.40 S&W Caliber Cartridge not Accurate?

G

Geek-With-A-Gun

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I was reading in Guns magazine today (January Issue) about the 20th anniversary of the .40 S&W caliber cartridge and in the article it was stated:

"Though not the most accurate pistol cartridge out there, the .40 S&W has more than enough accuracy for it's purpose."

My question is this, why was such a statement made? Is it really less accurate than let's say a 9mm or a .45 ACP?
 
Sounds like a duboius claim to me. I know several people who shoot it better than any other caliber, and I have never seen any hard data to suggest it is less accurate than any other handgun caliber. Maybe they are comparing it to rifle rounds...
 
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I call B.S. I've never seen any informed research that says the .40 S&W is inherently less accurate than any other self defense caliber.
 
In most cases involving modern ammunition, it's the firearm or the shooter that isn't accurate, not the cartridge. This assumes quality ammunition, of course.
 
I dont usually shoot a lot of .40, but in the same guns, SIG P226's and P229's, with extra factory .40 barrels, I shoot tighter groups with the 357SIG barrels in the guns than I do with the .40 barrels in the guns.

Its the same for all of them too, not just one gun.
 
Here's a group that I shot, off hand with an HK USPc in .40S&W at 25 feet using UMC 180 grain practice ammo. I haven't benched the pistol, but with the right ammo I bet it would do pretty well.

USPc25feetoffhand-1.jpg
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I've got a Glock 23 which apparently didn't get the memo. Discounting shots that I toss, it'll hang right at 2 3/4" at 50 yards (rested)- even with my bulk reloads.
 
The 40 does seem to have some disadvantages.

It's almost always loaded supersonic. A lot of the loads that work best for personal defense, 155gr or esp. the 135gr don't have a lot of bearing surface (meaning "part of the bullet that actually rubs on the barrel"). A longer bearing surface increases accuracy. And since the cartridge is kinda short for it's length, if the chamber is a bit loose it will allow more "wobble" meaning the bullet doesn't start out pointed quite the same place downrange each shot.

BUT, a tighter chamber can compensate for that, and the heavier weight slugs have both more bearing surface and some of the 180s are subsonic, which helps too.

They're not highly thought of in IPSC circles.

They're almost always plenty accurate for personal defense.
 
there were serious accuracy problems that initially delayed the 40s&w (it's original name) from reaching the market.

s&w could not get less than 3 foot shot groups with it at 25 yards. of course s&w and winchester resolved the issues.

maybe the current rumors are leftover from the dawn of the 40cal? initial offerings in the caliber weren't as accurate as 9 or 45.

it's still not quite accurate as 45acp or 9mm in a lot of guns. yet other guns shoot it exceptionally well. seems to be a very brand(of pistol) picky cartridge :)
 
Smoothbore BB pistols will beat '3 foot at 25 yards'. I don't buy it.

I have also obtained excellent accuracy with OEM Glock .40 chambers measuring 0.433 at the chamber mouth, so large chambers are necessarily accuracy destroyers either.
 
"not highly thought of in IPSC circles" ? Limited division is shot almost exclusively with .40's. Yes, capacity is the issue, but I don't hear anyone complaining about the accuracy.
 
Obviously the article was written by one of those slimy S&W haters. You know... The ones that typically refer to the cartridge as .40 Short & Wimpy.
 
Have the bullseye shooters discovered the .40 S&W yet? John

From another board, posted in 2006:

"IF .40 S&W were more accurate at 50 yards than .45 ACP bullseye match shooters would be all over it for the "centerfire" leg of 2700 matches. They aren't, so its pretty safe bet that it isn't.

--wally."
 
Ive seen some impressive groups shot with .40s. Its accurate. Im not a .40 fan but saying its inaccurate is a stupid claim.
 
Jim March said:
They're not highly thought of in IPSC circles.
Click to expand...

Wait, what? As was mentioned above, Limited and Limited-10 are shot almost exclusively with guns in .40. You see a lot of .40s in Single Stack as well although it's a little less common there. You can't go to a major USPSA match without tripping over 250 guys with guns chambered in .40.
 
The Glock 22 was the most accurate Glock that I owned (with WWB 180gr) it would out group a 17 and 21 at 25 yd of of sand bags usually 1.5" five shot groups. I currently have a Kahr K40 that shoots very good also. The heavy bullets seem to work better for me. I like the 40 but don't think it is any better or worse than a 9mm or 45 acp any one will work for me.
 
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