Ouch, dang the 40SW

[judgedelta]

Since you've already got a full-size Glock 40, why not try a 9mm conversion barrel. I've got a gen. 3 Mod. 23 with a Storm Lake 9mm barrel that is a real pussycat.

 

[joem1945]

The only 40 I have is a CZ75. I changed the grips to Hogue with finger grooves and it's much better. Only load I shoot is 165 gr bullets.

 

[boatdoc173]

you might try a H+K VP40 or walther ppq in 40. I love both of mine(9mm though)

I love shooting my cz p-06(hammer fired though) in 40 and tolerate the glock 23 but for only 100 rounds--then ouch

 

[Zerodefect]

"Ya'll got city hands."
-Quint




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fO2-LrnybZk

 

[Shootshellz]

Try a slip-on Tactical Grip Glove from Pachmayr.

 

[show_me_2nd]

I just don't understand all the .40 caliber is so painful and ridiculously hard to shoot. I totally get 9mm is easier to get back on target and easier to master putting rounds on target but .40 certainly isn't some monster round.

I mean have folks never shot .357 magnum?

I have SIGS and HKs in .40 and they are pussycats frankly.

Now SiG and HK designed their pistols around .40 and scaled down vs Glock scaling up and you can absolutely feel that but the G22 isn't punishing by any means. Snappy yeah but not punishing.

I guess I have grown up shooting .45, 357 magnum as well as spent a fair bit of time with snub nose revolvers that recoil isn't all that bad to me unless you get really light and powerful. (Those Smith and Wesson scandium pipe bombs are a little crazy. ). 44 magnum can get pretty energetic.

I know recoil is subjective and I am not disparaging or saying that it's impossible that it would be painful to somebody nor am I saying that it is not true that 90% of shooters will likely be faster with 9mm and there is almost no ballistic difference. But I have a hard time wrapping my head around .40 being so energetic.

To each their own

cslinger, I had to chuckle when I read your post. Reminded me of the day I went to the range and put 100 rds of .357 magnum through my 3" SP101 and 50 rds through a rental Glock .40 S&W, just because I could. The web of my thumb was a little raw for a few days, but it was just plain fun. Boom boom BOOM. I've a Sig P229 in .40 now and love shooting it so much I got the barrel to convert it to .357 Sig. Must be sumfin wrong with me I reckon.

 

[Dean1818]

I had a Bersa 40 that kicked hard, my wife hated it

For some reason my Shield 40 doesnt bother her.

My 229 in 40 is tame

I am a creature of habit. I like the 40 because of its barrier performance
(glass steel) seems to be significantly better than a 9mm

There isnt the huge differnce there used to be in bullets vs 9mm in softer targets but there is still a +20% difference in energy.

The 40 takes some practice to get a second accurate shot off, buts its very doable.

Good luck.... If you go 9mm its still a great choice for many reasons

 

[WardenWolf]

My advice: ditch .40 entirely. It has severe bullet setback issues, and as little as 1/10 of an inch can double the pressure, blowing up your gun. This is why Glocks in .40 have a reputation for blowing up. My friend nearly blew up his XD with a setback round. I caught him before he rechambered it.

That combined with the fact that .40 has no real ballistic advantage over quality 9mm or .45 ammo means you'll be far better off with a softer-shooting 9.

 

[greenlion]

If your .40 is "snappy and hard to control, it is because you are making it that way. The .40 was originally loaded as a 180gr bullet doing around 950fps. That is the round the FBI found to be very effective in many different situations. Later when the "faster is always better" crowd realized they could add a few hundred feet per second to it, they created the "snappy" .40 that everyone whines about. The original round is still very effective (more so with modern bullets) and still very pleasant to shoot. So are the 165gr loads when loaded to around 980fps.

Check out how well the lower velocity .40 loads did in this extensive ballistics gel test compared to even the +P 45ACP loads:
http://www.luckygunner.com/labs/self-defense-ammo-ballistic-tests/#380ACP

 

[agtman]

A reader writes, ...

Dear gentle reader:

If you find the .40 to be too "snappy" to abide, remember two things ....

First, the .40 is nothing more than a "short" 10mm cartridge - generating low-end 10mm energy - stuffed into a 9mm-size pistol. It was always a compromise round and therefore, given its design parameters, some degree of felt-snappiness is unavoidable.

Second, avoid shooting if at all possible the .40's parent cartridge, the 10mm AUTO.



The BIG 10mm's donkey-kick recoil has been documented to snap the wrists of, well, ... the limp-wristed.

The 10mm is the one cartridge few can handle. It's not for squishes.

 

[barnbwt]

Serious suggestion; clap hands together strongly a few times over a week, and you will acclimate to the snap.

Second suggestion, get a PX4 Storm. Very smooth, 9mm-like recoil when shooting the 40. Not sure if it's the weight, the lockup, or the grip (my money's on the comfortable grip) but it shoots nicely even for a duty-size gun.

TCB

 

[latisimusd]

Here's a really soft shooting 40S&W - CZ Tactical Sport :

 

[browningguy]

I shoot my .40's just fine, but I don't have any plastic framed striker fired guns. Steel framed single action pistols work really well. I do feel like the .40 would be pretty snappy in a light plastic framed pistol, and I don't mind them by the way, I've got several XD's and Walthers with plastic frames, but all in 9m and .380.

EAA Witness Elite Match:



Browning HiPower Mk III:

 

[fariagaurd]

Opinion on recoil from different pistols.

I recently read the FBI is dropping the .40 and going back to 9MM. Why? The improvement in bullet technology make the terminal performance gap between the two smaller. Not the same don't beat me up. Also the recoil is easier to manage and new recruits are more accurate with the 9 vs. .40. The nine will also hold more rounds in the same size of platform and ammo is less expensive. I realize I just started a forum war! Not my intention!

A family member just bought a S&W MP .40 and three of us took it to the range. We shoot all the time and Glocks, Sig, Kimber, Taurus, XD and Ruger are the flavors we use in .380, 9MM, .40, .45ACP. We shoot all of them well. We were excited to try the S&W MP as none of us had used one before.

We hated the S&W! Two of us lost purchase of the grip with our left hand (all right handed) on the first two shots from a slap in the face recoil. We use .40's all the time but this one was full of caffeine! It really surprised us and went back to the other brands listed with no problems. Maybe it's because we are all from the same gene pool LOL. You on the other hand like the S&W and don't care for Glocks. Keep experimenting and find one you shoot well.

 

[JDR]

I had a Gen4 Glock 22, my Gen4 Glock 21 is a major upgrade over that Glock 22

I miss the HK USP40 I had, that was a nice shooting gun, but my HK45 is a better shooting gun.

I had a CZ 75B in .40S&W that I had a lot of problems with, my CZ 75B 9mm is just a fantastic shooting gun.

I still have my Sig P226 in .40S&W, this is another great shooting gun that is well suited for this caliber.

 

[OilyPablo]

My opinion: Small Glocks and .40SW are stupidly snappy. No other gun I shoot .40SW feels that way. My Glock 20 is fun, Sig 226 and 229 are just downright comfy, and my .40SW Carbine is a smile maker.

 

[GoPappy]

I've got a Glock 27 .40SW. I recently bought a Lone Wolf 9mm barrel and some 9mm mags for it. So I can change from .40SW to 9mm and back in the same gun. That's about the best comparison I can think of.

In my experience so far, the .40SW is snappier than 9mm in the 27. But, while the difference is noticeable, it's not huge. 9mm is easier and more fun to shoot in it, but the .40SW is not punishing or unpleasant.

I would have no concerns about carrying the 27 in .40SW and being able to use it effectively in a SD situation.

 

[bflee]

I have a Xdm 40 and a Glock 17. I cant tell a hill of beans difference. I guess its because I work with my hands all the time. I like the Xdm grip angle and feel better though. To each his own I guess. I do remember when ammo got tight though that I could always buy 40 when you could not find 9. That doesnt matter if you have plenty though.

 

[PabloJ]

Ok, folks, I admit it, the 40SW hurts. This is my 4th 40SW pistol. I inititailly purchased a Taurus 92 version in 40SW, then traded it in for a Stoeger Cougar in 40SW, then eventaully sold it because I lost interested in it. I then purchased an XD 40 beause I had to have a pistol in 40SW. And being a Glock person, I saw a 4th Gen in coyote brown G22, which I had to have. I traded the XD or it. The Taurus and Stoeger being completely steel, I found the recoil very manageable. But when I fired the XD, it being mostly polymer, it snapped more. But the Glock is just too painful to shoot. I most probbaly can last 2 magazine with it shooting 165 gr before I give up.

FYI, for comparison, my 4th Gen Glock 17 shoots softly and i really enjoy the big push of my Colt Combat Elite 1911.

OK, would a SW MP40 be a good substitute forthe Glock 22. I am wanting a strike fire pistol.

It is obvious that .40S&W is too much gun for you. Find something less powerful that fits your hand(s) well.

 

[jmr40]

I've owned and shot numerous guns in numerous calibers. Hand me either a G19 in 9mm or G23 in 40 and don't tell me which it is and I can't tell you which is which after firing unless I look at the number stamped on it.

 

[bluestarlizzard]

I mean have folks never shot .357 magnum?

*snicker* My Dad gave me a S&W M-19 when I was 16. I never shot anything but .38 special out of it for a long, long, long time, because I was too chicken. All I'd ever heard was how nasty the recoil was.

Finally, after years of being little chicken, I put some .357 mag through it. The first shot, I flinched like a crazy person because I was expecting it to be *so* bad. Second shot, I did fine. Third shot... I looked over at my Dad and say "What the hell is everyone talking about?"

I did the same flinch and then "WTH?" routine with an airweight J frame in .38 special and a .454 Casull.


This may not come off as all that nice, but OP, IMHO, none of the standard common modern pistol calibers in a full sized pistol have enough recoil to actually hurt, unless the shooter has some undisclosed physical impairment in the hands and wrists. Even in the compacts and sub compacts, it's not enough to do more than bruise.

Fix your grip and stop whining.

 

[Zerodefect]

You'll love the G35. Very light recoil. Not a big deal at all. One of the best fullsize pistol out there.

 

[TarDevil]

I know recoil can be a personal thing, and I in no way mean this as critical... but I really can't tell any difference in recoil in my hand between 9mm and .40 SW in similar platforms. I DO notice slower follow up times due to higher muzzle rise.

Really, your choices are try different guns or switch to 9mm. I don't think you lose any effectiveness.

 

[Paul7]

Serious suggestion; clap hands together strongly a few times over a week, and you will acclimate to the snap.

Second suggestion, get a PX4 Storm. Very smooth, 9mm-like recoil when shooting the 40. Not sure if it's the weight, the lockup, or the grip (my money's on the comfortable grip) but it shoots nicely even for a duty-size gun.

TCB

It's the rotating barrel that makes it a soft shooter.

 

[helitack32f1]

I've owned and shot numerous guns in numerous calibers. Hand me either a G19 in 9mm or G23 in 40 and don't tell me which it is and I can't tell you which is which after firing unless I look at the number stamped on it.

+1 to that.