Winchester Ranger 40 S&W 135 Grain JHP

[Old Salt]

Picked up a box of Winchester Ranger Law Enforcement 40 S&W 135 grain JHP, a box of 50 for only $19.95. I'm going to try it in my CW40. Anyone have any experience with this self defense ammunition?

[joshh]

if its the t series or the pdx its top of the line. ive never shot the 135gr tho. usually the 165gr or 180gr in my glock22. i shoot the 147gr 9mm too. good stuff, never a feed issue.

[jocko]

My my my the power of great advertising. Law enforcement, tactical, combat, special ops, deep cover, critical defense.ultra compact. combat special, fighting sights, combat grip, FBI version "world champ super bowl winner". Havoline oil 8X better than Mobil One. Mobil One the best in the world. crest tooth paste with "tartar" figher ingredients. Charmin toilet paper, so smooth, u just wanna use it again.. Wan Valdez personally picked coffee beans.

TRUST BUT VERIFY.

except the charmin, I would advise against trying to use it twice???

I know I get sucked into that stuff to.

[jlottmc]

I use the 180 gr version of that load that I got for the same price in my Taurus 24/7, love it. I currently have the BVAC re-manufactured ammo in my Smith, and the wife's 24/7c and word around the campfire is that that stuff is Federal components, and such. I keep my loads generally in the heavy weight range, and like the 180 gr. loads quite well.

Ok off the subject, but I gotta ask jocko What The F*** is U.S. Dickweek association?

[TheTman]

I'm currently carrying the 135gr Winchester Ranger "Law Enforcement" box that has Q4368 as the model number. Picked a box up at a gun show for 16.00. They shoot fine, and cause no malfunctions. Haven't shot into any jugs of water or phone books or anything to see how they expand. I was going to use 155gr Ranger Law Enforcement, RA40155HP but the bullet is too wide to eject a live round without a lot of effort. Not a big deal, but I'd hate to get involved in a situation, and then have to wrestle with my gun to get the live round out of the chamber with the cops standing there. The round will eject but I have to use ALL my strength to pull on the slide to get that damn bullet out, or pop it out with a screwdriver or something. Also if by chance I was in a situation and it didn't go bang, I'd be pretty much screwed.
Those 155's also shoot fine, but don't really want to carry something that is so hard to eject a live round. I'm hoping if I shoot my CW40 a bunch more, maybe it will loosen up some and eject those rounds. I think next time I'm going with some Cor-Bon or Gold Dot around 140-165gr. I think it was the Law Enforcement that caught my eye and influenced me to buy that ammo. Figured if it was good enough for Law Enforcement, it should be good enough for me. The story I heard was these loads were developed for some big agency, but they ended up rejecting them because the bullet core seperated from the jacket, so they got dumped on us civilians. When shooting them, they sure seem to pack a lot more wallop than then the WWB practice ammo. Doesn't bother me if the jacket seperates from the core. Maybe it will cause more damage if the lead goes one way and the jacket goes another direction after they seperate.

[Old Salt]

My my my the power of great advertising. Law enforcement, tactical, combat, special ops, deep cover, critical defense.ultra compact. combat special, fighting sights, combat grip, FBI version "world champ super bowl winner". Havoline oil 8X better than Mobil One. Mobil One the best in the world. crest tooth paste with "tartar" figher ingredients. Charmin toilet paper, so smooth, u just wanna use it again.. Wan Valdez personally picked coffee beans.

TRUST BUT VERIFY.

except the charmin, I would advise against trying to use it twice???

I know I get sucked into that stuff to.

Wasn’t the advertising that caught my eye, been around the block to many times for that, but the price, 50 Winchester JHP for $19.99 especially in 40 S&W. Thought that was a pritty good price.

[HadEmAll]

In my CW40 65 deg F - average of 5 rounds @ 10 feet:

Winchester Ranger 135 grain JHP - 1151 fps - 399 ft/lbs ME.
Winchester Ranger 155 grain JHP - 1172 fps - 475 ft/lbs ME.

In my PM40 same conditions:

Winchester Ranger 135 grain JHP - 1083 fps - 353 ft/lbs ME.
Winchester Ranger 155 grain JHP - 1131 fps - 443 ft/lbs ME.

I bought 500 rounds of it expecting to use it in the PM40, but it gives up so much to the 155 that I'm still carrying the 155 right now. It definitely is easier on the hand than the 155 grain load.

Quite a bit of the 135 grain stuff I bought has some light tarnishing going on on the base of the case, though it has all shot fine. I bought 500 rounds of the 155 at the same time from the same outfit, and it is all bright and shiny.

Isn't this the 135 grain .40 load that Winchester is providing to Homeland Security?

[Rio Lobo]

[...]

The story I heard was these loads were developed for some big agency, but they ended up rejecting them because the bullet core seperated from the jacket, so they got dumped on us civilians. When shooting them, they sure seem to pack a lot more wallop than then the WWB practice ammo. Doesn't bother me if the jacket seperates from the core. Maybe it will cause more damage if the lead goes one way and the jacket goes another direction after they seperate.

Or, the perp ends up with 1 wide, but very shallow hole from the jacket -- and 1 narrow hole that exits the perp without expanding.

That's the reason these loads were rejected by "big agency" and also the reason why you see some ammo M'frs bond their jackets to the lead core -- and label them as such on the box.

[garyb]

Win T is a good carry ammo and used to be called the black talon. Name later changed to ranger T's. I like the way the jacket claws out on expansion. It is true that the jacket can separate a bit. The weight of 135 vs 155 vs 165 vs 180 in this particular ammo may be a debatable issue....but I am not going there. I started with the Win T in the 135 JHP, but have gone heavier for various reasons involving ballistics, recoil, etc.... but this is something for the shooter to research for him/herself....JMO.

[Brian Edwards]

The 135 and 155gr loads are not Winchester Ranger Talon.

They are basic JHPs made by Winchester that were known as Super-X and USA JHP. They do not have pronounced Talons.

These loads also do not make the FBI protocol for penetration depth and expansion.


True Ranger Talons come in 165gr and 180gr.

[Barth]

Winchester Ranger ammo is LE and comes in a variety of flavors.
Bonded
Frangible
Full Metal Jacket
FMJ-E
JHP
T-Series

I believe the Ranger 135 gr JHP 40 S&W ammo was some low recoil stuff
ordered by US border patrol or some other agency (non catalog item).
If I remember correctly it's a non bonded standard JHP (Not T-Series).
And low velocity/recoil at that.

T-Series is the latest incarnation of the legendary Black Talon round.
It's my understanding that Ranger T-Series, in 40 S&W, is only available in 165 & 180 gr.
Just for fun, this is the chronology of the Black Talon family of ammunition;
1) Black Talon
2) Ranger SXT
3) Ranger T-Series
4) Ranger T-Series (enhanced)

[SDGlock23]

The 135gr version is a basic JHP bullet, nothing special really. It's also not a full powered load, it's basically a reduced recoil load. Some of you may have also seen runs of the Federal 135gr HST. While it does use the HST bullet, like the 135gr Winchester Ranger JHP, it's not a full powered load either.

Here's what I got from my 3" Kahr CM40:

135gr Win Ranger JHP: 1,082 fps avg (37 fps ES)

135gr Federal HST: 1,072 fps avg (33 fps ES)

Compared to a more "normal" 135gr loading, also fired from CM40:

135gr Triton JHP (Sierra JHP): 1,260 fps avg (32 fps es)

Added recoil with the more normal loads is noticeable, though not severe. Not quite as stout as handloads exceeding 1,400 fps.

[Barth]

The 135gr version is a basic JHP bullet, nothing special really. It's also not a full powered load, it's basically a reduced recoil load. Some of you may have also seen runs of the Federal 135gr HST. While it does use the HST bullet, like the 135gr Winchester Ranger JHP, it's not a full powered load either.

Here's what I got from my 3" Kahr CM40:

135gr Win Ranger JHP: 1,082 fps avg (37 fps ES)

135gr Federal HST: 1,072 fps avg (33 fps ES)

Compared to a more "normal" 135gr loading, also fired from CM40:

135gr Triton JHP (Sierra JHP): 1,260 fps avg (32 fps es)

Added recoil with the more normal loads is noticeable, though not severe. Not quite as stout as handloads exceeding 1,400 fps.

Although I haven't chronographed it.
This is the 135 gr 40 S&W I have.
It kicks hard though.
Personally I prefer Speer GDHP 180 gr Short Barrel from my Kahr MK40 Elite.
Very soft shooting and accurate from the 3.0" sub-compact gun.
All my other 40 S&W guns run 165 gr Winchester Ranger T-Series.

[garyb]

The 135 and 155gr loads are not Winchester Ranger Talon.

They are basic JHPs made by Winchester that were known as Super-X and USA JHP. They do not have pronounced Talons.

These loads also do not make the FBI protocol for penetration depth and expansion.


True Ranger Talons come in 165gr and 180gr.

You are absolutely correct. I mis spoke. I actually had the 135 Fed hydroshock, not the Win 135's. in 40S&W. :7: