Why the lack of love for the .40?

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Energy isn't really relevant. Penetration and wound volume are relevant.

Some years ago, I took all the FBI-protocol data I could find and put it into this spreadsheet:

http://demigodllc.com/~zak/firearms/fbi-pistol.php?sort=grade1

(sorted best to worst by average bare/clothed wound volume)

If you note, of the best rounds, 45 > 10/40 > 9mm, however.. there are plenty of 40 and 45 rounds that perform worse than the best 9mm
 
Come on...

"9mm +p or +p+ will hurt a BG just as bad as a .40 cal but is more likely to stay in the BG and not kill the kid standing behind him."

The over-penetration thing is SO overused and overrated, just like "knock-down power." :scrutiny:
 
i now the 40. has its perks but i dont think they are worth the snappy recoil thats inheriant to the round.. imo the 9 is just as practically usefull with proper shot placement... and the ole fying ashtray is my personal favorite for defense... but like i said to me it all comes down to shot placement... a 9 has less recoil/muzzel flip which i believe give faster target aquisition which gives faster follow up shots...and that to me is the essence of a true combat round...but thats just my opinion
 
I like the .40 caliber but like the 357sig even better. I know most people like the 357sig the least of any caliber but it's my favorite.
 
I personally will never entertain a .40 OR .357 SIG OR .45 GAP...

Energy and FPS DO NOT mean doodysquat... :p

Here is the proof. Yes, EVERY caliber appears to do the same damage!
(Well except those dinky 9's. Well you got 15-19 rounds so make up for it with twice as many holes!

I just personally think the .40s problem is too much energy. Too much recoil, and just as unpleasurable as a snubnose .44 mag... or a .454 casull snubby :p

V10 Viper OR I4 S2000 ?? WRONG, 440 magnum ;)

handgun_gel_comparison.jpg
 
Since the title didn't specify which .40 I can get away with

My only .40 is my 1911 with a Bar STo barrel chambered for
.400 CorBon 155 gr. Hornady XTP JHPs @ 1350 FPS @ .45 ACP +P pressure

WHen I get a .40 S&W it will most likely be a S&W 610 wheel gun for
the cartridge as well as 10MM AUto and Full Moon clips Maybe get one of those new 6 1/2" barreled models cut back to 5" Bbl. length.

Randall
 
Same with me. I love the 9mm, and love the 45. The .40 just didnt really fall in love with, esp after wasnt too thrilled shooting .40 from a walther p99. Didnt feel as good as a hk usp .45 or xd 45gap, and no where near as smooth as a beretta 92fs 9mm.
 
Thanks for the link Zak Smith.

I will be going over that little by little. The more I think about it the more I want to get the XDm in 9mm. Besides it being a 9mm with less recoil it also has those 3 backstraps to choose from. My G23c just doesn't fit me as good as that one does, and I assume the medium one is installed, so the smaller one would fit even better. But I have the extended mag and slide release. Also a competition trigger which is really nice. So without these addons I would of already posted mine for sale.

In Minnesota at Bills Gun Shop and Range from April 3-5th they are having many reps from like 30 companies to see their products. Also if you buy a box of ammo you can test out their guns at the range for free. Going to go now and test out that XDm and may also try the M&P 9mm if it fits my hand (just found out the M&P has the backstraps), so I will try this one out too.
 
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oldFred

I personally will never entertain a .40 OR .357 SIG OR .45 GAP...

Energy and FPS DO NOT mean doodysquat... :p

Here is the proof. Yes, EVERY caliber appears to do the same damage!
(Well except those dinky 9's. Well you got 15-19 rounds so make up for it with twice as many holes!

I just personally think the .40s problem is too much energy. Too much recoil, and just as unpleasurable as a snubnose .44 mag... or a .454 casull snubby

V10 Viper OR I4 S2000 ?? WRONG, 440 magnum
Click to expand...

handgun_gel_comparison.jpg
[/QUOTE]

there you go texasredneck. I dont mean to be confrontational, but facts are facts and when someone tells me how much better .40 is for SD like they know what theyre talking about and refuse to see the truth just un-nerve me. If you want a gun for conceal carry +p+ 9mm is the best you can get, If your military or LE and you need to shoot people through cars and walls and body armor then go .45 or .357 sig or FN 5.57
.40 is overhyped, oversold and a go between round that does not do better than 9mm for personal defense or .45/.357sig/5.57 for offense.
 
AKElroy said:
In the brief time I have been with THR, I see very little love for the .40 S&W. Lot's of support for 9's, .45's. If the eternal debate is for the 9 for its capacity vs. the .45 for its take down power, does anyone share my view that the .40 pretty much silences this debate? Energy numbers that match or exceed our pet .45 loads, capacity maybe -1 vs. the common 9's. Where's the love for the shorty .40?
Click to expand...
You were going along fine until you mentioned 'shorty'. :neener:

I just upgraded to a Glock 35. With it I bought a 9mm conversion barrel. Last weekend, having shot both in the same pistol, I can definitely tell the difference in loads between 9mm and .40 S&W. I've also run an energy calculator on those two and the .45. The .40 beats everything in semi-auto except the 10mm. And it's close to the .357 in muzzle energy as well.

What's NOT to like about the .40? :D
 
If I did ever get a .40 again, I would get an all metal gun. That should help with some of the recoil. If I had enough money something that is like a Sprinfield EMP. Or maybe something a little bit bigger.
 
for me, I don't like the recoil. Not that I'm a recoil sensitive guy, but the .45 is a time proven man stopper-why would I trade the great trigger pull and ease of aiming with my 1911 for a Johnny come Lately snappy shooting 40S&W? It may be a good man stopper, but like others have said. I don't think it solves any serious faults of the old war horse 45acp or the 9mm.
 
Do I remember right? Didn't the .40 come about after the FBI shootout in Fl? After the post shooting investigation the FBI said thier agents were out gunned and began looking at the 10 mm and even purchase some but soon found that the recoil was too much for the average agent. The .40 came out as a reduce load also a little shorter and could be make in the same size weapon the 9mm was in. Wasn't it design to have almost the round count of the 9mm and almost the so call punch of the .45?
 
Sounds to me like the 9mm is the better round than .40 in almost every way accept in a war application but in a war application I would rather go with .45 for obvious reasons. .
Click to expand...


Your reasoning is astounding. :rolleyes:

I recently bought a 40, after looking around I chose it becuase most 45's were too bulky, and after talking to a friend in LE who talked about how his dept went to 40 from 9mm like alot of others I decided to shoot both. The 9 was nice and if I was recoil shy I might have bought it, but the 40 just felt much better. I don't think there is a lack of love for it, when I bought mine most of what I read indicated it was very popular round that was getting more popular as rounds like the 10mm and 45GAP became less and less poplular.
 
"Nothing Wrong With It"

That's why.

If the army carried it;

If the stopping power was a lot greater than .45 or 9mm;

If my local PD carried it;

If it was cheaper than 9mm;

If it was an official NATO round carried by most of the world's militaries;

If you could pack as many rounds as 9mm in the most popular handguns;

If it had been around since WWI;

If if if . . .

But there's nothing wrong with it.
 
Friend of mine is sold on the Springfield XD-M .40 Can't say I blame him. 17 rounds in a match-grade pistol for six bills? Dang!

Almost makes me wish I hadn't picked up an XD45T; almost... Which, btw, will shoot darn near anything chambered for it so it is fairly cost-effective to shoot; fairly...
 
I was wondering the same thing earlier, I was looking at the springfield emp and notice they are both the same overall size and the only real difference on that end is one weighed one once more.

Yet no one seems to want the 40s&w version.

I'd figure that if you're buying an emp you'd want to get as close as you can to 45 acp power while maintaining the small size of the emp, and the 40 would do just that.

also on speers website the ballisitics tables for the 40 vs. the 45 are nearly identical, thats alot to love in my opinion.
 
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