Question about .40 S&W

[Bobson]

I really don't know much about .40 S&W, but in the past, I had heard that .40 is basically the "perfect blend of 9mm and .45ACP." I had always heard great things about the caliber.

Then recently in a couple THR threads, I read some vague comments from people who seem to think very little of .40, but I couldn't really see why.

What are your thoughts on it? What are some its' benefits and drawbacks?

All I really know about it is that it was developed by the FBI, and a lot of LE agencies use it today.

Thanks for the help.

 

[Mr.Blue]

Opinions are like a-holes, everyone has one and most of them stink.
You will hear people praise the .40S&W and people trash it. Just ask yourself "why is it the most popular law enforcement caliber in the US?". That doesn't mean that it is the best handgun caliber, but it certainly points to it being effective.

I'm a .45acp guy myself, but I have a .40 pistol in my collection. If you are just starting out, I'd steer you towards 9mm. If you're more seasoned, .40 S&W is a fine choice. I only say this because 9mm is a more mild round and will allow you to get the basics of shooting down, rather than developing a flinch.

Of the three main service calibers, .40 would be my 3rd choice. I like the size and power of the .45acp for self defense. I like the 9mm for it's quick follow up shots, caacity, and cheap cost. I use the 9mm in action pistol shooting.

If I had one bullet in my gun and had to make that one shot count, I'd rank them .45acp, .40sw, 9mm.

 

[duns]

Choosing between the three involves thinking about ballistics, magazine capacity, cost of ammo, and accuracy/speed of follow up shots. The gun(s) as well as the caliber will enter into the assessment. I think the ballistics of all three are near enough with top loads that a person might well make the decision based on factors other than ballistics. Everyone's trade-offs are going to be different. No right or wrong choice here IMO.

 

[JEB]

i dont know if its the "perfect" blend of 9mm and .45 but i do like it. i think that the .40's greatest quality is that its bigger than i 9mm but still allows substantually more capacity than a similar sized .45. also it has a proven track record of effectivness so it is a good option for self defense. also, since it is the most commonly used caliber by law enforcement, ammunition is typically verry easy to come by at almost any place that sells ammo.

wouldnt hurt to shoot one before you buy one if at all possible. some people say that they are too snappy for their taste; i personally dont have a problem with it.

 

[9mmepiphany]

All I really know about it is that it was developed by the FBI, and a lot of LE agencies use it today.

Well, one half of that statement is true

The .40 S&W wasn't developed by the FBI...it wasn't even their idea.

The FBI adopted the 10mm Norma cartridge for it's superior penetration...they have a history of this with the Colt .38 Super and the S&W .357 Magnum...but they downloaded it for controlablity in their special S&W M-1076. The cartridge manufacturers saw that they could replicate the ballistics of the light 10mm in a shorter case and stuff the resulting cartridge into a 9mm sized platform, which would fit a wider variety of hand sizes.

The relationship of the 10mm and the .40 is the same as that between the .357 Magnum and the .38 Special

 

[Kiln]

Get yourself a nice, heavy, full size pistol and the .40 recoil isn't too bad. My XDM .40 feels like a 9mm and is comfortable to fire. I can only imagine how light the recoil would be with a XDM 9mm. I started on a .25 auto and got pretty good then changed to a .40 compact...it taught me how to flinch because of the powerful upward recoil. Now after more experience I can do much better with the compact than before.

If you get a .40 go with a full size (at least until you learn them well) and then when you're comfortable switch to a compact if you want. The important thing is to get something heavy enough to absorb recoil, something that has decent accuracy without tinkering/mods, and something that is sturdy enough to shoot as often as you like.

Best of luck, let us know what you end up going with if anything.

 

[hammerklavier]

Most people who hate the 40 are 10mm fans who feel the 40 came along and killed the 10mm as a commercially popular round. These people often refer to the 40 s&w as 'short and weak'

 

[Cloudwraith]

My Glock 23 .40 was my first purchased pistol. I've rented a lot of range pistols from .22 to .45 and settled on a .40 compact for carry. It is the snappiest of all of the calibers I've tried (I've not fired a 10mm) but easily manageable with a little practice.

As for price, I have a LoneWolf 9mm conversion barrel that allows me to shoot 9mm for range and plinking almost like having 2 guns in one.

As for carry, capacity was a factor for me in a compact. 15 vs 8 (or less) was a good trade for a little less caliber. My concern was facing more than 1 BG at a time and while I realize that proper magazine reload techniques could help with less capacity, I'm not good enough yet to have that variable in the mix.

 

[Red October]

9mmepiphany pretty much nailed it.
The 10mm first appeared in the Bren X, and began to show up in some other brands after it came on the public radar.
After the FBI adopted the 10mm (in Colt Delta Elite pistols) there were some complaints about recoil and its effect on follow up shots. There were some widely circulated rumors regarding cracked frames and slides from the stout recoil, although I personally have never found any firsthand confirmation of this. The FBI put pressure on the ammo manufacturers to release some lighter loads for the 10mm, which they did. This led S&W to jump on the idea and create the .40. Shortly after the .40's creation, the FBI switched, as did a few other agencies (like the VA State Police).
I don't know if I would call .40 the "perfect" anything, because I'm not convinced that the perfect round is out there, but it isn't a bad choice. It can be a little snappy in polymer handguns, but isn't bad in steel framed ones.

 

[voyager4520]

The only real benefit I've seen to .40 is that it's more likely to be available during an ammo shortage. In early 2009 when ammo was in short supply it was very difficult to find 9mm and .45, but there was only one time that I couldn't find .40. All other times I went looking for .40, not only could I find it but I had a selection to choose from. It's popular enough to be on store shelves but not so popular that it's sold out during times of high demand.

 

[rcmodel]

I only say this because 9mm is a more mild round and will allow you to get the basics of shooting down, rather than developing a flinch.

+1

Both my adult sons refuse to shoot my .40 Glock 23 on an indoor range due to the severe muzzle blast.

They will run me dry of ammo for my .45 ACP's or 9mm's though.

rc

 

[b0gEy87]

The 40sw recoil is more snappy than 9mm, however, much of the felt recoil depends on the size and weight of your gun. My friends full size 40sw is much softer recoiling than my compact. Ammo cost is a little bit higher for 40sw than 9mm.

 

[Alpha Wolf]

As stated the 40 is like a short light 10mm.
Similar to the 38 spl vs 357 mag

I chose it as the energy on impact is close to a 45acp. Smaller bullet moving faster. I found it to be a good balance of ballistics/energy/size/cost and you can swap barrels and shoot 357 sig too.

 

[LiveLife]

I had heard that .40 is basically the "perfect blend of 9mm and .45ACP." I had always heard great things about the caliber.

I started out with both 9mm and 45ACP then added 40S&W.

I don't think it is a "perfect" blend of 9mm and 45ACP as each of the caliber has their merits that are not present in the 40S&W (9mm - mild recoil/accuracy/capacity and 45ACP - great terminal impact/accuracy/who cares about capacity if one or two rounds will get the job done? ).

For me, instead of a "perfect blend", 40S&W was a "compromise" between 9mm and 45ACP. With sufficient practice, it allowed me to shoot rather accurate with manageable recoil. I can still shoot 9mm faster and feel more confident with 45ACP. I now happily use 40S&W as a viable SD/HD option.

I didn't transition to 40S&W, I merely added the caliber because it was easier for me to meet match power factor and 40S&W bullets were cheaper than 45ACP.

I think LE went to 40S&W with among many notions that they got to carry larger caliber bullets with greater ballistics/terminal energy with the same 15 round capacity that was common of 9mm pistols back then. The SD/PD LEOs I have shot with have claimed that 40S&W has shown greater terminal effect than 9mm they used to carry.

 

[Maple_City_Woodsman]

Two sides of the coin:

One camp views it as more capacity than 45, with more diameter and power than 9mm.

The other camp views it as less capacity then 9mm, with less diameter than 45.

Basically it boils down to whether you view the glass as 1/2 full, or 1/2 empty.

 

[carbuncle]

I like the .40, I always enjoy shooting it. Nice pop, power, fair accuracy. I'm not an either/or kind of guy though, I like 9mm & .45 along with a host of other calibers.

 

[RightCoastBiased]

I find myself to be less effective of a shooter with the .40. So I don't own one or have any plans to. But it does have a good track record in the US with law enforcement. I suppose it could be argued that if most LE agencies issued 9mm or 45 that they would have equally as great of a track record, but I suppose that doesn't matter.

I personally carry a 9mm all day and a .45 at night for work.

 

[nathan]

i carry the Glock 23 and love it. The recoil of .40 sw is not that bad, just to get used to it. For me, .40 SW is the way to go.

 

[justice06rr]

I've owned three 40cal pistols and the only downside I can say is the snappy recoil, even in a full size 40. sure its a decent compromise between the 9mm and 45 when it comes to size and capacity, but with modern cartriges and firearms these days you can get as good balistics and capacity in a 9mm and 45cal.

On that note, i still carry a 40cal subcompact but would like to go back to a 9mm as it is easier and cheaper to shoot.

 

[SmokeJensen]

First off. 40s&w is my round of choice. I only have one other caliber (9mm) that I recently picked up.

Now the key to controlling the "snappy" recoil is to find a gun that fits your hand perfectly. If the grip is just a touch too big then the gun feels as if it will jump right out your hand. You must be able to wrap you shooting hand fully around the grip. Interchangeable grips and back straps are great for form fitting to your hand. Once you find a platform that fits like a glove then the forty will simply be another caliber and it will lose all "snappyness". Promise.

Oh and also, don't go out and put 200 rounds of 9mm or .380 down range then pick up your forty. The difference to a new shooter will be kinda scary. If you wanna shoot a smaller caliber just wait until your done shooting your forty. Unless your feeling adventureous or are experienced.

I personally think the forty gives a good balance between capacity and power and size. If Springfield made an XD that held 14 or 16 .45acp rounds in a 9mm frame, I would buy a dozen. Or if the g17 held 17 10mm rounds, I would buy 2 dozen. It is all in a balance in size, capacity, and power. The forty is good in all 3 aspects. Some call it a compromise, some call it over rated, and some live by it. Try it and come to your own conclusion.

I hope I helped.


Sent from my HTC Sensation 4G using Tapatalk

 

[LiveLife]

Managing 40S&W recoil is not that bad with proper use of techniques - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=617385