Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 200gr Hard Cast – Relentless Outdoorsman Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 200gr Hard Cast turns a service cartridge into a woods gun load. A 200 grain hard cast flat nose at 1000 fps produces roughly 444 ft-lbs, it does not expand, and because it is loaded at standard pressure it carries none of the chamber support requirements that the +P loads in this catalogue do. Twenty rounds per box, item 23F/20.

• Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 200gr Hard Cast Overview
• 40 S&W Hard Cast Flat Nose Ammo Ballistics
• Why A 200 Grain Heavy 40 Cal Bullet Goes Through
• Specifications
• Where This Standard Pressure 40 S&W Woods Load Belongs

Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 200gr Hard Cast Overview

200 grains is unusually heavy for a 40 S&W. Factory ammunition runs 165 or 180, and going to 200 is a deliberate choice: a longer, heavier bullet has better sectional density, and sectional density is most of what decides how deep a non expanding bullet goes.

The bullet is cast from a hard alloy with a flat nose, so it does not deform on impact. There is no cavity to open, no jacket to shed, and nothing in the construction that can fail. What leaves the muzzle arrives at the far end essentially unchanged.

The pressure choice deserves attention. Buffalo Bore’s +P 40 loads require a fully supported chamber and are not suitable for factory Glock 40 S&W barrels. The Buffalo Bore 40 S&W 200gr Hard Cast is standard pressure, which means any sound 40 S&W pistol can shoot it, Glocks included.

40 S&W Hard Cast Flat Nose Ammo Ballistics

1000 fps with a 200 grain bullet works out to roughly 444 ft-lbs. That is more than a standard 180 grain load at the same velocity, which makes about 400, and it comes with a longer, heavier projectile behind the same frontal area.

Energy is not the measure that matters here though. A non expanding bullet converts its energy into depth rather than into opening up, so the useful comparison is against other things that drive straight through rather than against hollow points of similar energy.

The flat nose is what makes the depth count. A round nose bullet of the same weight tends to push tissue aside and can deflect off bone, which wastes the penetration the construction ought to deliver. 40 S&W hard cast flat nose ammo stays point forward and cuts a full calibre channel.

Why A 200 Grain Heavy 40 Cal Bullet Goes Through

Every expanding bullet is a bet that it will open at the right moment and still have enough left to reach something vital. Against a large animal at an awkward angle that bet often loses, which is why hunters and people who carry in the woods have gravitated to hard cast bullets for a century.

A 200 grain heavy 40 cal bullet declines the bet entirely. It keeps all of its weight and all of its frontal area and it keeps going. Against a hog at close range or a black bear that has decided to be a problem, that is the behaviour that ends the encounter.

Be honest about the calibre’s limits, though. A 40 S&W is a long way short of a 10mm or a big bore revolver for serious animal defence, and this load is the best answer within the cartridge rather than a good answer in absolute terms. If bear country is the real requirement, a 10mm is a meaningful step up.

What it does do very well is give a service pistol a second role. If you already carry a 40 and you spend time in the woods, a standard pressure 40 S&W woods load lets you change the gun’s character by changing the magazine.

Specifications

Where This Standard Pressure 40 S&W Woods Load Belongs

This is not a house load. Deep penetrating 40 S&W ammunition of this type will pass through a person and then through interior walls. In a home or an apartment with neighbours, a hollow point is the responsible choice and there is no real argument about it.

Confirm function with a box. 200 grains is heavier than anything most 40 S&W pistols were sprung and regulated around, and at 1000 fps the recoil impulse is slow and rolling rather than sharp. Some guns need a lighter recoil spring to cycle it reliably.

Check your point of impact. A 200 grain heavy 40 cal bullet leaves the barrel later and usually prints higher than the 180 grain ammunition a fixed sight pistol was set up with. Find that out on paper.

Expect cast bullet fouling. There is a lubricant on the bullet and the pistol will look dirtier after a session than it would with jacketed ammunition, which is normal and not a problem.

Deep Penetrating 40 S&W Ammunition Availability

This deep penetrating 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 a 10mm woods load instead, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For an expanding bullet in this calibre, see the 40 S&W 140gr Barnes TAC-XP. If penetration is the real requirement, step up to the 10mm 155gr Barnes TAC-XP, or browse our full ammunition selection.