40 S&W: Which to buy?

R

RickC

New member
Hi, guys: I have heard that there are some 40's that are prone to blow ups due to unsupported cases. Is this true?
If you were recommending one pistol in 40 S&W, which one would it be?
 
I have never personally seen or heard of one blowing up. Both my carry guns are in 40. My preference is for a da/sa full size. I have a taurus pt 100 and a springfield p9. The baby eagle feels about the same, but it comes with either frame or slide mounted saftey. There are a couple of 1911 models in 40 now. Para ordinace is the first that comes to mind. And of course the BHP, h and k, and berreta etc... I like the cz variants the most because of how they fit in my hand. I would have liked the para ordanace p-16 but the single action turned me away from that and the BHP. Oh and the glock fans will talk about the g23 which is the niceset of those. But I am weird and like an external saftey(even though you should never rely on that.) Did I miss any guys?
 
I'd go with a Glock 23 or a Sig 229. Wait, I did go with a Glock 23 and a Sig 229. I'm very happy with both. Both are excellent guns, both have a good capacity, and both are mid-sized and easy to carry.
 
I have the SigPro 2340 very nice gun !! and Later you could always get a dropin barrell in 357Sig I just bought one from sig cant wait to try it !!! :)
 
If I were getting a new, full-sized .40, I would DEFINITELY get a Steyr M. The chamber is fully supported. If I was getting a mid-sized compact, I would wait for the Steyr S to come out. If I were getting a sub-compact, I'd get a Kahr or G27. The chambers of Glock pistols with stock barrels are the ones ALLEGED to blow up at a higher rate than other pistols. That they blow up occasionally is a fact. Volumes on this forum and others have been written on whether this is due to user error or pistol error, and whether it actually happens at a higher RATE with Glocks than with other pistols. Do a search. I don't think there's a definitive answer, but PLENTY to read about.
 
Almost forgot. If full-cap mags are a big issue for you, I'd get a Glock 22 or 23, or Sig, or a Beretta 96 - these seem to have the cheapest pre-ban mags. Maybe even a CZ or EAA Witness - are there pre-ban .40 mags out there for these two? The Walther P99 (or P40 or whatever they call it) is an intriguing pistol as well.

[This message has been edited by Futo Inu (edited May 16, 2000).]
 
My EAA Witness (with 10-round mags) and a factory custom barrel (hard-fit by me) is fully supported and is extremely accurate with good (natch) ammo.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
My EAA Witness with a factory custom barrel (hard-fit by me) is extremely accurate and fully supports the case.

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"All my ammo is factory ammo"
 
I will probably get flamed for even mentioning this, but get a Ruger. I tried the Glocks. I tried the Sigs. The Ruger P94 that I bought is just as accurate and recoils less (much less). Plus it has a fully supported chamber and is tough as you could want a firearm to be. I admit it is somewhat ugly, but so are the glocks. If you don't want a Ruger, get a Sig. You won't get made fun of for owning a Sig. :)
 
Just like Ala Dan, I have a G27 and SIG 229. The Glock is my warm weather carry and the SIG is for cooler weather.

If I just had to have one, the SIG would have a slight edge.
 
That goes for me also. The most accurate .40 ive shot is the sigpro 2340 and the sig 229. Im not just saying that because i love sigs. Its the truth. Ask anyone that owns one. They didnt buy it because it was cheap !


Tim : )

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Why dont you get rid of that nickel plated sissy pistol and get yourself a glock. :::Tommy Lee Jones. U.S. Marshals:::
 
OK, last time about unsupported chambers. Do a search, and you'll find lots of information. This is courtesy of 1911.com:

Some manufacturers of 9mm pistols simply rebarrelled, modified the breechface
and put in a stiffer recoil spring to develop their initial .40 S&W pistols.
Since the .40/10mm bullet is bigger than a 9mm, the only way to get the .40 to
feed reliably was to create an intrusive feed ramp, and possibly an oversized
chamber to match. Thus the .40 S&W "Unsupported Chamber" was born. This was a
quick and dirty fix by some manufacturers to get to market fast.
Other manufacturers either started from scratch or went through the added
expense to redesign their 9's to safely handle the .40 with a well-supported
chamber that still feeds reliably. These types of .40 pistols are therefore
safer to use, whether you shoot factory ammo or reloaded ammo.
If you want to find out if your .40 has a well supported chamber, then do
this: Measure the diameter of the lower, most expanded part of some fired
brass. After the first measurement, rotate the brass slightly and measure it
again because the brass sometimes measures greater from a certain angle
because of the 6-o'clock chamber opening affect. If your brass measures .431
or greater, then your chamber is entering into unsupported territory. Also,
put a round into the barrel and look at the 6-o'clock position of the chamber
opening. If the thin part of the brass wall is exposed, or too much brass is
exposed, you have an unsupported chamber. "Both" of these measurements are
important to determine if your chamber is well supported or not. The greatest
brass expansion occurs when shooting full power loads.
The diameter of fully supported chanber brass usually measures around .427 -.429 for full
power loads. The Glock .40 can expand brass as much as .431 .433, which is a
huge difference.
Generally speaking, ammo and gun companies don't care about reloading safety
and case life. Some of the newer reloading manuals have strong warnings about
reloading for pistols with unsupported chambers, especially concerning high-
pressure cartridges.
One positive side effect of Glock's famous unsupported chamber and their
marketing omnipresence, is that some ammo companies have beefed up their .40
S&W brass so it has a better chance of surviving when fired in a Glock
chamber.


Tom


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A "Miss" is the ultimate overpenetration!
You can never be too rich, too skinny, or too well armed!
 
Shoot every .40 you can lay your hands on. The best shooting .40's I've encountered are sigpro 2340 and HK USPc. I own a 2340 and it is fabulous! Everyone who has shot it has said, "wow! That's nice." Whatever you get make sure it has been designed as a .40 and not a retooled 9mm. Also a supported chamber adds an extra dimension of safety with KB's. Best of luck in your search.
 
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