Least Snappy Choices in .40?

C

Cosmodragoon

New member
I've had and traded a few guns in .40, all of which were on the small side. I found them unpleasant to shoot. My accuracy was worse than with 9mm and I didn't feel like training through it. So I decided that anything compact or smaller was going to stay 9mm for me. I enjoy full-size .45acp and various magnums in non-snub revolvers so it isn't recoil per se. It was how the .40 recoiled in compact polymer firearms. Even the P99, which I think counts as "full size", was unpleasant enough to trade.

So with all the other options I've got, do I need a .40? Probably not, but when has need stopped any of us? :D I also remember the ammo crunch that left a lot of .40 standing alone on the pistol ammo shelves. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes but being a popular round, I'd like to be able to shoot it. So, aside from converting a 4" GP100 to 10mm/.40 or something like that, what are my least snappy semi-automatic options in .40?

I've heard that the recoil system of the USP makes it a fine choice in polymer. Is it the king? How about the FNX-40? I prefer hammer-fired DA/SA so they naturally have my eye. In steel, does SIG or CZ have a winner? If you've got experience with one of these and especially if you can compare it to other guns in .40, I'd love to read about it.
 
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IME soft shooting 40's have been the 4" XD, Sig P226 (stainless frame), and the softest has to be the full size USP. With the large, wide frame and dual recoil springs, the USP is pretty soft. It does have some muzzle rise compared to a Glock, but it doesn't smack the palm like the Glock.
 
I noted the same thing about ammo availability and decided to get a 40 for that same reason. (And it was the only "normal" caliber that I didn't have a gun for.) I gave the platform choice a lot of thought.

A steel-framed full-sized CZ75 (or clone thereof) would be a good choice. Mine feels like I am shooting a 32, but it is a 9mm. Unfortunately I didn't run across one at the right time.

I also thought a steel-framed full-sized 1911 would be a good choice. Mine is 45acp and gentle enough to shoot for hours. Unfortunately 40 caliber 1911's are not very common. That surprises me. It seems like they would be a great match.

So I was keeping my eye open for a CZ75 or 1911 in 40 caliber... and then something happened. I whimsically bid on a LNIB S&W sd40ve because it was less than $200. Imagine my surprise when I won the bid. It is okay. A little snappy, but nothing I can't live with. It looked like someone put a box of ammo through it and didn't like it, so I got a good deal.

The other two I was considering would probably serve you well.
 
I have the USP 40, and I will likely never sell it. Its recoil system is a major factor in that. It's very easy to do follow up shots. The gun has it all and just works. Also, if you google for supported chambers in 40, you will see how the USP is king there as well. Compare it to Glock chambers in 40, and you will see the lower chamber near the top of the feed ramp is partially ground away on glocks but not the USP. This helps the USP with +P, etc. to avoid KABOOM. It was built specifically for the .40 caliber, not adapted from other calibers.
 
I have a Sig P226, and gets snappier from first to last shot.
How much snappier? By the weight of 12 rounds in the mag.:D
.40 is a pipsqueak. I mean whippersnapper.
 
I haven't fired a lot of .40's but I have put a few through a family members Stoeger Cougar, and I don't really notice the recoil all that much. Sorry I can't offer any comparisons.
 
I like the .40, even though it's not in vogue anymore and lots of folks will basically call me a moron for liking it. I read all the articles and research and tests and while I like 9 and .45, I still very much have a place for .40 :)

I have shot a lot of forties, and in my opinion the Beretta PX4, Smith & Wesson M&P 40, Sig P229, and HK USP all do a wonderful job of controlling the recoil. I have fired multiple full-size 9mms that are slower to run at speed than my PX4 .40 - my Sig SP2022, a lovely pistol in 9mm, feels almost identical to shoot. I also have a Beretta Cougar 8040, and the recoil, while worse than the PX4's, is still pretty darn manageable thanks to that same basic barrel rotation system.

Happy huntin' for your gun!

Edit: I forgot to mention, while the Gen 3 Glock .40s are not super fun to shoot for many (I don't mind 'em at all), the Gen 4s, especially the full size G22, are pretty darn manageable
 
The .40 is quite tame in any of the full-size metal-framed pistols (Beretta 96A1, CZ 75, Sig P226/P229), in my opinion. I have a hard time differentiating it from 9mm. I'm sure the same would be the case with a 1911 in .40.

The softest shooting service pistol-size polymer in .40 that I've ever shot is the Beretta PX4 -- even more so than the USP. If you run a search on the gun, you'll see that that's a very common impression. The rotating-barrel action (same as on the Stoeger Cougar that someone mentioned above, which is of course the same as on the old Beretta Cougar) really dampens the felt recoil for most, both because the muzzle doesn't tilt upward and because the rotation of the barrel counters the torque generated by the bullet as it passes through the rifling. The .40 in the PX4 feels like a 9mm to me. The PX4 is also just a great pistol.

Here are a few links to posts from other people talking about their PX4s that I dug up a week or so ago for someone here asking about what people thought of the gun, if you're interested in reading more. (For some reason, PX4 ownership is common at Glocktalk, but not so much over here.)

http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1472630
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1430803
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1554321
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1504132
http://glocktalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1548757
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=451433
http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=451584
 
Get yourself a 3rd generation S&W 4006 and you'll think you're shooting 9mm's out of that 40. It weighs a ton and I wouldn't want carry it all day, but it's one fine piece of machinery.
 
The Sig P239, P229, P226 all shoot fine with .40. If going the Tupperware rout the new P320 Sig or a Glock 35 would be good choices.
 
HKs are all good, even the smallest P2000SK.

STI Edge is also good.

Think low bore axis.

Sig is not my first choice because of the high bore axis.
 
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I find the Glock grip angle and shape to be the softest shooting. Full power 200 gr 10mm loads at 1300 fps from my G-20 are much more comfortable than standard hardball 45 ACP loads from my 1911's. Recoil from my G23 is next to nothing.
 
if you are a 1911 fan RIA makes a mid size and full size tactical, in .40 S&W.
the M&P FS .40 is a superb 15 shot .40 S&W
Now if you are wanting to neuter the recoil some go to Ballistics 101 and take a look at all the 180 gr. loads below 1000 fps and they will be pretty tame for you, myself I prefer the 155 and 165 gr. loads ranging from 1200 to 1300 fps. or for some real nasty 135gr rolling 1300-1500 fps, these do nasty things like 357 mags :D
 
The Beretta 96, HK USP, and Sig 226 would all be a good choice for helping tame some recoil and muzzle flip. All are well made models that have very good accuracy.

If you want a smaller striker model, look at the Steyr M40-A1. They too are well made and very accurate. Their balance, grip location, and very low bore axis all add up to lower muzzle flip and recoil. It's more like shooting a 9mm in other similar size and weight models.
 
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I currently carry a USP 40 on duty and love it. It's most definitely the softest shooting 40 I've ever owned or shot. The Witness I had fit my hand very well, and the weight helped tame the round, but it was heavy. I've also owned Glock 22 and 23 and a 3rd gen S&W 410. The 410 was soft shooting, it's weight helped as well. But nothing has shot softer then the USP, it's my pick.
 
I too have a USP 40 (a compact) and I've never found the recoil to be a problem personally. Then again, if you're used to 9mm duty-sized guns it will be more recoil than you're used to.
 
I find the Glock grip angle and shape to be the softest shooting. Full power 200 gr 10mm loads at 1300 fps from my G-20 are much more comfortable than standard hardball 45 ACP loads from my 1911's. Recoil from my G23 is next to nothing.
Click to expand...

Just goes to show how subjective felt recoil is. I feel safe in saying that this is distinctly a minority opinion. Complaints about the "snappiness" of the .40 seem disproportionately more common with Glocks than any other.
 
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