Sellier & Bellot's 180-grain .40 S&W jacketed hollow point leaves the muzzle at 974 fps with 379 ft-lbs of energy. A jacketed hollow point is built to open up in a soft target, which is the reason to pick it over ball for a defensive pistol. Power factor is 175, about 10 over the 165 USPSA major floor. From a 25-yard zero the trajectory table shows 1.9 inches of drop at 50 yards and 13.6 inches at 100.

This sits at the slow end of the 180-grain hollow points here. Speer Gold Dot runs 1,025 fps and 420 ft-lbs, 51 fps and 41 ft-lbs ahead, with about 9 percent more recoil energy in the same pistol. Remington Golden Saber is 41 fps and 33 ft-lbs ahead at 1,015 fps and kicks about 7 percent harder. Only Hornady American Gunner is milder, at 950 fps and 361 ft-lbs, with about 4 percent less recoil. All four make major; the Hornady's 171 has the least margin, 6 points over the floor.

Buy this if you want a standard-pressure 180-grain hollow point with recoil near the bottom of the class. If you want the most muzzle energy a 180 offers, Gold Dot's 420 ft-lbs is the top figure here. For same-weight practice, HSM Training 180-grain RNFP runs 985 fps, 11 fps faster, with recoil within 2 percent of this load in the same pistol, close enough that switching back to the hollow point will not feel different.