Recommendation for factory .40 ammo

[StraightSh00ter]

A friend is letting me try his .40 at the steel match tomorrow. I need to supply the ammo, which will likely come from Cabela's.

The intent is to see how I like shooting a .40 2011 so I thought it would be good to shoot something that would make Major PF without being too hot. I was told to avoid 'junk' ammo but any quality factory ammo would be fine.

Suggestions?

Thank you!

[cnote]

If you want a true appreciation of what major PF ammo out of a 2011 feels like, you need some Atlanta arms competition or similar company. It is I'll be loaded to about 170 PF whereas factory 40 will be higher and harsher recoil, Don't let th platform be evaluated with factory loads. Most people shooting steel matches shoot minor anyways. If your intention is limited, try the above suggestion at a uspsa match if he will let you .

Or offer to pay for his reloads to be shot out of his gun, he should be ok with that

Edited October 8, 2015 by cnote

[JMike]

+1 on ammo from Atlanta Arms.

The other thing I would add is that some 2011s require ammo that is loaded to a slightly longer length to run reliably. Many people that I know (myself included) must load our 40SW to a OAL of 1.18-1.20. I do know a few guys running 2011s that can run the shorter ammo but they are the exception rather the rule.

Good luck, I think you probably will really like the pistol.

Edited October 10, 2015 by JMike

[Iggy42]

Big fan of Universal Ammo myself

[ericjhuber]

So your options depends on your price, risk tolerance, and what you're using for a pistol. I started shooting Single Stack this year with an SVI 1911 with an AET barrel so it's that barrel, while just awesome, that gives me some limitations.

Universal Ammo: Love Universal Ammo and they're local. I went through thousands and thousands of their 124 grain 9mm rounds in my Production Glock 34 and I'd do it again. Never had a singular problem with that ammo and the accuracy was fantastic. I was nailing little bits of steel under the clock at 35 yards with it without issue. They make quality stuff. At the time I did the last big ammo purchase, they weren't offering remanufactured 40 long so I went with their new 40 long to test. I haven't done my testing yet, but that's mostly because I know it's going to be great stuff, but I'll test it before I do another large ammo purchase.

Atlanta Arms and Ammo: Everyone digs them for a reason. They sell great stuff and they have great customer service. Their N40180JFPL product is about as high end as you can get. I did some testing with it and it's as reliable and accurate as you would expect. It's the 40 long that they list as the Army Marksmanship team uses so that's about all you need to know. The rub is that it's $470 a case. They also sell a 40180TL version which I think is their remanufactured stuff and that comes in at $320 which is a great price...but I want to say they use some sort of plated round. Not an issue unless you have an AET barrel like me and I'd call them to make sure if it's a concern. They list that coming at at around 950 FPS so that's 170 power factor. (And pssstt....they have a 10% sale going on right now through October 12th for the USPSA nationals. Use code nats10 at checkout.)

Precision Delta: This is what I'm currently using in the name of balancing quality, an AET barrel, and cost containment. Their customer service is great, of course, I'm using their remanufactured 40 long FMJ rounds right now and they've been very reliable and weirdly accurate out of my AET barrel. The price is lower than what I could do reloading on my own (assuming I'm purchasing brass rather than scrounging), but it is a little bit snappy. FPS is 965 and my last chrono was 174. I don't mind it, but others tell me they think it's a bit hotter than I need. I love the stuff so I'll likely buy more of it once it comes time to get more ammo. Precision Delta is all about FMJ and their remanufactured rounds use FMJ so that's why I went with it over the AAA remanufactured option because AET barrels apparently do horrible and unspeakable things to certain kinds of non-FMJ rounds.

Let me also plant a seed for one of our local ammo dealers...

Two Brothers Armory: They're local to Tampa metro and they're both stand up guys and active USPSA shooters. I'm consistently getting people telling me that when it's time to get ammo again to talk to them about getting something with less PF that has the same quality. The people around here who are using their stuff are pretty happy what what they're getting and they're a pretty selective bunch in these parts when it comes to ammo for USPSA. Their market segmentation strategy (because I'm an MBA nerd) seems to be to offer quality remanufactured ammo to the action shooting market and they're creating a good following down here.

Edited October 9, 2015 by ericjhuber

[Rob Tompkins]

I've chrono'd 40 cal Federal 180gr load at 171PF, Remington UMC 180gr at 179PF, and WWB 180gr at 185PF. I've not chrono'd Speer or PMC Bronze both feel between Fed and UMC.

Recomend the Fed 180 gr TC load.

[Punished]

I've been shooting Geco 180gr. No problems with it out of my 2011 with AET barrel. Shoots pretty flat for me and is relatively cheap. It is IPSC approved, but I have not run it through a chrono yet.

[Flash74]

If you're getting the ammo at cabelas, get the winchester 100rd value pack with 165gr bullets. That is the softest shooting factory I could find. The next choice is the herters brand in 180 grain. It is steel cased with a 180gr bullet. It packs a punch compared to the value packs but shoots decent.

[ChuckS]

When shopping "IPSC" ammo for major, remember that the min PF is 170 for IPSC so expect stuff to come in 175-180. The Geco stuff mentioned above is advertised as 1017 MV for a nominal PF of 183!

Edited October 9, 2015 by ChuckS

[GeorgeD]

I ran some Remington 180g over the chrono yesterday out of a 2011, 170-172 power factor

[armydad]

I'm a big fan of Atlanta Arms. They make minor and major loads. Great stuff!

[StraightSh00ter]

Thanks guys. I got the Federal ammo mentioned above. I also managed to shoot some of the minor PF rounds the owner had loaded. I appreciate the help and the wisdom to not judge the platform from that ammo or experience.

The minor rounds were not very different from shooting my 1911 with factory 9mm. The factory .40 was a different story. I didn't notice any extra 'muzzle flip' but the shots were more jarring in my hands and shoulders.

I also had some trigger work and a few other little things done to my 9mm Sig 1911. It is by far and away the sweetest shooting gun

I might be more inclined to get a steel frame 2011 (high cap 1911) like a Caspian frame or something, but I'm in no hurry and will try to shoot more 2011s.

[spencerattix]

Stay away from the PMC bronze. It doesn't make major. At least it didn't for me at Western Pa. I was using a M&P pro that day. Georgia Arms has a major load. 165gr at 1050 fps.