I found this facinating... regarding larger slower bullets, vs. faster lighter bullets in a self defense roll.
> ...


That's a lot to read. Thanks for helping me not get anything done at work today. I'll be back.


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

Ok, I got a chance to read through that stuff. Man! That was a fun read!

Here's a key point I got out of it...



> The energy of a bullet is given by the formulae Energy = ½ x Mass x Velocity2
> A small reduction in weight that gives a small increase velocity will give a big increase in energy.... This all looks very sexy on the pages of a magazine article, but works both ways. For every inch of air that a round travels through it sheds a bit of velocity -and a small decrease in velocity means a big decrease in energy. Weight, on the other hand, remains constant. A heavy bullet will usually arrive with more of its initial energy than a lighter one, unless the range is very short. Light high velocity loads are best reserved for applications such as home defence when range will never exceed more than a couple of metres.





> Most handgun fights take place at less than 6 metres, and light high velocity rounds are intended to give the best performance within this range. However, shots at longer ranges are by no means exceptional, and at these ranges lightweights often lack sufficient target effect. A heavy bullet may have less energy at the muzzle, but will have a greater proportion of this energy retained by the time that it reaches the target.


The 165 gr .40S&W will have more energy than the 200 gr at the muzzle. But muzzle energy is just a benchmark for comparison. What matters is energy at the target. The 165 gr bullet will lose its energy advantage beyond "self defense" distances. The author goes on and states that the 200 gr .40S&W is preferred for "combat" distances since it retains its energy longer. The article focuses on combat applications and not so much self-defense. That is why the author concludes that the 200 gr is better. It is more effective at combat distances.

So, what is considered self-defense distance and what is combat distance? I think of self-defense as shooting an intruder who has entered my house. Combat distances to me mean shooting someone across the street. At that distance, can you without a doubt prove in court that the target was threat that required the immediate use of deadly force? Would you shoot someone across a parking lot at the local Wal-Mart?


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## JeffWard (Aug 24, 2007)

I guess I'll have to reread my own posted thread!!!

I agree that "self defense distance" is inside 20ft. I live in a big house, but shots outside 30ft would require crossing a few rooms!

I guess I'll stick with my Winchester Ranger "Homeland Defense" ammo...

When I'm out defending the Walmart parking lot, I'll carry my 870 with the full choke slug barrel... It groups 00 Buck (or 31 Buck) about 7" at 20 ft, and 15" at 25yds!!! That'll get me two rows of cars accuarcy at least! LOL

Taking nine 9mm pellets in the torso at once... at 25yds... ouch...
Taking sixteen .30 Cal pellets... ouch-ouch...

Jeff


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## OLD NAVY (Jul 18, 2007)

*200 grains*

Hi.I have blown up my model 27 glock from using range brass.I did a lot of research about why it blew.I ran across a lot of warnings about shooting 200 grain bullets in a 40 s&w .They dont recomend it.180 is the largest I would ever shoot.You havenot lived untill a gun exsplodes in your hand,and you have to use a bar magnet to pick up the pieces.Iam still shooting my reloads in a steel para 40.stay safe,navy


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## propellerhead (May 19, 2006)

A Glock kaboom?


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