Original for the .40 Caliber

[combatantr2]

1911 started out as the .45ACP
The Hi-power as the 9mm
The glock in 17/9mm

So, what pistol started out as the first .40? If theres one is this better than the G22, the 96, BHP .40 or any other .40 out there? Or the adaptation from other makers is better, reliable and more rugged than the first one?

 

[Mortech]

I believe the S&W 4006 start out being designed for the 40S&W round in the early 90's . As for the more modern follow it I believe the Steyr M40 was the first polymer that was designed from the ground up to handle it .

 

[BlkHawk73]

I was thinking the USP was before the M40. I know it was a very early .40 and was actually designed around the .40 cartridge rather than being a 9mm beefed up.

 

[CPshooter]

Sig P229? Not sure though..

 

[combatantr2]

Im thinking of an S&W pistol since .40 S&W is for SMITH & WESSON. I could be wrong though.

 

[Powderman]

The Smith and Wesson .4006 was the original handgun designed for the .40 caliber cartridge. The California Highway Patrol was the first agency to be issued the 4006.

 

[inherentical]

I believe the Steyr M9, M40, and M357 were designed around the .40 caliber, which is part of why the M9 such a beefy 9mm compared to others.

 

[Rexster]

The P229 was indeed originally a .40, but its lower unit was basically that of the P228. The first .40 S&W pistols were of course made by S&W, and one of the parameters of the .40 S&W was that it work in pistols in the same size envelope as 9mm; S&W did not want to add another frame size between the M59-series and M45-series. The S&W M4006, if my memory is correct, was the first .40 pistol, not counting prototypes and various custom chamberings in various pistols; a wildcat .40 in a browning HP comes to mind.

 

[Rexster]

IIRC, the M4006 and P229 worked well from the beginning. Other companies that went too quickly, without enough R&D, in building .40s based on their 9s, tended to have issues. I think the Browning HP in .40 S&W worked well from the start, too, as Browning made it with the slide plenty massive enough. The companies that had problems tended to not make the slides heavy enough, generally speaking.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

Maybe the SigPro? I've read that the Sigma was designed around the .40; don't know if it's fact or not. The FNP.

 

[Devonai]

According to Chuck Taylor in The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery, 4th edition, while S&W designed the eponymous cartridge, Glock actually beat the 4006 to production with the M22, by several months.

I'm with my esteemed colleague from Maine as far as the first polymer pistol "engineered around the .40;" I remember reading that it was the H&K USP.

 

[Desertscout]

The "S&W" means that the .40 S&W is a proprietary cartridge and, in and of itself, has nothing to do with who made the first gun for it. However, the 4006 WAS the first .40 to be designed and, as Chuck says, the Glock 22 actually hit the shelves first making it the first .40 handgun to be available to the public.

 

[10-Ring]

The USP / USPc both started their existences' as 40 cals...

 

[Harley Quinn]

I also was going to mention the "Glock 22" was the turning point for the 40 S&W.

Glock has been the leader (9mm) ever since the late 80's. Now, it is over 20 years they have held that position.

You can dislike them or like them or don't care, but the simple matter is...
They really helped the hand gun market...Good or bad that is the simple truth.

In CA the S&W (pistol and round) 40 cal is used by several of the states agencies, CHP and Parole. While many LEO agencies use the Glock and Sig.
Overwealming amount of pistols out there in 40 cal.

Funny really the 10mm was the Bren 10, (produced in CA.). So much for throwing the baby out with the bath water