CountGlockula
Member
Here's a little background regarding the history/development of the .40S&W caliber. It also talks about the 10mm: Enjoy!
http://www.bren-ten.com/id7.html
http://www.bren-ten.com/id7.html
.40 SMITH & WESSON
The .40 Smith & Wesson is easily the most popular of the 10mm Auto offspring. In fact it has become so popular that it has pushed its predecessor out of the limelight and into relative obscurity.
The .40 S&W was a collaborative effort between Smith & Wesson and Winchester. The actual concept for the cartridge had been around a while, but when the FBI decided to download the 10mm Auto the time was right. Basically the idea behind the .40 S&W was to duplicate the FBI 10mm "Lite" loading, but at the same time shorten the case enough so that the new round would fit in a 9mm Parabellum platform giving the the handgun a greater cartridge capacity. Winchester loaded a 180gn JHP bullet at 980fps while Smith & Wesson modified their 59xx series for the larger cartridge and introduced the S&W 40xx series pistols. The .40 S&W was released to the public in January of 1990 and it became an instant success and soon numerous other firearm manufacturers were racing to bring out their own .40 S&W guns.
The .40 S&W cartridge has become incredibly popular. Now the FBI, which made the 10mm Auto the preeminent law enforcement cartridge only a few short years before, has switched to Glocks chambered for the .40 S&W.