Best .40 S&W Ammo: Self Defense & Target Practice

Even though .40 S&W may be falling out of favor with law enforcement and gun manufacturers, it still remains one of the most commonly chambered rounds for modern handguns.

Some people are in the camp that .40 S&W is a bad compromise between 9mm and 10mm. However, many shooters find it a perfect in-between that can deliver the goods (the numbers don't lie).

But with so many choices, finding the right ammo to get the most out of your .40 S&W can be difficult.

Fear not, we have you covered! Read on for the best recommendations for self-defense, concealed carry, and target ammo based on ballistics gel data.

How We Chose the Best .40 S&W Ammo

Testing Procedures for Self-Defense Ammo

The below pictures and data are from a super in-depth post from Lucky Gunner plus a few of our personal criteria. Here are some details of the test, which closely mimics FBI protocol:

• Shot 10 feet away
• 4 layers of fabric in front of the ballistics gel to simulate a "worst case" scenario of clothing

• Ideal penetration of 12-18 inches. More than 18 inches might go completely through the target and hit something beyond. While a 12-inch minimum protects against thicker targets and possibly hitting something like an arm first before the torso.
• 5 shots for more data

• Shorter barreled gun. Most tests are run with a full-size pistol, but Lucky Gunner used a Glock 27, which has a 3.42-inch barrel. Their thought was most people carrying a handgun most likely have a compact-sized one. So, for those of you with a longer barrel, the penetration and velocities might be slightly higher.

For self-defense ammo, we tend to stick with 165gr and 180gr since those are the two most common bullet weights for widely available practice ammo.

Self-defense is only one portion of this article, and our section on range ammo focuses more on the criteria of reliability, cost-effectiveness, and accuracy.

Best .40 S&W Ammo for Self-Defense

1. Winchester PDX1 165 Grain

Best Defensive Ammo

Winchester .40 S&W 165gr PDX1

$28

at GrabAGun

Prices accurate at time of writing

$28 at GrabAGun

Lucky Gunner (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass
• Bullet Weight: 165gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1140 fps

The Winchester 165gr PDX1 boasts excellent penetration, impressive expansion, and fast velocity.

Expansion is uniform, with each projectile opening up to almost three-quarters of an inch.

While it is on the expensive side for ammo, it has the performance to justify the price, and it is much easier to find than Winchester's other offerings.

2. Remington Ultimate Defense 180 Grain

Most Affordable Defense Ammo

Remington .40 S&W 180gr Ultimate Defense

$18

at Ammunition Depot

Prices accurate at time of writing

$18 at Ammunition Depot

BattleHawk Armory (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Bonded Jacketed Hollow Point
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass
• Bullet Weight: 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1015 fps

These bonded hollow-point rounds boast good penetration depth and excellent expansion.

In addition to excellent ballistic performance, the Remington Ultimate Defense line typically comes in much cheaper than other self-defense options, making this an awesome value buy.

3. Hornady Critical Defense 165 Grain FTX

Hornady .40 S&W Critical Defense 165gr FTX

$23

at BattleHawk Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$23 at BattleHawk Armory

GrabAGun (see price)

GunMag Warehouse (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Flex-Tip Jacketed Hollow Point
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass
• Bullet Weight: 165gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1175 fps

These rounds have slightly higher velocity than the Winchester PDX1 rounds and notably more penetration depth. While expansion is uniform, they tend to expand less overall than some of the rounds on this list.

At least around our parts, Hornady defense ammo is some of the most common and easy to find. So if ammo availability is a concern, Hornady is likely going to be your best friend.

4. Remington Golden Saber Defense 180 Grain

Most Expansion

Remington .40 S&W Golden Saber Defense 180gr JHP

$24

at BattleHawk Armory

Prices accurate at time of writing

$24 at BattleHawk Armory

GrabAGun (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Jacketed Hollow Point
• Casing Type: Nickel-Plated Brass
• Bullet Weight: 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 1015 fps

Remington makes the list once again, this time with their Golden Saber Defense 180gr rounds.

While they offer both bonded and non-bonded versions, the non-bonded versions we picked offer superior expansion without sacrificing penetration.

In fact, these rounds had the largest expansion of any rounds tested by Lucky Gunner, opening up to a whopping average of .81 inches.

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.

5. Sellier & Bellot 180 Grain FMJ

Editor's Pick

Sellier & Bellot .40 S&W 180gr FMJ

$18

at Firearms Depot

Prices accurate at time of writing

$18 at Firearms Depot

GrabAGun (see price)

Kygunco (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Casing Type: Brass
• Bullet Weight: 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 968 fps

A favorite among the PPT team for range use is Sellier & Bellot.

In our experience, it shoots very clean for cheap range ammo and has yielded good accuracy.

Another small bonus is that Sellier & Bellot ammo puts their rounds in smaller boxes than many competitors, making packing your range bag and ammo storage a little bit easier.

6. PMC 165/180 Grain FMJ

Most Affordable Range Ammo

PMC Bronze .40 S&W FMJ

$17

at GunMag Warehouse

Prices accurate at time of writing

$17 at GunMag Warehouse

Firearms Depot (see price)

BattleHawk Armory (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Casing Type: Brass
• Bullet Weight: 165gr / 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 989 fps / 985 fps

PMC is another perennial go-to plinking ammo brand for us at PPT.

It always goes bang, runs relatively clean, and is accurate enough!

What do you think of PMC Ammo? Rate it below!

7. Magtech 180 Grain FMJ

Magtech .40 S&W 180gr FMJ

$18

at Firearms Depot

Prices accurate at time of writing

$18 at Firearms Depot

GrabAGun (see price)

BattleHawk Armory (see price)

Specs

• Bullet Type: Full Metal Jacket
• Casing Type: Brass
• Bullet Weight: 180gr
• Muzzle Velocity: 990 fps

Magtech makes a variety of ammo, all of which are known for solid performance-to-cost ratio. This ammo also tends to be among the more accurate brands of range ammo in our experience.

It is right in the middle on the clean-to-dirty scale, which means you shouldn’t run into any issues as long as the gun has a reasonable cleaning schedule.

Final Thoughts

The .40 S&W remains a popular round for both self-defense and fun on the range. Regardless of what you use it for, picking the right ammo will help you make the most of your gun.

Hopefully, our list of favorite .40 S&W ammo will help get you pointed in the right direction regardless of your mission.

Do you have experience with any of these rounds? How does your gun like them? Let us know in the comments below! Need to know the best ammo brands in general? Check out our guide to the best of the best!