The Newest And The Bestest

On the left, Federal HST in .40 caliber. Cavernous hollowpoint that expands to an average of .87".

PMC Starfire, also in .40 caliber, and you can easily see the unique star that flattens the bullet out and open to approximately .83".

Both are 180 grainers, feed, fire, and fling from either G-27 or G-23 with equal ease, and to tell the truth, the chronograph readings are pretty much a dead heat. Either bullet will exit the barrel at 950-970 feet per second, and sometimes it just boils down to personal choice, but you'd be hard pressed to find modern rounds more efficient than these.

The Federal cartidge has the edge when penetrating auto-glass, and for law enforcement purposes this makes it more attractive, but the difference is far too minimal to select it for that reason alone. I've heard of calibrated gelatin tests where more than 4 layers of denim clogged the PMC's hollowpoint, so if one were paranoid about winter ammunitions one might be wise to select a different cartridge for the colder times of year.

Submitted for nothing more than water-cooler ramblings, and as always, your mileage may vary.