What is the best .40 sw firearm?

I have no .40 S&W ownership experience, but some guns were designed around the .40 S&W round and not the 9mm. The G22 was basically a G17 they put a .40 S&W barrel in.

The S&W M&P, HK USP/P30/VP9, SIG P229, Beretta PX4/APX were all designed around the .40 S&W round. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones I can think of off the top of my head.

I surely haven’t shot them all but the one I’ve liked best in .40 is the Sig 229 (i imagine the 226 would be fine too).

I only currently have the one .40, an HK P2000, and it’s nice too. I didn’t care for the Glock 23 or 22 myself, and I’m a Glock fan

p226 or p229 hands down

My M&P 40 compact does great with the 40, the only thing it didn't shoot was magtech, but my sr40 wouldn't shoot it either, just junk ammo. I have a 1911 in 10mm, it hates the 40 style flat point ammo, which is why I hesitate to buy a 40 1911.

One of the best handguns in 40 s&w that I had was the Tanfoglio Witness Elite Match. They are imported by EAA.

The Match had a really sweet SA trigger right out of the box! Very easy to shoot accurately. The trigger was better than other guns costing 3 times as much.

The Witness elite Match is also pretty easy for diy tuning (parts upgrades and polishing) Great gun!!

https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?attachments/img_1490s-jpg.963348/

Sig Sauer P229 in .40

Definitely way ahead of any stiker fired handgun.

I used my XD40 Springfield for a two day training firing well over 500 rds with zero issues, no failure to feed, no failure to fire, no failure to eject, no issues whatsoever. But it is one of those junk striker fired pistols so you may want to pass.....
I also have a Shield 2.0 because I like it!

My fave semi-auto in 40 that i own is my Taurus PT100. All steel. It's very accurate. And i have a Taurus PT140. Nice carry gun when i feel like a little more lead. Then i have my Ruger black hawk 40sw/10mm. Fun on the range for me. And then there is my PCC 40 hi point for some longer shooting on the range.

I really like the USP in .40 with the LEM trigger. Consistent first to last trigger pull and the mechanical buffer does seem to soak up some of the recoil. It's the least snappy .40 I've shot.

Not a petit pistol and has zero ergonomic adjustability. OTOH, ex-police pistols were available at a pretty steep discount from new in the Before Times.

Two examples up for sale right now for under $500:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/916051054
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/914586106


BSW

My M&P 40 has well over 10k rounds without issues using 4 OEM magazines. I replaced sights and added a few APEX parts to improve the trigger, but apart from those just a replacement recoil spring for preventative maintenance.

Most rounds were plated 180s, a few thousand XTPs, and 1,000 (2 boxes of 500 bullets) rounds of cast. The lead left some good sized slivers which cleaned out fine with 150 being the most fired on any one range day.

It is a decidedly boring pistol but I enjoy shooting it.

Beretta 96 Inox and CZ 40P is what I had. Never a problem with either one.

The "best" probably is a S&W 4606 like the one I finally got because CHP people showed me how great they are.Utterly reliable and just a great gun.S&W invented the round after all.

I am a 1911 partisan. I own one striker fired pistol, a full size S&W M&P 2.0 in 40sw with the thumb safety. The trigger is not as good as a decent 1911 but it’s better than any other striker fired pistol I have handled. Feels very familiar, sight picture is familiar. It’s entirely possible there are better pistols in 40sw, like a 1911 for example, but it’s a pretty great pistol, especially for the money.

Chambered in 40 S&W, I have a SIg 1911, Beretta M96 and an S&W M&P. I used to have a Springfield P9C sub compact chambered in 40 S&W that was a piece of c***.

The Springfield P9C was made by Tangfaglio and it would beat itself to destruction. I was constantly replacing parts. Fortunately, the "Witness" parts were the same ands I could keep the gun running until I traded it off.

The 40 S&W is a good round but in my opinion, in general guns designed for other cartridges are adapted to the 40 S&W and that is one of the 40 S&W's limitations.

All of mine perform well but the Sig 1911 is the best. It tames the recoil of the 40 S&W. The Beretta M96 is a large pistol for concealed carry and the plastic frame of the S&W M&P makes it a bit snappy on recoil.

The round is easy to reload and gives good results with a good handgun.

You really can't go wrong with an SD40VE or a Stoeger 9040. Both are great 40 cal guns. A CZ clone would also be great with 40 as well. I love the 40, it's a great round if you get a good gun to match.

S&W model 610

I think it's situations like this where Hi Points are perfect.

The CZ 40B I once owned was hands down the best 40 I had ever shot. Good luck finding one...

I was gonna say Glock 22 which you already had, Glock 35 is a real sweet shooter. No experience with hammer fired 40.

I don't really care for 40, but I do have 1. A older Glock 23 that I really don't have any $ in. I keep it because every now and then I used to find clearance sales on 40 ammo, and I use it as a sidearm in the woods.

i'll second a px4. I have shot the 40 version and it was rather easy to control while still light and da/sa

I have... hmm... Glock 22, Beretta 96, Beretta PX4, CZ75 clone, 1911, Ruger P series, small Kahr, and a Sig P229. (Also, my FiL has the S&W M&P, which I have shot many times.)

All of them are reliable. The recoil on the Kahr will get your attention: with my XXL hands I can't shoot it decently without a pinky extension. None of the rest have interesting recoil. For me 40 caliber is easy to shoot out of full-sized service pistols, even if they're polymer. YMMV.

As others have said, the Sig P229 is my favorite. I shot it just last weekend. I lucked into a good deal on a police turn-in with badly worn finish. It's one of my favorite pistols. It points very well for me. I beat my friend in a couple of shooting games with it last weekend, even though he is younger, sees better, and is a better shot.

Here are a few to look at:


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Get a 3rd gen S&W like the 4006. Like Gordon said S&W invented the round. There’s something I like about having a S&W built gun made specifically for a cartridge they invented.

These guns are all steel and have exposed hammers. They are absolute tanks and are very durable. I own a 4046 and it is truely a fine firearm!

Dan

USP


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