Any 40s&w Fans?

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Styx

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As the title says, are there any other 40s&w fans in here? Anyone carry, reload, and/or shoot it regularly? What do you carry and do you reload?

I didn't really care for it one way on another over 9mm. With $500-$600 40s&w handguns selling NIB in low $300s, I've purchased a few in the caliber and have slowly became a fan.

Please no caliber debates or bashing....
 
Ive been a fan of the .40 since 2000 or so. Shot tens of thousands of factory rounds through 10 or so guns. Reloaded at least as many as I've bought. Mostly through Glock 22/27 (which is also my carry gun) and 20/29. SIG 229/226. HK USP, Beretta 96 and px4 and a 1911. There are many of us around. I couldn't care less about 9mm vs 40. The differences are so minimal that I see no point in worrying about it personally. I have a few 9mms as well but usually use 40.

I've bought a couple of the cheap trade ins the last few years as well.
 
yes. have 2 steyer m's in .40 and a m&p pro and few other models. I carry them sometimes, but I've been back on a 1911 carry kick last year or so.

I don't reload. for those who do, great. I just prefer factory made ammo myself.

I wasn't really a fan when it was "THE" caliber. i had a few guns in it. just preferred my other calibers. I've come around now that it isnt popular anymore. not sure why, just see that it's a good round. easy to shoot, and very easy to find right now. plus the bargains on guns in it..........silly to pass up if someone was on the fence.
 
Purchased a Kahr K40, Beretta PX4 Inox Compact, and Walther PP9c all NIB each for $300-$330 respectively, and a used Sig P239 and mint Kahr MK40 with custom grips and night sights for $320... Hard not to buy at these prices.
 
yes. have 2 steyer m's in .40 and a m&p pro and few other models. I carry them sometimes, but I've been back on a 1911 carry kick last year or so.

I don't reload. for those who do, great. I just prefer factory made ammo myself.

I wasn't really a fan when it was "THE" caliber. i had a few guns in it. just preferred my other calibers. I've come around now that it isnt popular anymore. not sure why, just see that it's a good round. easy to shoot, and very easy to find right now. plus the bargains on guns in it..........silly to pass up if someone was on the fence.
I agree I wasn’t “onboard” when it was so called in caliber. I really enjoy it now. I have reloaded for it and bought factory ammo. It really is a great round. The .40 cheaper guns now are a great deal. I was trying to figure out what year it peaked. Anyone have any ideas?
 
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As people have moved away from the 40 I have started moving toward it. Part of that is caused by the silly cheap prices the guns are selling for. The other part is the desire to maximize the chances of finding factory defensive ammo in a panic buying environment. Being able to convert to 357 Sig with just a barrel swap enhances that ever further.

As an example I bought a factory new Kahr K40 for $297. The same gun in 9mm sells for >$500. That’s a hard bargain to ignore. As a reloader and bullet caster the cost difference between 9 and 40 is inconsequential.
 
I greatly respect the .40 S&W. Some folks seem to hate it because it "stole the 10mm thunder/glory/future" while others consider it a "compromise cartridge". I just don't get that.
I have a few handguns in .40 S&W and about the same number in 9mm. Both are great.
 
As an example I bought a factory new Kahr K40 for $297. The same gun in 9mm sells for >$500. That’s a hard bargain to ignore. As a reloader and bullet caster the cost difference between 9 and 40 is inconsequential.

I've increased the number of .40 S&W handguns because of this. I recently picked up two Glock G22 (police trade in, gen4 with night sights) that are in very-good to excellent condition for $269 each. I use one as the platform for a Micro-roni.
Not long ago I bought a S&W M&P 2.0, a SR40 and SR40 compact for quite a bit less than the same pistol in 9mm. I say keep 'em coming.
 
Early 2000’s, I decided to carry. The question was what. At the time, ammo was not what it is today. I love the 45. Nines were either non stoppers, or over penetrated. You only got 8 in the 45, and 327 or so in a nine. The 40 was a compromise. The recoil (to me) was no different than a nine. The capacity was greater than a 45. The high end 40 (180+ grains) was the low end 45. I learned in the school of, “if you can’t put your thumb down the front end...”

Glocks were bullet proof. I went Goldilocks. The 23 was the choice. Smaller than big, bigger than small. The trigger sucks, until shooting with a purpose (rather than target). Mash the go switch, bang....every single time. As discussed with several, this is not a firearm. It is an appliance. I have no affection for it. I greatly respect it for the tool it is. Is it a greased 1911, trigger, aesthetics, ergonomics, fun...no. Not the reason I bought it.

i reload it. Carry is either Hydra-shock or HST.... in general, ammo is available...even during the panics.

is it better than “fill in the blank”? No. It is a pistol. It will only do so much. There are many like it, but this one is mine....
 
It's a little bit like "Any minivan fans?"

I have an S&W M&P 2.0 chambered in 40 S&W. It's effective, potent, reasonable recoil, easy to load for. Certainly nothing to dislike. Bigger and better than 9mm, faster than 45 acp.

And? What's there to be a fan of? 45 acp has a long and storied military history. 9mm is cheap. 38 Super has gangster era cache. What does 40 S&W have beyond a limited service with FBI and Law Enforcement as a compromise cartridge before they downgraded to the itty-bitty europellet? It's the minivan of semi-auto pistol cartridges. It's useful, but to be a fan?
 
I have several 40 S&W hand guns and generally like the rounds. These include a Beretta M96 and an M1911.

While I like the round and these guns, my defense gun is an HK P30SK in 9x19. I just like the features better than the 40 S&W guns that I own.
 
It's a little bit like "Any minivan fans?"

I have an S&W M&P 2.0 chambered in 40 S&W. It's effective, potent, reasonable recoil, easy to load for. Certainly nothing to dislike. Bigger and better than 9mm, faster than 45 acp.

And? What's there to be a fan of? 45 acp has a long and storied military history. 9mm is cheap. 38 Super has gangster era cache. What does 40 S&W have beyond a limited service with FBI and Law Enforcement as a compromise cartridge before they downgraded to the itty-bitty europellet? It's the minivan of semi-auto pistol cartridges. It's useful, but to be a fan?
Without turning this into a caliber debate... Why am I a fan on the caliber? It's an intermediate round between 9mms & 45cap that really doesn't sacrifice capacity, the extreme low cost of high quality usually expensive firearms, and the ability to shoot 9mm and .357 sig with only a barrel or upper change. Nothing about the .40 s&w says "minivan" IMHO...
 
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The .40 can provide a very useful gain in performance, such as the 165 gr HST @ 1130 fps for 468 ft-lb, or one of the 180 or 200 gr deep penetrators when larger four-legged aggressors are in the matrix. I really like my .40 P239 and 4006 TSWs.
 
Yes, however my favorite handgun types were mostly designed for 9mm.

Sig P6, Sig P225 ('87), CZ PCR, Walther P99 AS and after just Last Week learning about the existence of the classic, all-metal S&W semi-auto series, this 'new' S&W 5906.
My only .40 cal. --- a Sig P229 --- was traded on the spot for a near-pristine P6 in the display case at ShootPointBlank.

I really liked that P229 in DA/SA (the DAOs are also very nice), but could not find a P6 in this area for a FTF deal. It's the Gun, not the chambering.
 
After having several .40 pistols, I now only have a Glock 23 gen3 with a "Mag-Na-Port" job done on the slide & barrel. This is how I got it used, but it works fine.

During my LEO career, I started out with an issued S&W 4006 by a small P.D. in California.
At that 1st department, I then switched to my personally-owned Glock 22 gen2 with a Glock 27 gen2.5 as a backup/off-duty gun.
Changing departments to a local Sheriff's Office, I was then issued another G22gen2, then a G22gen3.

For .40 guns, over the years, I personally owned two G22gen2 guns; two G27 guns; a G22gen4, and a G35gen3, but sold off all of those and now have several 9mm handguns plus that previously mentioned G23gen3.

Before retiring, I was issued a G17Gen4 (a 9mm) when we transitioned from .40 to 9mm. I mostly own 9mm handguns now; but with a few .45ACP guns; and .38 Special/.357 Mag revolvers.
 
I like 40 caliber pistols. The full-sized service pistols, of which I have several, don't have more felt recoil to me than the 9mm versions. YMMV.

I got a little Kahr PM40 last year. I got a great deal on it used. That little thing is a hoot. When you fire off a 40 S&W from it, you definitely feel it. :)

 
I currently own 2 .40 caliber pistols. One is an old Ruger P94. The other a S&W M&P 2.0 compact. When I decided to start carrying the P-94 was what I had. The S&W is what I carry now. I don't reload. The price difference for ammunition has been more recently than it was in the past. It isn't that .40 became so much more expensive but 9mm prices dropped. There is little difference in recoil between the 2 in mid-sized - full sized pistols. I was thinking about picking up another 9mm not too long ago (the only one I have now is pocket sized) but then all the corona virus mess started & prices went nuts. I like having at least one pistol chambered for each of the most common service pistol rounds. 9mm, .40 & .45.

Edited to remove a link comparing .40 to 9mm. Sorry forgot the no caliber debates request in the OP.
 
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