Best .40 S&W Ammo
Every load we price, sorted by cost per round delivered to your state
We track 29 .40 S&W loads from 4 dealers. The cheapest delivered to AR, shipping included, is CCI Blazer .40 S&W 165gr TMJ Ammo at $0.33 a round. By use: Target & Range from $0.33 and Self-Defense from $0.42.
The .40 S&W is a police and self-defense pistol cartridge, a shortened 10mm Auto that Smith & Wesson and Winchester introduced in 1990 to match the FBI's reduced-velocity 10mm load in a pistol the size of a 9mm. It was widely issued to US police, though many agencies, including the FBI in 2015, have gone back to 9mm. Bullets are .40 inch, mostly 155, 165 or 180 grains.
The 180 grain loads run about 970 to 1,050 fps and recoil with more of a push. The 155 and 165 grain loads run up to about 1,200 fps and feel snappier. Practice with FMJ in the same weight as your carry hollow point, such as a 165 grain FMJ with Federal HST 165gr, or 180 grain FMJ with Speer Gold Dot 180gr. Don't fire .40 S&W in a 10mm pistol without a .40 barrel; it can chamber but headspaces on the extractor.
All .40 S&W Loads
Compare ballistics and prices across 29 products
| PRODUCT ↕ | GRAIN ↕ | VELOCITY ↕ | ENERGY ↕ | BC ↕ | USE CASE ↕ | BEST PRICE ↕ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Aguila .40 S&W 180gr FMJ Ammunition
180gr
• 1050 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 1050 | 441 | .188 | Target & Range | $0.37/rd |
|
Barnes VOR-TX .40 S&W 140gr TAC-XP
140gr
• 1120 fps
• Self-Defense
|
140gr | 1120 | 390 | .128 | Self-Defense | $2.07/rd |
|
CCI Blazer .40 S&W 165gr TMJ Ammo
165gr
• 1100 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1100 | 443 | .139 | Target & Range | $0.33/rd |
|
CCI Blazer Clean Fire .40 S&W Lead-Free 180gr TMJ Ammo
180gr
• 1000 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 1000 | 400 | .143 | Target & Range | $0.57/rd |
|
Federal American Eagle .40 S&W 155gr FMJ Ammo
155gr
• 1160 fps
• Target & Range
|
155gr | 1160 | 463 | .13 | Target & Range | $0.36/rd |
|
Federal American Eagle .40 S&W 165gr FMJ Ammo
165gr
• 1130 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1130 | 468 | .154 | Target & Range | $0.42/rd |
|
Federal American Eagle .40 S&W 180gr FMJ Ammo
180gr
• 1000 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 1000 | 400 | .17 | Target & Range | $0.38/rd |
|
Federal HST .40 S&W 165gr JHP
165gr
• 1130 fps
• Self-Defense
|
165gr | 1130 | 468 | .16 | Self-Defense | $1.17/rd |
|
Federal Range and Target .40 S&W 180gr FMJ Ammo
180gr
• 1000 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 1000 | 400 | .191 | Target & Range | $0.34/rd |
|
Hornady American Gunner .40 S&W 180gr XTP JHP
180gr
• 950 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 950 | 361 | .164 | Self-Defense | $2.02/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Defense .40 S&W 165gr FTX
165gr
• 1045 fps
• Self-Defense
|
165gr | 1045 | 400 | .145 | Self-Defense | $1.55/rd |
|
Hornady Critical Duty .40 S&W 175gr FlexLock JHP
175gr
• 1010 fps
• Self-Defense
|
175gr | 1010 | 396 | .155 | Self-Defense | $2.52/rd |
|
Hornady Custom .40 S&W 155gr XTP JHP
155gr
• 1180 fps
• Self-Defense
|
155gr | 1180 | 479 | .137 | Self-Defense | $1.35/rd |
|
HSM .40 S&W Training 180gr RNFP Ammo
180gr
• 985 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 985 | 388 | .18 | Target & Range | $0.34/rd |
|
PMC Bronze .40 S&W 165gr FMJ Ammo
165gr
• 989 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 989 | 358 | .187 | Target & Range | $0.35/rd |
|
Remington Golden Saber .40 S&W 165gr BJHP
165gr
• 1150 fps
• Self-Defense
|
165gr | 1150 | 484 | .155 | Self-Defense | $2.37/rd |
|
Remington Golden Saber .40 S&W 180gr BJHP
180gr
• 1015 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 1015 | 412 | .17 | Self-Defense | $2.32/rd |
|
Remington HTP .40 S&W 155gr JHP
155gr
• 1205 fps
• Self-Defense
|
155gr | 1205 | 500 | .14 | Self-Defense | $2.17/rd |
|
Remington UMC .40 S&W 165gr FMJ Ammo
165gr
• 1150 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1150 | 485 | .165 | Target & Range | $0.40/rd |
|
Remington UMC .40 S&W 180gr FMJ Ammo
180gr
• 990 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 990 | 392 | .178 | Target & Range | $0.38/rd |
|
Sellier & Bellot .40 S&W 180gr FMJ Ammo
180gr
• 968 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 968 | 374 | .191 | Target & Range | $0.34/rd |
|
Sellier & Bellot .40 S&W 180gr JHP Ammo
180gr
• 974 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 974 | 379 | .16 | Self-Defense | $0.42/rd |
|
Sinterfire .40 S&W 125gr Lead Free Ball Ammo
125gr
• 1200 fps
• Target & Range
|
125gr | 1200 | 400 | .095 | Target & Range | $0.44/rd |
|
Speer Gold Dot .40 S&W 165gr JHP
165gr
• 1150 fps
• Self-Defense
|
165gr | 1150 | 484 | .155 | Self-Defense | $2.67/rd |
|
Speer Gold Dot .40 S&W 180gr JHP
180gr
• 1025 fps
• Self-Defense
|
180gr | 1025 | 420 | .145 | Self-Defense | $1.17/rd |
|
Speer Lawman .40 S&W 180gr TMJ Ammo
180gr
• 1000 fps
• Target & Range
|
180gr | 1000 | 400 | .147 | Target & Range | $0.46/rd |
|
Winchester .40 S&W 165gr FMJ Ammo
165gr
• 1060 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1060 | 412 | .165 | Target & Range | $0.34/rd |
|
Winchester .40 S&W 165gr FMJ Range Ammo
165gr
• 1060 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1060 | 412 | .165 | Target & Range | $0.34/rd |
|
Winchester USA Ready .40 S&W 165gr FMJFN Ammo
165gr
• 1060 fps
• Target & Range
|
165gr | 1060 | 412 | .165 | Target & Range | $0.39/rd |
.40 S&W Trajectory Calculator
Calculate drop, velocity, and energy at any range
Advantages and Disadvantages
Pros
- Over 9mm: wider, heavier bullets, 155 to 180 grains against 115 to 147.
- Fits 9mm-sized frames, unlike the longer 10mm Auto.
- Most .40 S&W pistols can switch to .357 SIG with a barrel swap.
Cons
- More recoil than 9mm in the same pistol, which slows follow-up shots.
- Fewer rounds per magazine, such as 13 in a Glock 23 against 15 in the 9mm Glock 19.
- More wear on pistol parts than 9mm, one of the reasons the FBI dropped it.
- Less velocity than full-power 10mm Auto with the same bullet weight.