.40 "Short & Weak" or "Short & Wimpy"...does this nickname make any sense anymore??!!

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saturno_v

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I just came back from the range...
Once in a while here and there (like today) you can still hear the whispering I mentioned in the subject line...what that really means anymore nowdays???

It's been 18 years since the magnificent 10 mm Auto has been shortened into the .40 S&W...the big brother has been, very unfortunately, relegated to a niche status, an amateur round..luckily it didn't disappeared.

The .40 instead took off and it proved itself over and over as a very effective law enforcement and personal defense round....

Weak?? Wimpy?? I do not think so, let's look at the facts: It has the same or even more energy than a .45 ACP round, including +P loadings, still in a compact package available in high capacity 9 mm frames.

Better penetration than a FortyFive, especially behing light barriers and in many statistics it trails only the venerable .357 Magnum as "one shot stop" round.

I think it's time for some people to get over it with the story and the grudge about the 10 mm "mutilation"..

I bet anyone hit by a .40 slug would tell you that the round is anything but wimpy or weak...

If you want to hunt deer, you should look elsewhere but against bad guys it is a damn potent cartridge IMHO

I definitely do not feel undergunned at all compared to my friends carrying 45 ACP or 357 Mag....

Please do not start a cartridge war, it was not my intention, I love the 10 mm, I have enormous respect for the 45 ACP and I will end up buying one sameday...

I just would like your comments or opinions if the "Short & Weak" or "Short & Wimp" derogatory label is really deserved for the great .40 S&W...

Regards!!!
 
It's just a term created by some 10mm fans who were hurt when their round was supplanted in LE by the .40S&W. Pay it no mind. The .40 is fine.


-T.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Pay it no mind. The .40 is fine.
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Thernlund said it best.

Though I've shot, owned and liked handguns in both cartridges, I believe the .40 S&W is actually the more efficient package, especially since 200 grain loadings can also be used.
 
I'm a 10 mm fan myself (I owned one and I will possibly buy it again) but in all honesty i would call the .40 anything but weak or wimpy....I tend to be rational in my thoughts :D:D:D:D

I got rid of my 10 mm for a 44 Mag revolver, but I would like to have a reliable autoloader in 10 mm for "light" wood protection when I hike in my area (potential big cats and black bears) without carrying my huge Smith..
 
I'm a 10 mm fan myself (I owned one and I will possibly buy it again) but in all honesty i would call the .40 anything but weak or wimpy....I tend to be rational in my thoughts
Click to expand...

I fixed my comment. ;)


-T.
 
So what's better 9mm or .45ACP ? :evil:

Serriously, what do want us to say? Those who like the .40 will say its great. Those who don't like the .40 will say it sucks because it isn't a .45 and anything that isn't a .45 is by default "girly".

I prefer the .40S&W as it's got more mass than the 9mm and I can find weapons that fit my hand chambered in .40 much easier than .45. I also like the increased round capacity over the standard .45.(doesn't hurt that .40 is cheaper than .45 too)

But that's just my preference.

I give this thread about 3 more posts before it becomes yet another "my calliber is better than your calliber" debates.
 
You see Ltlabner you kinda of nail it..

You can have a personal preference for a caliber, it is perfectly normal and legit but that doesn't mean you should not be rational and recognize other rounds merits...

I love the 10 mm, I really do but I think the .40 has its great advantages and positive aspects too..

I respect greatly the 45 ACP, is not my frist choice because IMHO is "inefficient" in the power/size ratio, but I would never say it is a sissy round...please....


So some .45 lovers would consider a 357 Mag or a 10 mm "Girly" because is not a 45 caliber bullet?? Seriously???!!! :what::what::what::what:
 
I just finished reading an article in GUNS (I think) regarding the 10mm. From what I gathered the 10mm was a good round but penetration was a factor as well as an exagerated recoil. The fear was too many though and through injuries were possible. When the 10mm was introduced, truly good HP loads had not been developed. At least that is what I gathered from the article. The 40 S&W seemed to bridge the gap.
 
I just finished reading an article in GUNS (I think) regarding the 10mm. From what I gathered the 10mm was a good round but penetration was a factor as well as an exagerated recoil. The fear was too many though and through injuries were possible. When the 10mm was introduced, truly good HP loads had not been developed. At least that is what I gathered from the article. The 40 S&W seemed to bridge the gap.
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Yes but let's not forget the size factor, that is huge...the .40 can be chambered easily in 9 mm frames, not so for the 10 mm....
 
yes it is short and weak
it was developed because the 10mm is far too powerful a round for the average mortal
 
Looking at the .40 S&W with an open mind, its a good catridge.

However if you compare it to the 10mm, it will always be short and weak.
 
You can have a personal preference for a caliber, it is perfectly normal and legit but that doesn't mean you should not be rational and recognize other rounds merits...
Click to expand...

Most definatley. I like the 10mm as a round, but the size of the weapons, cost of the ammo and the amount of recoil mean they don't work for me as a weapons platform. Doesn't change the fact that 10mm is a remarkable round.

In my *personal opinion* as long as you have a calliber above .380Auto you are good for self defense. Beyond that are practical limitations (i.e. 50A&E in a carry weapon) or personal preferences.
 
It's not a weak or wimpy round by any means. The jokes were probably thought up by 10mm fans who didn't like the fact they under loaded the cartridge (10mm Lite: weak/wimpy) then shortened up the case for better packaging (short) because many FBI agents couldn't handle the recoil.
You can call it .40 Stout & Wicked if it'll make you feel better :p
 
Looking at the .40 S&W with an open mind, its a good catridge.

However if you compare it to the 10mm, it will always be short and weak.
Click to expand...


If you compare the 10 mm to a 44 Mag the 10 is short and weak...your point?? :evil::evil::D:D

Just Kidding....
 
I owned 2 .40s&w guns before. Got rid of the first hoping it was the gun, but the second just confirmed to me it was not the gun but the caliber. Some like it, I don't. I find the 45acp easier and faster for follow up shots where accuracy counts. I've also since gotten rid of all my 9mm's too.
 
I believed that at the time it came out(I was like 14 years old) Factory .40 comes rather hot sometimes actually. Who started that .40S&W short and weak crap? IIRC it may have been J.D.Jones and some other gunwriters.

I'm not the biggest fan of .40 or 10mm but I see the merit in both and own guns chambered in both calibers, only one 10mm though.
 
When it gets right down to the nuts and bolts of things, I personally, would NOT like to be on the receiving end of a 9 mm, .380 ACP, .38 Special, .357 Magnum, .40 S&W, 10 mm, .44 Special, .44 Magnum, .45 ACP, or (heaven forbid!) a .50 BMG. Any one of those, and many more will definitely put a crimp in your action for not only that day, but several more.

Come to think of it, people have been taken out of the game of life by .22 Short. Not that I care to duplicate the feat...
 
This is like walking into a sportbike dealership and arguing which one will get you a speeding ticket.

Skip the charts and go fill a milkjug full of wet sand, and let us know if it is either short or wimpy.
 
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