No love for .40 S&W...?

T

TheRaskalKing

New member
I know we have all heard the caliber wars again and again; that's not what I'm after here. We've all posted which caliber we like best and why. Let's avoid that discussion.:eek:

What I'd like to know is do you like .40 S&W? And specifically why or why not?

My reason for asking is that on forums, at the range, LGS, and basically anywhere else I see guns or talk to people about guns, it seems like nobody shoots or cares for the .40.

Somehow though it seems like my LGS and every wally world in the area has super low stock on .40 ammo, but plenty of everything else. Who knows. :confused:
 
Is it possible they don't have a large stock because they can't keep it on the shelf? That's the case here in CT. I bought my first .40 last month and I asked my LGS how come such a small amount on the shelf. That's the answer I got.
 
I've tried to love it and I just can't.

Used to have a G27. One day I took it and my G26 to a range and purposely drilled on taking out 2 targets as fast as I could. The 9mm was much faster on followup. I decided I was better off with 10 9's than 9 10's and got rid of the G27.
 
To answer your question "do you like it and why?" 180 grain "lead" bullet information in my Lyman manual shows about the same velocity and energy when comparing 357mag and 40 S&W. My XDm 4.5 holds 17 rounds, and my numerous 357 mags hold a max of 7. I like the extra capacity in that power range for some applications, such as when I don't need the extra accuracy that I get from my wheel guns.

Cheap 40 S&W brass seems to be available every where around here. I bought some for $20.00 per thousand, cleaned and polished at the last show.

I have several handguns in 9mm and 45 acp, and one in 40 S&W. One 40 S&W is enough for me.
 
I don't disparage the cartridge, but I also don't have much need of a gun chambered for it. Between my 9mm, 10mm, .45, .357 Magnum, and .44 Magnum handguns, I don't really think that there's anything a .40 can do that I don't already have covered by something else.
 
If you look at the ordnance gel tests of the .40 S&W it's a good round - a good number of them penetrate to around 14 inches and expand to .65 caliber. IMO the .40 LE duty & premium SD rounds do a pretty good job.

Also IMO - the average .40 round performs better than the average 9mm as far as penetration and expansion.

But there is a limit to how small guns for the cartridge can be made and they'll never be as small and as light weight as guns for the 9, and there has been a trend for a while now towards smallish lightweight firearms like the Rohrbaugh R9, Kahr PM9, and others.
 
If I was LE and carried a sidearm it would very possibly be a 40 S&W, maybe even a uggh Glock. As a civilian I personally see no use for it. 9mm or 45acp for me. Nothing wrong with 40 S&W (or 357 Sig if thats what you like). 9mm or 45acp for me. Just my $.02.
 
i didn't realize there was much hate for the poor little .40 :( i have always liked it! hopefully there are others out there who share the same opinion.....
 
I've always been a fan of the .40cal. Without getting into the specifics of ballistics, expansion, capacity, penetration, etc. Vs the 9mm and 45ACP. I'll just say it's my "goldilocks" cartridge for defensive autos. Not too hot, not too cold...it's just right:cool:
 
To me, it's a cartridge that meets no need. It's "parent", the 10mm can be (and commercially almost always is :() loaded down to whatever task I might have for the 40 but the 40 really can't be brought up to TRUE, original spec 10mm.
I'm telling you... the 1911 was designed 73 years before the cartridge that belongs in it. There's nothing in the world like a long slide 10mm 1911. The 45acp filled in quite nicely, waiting for the 10 to be developed. ;)
9mm has its pluses. Less blast, less recoil.
40S&W just doesn't do it for me.
 
I believe the .40 was designed for a specific need....to have a auto-loading cartridge more powerful than a 9mm with less recoil than a 10mm, basically for law enforcement where there are females and others that are recoil shy. That is a niche that I have yet to feel the need for. It is a good round and has filled that niche very well, altho many claim it's recoil is still too harsh.
 
40 is just a hot modern round.

I would trust 9mm +p just as much as 40. 40 isn't some magic LE/FBI cartridge that blows bad guys through windows, its just another choice. And its the choice I made :D.

Pretty much if you want a service caliber that isn't 9mm, and 45 doesn't do it for you, the 40 is there.

The downside is you cant rattle off really fast shots like you can with a 9mm, theres a little bit more jump. But if youre using the 9mm+p like you should be for defense, the jump is there again anyways.

I think 9mm+p and .40 is a toss up.

I don't like playing the +p game, practice with this, load this other for self defense, different companies rounds have varying recoil etc. To me at least, every 40 with the same bullet weight I fire feels the same. The only thing I've ever fired that feels different than my "carry" (IL...) ammo was blazer aluminum.

40's are hot all day, and thats how i roll:D

Now let the 10mm guys come in and call me a lady.
 
I never seen the point of the .40 we all know the flawed thinking in why it came about. If someone wants a larger caliber than the 9mm then their is the .45 a double stack .45 will hold the same number of rounds as the .40.
 
When I bought my last firearm I purchased a 9mm for many of the above mentioned reasons, but mostly ammo cost compared to it's effectiveness compared to other rounds. My duty gun is a 15 shot 40S&W and I'm glad to have it. When ammo cost isn't a consideration and the firearm is strapped on every day for protection then I appreciate the round count and effectiveness of the 40S&W. Many dept.s around me are switching to 45acp and I understand the reasoning. On the other hand the last shootout the officer used up two mags and then held fire with the last magazine in fear of running out of ammunition due to the suspects fire power and cover there was no backup for an extended period of time. 15 rounds of 40S&W vs. 10 rounds of 45acp. The 40 S&W does have it's place in self defense.
 
never owned one, but honestly have no desire to. It just doesn't seem to have a place in my gun collection. Any gun I can get in 40 I can get in 9mm. if I want more power than 9mm I would go to 45acp
 
I had no problem with the .40 that I owned but like some other people said, it just didn't really fill a certain role for me. I have my 9mm for a carry gun and if I wanted a large caliber handgun I'd get something bigger. This isn't to say I disliked the .40 though. I just didn't have a use for it so I sold it.
 
They definately have more snap to them. even more than my 45 believe it or not. I shoot my 40s better than anything else so.....
 
I like .40 with 180 gr bullets. Lighter ones , not so much.

I prefer an all steel .40. I have a Sig P226 Elite that I have come to like a lot.

If I shoot a 9mm first, then a 40 seems really snappy. If I shoot a .45 first, the 40 seems like a 9mm...go figure.

Geetarman:D
 
only 40 i have owned was a beretta and i sold it recently.

on the plus side ammo was always available at my wallyworld while they were constantly out of 9 and 45.

on the negative side i wanted to have guns that could share ammo with carbines, i.e. uzi, thompson, kp44 on and on. not aware of any carbines shooting the 40 but could be wrong
 
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