Why does .40 S&W suck?

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I've downsized my handguns to only one .40 S&W -- a SIG 226 -- a truly superb pistol, highly accurate and most reliable -- even in .40. In this platform, the .40 performs admirably, and I think it's quite a good choice for a service pistol ('course, I'm a bit prejudiced, since I think the 226 is one of the best semiautos ever produced). I like the .40 in the SIGs, the Beretta 96 and the HK USP (formerly owned a Glock 23 which was eminently reliable, but my inability to feel the love for Glocks, plus The Legend of the Ka-Boom and the unsupported case head finally got to me and made me feel that the Glock was a somewhat sketchy platform for the .40 ...)

I prefer .45 ACP and 9mm, but I'm not opposed to the .40 in general.
 
45 fans don't like it because it isn't a 45 and they are set in their ways. 9mm fans don't like it because it offers snappier recoil and lower capacity. 10mm fans don't like it because it killed their favorite cartridge and has lower velocity. Traditionalists don't like it because its new. Those that must have the latest and greatest don't find it new enough. Its a comprimise and comprimises are inherently unpopular.

I like it. It gives me a marginally bigger hole and more weight than a 9 and more capacity than a 45 with less recoil than a 10. Everyone we've shot with it here has stopped doing the bad things that resulted in them being shot in the first place. But hey, I flip back and forth between carrying my 229 duty weapon, my 3953 off duty gun, a 1911 every once in a while, and a 638 snub when I just feel like tossing something in my pocket. They all pretty much suck when compared to a shotgun with slugs, and I've seen someone take a COM hit with that and survive.
 
I'll take a .40 any day. I own several handguns in a variety of calibers and an XD40 is my bedside, primary home defense weapon.
 
I like the .40 round. It does have a bit more recoil than a 9, and more than a friends .45 I've shot. I purchased because "knock down" is better than a 9 and holds more rounds than a .45 (15+1 in gun, 30 on belt). With that I should be able to shoot my way back to my AR or Benelli, after all, that is what a pistol is for if the shooting starts.

A friend at work blasted a pit bull with 4 well placed shots of black talon .45's to stop it. I blasted one a couple weeks later with 2 well placed shots of gold dot .40's (I had to make fun of his .45 you know).
 
Come on...

It doesn't suck. It has almost as much stopping power as the .45acp. It will also fit in a 9mm size package (handgun). That's what it was intended to do and it does it well. The reason I don't care for it is it tends to be a little less accurate than a .45acp. The FBI asked for this round to be designed because they thought they wanted something with the knock down power of a .45acp but with better penetration so they could shoot through car doors etc...
 
The .40 got a bad rap early on for being inherently less accurate than either the 9mm or the .45. It's current success in IPSC and IDPA should be enough to dispell that myth.

While I'm not a big fan of the .40, I have to say that the Sig may be the perfect platform for that caliber. My P226 .40 is just as accurate out to 25 yards as any of my .45's and 9's. And the snappiness of the caliber is nothing compared to the same round fired in my G22. Very mild and controllable. Just as fun to shoot as a .45 or 9 in the right gun.
 
My opinion...

The 45 ACP is a round that works. Recoil is manageable (a lot like a shove) normally stops the target from advancing, and the holes are big so not a lot of rounds are needed (but you still get 12).

The 9mm doesn't recoil much, holds a lot of rounds and kill people once you hit them with the entire magazine.

The 40 kills like a 9mm (takes a lot of rounds) with more noticeable recoil than a 45 (really snappy). So what you get is a higher recoil than a 45 with the effectiveness of a 9mm. They tried to make an in-between, but failed miserably.
 
" kills like a 9mm" ?? NONSENSE In street use the 40 and 45 have the same performance ,while the 9mm needs +P or +P+ . On 'chucks and feral dogs I've found no difference between 40 and 45. ...Name another cartridge that has been so widely adopted in such a short time !
 
My personal opinion is people hate the .40 S&W for the same reason they hate Microsoft Windows. It's fun to hate success.

The .40 has done quite well at building a big market for itself, and for that reason alone people want to discredit it. It really doesn't matter that it gained popularity by addressing an area of the handgun market that wasn't being addressed well by anyone else...it's still the upstart caliber that displaced the older favorites of many people (read 9mm and .45) and for that reason alone they will find reasons to hate it.

It's hard to argue with success...but some people still feel like they need to.
 
Of course, they all suck next to 357 Sig! (/me ducks) :p

Just kidding! Like many have said, it's all a preference issue. IMHO, the MOST important factors in choosing a caliber for CCW/self-defense are:

1) What are you most accurate with? - A very personal preference. The difference in sharp vs smooth recoil, muzzle blast, report, etc all affect our perceptions.

2) What will you practice most with? - IMHO a self-defense/CCW round needs to be something you can practice consistently and often with. I reload 357 Sig to approximate my 124grn Gold Dot carry ammo for practice.

I'd much rather be missed with a 45 acp than hit with a 9mm. :)
 
Personally, I ALMOST agree with the internet myth that the .40 is inherently inaccurate. I've had several and very consistently shoot better with 9mm, 10mm, and .45. Don't like the snappy recoil esp in the smaller guns. Gotten rid of all of mine and don't miss 'em. If you like your's, more power to you--very successful cartridge, apparantly somebody likes it!
 
" kills like a 9mm" ?? NONSENSE In street use the 40 and 45 have the same performance ,while the 9mm needs +P or +P+ . On 'chucks and feral dogs I've found no difference between 40 and 45. ...Name another cartridge that has been so widely adopted in such a short time !
Click to expand...

9x19 took off mighty fast back in the day.

So did .380 ACP, come to think of it . . .
 
Flashpoint, thank you for posting what I was going to. I think I read all the postings on this subject. The bottom line guy's, it don't matter if you got a .357 mag, .357 Sig, 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP or the new .50GI.

Shot placement stops their clock. So its all personal choice and what you like best for YOU!

I carry a 1911-A1 .45 ACP over my .40 S&W because I like it mild, not wild. And Accuracy Counts Where Misses Are Forgotten.

Caliber war BS is just that. :neener:
 
i don't like .40 because it seems to be more of an afterthought than a true contender. very very few manufacturers have built a platform specifically for the .40, its always "hey that .45 is pretty cool... how can we sell more? lets chamber it in 9mm and .40!" or "Hey nice 9mm, lets make one in .40 too so we can sell more"

and as a result of .40 being an after thought cartridge it always seems like out of the box a gun that was made for .45 or 9mm is going to do better in one of those two calibers and the exact same gun in .40 is less accurate or goes Ka-Boom more often.

I also don't like the snappy recoil. The pop of a 9mm or the slow push of a .45 is way better for me. And really... if you can't carry a .45 why not just use a 9mm? i would think the .40 fills a hole that was never there.

and if i'm going to shoot something that costs more than 9mm ammo i want to shoot something i've already got.. my 1911 in .45 ACP. I don't want to buy another handgun that shoots expensive ammo that is different from my other one that shoots different expensive ammo that i can not share between the two. Which is why the last pistol i bought was a SA XD in 9mm.. cheap and fun!

all of these are just opinions, btw. and i've had this signature for a long time before this thread came about.:neener:
 
Because

you brainless arguers It Is A Pistol Round!!!!!!. All pistol rounds suck when it comes to stopping power and penetration. No pistol round can do half as much as a rifle round. Rifles are rifles and pistols are pistols!!! No pistol round is the perfect round. By real effectiveness standards every pistol round, including .45 ACP SUCKS Sites like the http://www.theboxotruth.com/ and the fact that the military issues a hell of alot morerifles than pistols prove this. Even if it has a little less penetration than 9mm it is not alot better or worse than anything in it's class.
 
Alot of people who do not like the .40 because it is not a military round and there is no room for it in there eyes. I kniow that alot of people see it as a red headed step child in the bullet world. I myself think that the .40 is a great self defense round that does not get enough credit. It has excellent knock down power and travels at the right speed. It's more expensive then a 9 but cheaper then the 45 and the guns in .40 usually hold more rounds then the 45 and just as much as the 9. The .40 don't suck, it is just not as popular as the other's.
 
you brainless arguers It Is A Pistol Round!!!!!!. All pistol rounds suck when it comes to stopping power and penetration. No pistol round can do half as much as a rifle round. Rifles are rifles and pistols are pistols!!! No pistol round is the perfect round. By real effectiveness standards every pistol round, including .45 ACP SUCKS Sites like the http://www.theboxotruth.com/ and the fact that the military issues a hell of alot morerifles than pistols prove this. Even if it has a little less penetration than 9mm it is not alot better or worse than anything in it's class.
Click to expand...

I did not know this.
 
People subconsciously hate .40 S&W becuase a lot or rappers are endorsing it as the gangster choice in calibers (do not want to be associated with gangsters). That mentality also applies on why the average person hates a Cadillac Escalade because of the image of being a ganster.
 
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