The FBI thought the 10mm had too much power and recoil for the average shooter,
Actually I have been told by several Special Agents involved in the adoption of the 40 by the FBI that a specific sub-group of special agents couldn't handle the recoil of the 10mm in the chosen handgun, and had problems qualifying, so the PC gurus couldn't let this sub-group look bad, so they had the .40 S&W made.
When it first cam out I thought it was a great combination, heavier and more effective than the 9mm at that time, and just a bit smaller to allow it to be used in existing high capacity handgun designs. Brilliant! Then reality set in.
and from law enforcement reports, it seems to be very effective at neutralizing threats rapidly.
Here's one .... personal experience....point blank range, round penetrated the side window of a pickup truck at point-blank range, passed through suspect's left forearm missing bone,
and bounced OFF the suspect's chest! Glock 22 & Federal Hydroshock ammunition. So much for
rapid neutralization.
The .40 loaded with 165 grain JHP has a velocity of about 1050 fps and 397 ft/pds of energy at 50 yards. This is "factory" ammo.
In comparison, a .45 loaded with a 165 grain JHP has 980 fps and 350 ft/pds of energy at 50 yards
That's all well and dandy..., folks can compare ballistic charts all day long, but for me
the proof is in the pudding, and had I had a 230 grain .45 acp ball load coming out of a Government 1911A1, instead of that .40 S&W Hydroshock, the fight would've been over.
MY ADVICE is twofold. First burn your ballistic muzzle velocity and energy charts, and start testing ammo for penetration on things like car windows, car doors, metal trash cans, clothing, and bone & soft tissue. Second, I noticed that those folks who think the .40 S hort & W eak is such a great round also advocate a very "hot" load in that cartridge which they have the liberty to choose (I am bound to use issued ammo), so by all means
use the hottest ammunition you can possibly handle.
It's possible the load is to blame not the handgun or the cartridge design itself, but I am confident that any factory .45 acp 230 grain ball load would've out performed what happened to me last year. If I had a choice I'd carry my Para in .45 acp. I might not be so lucky next time, and I'd rather KNOW the round will put the bad guy out of the fight, rather than HOPE it will do what it's supposedly touted to do.
LD