Anyone else not not like the 40S&W?

[knoxx45]

I dont want to start a "hate" thread. but the way I see it I either want an 45 or if i can't have that, give me a 9mm. Is my logic flawed, or does anyone else think this way? I know what 40 fans will say, it fits a niche in between the 45 and the 9mm, and it does, but the way that it recoils vs the 45 or 9, is IMHO harsher than the 9, and more abrupt than the 45. I personally shoot the 45 and the 9 better than a 40, but that's just me, and to each their own. I'm not bashing the 40, but I wanted to speak my mind.

Thanks for listening.

 

[browningguy]

I kind of like it, I've got 3 BHP's and A Witness Match in .40, great round. I use it in my carry guns and for IDPA with no problems.

If I recall, one of the rules for gunfighting said if you have to bring a pistol, bring one who's caliber starts with a "4".

Seriously, what's not to like? Accurate enough, makes major with no problem, several really good defensive rounds from 155-180 gr. available.

 

[10-Ring]

I used to like'em, used to hate'm & now Im kinda on the fence on'em. I think you can do so much w/ 9mm or 45 acp that I don't really see the point to the 10 kurz. Now that said, I am slowly going back over that fence, so much so that I'm starting to look at which 40 I'm gonna get!

 

[possum]

Anyone else not not like the 40S&W?

Nope!
I love the .40 caliber, as a matter of fact it is my favorite of all handgun calibers.I figure if i can shoot the .40 that good, a good mixture of speed and accuracy, then there is no reason for me to go down to a smaller caliber. I personally have nop issue with the recoil of the .40. I have a glock 19, 9mm has it's place i will shoot it because it is cheap but my first choice is the xd in .40 or the kahr k40 all day long. i like .40 so much that every pistol that I get from here on out is gonna be .40 to make reloadind alot easier, one caliber to worry about. work up a good load or two and pull the handle.

 

[Black Majik]

Me!

I'm the same way, its either 9mm or .45 for me. I used to have a G23 that was fun to shoot for maybe 100 rounds. I shoot my .45s a lot more comfortably than the .40s.

Give me 9 or give me 45!

 

[blazer610]

I'm in complete agreement with Knoxx. I do own some .40 s&w guns, but I shoot the 9mm and .45acp much better. My 40's are range guns only and more accurately, dust collectors. Aside from the fact that I own a few, I have no "real" need for 40's.

Larry

 

[C-grunt]

It definitly has its place. Its more powerfull than a 9mm and can be put in the same sized gun. It does have more recoil, but its not to bad that you cant get used to it. Some people carry sub 20 oz .357 magnums. Thats some serious recoil.

 

[knoxx45]

That's why I love this forum

Different points of view, but civil discussion.

 

[HSMITH]

I have a couple 40's. I can't say I really like any of them better than anything else, but I chose them for their performance. I am not a big fan of 9mm for other than competition or plinking use even though I know it is a great cartridge and I own them too. I know 9mm with some of the modern bullets is a darn good defensive cartridge. That said I keep 40's and 45's for defensive use. It is my opinion that 40 is a better way to go in that case than 9mm and the capacity advantage over 45 in small packages is really hard to overlook. My other 40's are competition guns, rules for power levels and so on make 40 the most logical choice in some cases and in other cases a very soft loaded 40 feels better than even a 9mm.

I guess I am a revolver guy at heart with a 45 hangup that uses 9mm and 40 where they fit better if that makes any sense.

 

[PO2Hammer]

I just bought a high end Sig in 9mm. Took my .40 cal. P226 stainless along to the range to warm up with.
Both shot some amazing groups at 25 yards with Blazer aluminum. Recoil is fine with the steel frame, reliability is 100%, power is solid, and the accuracy was unexpected. It makes me smile when ever I read negative threads about the .40.
Where's the '.40s&w is stupid' kid?

 

[Ditchtiger]

.40 empties

I reload for the .45acp, get happy when finding new brass then depressed when it turns out to be .40, the stuff is showing up everywhere.

 

[Ala Dan]

Me too~!

I won't use the word "hate", but I very agressively dislike .40 caliber
weaponary. Give me a .45 ACP any day of the week.

 

[jlh26oo]

This looks like the perfect opportunity for my original NES Super Mario Bros II analogy.

(Looks for cough syrup)

 

[chris in va]

Not a fan of it, but I think it fires decently in a steel gun. I had one in aluminum and the quick recoil just soured me on the cartridge. Not something I would call 'fun' at the range. You shoot it a few times, then move on to your 9mm with 30rd mag for some REAL enjoyment.

 

[Jack19]

What's to dislike? They all do just about the same thing.

 

[jlh26oo]

That is an incredible graphic Jack. It almost renders caliber wars pointless. (almost!)


I'd love to see a couple more on each end of the spectrum, just to see exactly what it takes to actually GET a significant difference in that stuff. Like a .380 at the top and a 10mm at the bottom. THen I guess we'd start seeing channels multiple times longer and fatter.

 

[Cousin Mike]

I have my own way of seeing things...

I've gone through a lot of stages in the years I've been a gunowner.

At first, I liked the small calibers... .25acp, .32acp, .32H&R mag, .380, 9mm. I look back, and I don't really know why or how I got into pocket pistols, but that's just how it went for me when I was 21. Then I had an infatuation with 9mm for a couple years - any 9x19 or .380 was fine by me.

Then, through a combination of education, events and realizations, I got into the bigger calibers. The .45acp is still my favorite cartridge, and it probably always will be. For a while, I didn't want anything smaller... but then I got infatuated with the .357 Sig, and that just took me in a whole other direction. I bought a Sig Pro in .357 Sig, and a .40S&W barrel for it since the mags are compatible for both. I didn't like the .40 as much as I like .357 Sig, but it has it's place. I thought I'd never touch a 9mm or a .380 ever again.

Now I'm coming to the opinion that .380 is just fine for self-defense, and the bigger or faster the bullet, the better. I see them all as tools in a toolbox. The 9mm/.45acp is like a nice set of channel-lock pliers. Great tool. Might be the only tool you need if you're a plumber by trade, but other people need a few other tools for different jobs. That's where the .40, .357Sig, and other calibers between 9mm and .45acp come in.

It's fine to dislike them, you might not have a need for one in your life. But both the .40 and the .357 Sig are gaining in popularity for a reason... because they do answer a question, regardless of whether or not you are the person who asked it.

.357 Sig practice ammo is hotter than the hottest 9mm. Defense ammo for the .357 Sig is just that much hotter. It shoots through barriers, walls, doors and glass with accuracy, and still gives excellent penetration on human targets on the other side. The 9mm and .45acp don't do as well in those tests with similar ammo. The .40 offers basically the same ballistics and performance as the .357Sig in a round that's nearly the as big as .45acp, yet the rounds are just small enough to fit 12 or 15 of them in a magazine - without requiring the user to posess huge hands. The .357 Sig is more fun to shoot than any 9mm I've ever come across, and so is the .40S&W IMHO. .40 and .45 make more devastating wounds than 9mm and .357 - but, it's all about preference, situation, etc.

Lots of civilian shooters, LEO's, govt. agencies, etc. are starting to prefer rounds like the .40 and the .357 Sig. I doubt that would be the case if they couldn't do anything a 9mm or .45 can't do. Remember - .45acp is my favorite cartridge as well. I carry a .357Sig because if I have to use my CCW, there's a chance it might be against a group of thugs in a car. When investigating bumps in the night, I grab the .45's or the .357 magnum. Until I get a .22, my 9mm or .38 Special is what I practice with. Once I get a .22, I'll probably carry my 9mm and .38Spl more on short errands to the corner store, light days, etc.

Different tools for different jobs.

 

[Hazzard]

Cousin Mike - Very well put and I agree.

 

[MCgunner]

For those who are hung up on big bore bullets, the .40 offers a gun as compact as a subcompact 9 (or almost) in a caliber that starts with a 4. However, I have a subcompact 9 and a .45 and no .40 and I'm quite happy with that. I feel no desire for a .40, though it is a good self defense caliber.

 

[knoxx45]

Cousin Mike...

Well put, and as usual, a well thought out reply. My objection with the 40 is not based on the rounds effectiveness, nor form the urban myth that the 40 is inherently inaccurate. I believe that with proper shot placement, as long as the bullet penetrates deep enough, and holds together, that caliber doesn’t matter.
My dislike of the 40 comes from the way that recoil is transmitted to the shooter. This may be anywhere from a little subjective, all the way up to totally mental on my part, but the 40’s recoil is as I stated before, abrupt. When compared to the 9mm’s light “pop” or the 45’s rear-ward shove, the 40 feels like it wants to jump almost vertically, right out of my hand. While I have found the 40 to be accurate, in fact, just as accurate as any comparable gun in a different caliber, follow up shots for me are faster with either a 9 or 45. Now, I know that this is a function of training. I do not expect to pick up a gun that I have never fired before and instantly shoot a “ragged one hole” group, and all at lightning speed. But, here in lies the issue. Why train with a gun that is uncomfortable to shoot, when I have two excellent alternatives that are time tested and battle proven?
If I’m carrying, I’m going to carry a slim compact gun. In most cases, a single stack 45 only gives up a round to a 40, and a 40 gives up a round to a 9. When carrying, I am going to carry what is comfortable. That’s why I often carry my Clot Government model .380.
Hey, I’m a rifle guy, so take my opinions on handguns with a grain of salt. To each their own, but this was a common thing that I heard form some people at my range who bough a 40, and disliked them after about 100 rounds, so I just threw it out there to see what everyone else thought.
Thanks
Knoxx

 

[mattw]

Poo Poo on .40 S&W!

.45 ACP!!!

 

[knoxx45]

Now Mattw...

That' not the kind of response that I was looking for. Although any tine a grown man utters the phrase "poo poo"...

 

[PzGren]

Well what about the .357 SIG, .357 Magnum, .44 MAgnum, and all the other fun things?

Sure a .40 SW has a flippier recoil than the push of a .357 SIG. The 9mm is easy to handle and the .45 ACP accurate and fun to shoot.

But what makes the .40 SW so different? I enjoy it as much as all other calibers. Now when it comes to guns, I am a little more discriminating.

 

[Harley Quinn]

Great graphic

The thing about the 40 cal is it is the top dog in the LEO profession right now. I believe it will be here for quite some time.

I think the Military needs to look at it differently, weight by round and how many can be delivered in one trip. How many can be carried on a person and no supply train.

If I had the ability to only carry 10 pounds on my back of ammo, I sure would want it to be as many rounds that can be put into that 10 pounds. I am discussing the calibers that have been put on display.

I really like the 40 and the 9. If the 40 had been here and the design was not so long in coming it would have been sufficient for the military. The reason for the new design is supposidly the lack of killing power of the 38. well I'll bet that is put to sleep by that graph if added.

The whole Political football is nothing more then business. Remember what the Japanese refer to business "it is war". Their whole reason for going there in the first place with us, was referred to as "business".

Look at the Mafia. "Sorry Benny, it is only "business" nothing personal here.. Sure. Then he goes over to Benny's, plays godfather to his kids, then plays with the wife.

Back to the caliber. It is a winner. In 165 grain it is the best. Simple.

HQ

 

[MCgunner]

A major reason the military went for 9mm is NATO compatibility. The more rounds in a battle pack thing is a good argument for 5.56mm, but a handgun is NOT a primary military arm. You won't be carrying 10 lbs of 9mm in lieu of 10 lbs of 5.56, unless you aren't too smart.

But, in CCW, you can carry more in the gun and in your reloads with 9mm. .40 ain't that far behind it, not compared to a single stack .45. So, I can see the firepower argument for law enforcement or CCW. Law enforcement isn't down two many rounds if they're carrying .40 and it is a little more powerful round. However, I still prefer the 9 for CCW carry because of the smaller package of both round and firearm.