what's the deal on .40 SW?

[DR505]

Now THAT makes a lot of sense. It also makes me further question if the FBI really are the gurus of handgun terminal ballistics that many think they are.

I remember a few years back the FBI had a shooting. The subject was driving and the bullets were fired at the windshield. The .45 ACP at the time, the non-bonded version of the Golden Saber was used and it failed miserably. Not all of the rounds penetrated the windshield, and those that made it through did not reach the vitals. The .40 S&W that was also fired ended the subject. Overnight the non-bonded ammo was relegated to practice ammo and a purchase of bonded .45 ACP Golden Saber was made immediately. They almost pulled all .45 ACP guns from service, but decided to retire them when they came in for service or when they hit their max service life, and replace them with 9mm.

Another bit of data to weigh into the mix: the allowed expenditure per agent for ammunition remained static from 1998 until at least when I retired in 2019...no increase to account for inflation, etc. So, one can buy a whole lot more 9mm for a given number of dollars than one can buy .40 or .45 ACP.

 

[kimberkid]

I’ve got two 40S&W’s, I still have both and have no intention of getting rid of them, not because I like the round but because I have about 400 rounds on the shelf and I have 9mm barrels for them as well

The 40 is okay but for for killing paper it’s pretty expensive … it shoot well in my CZ Sport Tactical and for those of you that don’t know, it’s a full size steel gun so it’s heft really tames the recoil & muzzle flip.

My second 40 S&W is a Glock 23. Having 400 rounds of 40, I was wanting something more concealable than the CZ, so I picked up a used but like-new Glock23 … it’s the same size as the Glock19 but being so light it turned out to be a really poor choice for for me and the 40. I’m sure I could learn to control it better with more practice, but I don’t get to the range that often so I’m just not interested so I dropped a spare 19 barrel I have and it works perfectly and shoots as well as my 19.

 

[Master Blaster]

40 S&W the cases that get stuck inside a .45 acp case, and fool me into picking them up because they look like 9mm or .45 acp.

 

[Master Blaster]

Glock released 5 new 40S&W models this year.
https://us.glock.com/en/Pistols?filter=40sundw

Off topic....they gave John Hinkley an unconditional release today despite having shot a US president in the lung (among others). And he is no longer prohibited from buying a firearm.

Really?? I am 100 % sure being committed to a Mental Hospital by a judge would disqualify him forever... As well as convictions for felony assault and attempted murder.

 

[Tom-R2]

I bought and shot my first 40 pistol (a Glock 23c) about 4 years ago. It also came with a 357SIG barrel. I kinda liked the 40, I bought some cases and reloaded them. I really liked the 357SIG too. Since then, I have purchased 3 additional 40s, one of them also sports a 357SIG barrel too. I like shooting all of my guns, revolvers, pistols, rifles or shotguns. Each handgun has it's own advantages and disadvantages compared between them. I'm not going to be critical of any of them. I will just keep shooting them as long as I am alive.

 

[bdickens]

Apparently they don't teach critical thinking in school.

I'm just pulling numbers out of the air here, but if it takes 20 seconds for someone to bleed out (smaller bullet) vs 15 seconds ( larger bullet), what difference does that really make when he is on top of you in 1.5 seconds?

 

[mavracer]

Apparently they don't teach critical thinking in school.

I'm just pulling numbers out of the air here, but if it takes 20 seconds for someone to bleed out (smaller bullet) vs 15 seconds ( larger bullet), what difference does that really make when he is on top of you in 1.5 seconds?

Well since in the ensuing struggle it took him 15 more seconds to fatally stab you it made a lot.

 

[C-grunt]

Apparently they don't teach critical thinking in school.

I'm just pulling numbers out of the air here, but if it takes 20 seconds for someone to bleed out (smaller bullet) vs 15 seconds ( larger bullet), what difference does that really make when he is on top of you in 1.5 seconds?

These types of statements are pure hypothetical and have no basis in real life. There is no way to determine how a person is going to react after being shot unless you destroy the upper areas of the central nervous system. You're gonna have to continue fighting the guy as long as he is fighting you. Kinda like the old Ron White joke "How far will the plane fly with no engine? All the way to the scene of the crash".

 

[BreechFace]

Bullet performance didn't evolve at different times for each caliber all handgun bullets in the 80s were basic cup and core, the technology that has made 9mm bullets better has also made 40 bullets better.

A big part of new technology making the 9mm better in greater amounts than the 40 and 45 is due to the fact that the controlled expansion bullets created a scenario where the 9mm penetrated enough while expanding at greater diameters than older bullet tech.

The added mass of 40 and 45 where already allowing for good balanced penetration and expansion. Thus, the bullet technology had a greater effect for the 9mm while maintaining its capacity and split time advantages.

 

[Gordon]

I posted in Jest about reboring 9mm barrels to .40 in the future, I think it may have been removed in this DOA thread. BUT the FACTS are (from "Politic Facts" website fact checkers) is this statement was made a a recent Town Hall by Pres. Biden: 'Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9-mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?'"
So there is the future of 9mm ? Wouldn't you rather have 10 .40s than 9s ?
I'm serious.

 

[C-grunt]

Wouldn't you rather have 10 .40s than 9s ?
I'm serious.

I can see why people would choose a bigger bullet if capacity is limited. For me though, I'll still take the recoil advantage of the 9mm. Others would rather have the bigger bullet. Every handgun choice is a compromise, you just got choose which compromise to live with.

 

[WrongHanded]

I posted in Jest about reboring 9mm barrels to .40 in the future, I think it may have been removed in this DOA thread. BUT the FACTS are (from "Politic Facts" website fact checkers) is this statement was made a a recent Town Hall by Pres. Biden: 'Why should we allow people to have military-style weapons including pistols with 9-mm bullets and can hold 10 or more rounds?'"
So there is the future of 9mm ? Wouldn't you rather have 10 .40s than 9s ?
I'm serious.

I think the real answer is that many would rather keep the 9mm and go down in gun size to the smallest, lightest, hardest to shoot micro pistol that 10 rounds of 9mm can possibly fit into. Probably because to a lot of people, carrying a pistol is about feeling safe. Provided they can get enough positive feedback that what they carry is "good enough", they're content to carry less than they could.

 

[Gordon]

I can see why people would choose a bigger bullet if capacity is limited. For me though, I'll still take the recoil advantage of the 9mm. Others would rather have the bigger bullet. Every handgun choice is a compromise, you just got choose which compromise to live with.

TRUE !
I was always a 1911 .45acp guy pretty much , and the other calibers were just interesting and fun . I got my Glock 17 in 1990 and all tho it was obviously reliable, more so than ANY previous pistol I had shot , it even worked with the dirt cheap surplus ammo I shot thousands of round with and learned to double tap to take down my .45acp calibrated steel poppers .
However , when I applied for and got hired by Detroit Diesel as a Contractor to go to 'Stan in 2006 I went and got training in the Beretta 92 which I did not have training in but was told I could get my hands on one and a half dozen or more 17 round mags full of 9mm sounded like the best EDC over there for sure ! Nowadays the 92 is on my old Safariland raid vest in my sons closet with 6 19 round mags as its too heavy for me to move fast with !
I EDC a Walther PPS .40 with a RDS melted and 7 round mags .

 

[Gordon]

I think the real answer is that many would rather keep the 9mm and go down in gun size to the smallest, lightest, hardest to shoot micro pistol that 10 rounds of 9mm can possibly fit into. Probably because to a lot of people, carrying a pistol is about feeling safe. Provided they can get enough positive feedback that what they carry is "good enough", they're content to carry less than they could.

TRUE ! , even of this old guy ! Why I carry a Walther PPS EDC with RDS melted in . I have them in .40 and 9mm and either makes me feel well armed.