UrbanHermit
member
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2020
- Messages
- 242
Caliber debates tend to be one of the most popular recurring discussion topics in handgun shooting forums. Typically, it is conventional defensive pistol rounds that are being compared, the 9mm, 45acp, 40SW, etc.
I don't know which round is "better", but I do know that the 40SW has a very specific, unique, and highly significant advantage over the competition, and I've scarcely ever seen it mentioned in the hundreds of caliber debate threads and videos I've seen over the years.
What that is is the fact that ALL 40SW FMJ ammo utilizes a flat nose design with a broad metplat. That, combined with it's relatively large diameter, means that ALL 40SW ammunition is viable defensive ammunition, not just hollow points that cost $1.25/round. With most other cartridges, including the 9mm and 45ACP, the effectiveness of their FMJ offerings, which constitute probably 80% of the ammunition floating around for these cartridges, is significantly limited by utilizing round nose bullet design, which is meaningfully inferior at creating permanent wound cavities.
So if you have a 40 and can't find your favorite HP load or can't afford it because of corona or other factors, you'll be just fine using any cheap 50 round box of range ammo you find. You could probably even kill a deer with it and get a useful blood trail. Based on what I've seen in tests, I would take 40SW FMJ over 45ACP hardball, the effectiveness of the metplat seems to overshadow the extra .05" of bullet diameter. 40SW FMJ is probably superior to any semiauto service cartridge in history prior to the development of modern hollow point technology.
I think this is easily the single most important advantage the 40SW has, yet I don't think I've ever once seen it mentioned on the internet. How odd. Maybe it's because the kinds of people who understand the effectiveness of flat nose bullets are handgun hunters who don't hang out in defensive shooting forums.
I don't know which round is "better", but I do know that the 40SW has a very specific, unique, and highly significant advantage over the competition, and I've scarcely ever seen it mentioned in the hundreds of caliber debate threads and videos I've seen over the years.
What that is is the fact that ALL 40SW FMJ ammo utilizes a flat nose design with a broad metplat. That, combined with it's relatively large diameter, means that ALL 40SW ammunition is viable defensive ammunition, not just hollow points that cost $1.25/round. With most other cartridges, including the 9mm and 45ACP, the effectiveness of their FMJ offerings, which constitute probably 80% of the ammunition floating around for these cartridges, is significantly limited by utilizing round nose bullet design, which is meaningfully inferior at creating permanent wound cavities.
So if you have a 40 and can't find your favorite HP load or can't afford it because of corona or other factors, you'll be just fine using any cheap 50 round box of range ammo you find. You could probably even kill a deer with it and get a useful blood trail. Based on what I've seen in tests, I would take 40SW FMJ over 45ACP hardball, the effectiveness of the metplat seems to overshadow the extra .05" of bullet diameter. 40SW FMJ is probably superior to any semiauto service cartridge in history prior to the development of modern hollow point technology.
I think this is easily the single most important advantage the 40SW has, yet I don't think I've ever once seen it mentioned on the internet. How odd. Maybe it's because the kinds of people who understand the effectiveness of flat nose bullets are handgun hunters who don't hang out in defensive shooting forums.