[tension]

Is any handgun caliber inherently more accurate than another? I've read posts saying that .40 S&W is less accurate than other calibers. I don't think this is true but I don't have any statistics to prove it. Does anyone know for sure?

[Jim Watson]

I have read and heard that many times myself, but doubt that one pistol cartridge is INHERENTLY less accurate than others. If the .40 turns out to be less accurate than others it is because there is no incentive to improve its accuracy. I know of no precision shooting competition where it would fit in, even if accurized to the max.

Your best chance to see an accurate .40 would be a high dollar USPSA Limited pistol. Great accuracy is not essential there, but it would come along as a fringe benefit of a well made gun. Maybe somebody with an Edge will post and tell us what kind of 50 yard groups his will shoot.

[Universal]

I believe the reason for the .40S&W's reputation for being inaccurate is that it is harder for most people to shoot well compare to the 9mm and .45ACP. I fail to see how a round can be more or less accurate than another. It comes down to the weapon and the shooter. That being said, most people will probably find that they shoot very well with the .357 Magnum for example. I always figured it was due to the high speed of the bullet which makes it less prone to dropping while in flight for lack of a better term.

[JMusic]

Well here's my two cents. I think accuracy depends on the relative bore size diameter) compared to its length. Though some cartriges do seem to shoot better at higher speeds that is not always the case. Another is case design and where it headspaces. Cartridges that headspace on the rim "tend" to be less accurate than those that headspace on the mouth. Another is max SAAMI preasure rating and primer size. The only difference in design between the 45ACP and the 40 S&W (other than caliber) is primer size and SAAMI. With all the powders available today there is no reason why the 40 should not shoot with the 45 ACP.
Jim

[Rabid Rabbit]

I noticed a slight lag in accuracy from reading reviews of ammo in the American Rifleman and others. It always seemed that the group size for the 40 was always larger than the 9 or 45, no matter what the ammo was.

[ChristopherG]

Cartridges that headspace on the rim "tend" to be less accurate than those that headspace on the mouth.

Not to put too harsh a point on it, but Bosh. The .38 and .22 are capable of remarkable accuracy, and have demonstrated it in thousands of competitive venues. Uncle Elmer Keith rated the .44 special as the most inherently accurate handgun cartridge (whatever that means) in existence at his time.

I suspect Jim Watson is right (as, it seems, is often the case); it's a question of developing a matched load and gun to maximize accuracy. Give competitors and gunmakers a reason to produce a .40 with refined accuracy, and they will. The .40 was developed as a cop caliber, in cop guns--not a place where refined accuracy is an essential.

[Old Dog]

The .40 S&W got a bad rap for accuracy from a lot of the gunwriters shortly after the first pistols in .40 were marketed, and prior to the development of a greater selection of ammunition choices in .40. For some reason, there still seems to be a preponderance of opinion in the gun community that the .40 round can't be accurate.

There seem to be quite a few commercial .40 loads out there now that will give one excellent accuracy results from a quality .40 pistol.

I've got a SIG P-226 in .40 that's at least as accurate, or more accurate than all of my 9mm pistols (including Berettas and SIGs) and some of my .45s.

[JMusic]

Yes 22 and many other calibers shoot very well. Target 22 chambers are precision bored to specific ammunition. What I said above is not specific to just handgun calibers. Many people once they fire a rifle cartridge do not do a full resize but simply resize to the point of rechambering. Chamber size is bored to close to maximum to allow for manufacturing tolerances to allow for ammunition differences. The margins may be slight but relationships of bullet to bore is a critical component to accuracy. Thus a cartridge that headspaces on the mouth of the case or shoulder is inherently more accurate than a rim or belt.
Jim

[StrikeEagle]

Uncle Elmer Keith rated the .44 special as the most inherently accurate handgun cartridge (whatever that means) in existence at his time.


.44 Special has this great reputation for Accuracy... probably based on it's performance in the superlative Triple Lock revolvers Smith chambered for it. Personally I get slightly better accuracy from the .45 Colt. I have otherwise identical SAA's chambered for both rounds, and to the limits of my ability to determine, .45 wins there.

I'm guessing that some cases/bore sizes and shapes allow 'optimal' burning from different powders, too... and I'm of the opinion that uniform ignition and consistent burning is a key to 'accuracy', too.

The 'Wisdom of Our Fathers' is that some rounds 'shoot straighter' than others. I think there IS something to it, but I'm not sure I know exactly what... LOL :D

Having said that, I think it's the gun more than the round... and the shooter most of all. I'm sure that the World's Greatest Swordsman could defeat me with a broomstick, even if I were given the World's Greatest Sword. :)

StrikeEagle

[ChristopherG]

What I said above is not specific to just handgun calibers.

Ah. I responded as if it were, since we're in a handgun forum.

While what you say is true, I think it's fair to say it has not proven to be a distinction relevant to handguns--even in competition--other than perhaps long-distance HP shooting, where single shot or bolt action 'handguns' using rifle cartridges shine. Absent the rock-sturdy mechanism of a bolt action rifle or the like, I don't think the bullet-to-bore fit you bring up is precisely enough achieved in handguns to become a factor.

[JMusic]

Agreed. My point is There should be no reason, cartridge wise, that the 40 S&W shouldn't be a shooter.
Jim

[ziadel]

Having said that, I think it's the gun more than the round... and the shooter most of all. I'm sure that the World's Greatest Swordsman could defeat me with a broomstick, even if I were given the World's Greatest Sword. :)



Miyamoto Musashi (who was the greatest swordsman) routinely entered duels with sticks, and he alweays managed to beat his sword wielding opponent into submission :eek:





and the .40 has a lot going against it, wether it be real or perceived is another discussion, but my view on it is you won't get people to agree that the .40 has good potential for accuracy when you can't even get people to admit that the cartridge is safe...can you?

[Tomcat1066]

If a badguy breaks into my house, and I shoot a .40 at him, is the round inherantly accurate enough to hit him if I aimed properly? Yes?

Good enough for me :D

Tom

[MikeJ]

My Sig 229 in 40 is very accurate.

[bluto]

What Old Dog said.

My SIG 226 in .40 is consistantly one of my 3 most accurate guns - and a pleasure to shoot.

[JohnKSa]

Accuracy by caliber is a useful and relevant discussion topic when the issue is benchrest rifle where the object is sub 1-inch groups at 300 yards.

It is about 99.9999% irrelevant in any handgun discussion. Just my opinion.

[Stinkyshoe]

Much agreed John. Hand gun accuracy isn't that important. Any extra accuracy from a round/ gun combo (assuming the ammo is manufactured correctly and the gun is engineered to maximize consistency), the accuracy of the round is irrelevant for practical shooting.

[Vern Humphrey]

Yes 22 and many other calibers shoot very well. Target 22 chambers are precision bored to specific ammunition. What I said above is not specific to just handgun calibers. Many people once they fire a rifle cartridge do not do a full resize but simply resize to the point of rechambering. Chamber size is bored to close to maximum to allow for manufacturing tolerances to allow for ammunition differences. The margins may be slight but relationships of bullet to bore is a critical component to accuracy. Thus a cartridge that headspaces on the mouth of the case or shoulder is inherently more accurate than a rim or belt.
Jim

A neck-sized case can be more accurate than a fjull-length resized case, but there are lots of examples of full-length resized cases outshooting neck-sized cases.

By no means all .22 LR chambers are match chambers -- yet my .22 Ruger Automatic is capable of gilt-edge accuracy with ammunition it likes. Similarly, My Colt M357 will shoot my wadcutter .38 Specials into cloverleafs all day long.

[JMusic]

I give up I'm wrong. Go to Camp Perry some day and shoot with them boys then come back and report how accuracy is not pertinant to handguns or how your favorite 22 or deer rifle did. We all have rifles and pistols that shoot better than they have a right to. I'm just trying to explain why.
Jim

[JohnKSa]

report how accuracy is not pertinant to handgunsNobody said that. I did say that trying to determine which handgun CALIBERS were more accurate was useless, IMO.

Clearly rimfire seems to beat out the centerfires as a general rule, past that, it's not worth discussion, IMO.

The quality of the AMMO, the GUN and the SHOOTER are by FAR the biggest variables. I've never heard of a handgun CALIBER that couldn't be extremely accurate given a properly designed handgun to shoot it in , good quality ammo to use, and a proficient shooter to pull the triggers. Any inherent accuracy advantages of one handgun caliber over another are going to pale into insignificance in the light of the other variables that are unavoidable in handgun shooting.

[Stinkyshoe]

Since the question was directed toward a specific use, I defaulted to practical shooting which is plinking and self defense...therefore accuracy isn't a big issue. Accuracy is important, but I would imagine that it would have more to do with how the gun was built and if the load was tuned for the weapon.

[Haycreek]

Most reloaders will agree that more often than not, the most accurate load in the majority of guns will NOT be the load with the most velocity, The 40 S&W is a caliber that is loaded to the max safe [debatable] velocity.It is a hot round, not your typical bullseye round. I venture to say that in a good firearm, that a carefull handloader can experiment with different powder/bullet combos and result with a very accurate 40 S&W. Check out some of the competitors that use the .40 S&W, I bet their accurate rounds are "slowed down" I sold my two 40 S&W handguns and replaced them with 45 GAPs ! The 45 GAPs are handloaded, as are my other calibers. [Inheritly accurate]:D Carry ammo will always be "factory" [something to do about percieved liability]

[Dr_Pain]

My best and most accurate gun is the gun that I shoot best :neener: