Hammer fired .40SW suggestions

One of my favorite Gunbroker sellers had a bunch of surplus Beretta 96's (40 caliber) a while back. Hardly anyone wanted to bid on some of them. I won mine on a $230 bid. I like it better than my FiL's 40 caliber Glock or S&W.
 
I don't want to tell you which gun to buy because the way a gun feels is individual to the person.
So I will, of course, recommend that you hold as many guns as you can before you buy. I like an all steel gun. I like the fit of the CZ75B better than others I tried. I like being able to put 5 rounds in a one inch group at 25 yards and the CZ75B did that for me. It isn't something I can do every time with the CZ yet but I do it with my 357 Ruger Security-Six constantly.
Try the fit of all the guns you can and get the one that fits you.
 
I have a Sig P229 in 40 caliber and like others have said they are fine guns. Mine is the most accurate handgun I own. Love it!!
 
I'm a fan of hammer-fired DA/SA guns and I've got some carpal tunnel and arthritis issues. Having found the recoil of .40 S&W to be notably less pleasant than 9mm or .45acp, I've already undertaken this quest. I tried a lot of guns, including most of the ones mentioned here. (I didn't have a chance to try the CZ. I tried the HK P30 but not the USP.) The Beretta PX4 Storm was a clear winner for me.

The PX4 is a soft shooter in .40 S&W but more than that, the recoil dynamic feels different and I think it's because of the rotating barrel system. It's fun to shoot. Capacity is better than average. The trigger is good right out of the box. I was surprised at how well I put shots on target, starting with my first shot in double action. The ergonomics are great once it is properly set up, though changing the backstraps can be a little tricky. If you plan to carry it, I strongly recommend swapping out those big batwing safety levers for the low-profile kit Beretta sells.

The FNX-40 gets an honorable mention. It also has a decent trigger right out of the box and a better than average magazine capacity. It's a surprisingly good shooter for how light it is, but not as nice as the Beretta. Some people love the aggressive grip texture and some people hate it. I typically shoot with gloves anyway so I like it. I probably wouldn't CC it though.

Hope this helps!
 
EMP

Springfield Armory EMP 40 is my favorite. The 3" is perfect for me, absolutely love it. They have a 4" now if you prefer... 1911 based so hammer fired and single action. I really don't like striker fired and and had always vacillated between 9 and 45 for both range and carry. Medium sized hands so double stack were always a bit uncomfortable, longer action in double action was tough and bigger overall than I wanted to carry. Shot the EMP and never looked back.
 
I don't have any experience with it, but EAA shows a steel framed Tanfoglio Witness available in 40 Cal and its convertible to other calibers. I have it's polymer Turkish cousin the SAR K2P 9mm.
 
I cannot speak to the .40 caliber version but I have a full size PX4 Storm in 9mm and it reall is a damn good gun. It's got some slightly different maintainence needs due to the rotating barrel but as long as you keep those surfaces greased / lubed it's fantastic.

I still think the P229 and HK Offerings are superior but I really love my PX4 and it's been 100%
 
Last year I picked up a very lightly used Smith & Wesson 410 for around $300. It's my first experience with .40 S&W.

I like it, but it does shoot a bit low for me.

I always figured I'd just never bother with the .40, as I have multiple .45s and 9mms, but the price was just too good to pass up.

Unfortunatley, magazines are getting to be kind of hard to find.
 
The 410 is a serviceable pistol but if a S&W 3rd Gen is the route to take, the 410 (and the 9mm version of the same pistol, the 910) are -NOT- the pistols I would recommend. These are the "value line" version of the main pistols and contain a few cheapened parts that don't have a great reputation for durability.

The initial plan was to make a lower cost and thus lower priced version of the big, heavy duty pistol, and Smith & Wesson's first attempt resulted in the Models 915 and 411 and these are VERY good pistols! Over a short, two-year span, they produced and sold these by the truckload.

But somewhere in there... S&W found that they hadn't lowered their production costs enough. And they further cheapened down the pistols and the result was the models 910 and 410.

These have a plastic guide rod and plastic magazine catch parts that are known failure items. While the 915 & 411 are flat-black but otherwise similar looking to the 5906/4006 models, the 910 & 410 pistols have quite a different cut on the slide, less machining and far more "blocky" in appearance.

The 410 is a useful gun, but it's less of a gun than the 411, which itself was a lost-cost alternative to the 4006/4003.
 
Here's another vote for H&K P30 LEM. I bought my .40SW for $540 all in delivered. Trigger & accuracy amazing. Quality is H&K. Comes with case, extra mag & S,M,L grip inserts.

FWIW..
 
I also have found the Beretta PX4 in .40 S&W to be an extremely reliable, soft-shooting and accurate firearm. If it has a downside at all, it's that it doesn't have much in the way of aftermarket accessories or parts (triggers, lasers, sights, etc.)

But it'll eat any ammo you put in it, and shoot it all pretty accurately, while only recoiling as hard as a typical 9mm.
 
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