How many here have shifted to 40sw?

[RUT]

>>Nothing really wrong with the .40 S&W, just don't see a need for one right now.<<

Well, I don't have a "need" for half of the guns I own, so that argument doesn't really hold water.

 

[Hunter991]

I went from 9mm to 45. Why stop at 40 IMO

 

[JTQ]

jmr40 wrote,
The 40 is a slight improvement over both 45 and 9mm.

People don't like to admit it, with all the .40 Short & Weak talk, but jmr40 is correct, the typical .40S&W is more powerful than 9MM or .45 Auto. I'm primarily a .45 Auto shooter, but I can see how the .40 S&W would be a good round. I believe the .40 S&W ballistics are similar to those envisioned by Elmer Keith for the .41 Magnum as a police round, which I think was a 200-210 grain bullet at around 900fps. It makes sense the police would like the round, and also makes yet another case for Elmer Keith being a pretty smart gun guy.

 

[JohnBiltz]

Tried it, did not like it, went back to 9mm.

 

[greenlion]

I shoot as much 40 as I do 45 and 9mm now. It is a very versatile round, especially if you reload. You can load up very accurate soft recoiling target rounds. You can also buy very powerful defensive rounds in any flavor you want.

If you are a speed devotee, then use a 135gr going 1420fps. If you are a heavy-for-caliber person, use a 200 grain going 1100fps. If you are somewhere in between, the 180gr at 1120fps or a 165gr at 1150fps might be the ticket. If you don't like the snappy recoil, use the old FBI load which was a 180gr going 950fps, or the old "police lite" load which was a 165gr going 980fps.

You can make major in the shooting sports with it much easier than 9mm, and during the recent ammo hoarding, I saw more 40 available than 9mm or 45.

The 9mm sized 40 caliber guns fit my hands a little better than the 45's too.

A lot of the people who don't like the 40 are the shooters who absolutely HAVE to have the fastest most powerful ammo they can buy for it, and then complain that it is too snappy. It really isn't snappy at all if you buy ammo in the velocity range that it was originally marketed with.

 

[420Stainless]

I shifted from a .45 for awhile just because I never really liked carrying cocked and locked much. Now I have a pocket .45 and the .40 only goes along on car rides. Don't have any 9mm's except for an aftermarket barrel for the .40, but only keep in .40 mode for self defense. Won't ever get rid of the .40 since I really like the SIG 229, but I'm a Kahr .45 guy for the foreseeable future.

 

[fanchisimo]

I recently bought a police trade-in Gen 3 Glock 22. I have no doubts that the 9mm is a adequate round for self defense, but I bought the .40 because I can buy a barrel and some magazines and have a 9mm or a .357 Sig. As someone noted, .40 was a lot more available during recent months so in one pistol and some parts, I am able to shoot 3 calibers. That was my reasoning.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

First semi I owned was a 40. Hated the muzzle flip and went to a .45.

Happy now.

 

[Capt. Ct.]

I have mostly 9mm. A couple .45. Never gave a serious thought to .40. I don't need to start reloading yet another caliber. Why mess with .40 when I can go .45?

 

[flatlander937]

I like the idea of the .40 caliber cartridge(as far as size of bullets/velocity/capacity) but have yet to find a gun chambered in that round that I can shoot even reasonably accurately.

When I find that gun I'll buy it though


I have a 9mm Kahr CM9 and a .45 Colt 1911(Commander size) for reference. An in-betweener would be good with me.

 

[Sergei Mosin]

I am experimenting with the .40 at the moment. I bought one for a variety of reasons - I wanted to expand my cartridge options, I took a liking to the SIG DAK trigger, and the local Cabela's had a sale on police trade-in P229R DAK pistols.

What I like about the .40 - I subscribe to the theory that, all things being equal, bigger holes are better than smaller holes, and more holes are better than fewer holes. I'm also convinced by the statistical arguments set forth in this thread. The .40 seems to hit that sweet spot between 9mm capacity and .45 size.

What I don't like about the .40 - it's a bit snappy for some. It may not be all that much more effective than the 9mm, and if that's the case then more 9mm rounds are preferable. I need to do some more statistical analysis on this score. And if you can conceal a double-stack .45 - which I can - the .40 loses some of its appeal.

On balance I like the .40, but it's only one of several handgun cartridges I find acceptable for defensive work. No handgun cartridge is the Hammer of Thor. But the .40 is still pretty good.

 

[Screwball]

Have two .40 M&Ps... but really got them to have a dedicated .40 (also have a Beretta 96 conversion slide for my 92).

At the same token, I have .45, .380, .38 Special, 10mm, and 9mm. Issued a 9mm, so that is predominately what I prefer. My backup guns are either the .380 (Ruger LCP) or .38 Special (S&W 642), but going to pick up a SIG P938 to try and make ammo a little easier.

I like the .40, but not to the point where I see it as the "super" cartridge. All pistol cartridges pretty much suck for what they ultimately are intended for (defense).

 

[saturno_v]

The 40 is a slight improvement over both 45 and 9mm. The difference is small, but it is there. It is not a compromise between power and ammo capacity as is commonly thought, and there is a very good reason it dominated in the LE community. That is what I'd carry if I were in LE if given an option.

+1000

The .40 is not a compromise in power between a 9 and a 45....it is a cartridge that exceeds. 45 and matches 45 +P power level on a 9mm size platform and usually with higher round count than a 45.

 

[tarosean]

Just the opposite actually... Sold all 40's I had with the exception of one.

 

[J_McLeod]

I've sort of switched from 9 to .40. I usually carry a PF9 or my wife's XD9SC but sometimes carry a 4" XD40. I got it because I was looking for a bit more power and will probably never buy a .45 because I don't want to buy large and small primers. (I know some .45 have SPP, don't want to deal with it)

The first 40's I had tried were very snappy and I would never have considered buying a 40 until I started reloading. I haven't really worried about the 1-2 round capacity lost. Loaded with some HS-6 or Longshot I enjoy shooting it, but have considered going back to 9mm just to consilidate calibers among my pistols.

 

[Potatohead]

Thanks for the thread. Ive been thinking about making the switch from 9.

 

[wow6599]

A .40 cal bullet is fine......in 10mm

All kidding aside, I find the 40 S&W to have an odd, "flippy" recoil. Not the case with 9, 45 or 10. I have always found it odd that in my hands, a 10mm Glock has less (better?) felt recoil than a Glock 22....or S&W M&P40, etc..

For the same reason I won't buy .38 Special revolvers, I won't buy a 40 S&W.
If I don't care much for the cartridge, the platform needs to be versatile. .357 can take a .38, a 10mm can take a .40 - and I'm content not having a dedicated .40. YMMV

 

[P5 Guy]

My first pistol was a P5c (hence the screen name) and I have never entertained the idea of changing from 9mm.
Walther is long gone and I like my little G26 for carry, or a S&W 60. It is just my opinion but If I'm feeling the need for more power a rifle or shotgun is more fitting.

 

[orionengnr]

I have had at least a half dozen of them--first one was a G23, back in 92 or so.
Sold the last one probably five years ago, and there is not a .40 currently on the market that has my attention.

 

[Rittmeister]

I shoot 9mm and .45. I would consider a .40 though I did not care for the snappiness of the recoil on the Sig and Glock .40s I've shot; however, at this point I have no desire to add another caliber to my logistics train.

 

[Sauer Grapes]

I shifted to the 40 a few years ago, when I started shooting USPSA. I think it's great cartridge if your ''rolling'' your own ammo. I can download it to something near a 9mm for range work, or all the way up to SD levels.

 

[Robbins290]

Will never carry or shoot a 40 s&w. i keep one on hand, for scavenging ammo. Thats it, have no use for the cartridge.

 

[Hangingrock]

By the advent of the 40 S&W I was set in my ways with years of experience with the 45ACP and to a lesser degree the 9mm-Luger. Someone would have to give me a free S&W or Glock pistol along with ammunition before it would even perk my interest/curiosity.

 

[el Godfather]

+1000

The .40 is not a compromise in power between a 9 and a 45....it is a cartridge that exceeds. 45 and matches 45 +P power level on a 9mm size platform and usually with higher round count than a 45.

Please give us data with source.

 

[TEC]

Honestly, it was more the right pistol than the .40 caliber that made me switch. Have always liked my 9 mm Sig P225 and my 45 Sig P220, but when I picked up a Custom Shop Sig P229, and got the feel for the short reset trigger, the decision was easy.