Which subcompact in .40

[BP Hunter]

I am looking to purchasing, upgrading, my carry from a 9mm to a .40cal. I am looking between an M&P .40 subcompact or the GLock 27. Both feel good in my hands. I have not fired either of them. I am not recoil sensitive.

I hope I am not being redundant here. I used the search but could not find any answers.

Thanks for your answers and comments.

 

[STL73]

Have you considered the xd40 sub, carry one every day, shot thousands of rounds, not one hiccup. Don't get me wrong, the 27 is a great gun. I just like the grip safety and loaded chamber that the xd provides. I also like the stainless magazines. Just my two cents.....

 

[STL73]

Sorry... Loaded chamber indicator.....

 

[burley]

The day Smith or Springer makes holsters and mags like this there might be a question.

 

[docnyt]

My G27 has been pretty reliable. In both the original .40 barrel and with the Lone Wolf 9 mm conversion barrel.

 

[STL73]

Seen em, when I bought my G30 (my other carry gun) the gun shop tried to sell me a mag like that, if you need a 30 to 40 round magazine you may want to reconsider some lifestyle choices. Secondly, there are plenty of great holsters out there. I've had twice the options for my springfield than i've had for my G30.

BP Hunter, go to your favorite range and rent any of the above, at the end of the day mine is just an opinion, and we all know how easy those are to come by.... You gotta carry whatever you choose, not me

 

[Lonestar49]

It will be all in "the grip"

...

Whatever you decide on, it would be wise to get one with "full grip" cause you're gonna need it in a short 40cal gun..

Strong, good grip will be needed,

3.9" or 4" barreled 40's, such as Sig P229's or Beretta Px4 40's, respectively, can be shot one-handed, if need be, without fear of jams - very forgiving guns in weak grips be it one handed or 2 handed..

The smaller compact 40's are far less forgiving and require a strong, good, experienced, grip/rider IMHO..

OMMV,


Luck,



Ls

 

[easyg]

Glock 27

Sorry... Loaded chamber indicator.....

Just so you know, the generation 3 and 4 Glocks also have a "loaded chamber indicator".

 

[GLOOB]

This question seems like a "to Glock, or not to Glock." I say Glock.

 

[VegasAR15]

Definitely Glock. Glock 27 is my carry gun. It is actually one of my wife's favorite guns of mine to shoot, and that is saying a lot, because she has small hands and is afraid of recoil. I have never had a single problem with it.

loaded chamber that the xd provides

Glock has a loaded chamber indicator too, the extractor doubles as one. Even if it didn't though, I would not trust something mechanical to see if my gun is loaded, I feel much better doing a visual check.

Another reason I am glad I went with the Glock is I want to pick up a Kel Tec Sub2000 for a truck gun, and I can get one that uses Glock mags. Just something else to consider if you might think you will ever want a compact long gun in your vehicle.

 

[surfinUSA]

Another vote for the Glock 27. Probably one of my favorite pistols and one of the last I'll get rid of.

 

[msiley]

Glock 27. If I could only have one handgun this would be it.

 

[burley]

BP, are you startin' to feel it? Glock has .357 barrels and 9 mm barrels available and use the same mag and recoil spring. Advantage Arms .22 conversion, too. Factory holsters and mag holsters for about ten bucks each. Mags are plentiful and available, 9, 12, 15 and 29 rounds if you want.

Then again, if you're not interested in the possibility of being able to shoot .357 Sig, 9 mm or .22 calibers and don't care about the 9, 12, 15 and 29 round magazines, don't buy Glock. Myself? It's all I can do to not buy another Glock just because I like the factory holster.

 

[ET]

My G27 has been pretty reliable. In both the original .40 barrel and with the Lone Wolf 9 mm conversion barrel.

Same here. I also added a Storm Lake 357sig conversion barrel. I'm actually now carrying it as a 357sig. (I love the round). I practice with the 9mm barrel & mags to save $. Everything is 100% reliable. The G27 has become my favorite gun.

 

[fastbolt]

I've invested some time and money in looking for the 'ideal' compact/subcompact .40 S&W pistol for use as an off-duty (and now retirement) weapon.

I presently own a 4013TSW, 4040PD, G27 and a M&P 40c.

Although Glock considers their G27 a subcompact in their model lineup and S&W considers their M&P 40c to be a compact, as you probably noticed when holding them, they're pretty similar in overall size.

Where they differ is some features, ergonomics and the experience of recoil management and felt recoil. Although each is still a .40 and will have some snap and muzzle rise, the M&P 40c offers me much better controllability and it makes it easier to shoot more rounds during range sessions. Although I alternated shooting the guns, the last time I took both my M&P 40c and G27 to the range I found that shooting 100 rounds through the G27 was about like shooting 300+ rounds through the M&P 40c.

It would probably really help if you could find a range that rented both so you could try 100 rounds of ammunition comparable to whatever you expected to shoot and carry through each. Personally, after trying all 3 grips in the M&P 40c I found I did my best shooting with the medium grips, even though the large grips 'felt better' in hand when I wasn't actually shooting the gun. The medium grips did better during live fire. The small grips were actually too small.

The G27 has the stubby and chunky Glock subcompact grip, and you may have to adapt to it.

FWIW, I also own a G26, and if I were only going to keep one Glock, it would be the G26.

I also like the 99 series pistol line (P99/SW99), but as with the Glock line, I tend to like it best chambered in 9mm. I own a SW9940 standard size and even carried an issued one for a few years, and have fired many thousands of rounds through 99's chambered in .40, so it's not like I haven't given them a fair shake. I came close to picking up a SW9940c several years ago, but trying a couple of them that belonged to other guys convinced me to buy the SW999c, instead. It's become a favorite among my smallish 9's. I just don't care for the .40 version.

I tend not to care for the XD and Kahr series, as well, after having tried several of them, but other folks seem to like them.

I think the M&P 40c is going to give the G27 some stiff competition from this point onward when it comes to smaller .40's, and understandably so.

Try to test-fire them and decide which might better serve your preference.

 

[STL73]

" Even if it didn't though, I would not trust something mechanical to see if my gun is loaded, I feel much better doing a visual check."


Maybe if I ask nicely, the bad guys who may be trying to get into my house one night will let me turn on the lights and visually check my home defense gun... who knows, maybe if I ask real nice they will let me clean it real quick. The loaded indicator is designed to assess by feel in the event of a real emergency, not a day at the range....

In case you had not noticed, Glocksters are very loyal to their brand, and love to argue all day about how Glock can walk on water and perform miracles.... Don't get me wrong, I own a G30 (yes it has the loaded chamber indicator, just not the second one that Springfield provides) and think it is a fantastic weapon, just don't personally believe that Glock is the only choice out there.

I completely agree with Lonestar and his thoughts on grip. Try several guns,pick the gun that is right for you based on live firing and whats right for you.

By the way, what did I tell ya about opinions, easy to come by....

Good Luck

 

[VegasAR15]

Maybe if I ask nicely, the bad guys who may be trying to get into my house one night will let me turn on the lights and visually check my home defense gun... who knows, maybe if I ask real nice they will let me clean it real quick. The loaded indicator is designed to assess by feel in the event of a real emergency, not a day at the range....

Before I holster my gun everyday, I do a visual check to see if it is chambered. I may check my home defense gun to see if it is chambered before I go to bed. I will not check the chamber before I use it for self defense, because I know that it is already chambered. I just know that should I need it later that the gun did not magically unchamber the round.

If I need it for self defense, all I want to worry about it unholstering my gun, putting the sights on the threat, and squeezing the trigger. Should you put your thumb on your XD and find it not chambered, do you say to the bad guy, "Could you hold on for just a second while I rack my slide? Thanks." I have several Glocks and an XDM, the XDM is a great gun, I just don't find the extra loaded chamber indicator all that important.

 

[jkulysses]

I really like the .40 glock 23 but when I tried the glock 27 it was very hard to make follow up shots for me. The glock 26 is my favorite sub compact glock and the 23 is my favorite compact. I just recently picked up a like new less than a year old 26 from my buddy for $350. I was going to get the Ruger SR9c but couldn't pass up that deal on the 26.

 

[BP Hunter]

Thanks for all your responses. I am planning to trade in my Ruger SR9c and my Yugo Mauser for the .40. Sad to say, there are no ranges here that rent out either.

I am even thinking of the Glock 30 or 36. I really like the .45. It is my favorite round out of my Sig P220 and Taurus PT1911. I know they are larger and hefiter guns so the recoil will definitley be less than the compacts and subcompacts. I sometimes carry my PT1911 under a T shirt but I want something smaller and lighter. I had the Taurus PT145 once but wasn't completely satisfied with it so I traded it in for the Stoeger Cougar in .40. What also is tempting with the M&P is the $50 rebate they have ongoing, though that shouldn't be alter my decison making. Hmmmmm.....decisions, decisons.

 

[ForumSurfer]

This question seems like a "to Glock, or not to Glock."

You really can't go wrong either way. Both of the weapons the OP mentioned are great, and the XD should be added into the mix, as well. It is also a terrific weapon. I don't think any of them offers an edge in accuracy or reliability. The Glock may win when it comes to modifications and factory parts replacement due to simplicity and cheap parts. All come with magazines that work great and are trouble free.

That being said, I never knew how much I loved the XD and wanted one...until I bought a Glock and started carrying it and shooting it regularly. Nothing wrong with my Glock and it gets the job done. But I really wish I had bought an XD, as well. I added a 33.5lb spring, 3.5lb connector and a smooth faced trigger, as well as the 25 cent trigger job. However, a box stock XD trigger just feels better to me. It feels smoother, breaks more crisply and resets better for me. Again, I have nothing against Glocks and I like my Glock, but I like the xd trigger 100% better. The Glock trigger is acceptable to me after my mods. I am slightly biased since I previously carried only 1911's and I love a clean, crisp breaking trigger with a smooth feel. If you ask me, the smith and the xd both have Glock beat there.

 

[Grey Morel]

My personal favorite in that category is the Walther PPS. If I had to vote on a double stack model, I would vote Glock 27.

 

[BP Hunter]

Well, I decided to buy the Glock 36. I am happy with it.

After thoroughly cleaning it, I took it out to the range and fired 50 rounds of my handloads. At 7 yards, the expected defensive range, I made ragged holes. The kick was not as bad as I thought it would be. I could have shot more but I ran out of ammo. I didn't try to shoot it out to 15 yards. I had to remind myself this was not intended to be a target gun, so 7 yards should be good enough for me.

This most probably will be my primary if not only carry for summer and winter. I used to either carry my full size Taurus Pt 1911 of my Sig P220 carry. Even with the "right" hoslter, it still felt heavy. I am now carrying my Glock 36 under in an IWB hoster under my work scrubs.

 

[skwab]

Congrats on the purchase BP - it's a great gun. There are so many great choices out there these days it's tough to go wrong but Glock reliability is tough to beat. PErsonally I have an M&Pc and have had zero trouble with it - love it, but my wife's Glock 26 is awesome too.

 

[ET]

Congrats on your purchase. I looked at the single stack 45 also, but opted for the 21sf for my 45acp. I already had the 27 that covered my CCW needs, but I liked the feel of the 36 none-the-less. I think you will really like carrying it.

Before I holster my gun everyday, I do a visual check to see if it is chambered. I may check my home defense gun to see if it is chambered before I go to bed.

I catch myself press checking every gun I pick up even if I just unloaded it 5 minutes earlier. Heck, I catch myself checking a gun 4 or 5 times to be sure it's unloaded before I do anything with it, like clean it or put it away. It's a habit I got into after losing a friend in high school to a gun shot to the head while looking at an "unloaded handgun". It seems to have affected me quite a bit.