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The .40 cartridge has a lot going for it. The street results so far have been fantastic, and .40 pistols combine good capacity with very good ballistics. I like the cartridge. One problem: I have not yet found a .40 gun that performs to my satisfaction.
Two things have kept me from buying a .40. First, the recoil is rather sharp when compared to 9mm and .45 ACP. I blame this on the guns more than the cartridge. Most .40s seem to be built up 9mms rather than (built up from scratch). Second, I have not yet found a .40 capable of delivering consistent sub 2" groups @ 25 yards (I require very good accuracy for IPSC competition). There are many 9mm and .45 ACP pistols out there that easily match these requirements (I own several that do). Again, I think it is more a fault of the .40 guns than the cartridge itself.
Recoil: I know recoil is subjective, but here is my point of view. The worst offenders are the Glocks and Sig Sauer P-Series. The Glock .40s are just too light (in weight) to control the sharp .40 recoil to my satisfaction. The Sig Sauers in .40 have a ton of muzzle flip (especially the P239 and P229). I have tried several other .40s and some do a better job of others at controlling recoil, but as a whole they all have a "sharper" recoil than a 9mm or .45. I'd appreciate suggestions in regard to .40s out there that might handle the "snap" of the .40 better.
Accuracy: Many of the makes with great accuracy reputations such as Sig Sauer and HK do not put out very accurate pistols in .40 IMO. I have tried most of the major "brand name" .40s and so far have not found one capable of producing sub 2" groups @ 25 yards on a consistent basis. Once in a while they do it, but not consistently. Is there anything out there that I overlooked that is capable of matching my accuracy requirements? I like the cartridges potential, but so far I find the guns chambered for .40 to be lacking.
Two things have kept me from buying a .40. First, the recoil is rather sharp when compared to 9mm and .45 ACP. I blame this on the guns more than the cartridge. Most .40s seem to be built up 9mms rather than (built up from scratch). Second, I have not yet found a .40 capable of delivering consistent sub 2" groups @ 25 yards (I require very good accuracy for IPSC competition). There are many 9mm and .45 ACP pistols out there that easily match these requirements (I own several that do). Again, I think it is more a fault of the .40 guns than the cartridge itself.
Recoil: I know recoil is subjective, but here is my point of view. The worst offenders are the Glocks and Sig Sauer P-Series. The Glock .40s are just too light (in weight) to control the sharp .40 recoil to my satisfaction. The Sig Sauers in .40 have a ton of muzzle flip (especially the P239 and P229). I have tried several other .40s and some do a better job of others at controlling recoil, but as a whole they all have a "sharper" recoil than a 9mm or .45. I'd appreciate suggestions in regard to .40s out there that might handle the "snap" of the .40 better.
Accuracy: Many of the makes with great accuracy reputations such as Sig Sauer and HK do not put out very accurate pistols in .40 IMO. I have tried most of the major "brand name" .40s and so far have not found one capable of producing sub 2" groups @ 25 yards on a consistent basis. Once in a while they do it, but not consistently. Is there anything out there that I overlooked that is capable of matching my accuracy requirements? I like the cartridges potential, but so far I find the guns chambered for .40 to be lacking.