Buffalo Bore 40 S&W +P 155gr JHP – Powerful High Pressure Load

Description

The Buffalo Bore 40 S&W +P 155gr JHP is a genuinely hot 40, and it comes with a condition attached. A 155 grain jacketed hollow point at 1300 fps produces roughly 582 ft-lbs, but Buffalo Bore is explicit that it requires a pistol with a fully supported chamber. That rules out factory Glock 40 S&W barrels. Read the safety section before you order. Twenty rounds per box, item 23A/20.

• Buffalo Bore 40 S&W +P 155gr JHP Overview
• 40 S&W +P Defense Ammo Ballistics
• Why The 155 Grain JHP High Pressure Bullet Performs
• Specifications
• Chamber Support And Safety Notes For This 40 Cal Load

Buffalo Bore 40 S&W +P 155gr JHP Overview

The bullet is a conventional lead core jacketed hollow point at a weight that is light for the calibre. 155 grains in 40 S&W is the fast end of the range, where 165 and 180 grain loads are the norm, and the lighter bullet is what allows the velocity.

Buffalo Bore loads it to +P, above the standard SAAMI ceiling for 40 S&W. That is where the performance comes from and also where the chamber support requirement comes from, because higher pressure puts more demand on the brass at the unsupported part of the case head.

The chamber note is the single most important thing on this page. A supported chamber 40 cal load is exactly what this is: Buffalo Bore states plainly that Glock 40 S&W pistols have unsupported chambers and that an aftermarket supported chamber barrel is needed to use this ammunition in one. They are equally clear that the issue is specific to 40 S&W and does not apply to Glock pistols in 45 ACP, 10mm, 9mm or 380.

40 S&W +P Defense Ammo Ballistics

The published real gun figures are honest about barrel length. A five inch custom 1911 with a Nowlin barrel gives 1318 fps, a 4.9 inch Taurus PT100 gives 1249, and a 3.75 inch Sig 229 gives 1221 fps.

Those are roughly 598, 537 and 513 ft-lbs. Even the compact Sig is producing more than a standard 180 grain 40 S&W load, which lands near 400, and more than most 9mm +P offerings.

That performance puts this 40 S&W +P defense ammo close to a mild 10mm. It is a reminder that the 40 was originally derived from the 10mm and that most factory ammunition has been loading it well below its potential for years.

Why The 155 Grain JHP High Pressure Bullet Performs

The 40 S&W spent most of its service life loaded with heavy bullets at moderate speed, and that gave the cartridge its reputation for snappy recoil without much to show for it. A lighter bullet driven harder is a different proposition.

At 1300 fps a 155 grain JHP high pressure bullet expands violently and immediately. There is no question about whether it will open, which is the failure people worry about with slower loads, and the wide frontal area of a 40 calibre bullet means it starts from a good place before it opens at all.

Recoil is not as bad as the energy figure suggests either, because recoil scales with bullet mass as well as velocity. A 155 grain bullet at 1300 fps produces a sharper but lighter impulse than a 180 grain bullet at 1000, and most shooters recover the sights about as quickly.

The trade is penetration. The Buffalo Bore 40 S&W +P 155gr JHP gives up depth against a heavier bullet, particularly through a heavy coat or an intervening limb. If maximum penetration is your priority, the 180 grain +P load in the same line is the better choice.

Specifications

Chamber Support And Safety Notes For This 40 Cal Load

Check your chamber before anything else. Buffalo Bore requires a fully supported chamber for this load and names Glock 40 S&W pistols as having unsupported chambers. If you shoot a Glock 22, 23, 27 or similar with the factory barrel, either fit an aftermarket supported chamber barrel or choose a standard pressure load instead. This is not advice to work around.

The restriction is specific to 40 S&W. Buffalo Bore is clear that Glock pistols in 45 ACP, 10mm, 9mm and 380 Auto do not have the same issue, so do not generalise this supported chamber 40 cal load warning to other calibres.

Confirm function with a box in whatever pistol you do use. A supported chamber 40 cal load at this pressure produces a different recoil impulse from standard ammunition, and recoil spring behaviour varies between guns.

Expect faster wear if you shoot volume. Locking surfaces and springs work harder at +P pressure, so the sensible pattern is to carry this 40 S&W +P defense ammo and practise with ordinary 180 grain ammunition.

Fast Expanding 40 S&W Ammunition Availability

This fast expanding 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 standard pressure alternative to this fast expanding 40 S&W ammunition, call us and we will check what our distributors have on hand.

Manufacturer details are on the Buffalo Bore site. For standard pressure options that carry no chamber requirement, see the 40 S&W 125gr Barnes TAC-XP or the 140gr version. You can also browse our full ammunition selection.