Pros and cons of 40SW
- Thread starter Paul K
- Start date
40 S&W
Pros:
Powerful (about as effective as .45 ACP IMO)
Higher capacity than .45 ACP
Fits into 9mm framed guns
Cons:
VERY sharp & snappy recoil
Harder to shoot as accurately as 9mm or .45 ACP (IMO)
Harder on the guns than 9mm or .45 ACP (IMO)
Overall, I respect the .40, but I am not a big fan of it. For the amount of recoil the .40 delivers, I'd rather just shoot the .45 ACP (which IMO is a softer recoil). I own 1 .40 because they are popular in IPSC, but it definitely takes a back seat to 9mm and .45 ACP in my collection.
Pros:
Powerful (about as effective as .45 ACP IMO)
Higher capacity than .45 ACP
Fits into 9mm framed guns
Cons:
VERY sharp & snappy recoil
Harder to shoot as accurately as 9mm or .45 ACP (IMO)
Harder on the guns than 9mm or .45 ACP (IMO)
Overall, I respect the .40, but I am not a big fan of it. For the amount of recoil the .40 delivers, I'd rather just shoot the .45 ACP (which IMO is a softer recoil). I own 1 .40 because they are popular in IPSC, but it definitely takes a back seat to 9mm and .45 ACP in my collection.
FWIW I carry a SIG P229/.40 because I have confidence in the penetrating and stopping power of this cartridge. I tend to favor heavier, large diameter bullets with velocity a secondary consideration. I also wanted a carry weapon with a capacity of at least ten rounds.
While I was attracted by the .40 ballistics, its recoil is snappy even in a full size combat pistol, so I was originally concerned about the cartridge in a lighter weight compact carry model. I have since found that recoil can be tamed with a recoil reduction unit (mine is a Sprinco).
Another reason I selected the P229/.40 in addition to its excellent ergonomics is that aftermarket 9mm +P barrels are available for this model. This allows for some of my practice to be conducted with more economical ammo. While I would not carry with the conversion barrel, I must report that I've experienced no malfunctions with it.
It is important to carry what you shoot most accurately, but also to remember that stopping power depends more upon penetration than upon velocity. With modest equipment modifications, training and practice, the .40 can certainly be managed.
While I was attracted by the .40 ballistics, its recoil is snappy even in a full size combat pistol, so I was originally concerned about the cartridge in a lighter weight compact carry model. I have since found that recoil can be tamed with a recoil reduction unit (mine is a Sprinco).
Another reason I selected the P229/.40 in addition to its excellent ergonomics is that aftermarket 9mm +P barrels are available for this model. This allows for some of my practice to be conducted with more economical ammo. While I would not carry with the conversion barrel, I must report that I've experienced no malfunctions with it.
It is important to carry what you shoot most accurately, but also to remember that stopping power depends more upon penetration than upon velocity. With modest equipment modifications, training and practice, the .40 can certainly be managed.
Fred Hansen
New member
Pro
Con: It's nickname is .40 short and weak
Tragedy is if I cut my finger, comedy is if I walk into an open sewer and die. Mel Brooks
Con: It's nickname is .40 short and weak
Tragedy is if I cut my finger, comedy is if I walk into an open sewer and die. Mel Brooks
The 40's advantages are list in others post. But one is missing. This load makes both the light and fast school and the slow and heavy school happy in the same cartridge. It does not kick more than a 45 so long as loads are comparable. Most people that say the 45 kicks less seem to be comparing steel framed 45's to polimer 40's. The 40's one weakness is less accuracy when compared to the 9mm,45 and 357 sig.
PAT
PAT
jcbartolomeo
Inactive
ALL YOU CAN DO WITH A .40, CAN BE DONE WITH A GOD 9MM
HOLLOW POINT OR EVEN BETTER WITH A .45 ACP 230 gr. HYDRA SHOCK, SILVERTIP ETC.
THE .40 IS NOT A BAD CALIBER, BUT THE 9mm, 45 acp AND .38 SUPER AUTO
ARE AT THE SAME LEVEL, WITHOUT DANGEROUS PRESSURES . READ THE BOOK HANDGUN STOPPING POWER .
MOST OF THE CALIBERS PRODUCES ONE SHOT STOP, IF THE SHOOTER DO
HIS PART.
I THINK THE .40 IS A COMMERCIAL CARTRIDGE.
:barf:
HOLLOW POINT OR EVEN BETTER WITH A .45 ACP 230 gr. HYDRA SHOCK, SILVERTIP ETC.
THE .40 IS NOT A BAD CALIBER, BUT THE 9mm, 45 acp AND .38 SUPER AUTO
ARE AT THE SAME LEVEL, WITHOUT DANGEROUS PRESSURES . READ THE BOOK HANDGUN STOPPING POWER .
MOST OF THE CALIBERS PRODUCES ONE SHOT STOP, IF THE SHOOTER DO
HIS PART.
I THINK THE .40 IS A COMMERCIAL CARTRIDGE.
:barf:
Chad Young
New member
If it is a first gun, go for the 9mm version. Ammo is cheaper and this allows you to practice much more. I personally favor the .40 Auto because of its medium-weight performance and reasonable recoil. A lot of the snappy recoil of the .40 can be ameliorated by using 155 or 165 grain bullets instead of the usual 180- grain ones. My faves are the 165 grain Gold Dot hollow points from CCI.
As for "knockdown power" handguns have vritually no significant ability to knock someone down - this is physics; if the bullet had enough momentum to knock someone down, it would knock the shooter down as well (look up Newton's law of conservation of momentum)! What is important is your ability to place a bullet in the right place quickly and frequently before the bad guy does the same to you. Some people prefer to make big holes with a nice heavy .45 and some prefer the easy-shooting fast and light 9mm. The .40 was developed as a bit of a compromise. It is relatively fast moving like a 9mm, but is larger and more penetrating than a 9mm. Try various rounds and see what you can shoot the best.
Side note to JC - in the Internet world, one shouts by using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! Your post is the equivalent of walking into a room and screaming at the top of your lungs. Take the caps lock off and type in lower case, please. Thanks, bud.
As for "knockdown power" handguns have vritually no significant ability to knock someone down - this is physics; if the bullet had enough momentum to knock someone down, it would knock the shooter down as well (look up Newton's law of conservation of momentum)! What is important is your ability to place a bullet in the right place quickly and frequently before the bad guy does the same to you. Some people prefer to make big holes with a nice heavy .45 and some prefer the easy-shooting fast and light 9mm. The .40 was developed as a bit of a compromise. It is relatively fast moving like a 9mm, but is larger and more penetrating than a 9mm. Try various rounds and see what you can shoot the best.
Side note to JC - in the Internet world, one shouts by using ALL CAPITAL LETTERS! Your post is the equivalent of walking into a room and screaming at the top of your lungs. Take the caps lock off and type in lower case, please. Thanks, bud.
ALL YOU CAN DO WITH A .40, CAN BE DONE WITH A GOD 9MM
Thats wrong. Pure and simple. The 9mm comes close in performance to the 40 but it does not match it. No 9mm load has over 500 foot pounds like some 40 loads do. Nor does it have the documented stopping power the 40 does. The 45 does match the 40 but it requires a bigger gun with less ammo. The 38 super is a waste. What can it do that the 40 or even better the 357 sig can not. My 357 sig can smoke the fastest 38 super loads and it fits in a 9mm sized gun. The 40 also smokes the 38 super.
PAT
Thats wrong. Pure and simple. The 9mm comes close in performance to the 40 but it does not match it. No 9mm load has over 500 foot pounds like some 40 loads do. Nor does it have the documented stopping power the 40 does. The 45 does match the 40 but it requires a bigger gun with less ammo. The 38 super is a waste. What can it do that the 40 or even better the 357 sig can not. My 357 sig can smoke the fastest 38 super loads and it fits in a 9mm sized gun. The 40 also smokes the 38 super.
PAT
Charmedlyfe
Moderator
Chad,
Explain to me then how you can knock someone down with a baseball bat with only about <100 ft-lbs of energy?
'Knockdown' is, IMO, the result of someone getting hit by an object in a location that causes their balance to be thrown off. Hit a guy in the head, he WILL fall down. Hit him in the shoulder, and it prolly ain't gonna happen. If the guy is hopping on one foot, then a torso shot would drop him. If the same guy were running towards you, forward momentum would continue to carry him forward.
Comments welcome.....
Explain to me then how you can knock someone down with a baseball bat with only about <100 ft-lbs of energy?
'Knockdown' is, IMO, the result of someone getting hit by an object in a location that causes their balance to be thrown off. Hit a guy in the head, he WILL fall down. Hit him in the shoulder, and it prolly ain't gonna happen. If the guy is hopping on one foot, then a torso shot would drop him. If the same guy were running towards you, forward momentum would continue to carry him forward.
Comments welcome.....
Mo_Zam_Beek
New member
355Sig - .38 super is primarily a competitors caliber. I don't think many shooters give it much thought for carry or SD.
It allows one to make "major" but has higher capacity in the mags.
FWIW
It allows one to make "major" but has higher capacity in the mags.
FWIW
Nightcrawler
New member
higher capacity?
Ten rounds is higher capacity? Yes, I know, the Glock 22 is SUPPOSED to hold 15, the Sig P226 is SUPPOSED to hold 12, and the USP 40 is SUPPOSED to hold 13. However, in the real world, the pre-ban non-castrated magazines are ridiculously expensive and getting harder harder and harder to find.
Many of the newer .40 autos lack any >10 round magazines. That being said, you can get .45s with 10 round magazines as well. Examples: USP 45, CZ 97B, Taurus PT145 (a very compact 10+1 .45). That being said, does .40 really have a capacity advantage over .45ACP, in the real world with our real unConstitutional laws?
Ten rounds is higher capacity? Yes, I know, the Glock 22 is SUPPOSED to hold 15, the Sig P226 is SUPPOSED to hold 12, and the USP 40 is SUPPOSED to hold 13. However, in the real world, the pre-ban non-castrated magazines are ridiculously expensive and getting harder harder and harder to find.
Many of the newer .40 autos lack any >10 round magazines. That being said, you can get .45s with 10 round magazines as well. Examples: USP 45, CZ 97B, Taurus PT145 (a very compact 10+1 .45). That being said, does .40 really have a capacity advantage over .45ACP, in the real world with our real unConstitutional laws?
MeekAndMild
New member
Major disadvantage is that if you have loose fillings the .40 will knock them out.
Ben Shepherd
New member
We could give you clearer answers if you told us your intended uses for the pistol, i.e.: IDPA=9mm(faster shot follow-up)
Sillouettes=45(heaviest, most likely to
knock over targets)
Sillouettes=45(heaviest, most likely to
knock over targets)
Peter M. Eick
New member
Pro:
It has a .40 bullet diameter and comes in some neat guns.
It has a nice mild recoil for those who need it.
CONS.
It is not a 10mm Auto, enough said.
It has a .40 bullet diameter and comes in some neat guns.
It has a nice mild recoil for those who need it.
CONS.
It is not a 10mm Auto, enough said.
juliet charley
New member
High Cap Magazines
PAT -
There is no guarantee you will be able to keep you LEO high-caps when you retire. If you do not retire, but resign, change jobs, etc., you will be required to turn them in to your agency (even the ones you paid for out of your own pocket.
Non-LEOs might as well forget about high-caps. For all practical purposes high-cap magazines are a non-player for new purchasers. They are very hard to find and getting harder. (Beretta seems easier to find. Sig is not as good. HK and Glocks are almost impossible.)
When you do find them the prices are at best outrageous (usually well over $100). My personal philosophy wants three magazines: one in the pistol, one fully-loaded spare, and one empty spare(except when I am actually going shooting) for rotation . So, if I can find them, I am probably looking at close the $400 in magazines by the time I pay shipping, handling, tax, etc. (If you have a P99, you better get a second mortgage.) That'll buy a lot of practice ammo and/or a good pistol course. By the time you buy a pistol and three high-caps your looking at close to $1000.
Paul K -
I know you are looking at the .40 S&W, but there was coupled of totally false and/or misleading statements made that need to be corrected:
PAT -
There is no guarantee you will be able to keep you LEO high-caps when you retire. If you do not retire, but resign, change jobs, etc., you will be required to turn them in to your agency (even the ones you paid for out of your own pocket.
Non-LEOs might as well forget about high-caps. For all practical purposes high-cap magazines are a non-player for new purchasers. They are very hard to find and getting harder. (Beretta seems easier to find. Sig is not as good. HK and Glocks are almost impossible.)
When you do find them the prices are at best outrageous (usually well over $100). My personal philosophy wants three magazines: one in the pistol, one fully-loaded spare, and one empty spare(except when I am actually going shooting) for rotation . So, if I can find them, I am probably looking at close the $400 in magazines by the time I pay shipping, handling, tax, etc. (If you have a P99, you better get a second mortgage.) That'll buy a lot of practice ammo and/or a good pistol course. By the time you buy a pistol and three high-caps your looking at close to $1000.
Paul K -
I know you are looking at the .40 S&W, but there was coupled of totally false and/or misleading statements made that need to be corrected:
Actually, the .45 generally exceeds the .40 in the better loadings. The .45 can be had in .40-size handguns (for all practical purposes) with the same ammo capacity (not less) if you are looking at compacts. Probably, the best example is the Glock 30 which is basically the same size the Glock 23. (The G30 actually feels better for me, but that subjective.) The 30 holds ten rounds just like the 23. The .40 does shine in smaller "pocket size" pistols like the G27 and Kahr.
