Gold Dots - 155gr or 165gr for G23
 

So let's have your opinion, out of a 4" barrel would you run GD 155gr or GD 165gr? Why would you choose one over the other?

Also, if you wouldn't choose either, tell us what you would choose and why.

165, for the little extra bit of penetration.

155. The velocity comes in right around 1200fps, the bullet expands and penetrates well, and is only 10 grains lighter than the 165. The 165 at 1150 comes in closer to 1130. I'd probably opt for an HST or Ranger T. That being said, I did have an oh crap moment tonight at work that got me thinking. But for another post...

Well, the offical HST poster shows only 10" with the 155 on bare gel and 11" in heavy clothing. That's a bit shallow for my taste. The 165 gets 12-13.25"

http://le.atk.com/pdf/HSTInsertPoster.pdf

I prefer the 180 the most. Biggest expansion, best (or tied for best) penetration and softest shooting.

All these are great choices. Given that, I think shootability and availability move up in terms of importance.

Tough call really, both are excellent performers. Recoil will probably be slightly easier with the 165gr and you'll like get better expansion. The 155's may do a little more damage, but probably not much more. Six of one, a half dozen of the other.

For what it's worth, some older factory 155gr Gold Dot's did around 1100 fps from my 3" Kahr CM40, and 165's (although not Gold Dots, most were about neck and neck) did about the same. For example, the 165gr Critical Defense clocked faster than the 155gr Gold Dot, even though the CD wouldn't be my first choice of the two.

What he said

Good responses!

cowboy1964 - Your point of shootability is a very important consideration.

Thanks for the responses, keep them coming!

For some reason the 155 grain Speer loads seem a little hotter than the 165's. However the 165 grain weight is a nice balanced load. I think I would go with the 165.

165 GDHP for the .40 period when talking Gold Dot's.

The 165 grain hollow point loaded to 1,150 fps when fired from a 4" barrel is a load that has really shined in this caliber.

The current Gold Dot load and the Ranger-T series load in this weight lead the pack by a narrow margin.

I tried a box of 165gr and a box of 155gr gold dots in my gen 3 G23. One FTF with the 165 out of twenty (it seemed like the slide didn't travel back far enough to cycle fully). The 155 shot fine. Right now i'm packing 180gr gold dot cause it's all I could find.

My Gen 2 G23 eats the 155 grain Gold dots like candy.

There is nothing wrong with the 165 grain though. It is a prominent load.

on a similar subject. should the G23 use the short barrel GD ammo?

Nahh I don't think so. That ammo might be better in the G27.

When It comes to ammo choices Deanna and I often agree.
Both of these rounds have an excellent track record on the street.

This is the load I have in Gold Dot for my .40S&W guns. It is number 53970 and I have only been able to locate it online.

I carry the 155gr in both my G23 and my G27. Why? I found a few boxes on sale and they were out of the 165gr which I had before. Having shot both I prefer the 155gr for some reason. No scientific reasoning behind it just preference.


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Weren't there two 165gr GD loads at one time? One was a good deal faster, the other more benign?

Yes, there still are two Gold Dot Law Enforcement loads in 165gr. One is the #53970 that I mentioned above and the other is $53949. The 53949 load comes in at 1050 fps with 404 ft/lbs of energy while the 53970 load registers 1150 fps with 484 ft/lbs of energy. As a comparison, the Federal HST 165gr load (P40HST3) clocks in at 1130 fps with 468 ft/lbs of energy.

My chosen loads for my G23's are the Gold Dot 53970 load or the HST P40HST3 load. Both of these loads have a very good track record on the street and are prized by police agencies.

For my G27, when I carry it, I prefer a 155gr load because of the shorter barrel. Inertia dictates that a lighter bullet will accelerate more quickly in a shorter barrel than will a heavier bullet which relies on more barrel length to develop its velocity.

Well the counter argument is that in shorter barrels faster loads lose more velocity as a percentage. Personally I still prefer mid-weights, regardless of barrel length.

Bingo. After all, the majority of shots are going to be within 25 yds. (and a lot less for civilians) and velocity loss does not even enter into the equation at that distance for all intents & purposes.

I'd go with the 165gr load. It is a good combo of velocity/penetration and expansion.

That's my leaning for sure. I wanted to get some input on both. My LGS has the 165gr available in the 50rd boxes, but I am not sure if it's the warmer load or the 1,050fps load. I have moved both of my Glocks from .40 S&W to 357 sig for now (at least for home, car and carry), but I may move back to the .40 S&W in the future.

Either a 180gr .40 S&W or a 147gr 357 sig seem somewhat appealing for the winter.

You know, that is what I have been thinking - going to a 147gr load in my G17 for winter use. I just have doubts about the penetration capability of my 9mmP 115-gr +p+ loads thru heavy winter clothing. Here in VT in gets quite cold.

LGS has the 165gr GD loading at 1,150fps in the 50 round LE boxes. Found myself a new .40 load.

While I am sure that the Federal HST 165gr load is good, I just haven't been impressed with its velocity. The last number I saw was 1,050fps from a 4" barrel. For a 165gr bullet I want it moving at ~1,150fps from a 4" barrel. Just my preference.

Thanks everybody!
:smoking: