Re: What .40 S&W round does LE Officers use?
Getting into this a bit late but it is important so I wanted to drop my 2 cents.... It was mentioned in an earier that the terminial ballistics are all bull shit and the poster eluded that defense rounds are all the same. I could NOT disagree more.
We have used Gold Dot 165gr for the past 9 years.
Do your homework. There are a ton of options out there and most work well in various environments but in the end Speer Gold Dot has out performed everyone in all catogories that I am aware of. I have attended six different ballistic seminars over the past decade and Gold Dot performs as adevertised. The other options all work but tend to have a higher failure rate. By failure I am specifically talking about the bullet opening/expanding to it's maximum potential and penetrating 12-14 inches regardless of clothing barriers.
I am not going to piss on any of the other pistol defense rounds out there but a majority of agencies and departments go with Gold Dot for the specific reason that is is the best. The ones who don't have either not tested bullets personally, been "sold" a silly sales pitch or go with a less expensive option and are not worried about performance.
My post is specific to handgun.
