.40 S&W Round problems?

I was enthusiastic about the .40 when it was first introduced in 1991, and I quickly bought a S&W 4006 and a set of reloading dies to start cranking ammo out. Since then, I've added 4 other .40's to my stockpile. I've never sold any of them, so that should say something about how much I like the caliber. And, I've never experienced any issues with any of the reloaded .40 ammo that I've pushed through those guns, in weights from 155 to 180 grains.

As for accuracy, the 1993 vintage Taurus PT100, and the CZ75B that I own will make a single, ragged hole that any other of my guns, regardless of caliber, will be hard pressed to duplicate at any range.
 
I asked a guy I know what his opinion was and he strongly advised against the 40 due to a bunch of apparent problems. Like feeding/reliability issues, cases of it exploding etc.
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ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. I would go with the 9 mm just because of the difference in ammo prices. I have a XD 9 mm and a XD 45 acp excellent guns.
 
teething problems

The .40 HAD some pressure issues when it first came out in the early 90's.
Our agency circulated some genuine memo's re certain lots of .40 ammo to be returned and we blew some extractors on SIG P229's that could only be explained by high pressure ammo. But that was 20 yrs ago and no problems since those first teething issues. Those same P229's are still in service.
 
I just got myself a Sig SP2022 in .40. Got to fire it today and was incredibly pleased with the results. No misfires, no issues, the only accuracy problems were my fault. Not to mention the. 40 round makes great sense economically
 
I have shot literally thousands of .40's from my Beretta 96. At the 5-day defensive handgun course at Gunsite Academy I shot nearly 1000 rounds with never a problem. I shoot 22's, 380's, 40's, 45 acp's and 10mm auto. I think the .40 Smith & Wesson is the best all around round on the market today. The 10mm auto is much more powerful; the 45 acp is a hard hitting round for self defense; the 380 is a great backup and a perfect close-range defense round. The 9mm is good but not that much better than the 380. The .40 S&W has more stopping power than the 9mm and less recoil than the 45 auto. You may possibly be sorry if you get a 9mm but you will never regret getting a .40 S&W.
 
I have a SA XDSC .40S&W and it is one of the most accurate
.40's I own. It is snappy when fired, but I'd rather have some recoil
rather then feel like you're wringing out a wash rag.
 
There IS actually an issue with the .40 S&W inherently. There is alot of internet hype (true and untrue I'm sure) about unsupported chambers etc. However, What many do NOT know, is that the round has a tendency to ignite when the primer is struck while chambered, the resulting ignition is it sends a large fragment of lead away from the muzzle at an extremely high velocity that may injure or kill anyone that happens to be in its path. This phenomenae occurs with almost any make or Model of handgun that is chambered for the round, so even expensive brands of pistols are not immune. My Suggestion, if this worries you, is to check the used market, and buy a "jennings" brand 9mm, these pistols, though inexpensive, show with extensive testing that this deadly circumstance will only happen once in seven times, and IF it does happen to set off the round, its internal safeties take over, and prevent another round from chambering..
 
I have a XD40SC. It's one of my carry guns. It's very accurate for it's size and it's very reliable. I shoot cast reloads in it most of the time and I've not had any weird failures of any kind. I'd buy it again if I had to do it over again.
Issues?
It can be tiring to shoot. With full throttle 180 gr ammo, it stops being fun fairly quickly. Not painful or unmanageable; tiresome is a good discription. Grip/hand position matters. If your not paying attention, your thumb can bump the slide release under recoil and cause the slide to lock open on a still full magazine. It's nothing that practice and proper technique can't take care of.
Bullet setback is reputed to be one of the problems with the .40 S&W cartridge. I've not had any issues with it. I periodically check my carry ammo with a caliper to verify that the OAL hasn't changed. Nothing to report so far.
 
I have had 2 XDs in .40 S&W, and they are/were both great guns. I still have one of them, and though I don't shoot it as often as I used to, I still do take it out. It was my primary IDPA and IPSC gun when I started competing in those. You won't regret the .40. However, I have since switched to the 9mm because of price and because I don't feel the .40 will do anything the 9mm won't. That's my personal opinion, though. The .40 is a fine cartridge. Go with what you like.
 
whispered?

I have never heard of any problems with the .40 as compared to other handguns.
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There were significant teething problems with both the cartridge and launch platforms early on.
Most problems inherent with the 40 S&W cartridge have been resolved.
Most problems with platforms have been resolved.

Excellent real-world results with properly chosen ammo.

I am neither a fan nor detractor; just another cartridge choice for certain work.


I would point out the 40 S&W cartridge is virtually unknown at the Bullseye line.....
 
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