Best 40S&W for CC

Status
Not open for further replies.

groundhog34

Member
Joined
Aug 25, 2008
Messages
254
Location
Alabama
Looking for suggestions on the best 40cal for CC. I want something the size of a Glock 43. Reliability is first, round count second, accuracy third in importance. Please do NOT denigrate, that word is not racist, 40cal or try to convince me 9mm is just as good. Just ideas on the best gun.
 
Another point, the M&P, HK USP (to include the USPc), and SIG P229 were designed around the .40 S&W. Most other guns were designed around the 9mm and modified to shoot the .40 S&W, not always to great success durability-wise.
 
SIG SAUER P229 for double stack mags or SIG SAUER P239 for single stack mags.

Purchase a SIG SAUER 357SIG Bbl for either of your choosing(s).


Anything TUPPERWARE should stay in the cupboard where it belongs!
 
Springfield is always a good choice. If your going for smaller Kahr may be what you’re looking for. Shields are nice. Does Walther make a single stack 40? They are nice too
 
Palmetto State Armory has the S&W Shield, with night sights, on sale right now. Maybe not the best but it's a good option for the money. Shot one a year or so ago and didn't notice anything like the excessive recoil that often describes shooting 40 S&W. It doesn't bring anything to the table that my Glock 27 doesn't is the only reason I passed on it.

That brings up the G27. Mine is turning 13 years old this year (purchased my second year of being in LE) and it's still going. I'm not a Glock fan boy, but glock does support first responders with attractive pricing.
 
Last edited:
I disagree with Tom Givens. His reasons are too much recoil, accelerated wear, and reduced capacity.

Too much recoil is completely subjective, and I've never heard of a quality self-defense .40 s&w pistol wearing out under normal use.

And the reduced capacity argument is also suspect. Usually it's a one or two round difference.
 
Springy XDS handles big rounds well. Beyond that, a G23.4 is a perfect CCW. But a bit larger than your question.

Have 20,000 rounds through my G23.3. No real bad wear. Normal marks outside the barrel and such. Just change your springs as needed. That's $5600 in ammo. Pistol is only worth $900.
 
Last edited:
I don't find the .40 as snappy as many do. However, I think it behaves better, like most cartridges, when you can keep a little more gun around the bullet. In single stacks I prefer the lower recoil of the 9mm or more of the hard push of a .45. However, I had an FNS-40c that I really liked. Closer to a 23 or 27 in size than a 43, but it did the job well and was designed around the .40 so wear wasn't a huge issue.

Any of the SA XD line would do well. You can also seem to find lightly shot Shields in .40. The internet has convinced itself that because the 9mm is starting to become top dog with LEO and .Gov agents that .40 is some how a dead cartridge. Basically ignoring millions of guns in circulation that will still need to eat for generations to come. If I can find GAP on the shelves today, then they could stop producing .40 guns completely tomorrow and you'd still find boxes of .40 for sale 20 years from now. It's a round that I think will be looked at more favorably in the years to come when it's not cool to hate on it anymore.

It does seem to beat guns to death a little more than 9mm or .45, but my God if you manage to destroy a gun by shooting it too much and you're NOT a competitive shooter, then that's a good long life for a durable good.
 
It was mentioned earlier that .40 is ill-advised by some in a compact gun. I wouldn't take that advice to size down to a 9mm, but instead, take it to size up from anything as small as a G43. The 43 was in many ways sized-down to minimal dimensions and specifications for 9mm. Practically, it was 9mm squeezed into something almost identical to the .380 "42." That's not to say that a smaller 9mm is impossible, but the 43 is certainly on the minimal end of 9's. What you're asking for is the "Best 40 S&W" in that size? Be more practical. If you're certain you want a .40, look for something that's bigger than a minimalist, compact, single-stack 9.
 
My G23 has been my go to for nearly 22 years. Any smaller and I really believe recoil is a factor. I do like my buddy's shield in .40sw a lot but don't really see the advantage over 9mm these days. My G43 is plenty powerful and I don't feel undergunned. That said I feel like my G23 is a fairly good step up in round capacity and fire power. It truly is as small as I want to go in .40. I like a 9mm better in a compact pistol.
 
My (medium), my wife's (tiny), and my father's (large) hands all really like the Springfield XD-S. A buddy with thicker hands prefers the S&W Shield. When I went looking for a sub-compact .40, I looked at both. The Shield just didn't point as naturally for me as the XD-S, but either would be a fine choice.
 
I haven't used the 43. I have carried a glock 27 since I turned 21. If fired beside a 9mm the recoil is definitely more snappy. But not noticable normally. I have big hands and don't want anything smaller, as far as wearing, mine was an LE trade in when I got it with an unknown round count (although it looked new so it had to be rather low) and I've put roughly 10k through it. It's had 2- 8 dollar recoil spring assemblies. And I have changed the firing pin spring and cups. (I wanted a new spring and maritime cup.... just because) My 229 and 226 show more wear in the frame rails than anything on that glock with far less rounds through them, bit I'm told the color changing on the rails is "normal". My 27 has never malfunctioned, even when the spring assembly broke and wasn't captive. Neither has the 229. Both dwarf the 43 in size And weight. The usp is even bigger. My guns aren't typically ran dirty or dry either. Ive seen many guns fail after a few thousand rounds without cleaning or oiling in training. No reason for a ccw piece to be subject to that in the real world.
 
This is a very subjective topic, but I'd say a good lot of options are M&P Shield, XD-S, or Watlther PPS for something super slim and compact, for something more in the subcompact range for a striker gun, Glock 27, Sig P320 Sub Compact, or XD Subcompact; for something in the hammer fired range, subcompact range, HK P30SK, HK P2000SK, Sig P239, CZ RAMI; in the medium sized striker category, there' s Glock 23, Walther PPQ, Walther P99, or Sig P320 Compact; for a hammer fired medium sized gun, Sig P229, HK USP Compact, HK P2000, or Sig SP2022.
 
In that size class I think a Shield is pretty tough to beat for the money, and the 2.0 version has a better trigger and a really nice grip texture. I think you give up one round compared to the 9mm, but if 6+1 with a spare 7 of 40 cal isn't enough to get you out of trouble I think it's fair to say it just isn't your day.
 
Please do NOT denigrate
or try to convince me 9mm is just as good
I found it funny how some tried to convince the OP anyway!

It does seem to beat guns to death a little more than 9mm or .45
Not trying to split hairs, but it does not beat the gun to death without extreme hard headedness on the part of the shooter. The CC size 40S&W with a worn out recoil spring beats the shooter up with increased recoil to the point where you will not desire to fire the handgun for long. Once the shooter realizes they need a fresh recoil spring and replaces it, the recoil is back to normal.

Opinions are subjective, but the three best 40S&W CCW's are the G27, the S&W M&P40c (or the 3.6" M&P 2.0 Compact), and the HK P2000sk. Yes, all three are double stack subcompacts. They give a wider grip for absorbing recoil. They can take the full size mags of their "big brothers." They meet that intersection of being reliable, shootable, accurate, and easily carried.
 
The smallest size I'm comfortable with is the XDS. Nominal recoil and amazing accuracy.

The below group is a 5-shot group at 25yds with a rest. With cheap ammo. I've done it many times with this pistol.

IMG_20170216_144257959_HDR.jpg

My second favorite pistol in .40 S&W is the S&W M&P40c, which holds ten rounds...

JwV2oe9tvf1NCD1FgoGKHYSlYCUkK_86-zUnB_xdAkIpX92IB.jpg

Those are my two favorite carry pistols. I recently acquired a Glock 19 for primary carry, but it just doesn't carry as well as the M&P. And the M&P is dirt cheap now. I bought the above one with night sights off of CDNN for $349 brand new.
 
My usual CC is a SAI XD40sc with Trijicon night sights. I carry it with the short magazine with a Pearce Grips extender for my pinky finger without extending the heel of the butt. I have no trouble concealing it. It has never had a hiccup in more than 1,000 rounds at the range. I see no advantage to an XDs but I have large hands so a double stack is fine by me.. I am also pleased to report that in 15 years of concealed carry, my CC gun has never left its holster. G-d willing, it never will.
 
It really depends on what you prefer. I’m currently carrying a Walther PPQ M2 in .40 only because it’s winter time and I can carry in an OWB holster and can conceal the larger pistol with over garments. In the summer time with shorts and a light shirt I move to a smaller framed Kahr CW 45 or Taurus PT 111 G2 because it’s easier to IWB without a whole lot of printing.

Bottom line, concealed is just that, not printing so bad you might as well open carry...lol
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top