Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP – Superior Standard Pressure Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP is a standard pressure load that outperforms a good many +P offerings in other calibres. A 125 grain solid copper bullet at 1425 fps produces roughly 563 ft-lbs, and it does so without exceeding normal 40 S&W pressure. Flash suppressed powder, and 12 to 13 inches of expected penetration. Twenty rounds per box, item 23D/20.

• Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP Overview
• 40 S&W Standard Pressure Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 125 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Punches Above Its Weight
• Specifications
• Range Notes For This Lead Free 40 Cal Defense Load

Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP Overview

The bullet is a Barnes TAC-XP machined from solid copper with a deep hollow nose and no lead core. It expands into copper petals and retains essentially all of its weight, which is the only way a 125 grain bullet in this calibre reaches respectable depth.

Buffalo Bore states that penetration lands around 12 to 13 inches in living tissue, comparable to what a conventional 165 grain hollow point manages. That is the whole argument for the light copper bullet: same depth, considerably more speed, noticeably less recoil.

Worth emphasising that the Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP is standard pressure. There is no +P here, no unusual wear on your pistol, and no question about whether your gun is rated for it. Any sound 40 S&W handgun can shoot it.

40 S&W Standard Pressure Ammo Ballistics

The published real gun figures are useful and a little surprising. A five inch Caspian 1911 gives 1420 fps, a 4.7 inch Taurus PT100 gives 1302, a four inch Glock 23 gives 1300, and a three inch Kahr PM40 gives 1303 fps.

The Kahr number is the one to look at. A three inch barrel is producing essentially the same velocity as a 4.7 inch barrel, which is not how most people expect this to work. Buffalo Bore says plainly that internal barrel dynamics matter more than barrel length alone, and this load is a clean demonstration of it.

At the nominal 1425 fps the load makes roughly 563 ft-lbs. Even at the 1300 fps most service pistols produce it is still around 469, which comfortably exceeds a standard 180 grain 40 S&W load at about 400 and most 9mm +P offerings. This is a lot of performance from 40 S&W standard pressure ammo.

Why The 125 Grain TAC-XP Copper Bullet Punches Above Its Weight

The 40 S&W has spent most of its life as a heavy bullet cartridge. 165 and 180 grain loads at modest speed were the norm, and they worked, but they also gave the cartridge its reputation for snappy recoil and slow follow up shots.

A light copper bullet flips that. Recoil impulse scales with bullet mass as well as with velocity, so a 125 grain TAC-XP copper bullet at 1425 fps kicks less than a 180 grain bullet at 1000 despite making considerably more energy. In a polymer framed pistol the difference is easy to feel.

The reason it was not done sooner is that a light lead core bullet at 1425 fps tends to fragment and stop short. Solid copper does not have that failure mode, because there is no jacket to strip and no core to separate, so it expands and keeps going.

Then there is the powder. A low flash 40 S&W ammunition option matters because defensive shootings happen in poor light, and a fireball from a four inch barrel costs you your dark adaptation exactly when you need it.

Specifications

Range Notes For This Lead Free 40 Cal Defense Load

No pressure caveat here, which is the pleasant part. This is a standard pressure load, so any 40 S&W pistol in sound working order is a candidate and you are not accelerating wear on the gun.

Confirm function with a box anyway. A 125 grain bullet is much lighter than what most 40 S&W pistols were tuned around, and recoil spring behaviour can differ enough to matter in a gun with an unusually heavy spring. Reliability is generally excellent, but verify rather than assume.

Expect a different point of impact from your practice ammunition. A 125 grain TAC-XP copper bullet at 1425 fps shoots flatter and exits the barrel sooner than a 180 grain load, so fixed sight pistols regulated for the heavy stuff will often print a little differently.

Practise with cheap 180 grain ammunition and confirm with this. That is the standard approach with any premium lead free 40 cal defense load, and the recoil difference is small enough that it does not undermine your training.

Low Flash 40 S&W Ammunition Availability

This low flash 40 S&W ammunition is in stock and ready to ship from MAG5 Firearms, a family owned FFL dealer in Collegeville, Pennsylvania. Ammunition orders ship to most states, and local customers are welcome to pick up in the shop. If you need case quantities or another 40 S&W standard pressure ammo option from the Buffalo Bore catalog, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For a heavier bullet in the same line see the 40 S&W 140gr Barnes TAC-XP. In 9mm, compare the 9mm +P+ 115gr TAC-XP, or browse our full ammunition selection.