This is kinda cool. FBI Selects Winchester’s .40 S&W Ammunition for Duty and Training:
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has completed an extensive evaluation process and Winchester has been chosen as its primary source for .40 S&W pistol ammunition. This includes a bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) service cartridge as well as full metal jacket (FMJ) and frangible training loads. Winchester has been supplying the FBI with service and training ammunition for many years and is honored to be awarded the most recent contract and continue to support our nation’s premier law enforcement agency.
The 180 gr. bonded jacketed hollow point (JHP) cartridge selected by the FBI is designed with patented technology that utilizes a reverse-jacketed, bonded bullet that can penetrate a wide variety of intermediate barriers while maintaining very consistent target penetration and reliable expansion. The nickel-plated cartridge prevents corrosion and ensures smooth feeding and extraction. Flash suppressed powder is used in this cartridge to maintain an agent’s night vision and meet the FBI’s stringent darkened range evaluation.
The Winchester .40 S&W, 180 grain, JHP cartridge (Ranger) is my carry ammo.
Update: In the comments John Hardin asked if the FBI chose the Ranger bullets. I think the answer is yes. As near as I can tell the “reverse-jacketed” bullet refers to their patented reverse taper (thick near the opening, thinner on the sides and base) JHP with with the jacket pre-scored in the area intended to expand. This gives the uniform size and characteristic hooks at the end of the “petals”:
Winchester sells several different 40 S&W 180 grain JHP cartridges. Two of them appear to use the same bullet, the W40SWD and S40SWPDB1 cartridges. A third, USA40JHP, appears to be using a conventionally jacketed bullet:
There are also what appear to be different brandings, and/or nickel plated brass casings, of these same three cartridges:
So, I believe the FBI must have chosen a cartridge with the same bullet as what is in the Ranger bonded cartridge.
Interesting! I thought the FBI was moving away from .40 and back to 9mm? Wasn’t there a big news splash about that last year or the year before?
I’ve had good results with Winchester (in other calibers), but this is certainly helpful.
I’m wondering though — why frangible rounds for practice?
I don’t know for certain the reason the FBI needs them. But, I know that back in 2008 Academi (known as Blackwater when I visited in 2008), required frangible ammo in their shoot houses.
IIRC they also considered .400 Corbon, it’s a .40/10mm in a necked down .45ACP case if not familiar.
“…it’s a .40/10mm in a necked down .45ACP case if not familiar.
“ Thus giving you the approximate ballistics of the 10mm Auto (which they famously dropped) with the reduced capacity of a 45.
Everything old is new again.
Did the FBI choose Ranger bullets, though?
I think so. Take a look at my update to the blog post.
Great, thanks!
But no “g” in my name, that’s somebody else. 🙂
You are welcome.
Sorry about the misspelling of your name. It’s fixed now.