4411 Mercury St, Suite 103 · Kearny Mesa, San Diego
Pistol ammo · between 9mm and .45
180 grain ball for the range, 165 and 180 grain hollow points for carry, and the lighter 155s, over the counter in Kearny Mesa. And the question we ask every .40 buyer: is the barrel stamped .40 S&W, or 10mm?
Start here
Check the barrel stamp first. Then it is mostly a question of what the ammunition is for.
Smith & Wesson and Winchester introduced .40 S&W in 1990: a .40-caliber bullet like the 10mm Auto's, in a shorter case that fits a pistol about the size of a 9mm. For years it was one of the most common duty calibers in American law enforcement.
Many agencies have since gone back to 9mm, which is one reason so many used .40 pistols are around. The cartridge itself has not changed: it still shoots a heavier bullet than 9mm, with more recoil and fewer rounds per magazine.
The number on the box
A lighter .40 bullet goes faster and snaps harder; a heavier one goes slower and pushes. 180 is the original, and the lighter weights exist mostly for defensive loads.
Original · heaviest common · subsonic in most barrels
The weight .40 S&W was introduced with, typically leaving a service-length barrel just under the speed of sound. Full metal jacket for practice, and a very common weight for defensive hollow points too.
The middle · faster · common in defense
A little faster than 180 and a little sharper in the hand. Many defensive .40 loads are built on it, and some shooters practice with 165 ball so their range ammunition recoils like their carry load.
Lightest common · fastest · snappiest
The fastest of the three, and usually the sharpest recoil. Found mostly in defensive hollow points. If you carry one, put some through the pistol first — the recoil impulse is noticeably different from 180 grain.
+P and the .40
SAAMI publishes a +P standard for 9mm, .38 Special and .45 ACP, but not for .40 S&W. A box sold as hotter than standard .40 is loaded to its maker's own specification. Ask the maker of your pistol before you shoot it — we will tell you what the box says, and only they can tell you what the pistol is built for.
Counter mistakes
Three cartridges share a bullet or a case with .40 S&W. None of them is interchangeable with it.
10mm Auto uses the same .40-caliber bullet in a longer, more powerful case. 10mm will not go into a .40 chamber, and a .40 S&W should not be fired in a 10mm chamber — the shorter case does not sit where the chamber was built for it to sit. Some 10mm pistols can take a dedicated .40 conversion barrel; that is a barrel swap, not an ammunition choice.
.357 SIG starts as a .40 S&W case necked down to hold a 9mm-diameter bullet. Some pistols convert between the two with a barrel change, which is how the confusion starts. The cartridges are not interchangeable: a pistol fires whichever one its barrel is stamped for.
At the counter, “forty cal” almost always means .40 S&W, and that is how boxes are labeled. If you have something older or unusual in .40, call before you drive — some rare .40-caliber cartridges are special order questions, not shelf ones.
If you reload, look at picked-up .40 brass near the base. Cases fired in pistols with less chamber support can come out with a visible bulge there, and a bulged case should be scrapped or properly resized before it is loaded again. Our reloading components page covers what we can get.
On the shelf in Kearny Mesa
Real boxes that have been across this counter and on the deals board. Pictured as printed, so you know what you are looking for on the shelf.
Recent .40 S&W boxes on this counter came from LAX Ammunition, PMC — and that is a record of what we have sold, not a promise of what is on the shelf today. The shelf moves daily and this site is updated by hand, so call or text before you drive out and somebody will go and look.
Why there is no price on this page
Ammunition pricing moves with the wholesale market, and a figure printed next to a caliber is wrong within weeks. So we quote .40 S&W on the phone, with a number that is true today. The one exception is the deals page, where a fixed price on a fixed quantity runs for a fixed week.
Before you drive out
A few minutes longer than buying anything else, and almost every problem we see at the counter could have been sorted out at home.
General information, not legal advice. Reviewed — the rules that govern every purchase are published by the California Department of Justice.
Ammunition and accessories only — no firearms, and no shooting range at this location. If you need somewhere to shoot what you buy, we keep a list of ranges around the county. Se habla español.
Common questions
Real questions from real customers, answered the way we answer them in person.
Not in a 10mm barrel. The .40 S&W case is shorter than the 10mm case, so it does not sit in a 10mm chamber the way the chamber was designed. Some 10mm pistols can be fitted with a dedicated .40 S&W conversion barrel from the manufacturer; with the 10mm barrel in place, shoot 10mm only.
180 grain full metal jacket. It is the original .40 load, it is usually the softest-shooting of the common weights, and most .40 pistols are sighted for it. If you carry a 165 or 155 grain defensive load, some practice with a similar weight will make your practice recoil like your carry ammunition.
No. .357 SIG is made from a .40 S&W case necked down to a 9mm-diameter bullet, and some pistols switch between the two with a barrel change. The ammunition is not interchangeable: fire only the cartridge the installed barrel is stamped for.
SAAMI publishes no +P standard for .40 S&W, so a .40 box sold as hotter than standard is loaded to its maker's own specification. Ask the maker of your pistol before you shoot one. We can tell you what a box is marked; only the manufacturer can tell you what your pistol is built for.
Call us before you drive out. California sets 21 as the minimum age for handgun ammunition and 18 for rifle and shotgun ammunition, and .40 S&W is handgun ammunition even when it feeds a carbine. The law leaves that judgment to the vendor, so we would rather talk it through than turn you away at the register.
Call 858-987-0509 or text 310-499-3499 and we will quote today's price and check the shelf while you are on the line. The catalog carries no prices because ammunition moves with the wholesale market; when .40 is on the weekly deals board, the price is published on the deals page. This site is updated by hand, so treat nothing on it as today's inventory.
Stock & deal questions
Text is usually faster than a call. Send the pistol, what the barrel is stamped, the bullet weight and whether it is for practice or carry — somebody will walk to the shelf and tell you what is actually there.
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Keep reading
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Calls only
310-499-3499Text only
Text anytime. Anytime — immediate during business hours, forwarded after hours.
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