What weight .40 S&W Hydrashocks? - XDTalk Forums - Your HS2000/SA-XD Information Source!

NeoCon · 05-31-2005, 07:54 AM

What weight .40 S&W Hydrashocks do you use? I always assumed heavier is better, but the 155 grain hydrashocks look like they have better velocity and energy than the 180s or 165s.

R/T Performance · 05-31-2005, 08:34 AM

Yes the small/lighter the faster as long as they retain weight and open up all work well.I really like speer gold dot look here
http://www.hs2000talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=21757

**agalindo** · 05-31-2005, 11:29 AM

I like the heavier bullet. I'd go with a 180gr they retain velocity better once they hit something. Just in case you have to shoot through bone,door, heavy clothing, etc...

BigBob68 · 05-31-2005, 12:41 PM

I am more a fan of Rem Golden Sabers, Gold Dots, Cor-Bon or the Winchester Ranger line. My XD perfers 155-165grns in these loads.

Taito · 05-31-2005, 05:47 PM

THe 165 vs. 180 is often question and you will get the same amount of answer for both. I would buy a box of each grain and have a buddy randomly load a full mag with one grain and have you shoot it and do the same for all the grain and see what feels best to you. I personally like 165 feels more comfy for me, 180 kicks too much for me and maybe that is because I been using Blazer, which naturally kicks more.

You should also try Winchester Rangers, Gold Dots, or Federal Taticals <- if you can get a hand on some.

I carry for my .40 Federal Taticals 180grain and a spare mag of Speer Lawman FMJ for in case I hafta shoot through something and for my .45 I carry Winchester Rangers 230grain with also a spare mag of Lawman 230grain

**R Dub** · 05-31-2005, 07:50 PM

I think any of them will get the job done. More important is if they hit where you aim. Whichever brand/weight your choose, test them for POI in your gun. Brands and weight can change the POI as much as several inches.

87-51 · 06-01-2005, 05:52 PM

One note on the 165 gr. Hydra Shoks. A rep from ATK told me that the 165's are "watered down" to reduce the recoil. If you look at the ballistics, they are about the same speed as a 180 gr. Lower speed = Lower energy (given the same weight bullet).

Federal advertises the 165 Hydrashok with a muzzle velocity of 980 fps and 352 lb/ft of energy.

Winchester Ranger 165 is advertised with a muzzle velocity of 1130 fps and 468 lb/ft of energy.

Remington Golden Sabre 165 is advertised with a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps and 485 lb/ft of energy.

I'm not saying the Hydra Shoks are bad, this is just something to keep in mind with your ammo selection.

retired · 06-02-2005, 12:24 AM

I know I said I was not going to chime in anymore about ammo questions, but I'm tired of seeing people praise the Federal Hydra shok ammo as an excellent ammo. It isn't. This time, instead of just saying go to tacticalforums.com and read about it, I'll bring to you.

The following is from a nationally known ballistics expert and a Lt. Commander in the Navy. He has tested thousands of rounds for both military and le purposes. He does not have any interest in the sale of some of the ammo he recommends. His purpose is to make sure le/military have the most robust ammo handgun round available for their safety. His name is Dr. Gary Roberts. Believe it or not.

"As written in numerous previous threads about older bullet designs the Hydra-Shok was state of the art 10 or 15 years ago. Modern ammunition which has been designed for robust expansion against clothing and intermediate barriers is generally significantly superior to the older designs. The following .40 S&W loads have all demonstrated outstanding performance:"

Speer 155 gr JHP (53961)
Win 165 gr JHP (RA401P)
Win 165 gr JHP (RA40TA)
Fed 165 gr JHP (LE40T3)
Fed 180 gr JHP (LE40T1)
Rem 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB)
Speer 180 gr JHP (53966)
Win 180 gr JHP (RA40T)

87-51 · 06-02-2005, 03:55 PM

Quote:

"As written in numerous previous threads about older bullet designs the Hydra-Shok was state of the art 10 or 15 years ago.

Thank you Retired. That is exactly what the ATK rep said when I asked about the Hydra Shok. I too am tired of everyone running to get Hydra Shoks like they are the magic bullet. There are many other decent (better?) rounds out there. I was not impressed at all with seeing results from gelatin testing. FMJ would have expaned about as much. It's too bad there isn't a "magic bullet" out there so we wouldn't have these discussions. I just have to agree with you that the Hydra Shok isn't what everyone makes it out to be.

retired · 06-02-2005, 07:21 PM

Your welcome 87-51, thank you for the kind words. I have read posts from some people on this site (and I mean the whole site) say things like, "all hollow points perform the same, it doesn't matter what you use, hydrashoks are a great round, denim, who wears 4 layers of denim."

No evidence is cited, no facts, just statements and anecdotal references from a friend or an uncle. I am not an expert, I'm not even a newbie ballistics person. That's why I go to www.tacticalforums.com, www.ammolab.com and similar sites. These are where the experts reside; the ballisticians, wound experts (read trauma doctors who see bullet wounds every day), engineers, physicists. They do the tests on the various bullets in use today and provide scientific results; not some of the claptrap I've read here.

I will continue to read those sites to gain as much info as possible so I can be assured of carrying the best defensive round I can that I may need (God forbid) to save me or mine. The minority here that have the same attitude about ammo choices that Captain Ray has about everyone who is not an ultraconservative can continue in their ignorance. I'm done , rant off.

05-31-2005, 07:54 AM	#1
NeoCon XDTalk Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 38	What weight .40 S&W Hydrashocks? What weight .40 S&W Hydrashocks do you use? I always assumed heavier is better, but the 155 grain hydrashocks look like they have better velocity and energy than the 180s or 165s.

05-31-2005, 08:34 AM	#2
R/T Performance XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saranac Mi Posts: 3,489	Yes the small/lighter the faster as long as they retain weight and open up all work well.I really like speer gold dot look here http://www.hs2000talk.com/viewtopic.php?t=21757 __________________ XD-9 Tacticle Tru-glow tfo's 3# Canyoncreek trigger Dillon Rl550 1911 Springfield Champion loaded 45 acp Kahr p40 Watch me shoot http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...32660329653237

05-31-2005, 05:47 PM	#5
Taito XDTalk Newbie Join Date: May 2004 Location: Tacoma, Washingtonian Posts: 16	THe 165 vs. 180 is often question and you will get the same amount of answer for both. I would buy a box of each grain and have a buddy randomly load a full mag with one grain and have you shoot it and do the same for all the grain and see what feels best to you. I personally like 165 feels more comfy for me, 180 kicks too much for me and maybe that is because I been using Blazer, which naturally kicks more. You should also try Winchester Rangers, Gold Dots, or Federal Taticals <- if you can get a hand on some. I carry for my .40 Federal Taticals 180grain and a spare mag of Speer Lawman FMJ for in case I hafta shoot through something and for my .45 I carry Winchester Rangers 230grain with also a spare mag of Lawman 230grain __________________

05-31-2005, 07:50 PM	#6
R Dub XDTalk 3K Member Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Last Frontier Posts: 3,726 Blog Entries: 1	I think any of them will get the job done. More important is if they hit where you aim. Whichever brand/weight your choose, test them for POI in your gun. Brands and weight can change the POI as much as several inches. __________________ Need XD Accessories? Support the XDTalk Sponsors. They support us! Need some competition? IDPA / USPSA

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05-31-2005, 12:41 PM	#4
BigBob68 XDTalk 500 Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Missouri Posts: 518	I am more a fan of Rem Golden Sabers, Gold Dots, Cor-Bon or the Winchester Ranger line. My XD perfers 155-165grns in these loads.

06-01-2005, 05:52 PM	#7
87-51 XDTalk 100 Member Join Date: May 2004 Location: Iowa Posts: 267	One note on the 165 gr. Hydra Shoks. A rep from ATK told me that the 165's are "watered down" to reduce the recoil. If you look at the ballistics, they are about the same speed as a 180 gr. Lower speed = Lower energy (given the same weight bullet). Federal advertises the 165 Hydrashok with a muzzle velocity of 980 fps and 352 lb/ft of energy. Winchester Ranger 165 is advertised with a muzzle velocity of 1130 fps and 468 lb/ft of energy. Remington Golden Sabre 165 is advertised with a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps and 485 lb/ft of energy. I'm not saying the Hydra Shoks are bad, this is just something to keep in mind with your ammo selection.

06-02-2005, 12:24 AM	#8
retired XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: S. Calif. Posts: 5,599	I know I said I was not going to chime in anymore about ammo questions, but I'm tired of seeing people praise the Federal Hydra shok ammo as an excellent ammo. It isn't. This time, instead of just saying go to tacticalforums.com and read about it, I'll bring to you. The following is from a nationally known ballistics expert and a Lt. Commander in the Navy. He has tested thousands of rounds for both military and le purposes. He does not have any interest in the sale of some of the ammo he recommends. His purpose is to make sure le/military have the most robust ammo handgun round available for their safety. His name is Dr. Gary Roberts. Believe it or not. "As written in numerous previous threads about older bullet designs the Hydra-Shok was state of the art 10 or 15 years ago. Modern ammunition which has been designed for robust expansion against clothing and intermediate barriers is generally significantly superior to the older designs. The following .40 S&W loads have all demonstrated outstanding performance:" Speer 155 gr JHP (53961) Win 165 gr JHP (RA401P) Win 165 gr JHP (RA40TA) Fed 165 gr JHP (LE40T3) Fed 180 gr JHP (LE40T1) Rem 180 gr JHP (GS40SWB) Speer 180 gr JHP (53966) Win 180 gr JHP (RA40T)

06-02-2005, 07:21 PM	#10
retired XDTalk 5K Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: S. Calif. Posts: 5,599	Your welcome 87-51, thank you for the kind words. I have read posts from some people on this site (and I mean the whole site) say things like, "all hollow points perform the same, it doesn't matter what you use, hydrashoks are a great round, denim, who wears 4 layers of denim." No evidence is cited, no facts, just statements and anecdotal references from a friend or an uncle. I am not an expert, I'm not even a newbie ballistics person. That's why I go to www.tacticalforums.com, www.ammolab.com and similar sites. These are where the experts reside; the ballisticians, wound experts (read trauma doctors who see bullet wounds every day), engineers, physicists. They do the tests on the various bullets in use today and provide scientific results; not some of the claptrap I've read here. I will continue to read those sites to gain as much info as possible so I can be assured of carrying the best defensive round I can that I may need (God forbid) to save me or mine. The minority here that have the same attitude about ammo choices that Captain Ray has about everyone who is not an ultraconservative can continue in their ignorance. I'm done , rant off.