Remington HTP is the hottest load here at the muzzle: a 155-grain jacketed hollow point at 1,205 fps and 500 ft-lbs. It is a conventional jacketed hollow point in a brass case, built for defensive use. Power factor 187 clears the 165 USPSA major floor by 22. From a 25-yard zero it drops 1.2 inches at 50 yards and 9.3 inches at 100. In the same compact pistol it produces about 4 percent less recoil energy than Speer Gold Dot 165 and about 1 percent less than Federal HST 165, so the extra speed does not add recoil against the 165s.

The margin at the muzzle is real but not large. Speer Gold Dot 165 and Remington Golden Saber 165 both run 1,150 fps and 484 ft-lbs, 55 fps and 16 ft-lbs behind the HTP, and both make a higher power factor because of the extra 10 grains. Federal HST 165 at 1,130 fps and 468 ft-lbs gives up 32 ft-lbs. Hornady Custom 155 XTP is the closest match in weight, 21 ft-lbs behind with about 4 percent less recoil energy. Hornady Critical Defense 165 is the soft end of the group at 1,045 fps and 400 ft-lbs, 160 fps and 100 ft-lbs behind the HTP.

The HTP is for a shooter who wants the highest muzzle energy in this group of standard-pressure .40 loads and finds a 155 easier to run fast than a 165. It is a plain jacketed hollow point rather than a bonded or polymer-tipped one; if that matters to you, Speer Gold Dot 165 is the bonded bullet with the next-highest energy at 484 ft-lbs. For practice that feels like this load, Federal American Eagle 155-grain FMJ runs 1,160 fps, 45 fps slower, with about 7 percent less recoil energy in the same pistol.