Who here finds the .40 hard to shoot well?

J

JNB01

Inactive
Consensus opinion on other boards seems to be that most shooters handle the 9mm & .45 better than the .40. Recoil seems to be the main reason, w/ lack of accuracy also cited.

Personally, I also handle the 9 & .45 better, so I must include myself in the group. In my limited experience w/ the .40, I found I shoot the 180gr. loads well, but not the 155/165gr. loads, and I would have to say it's because of the recoil, snap & blast w/ these loads, which in turn affects my accuracy.

The 180gr. loads produced more of a "push" (similar to a 230gr. .45) rather than a snap, & muzzle flip seemed on par w/ some of the hotter 9mm loads. Does anyone else find this to be true?

If you found the .40 hard to handle, what guns & loads have you shot it in? My experience is limited to a G-23/22.

If it wasn't for the 180gr. loads, I wouldn't enjoy shooting this caliber much, especially in a light platform. However, a G-23 loaded w/ 180gr. GD's or the like would seem to make a nice ccw/HD piece.

All opinions appreciated, JNB01!
 
Hello,

I can't shoot the .40 caliber as well as the
9m/m and .45ACP; recoil and muzzle blasts are
the main reason's I dumped the Sig P229 and Glock's
23 and 27. I can handle stout, factory offering's
in the .44 magnum revolver's; but not the .40
with its short grip, in the weapons I've mentioned.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
My own little pet theory is that while the 40 does not have as much recoil as some other cartridges or as much blast as others. But seems the perfect combination of both to really make it hard on you.

I can shoot my G-23 pretty well, but do ocassionally blow a shot (flinch), and after 100 rounds I'm finished, not only with it but with all shooting. It's like I just drank 6 cups of coffee. Just gives me the shakes that won't let up for awhile. I have found using 180 grain bullets raises this threashold about 50 rounds.

In contrast I've never shot enough 45 acp in my 1991A1, or .38 Special +P's in my 2 inch 640 to affect me this way.

It's a problem no doubt, but then again a G-23 with Hi-Cap is hard to beat in the size/capacity/power/weight equation.
 
My experience with the .40 is as follows:

KelTec P40 - no desire to ever shoot one again! The first and only time I shot one I put about 50 rounds thru it and it beat the living hell out of my hand

Browning Hipower .40 - this is the newest addition to my collection, and after about 150 rounds it seems I can shoot it better than my .45 1991A1. Seems like 180's have a little more "snap" than a 9mm, but not as much of a "push" as a .45. On the other hand, 155's are no fun at all; heck of a lot more "snap" and muzzle blast

Just my humble opinion
 
Recoil shyness

Gosh, there are some recoil shy folks in here :) Learn to forget about recoil and consentrate on the shot your taking. Dont dwell on the kick before, during, and after each shot and you shooting will improve dramaticly. Recoil controle is 99% mental. I have arms like toothpicks and dont feel the least bit of discomfort shooting full-house 10mm, .357, 44's etc. I can only think of 2 guns that caused the same recoil reaction some of you described. Those being my subcompact AMT .45 Backup w/ 230g +p's and my Vaquero with Cor-bon 300Grainers at 1300fps and 1100ft/lbs. With those weapons and ammo combos I'm usualy bleading after about 30-40 rounds..but the rounds still hit the mark. Learn to let recoil happen, controle it, and get back on target. Dont dwell on it all the time. And for God sake, dont pick a less capable caliber or load because you are recoil shy. practice and deal with it. Dont risk your life over a little bit of momentary discomfort.
 
Depends on the gun

I shoot my CZ 75 .40 more accurately than many high dollar 9mm's (including my Sig Sauer P226). I think the outstanding grip ergonomics, very good trigger, and heavy mass (reduces some of the snap) accounts for the great groups I get with the CZ. OTOH, I cannot shoot Sig Sauer .40's, Glock .40's or Ruger P94 .40's worth a damn. They are all lighter with more muzzle flip and not as good balance. Stay with me on this. The comparable Sigs, Glocks and Ruger (P95) in 9mm I shoot very well. In conclusion, in general I shoot .45 ACP the best, followed closely by 9mm and a distant last is the .40. The one exception to the .40 is my CZ, which is an easy to shoot .40...which is why I bought it! The .40 is a good round, it just takes more practice than a 9mm or .45 ACP.
 
I've only fired one .40...my Steyr M40.

The recoil surprised me, but once I got used to it I did much better. I've been shooting PMC 165gr JHP/FP through it the most. I read a couple of articles on problems with 185gr bullets so I've not shot anything larger then the the 165s (I'm going to the range this weekend, I think I'll pick up a box of 180s).

Now the Corbon 135gr JHPs kicked and flashed like nothing I've ever fired! Made a .45 seem tame, but the ergonomics of the Steyr made it much more controllable then I thought it could be.

I can't imagine a .40 1911, and I wonder what those Corbons would feel like coming out of a Kahr MK40.
 
I couldn't be happier with the .40 out of my Hi-Power, but then the pistol it more or less replaces was a microGlock in .357 Sig. Compared to the 33, the BHP is a sweetie in both the recoil and muzzle blast arenas!

I actually don't see a heck of a lot of difference between the .45 and the .40 in the recoil department. I have not found the .40s I've shot to be difficult to manage, but I'm certainly aware that others have reported otherwise.
 
Erich, I imagine the 33 is a real handful:D

Carbon_15, yes recoil happens after the shot. However, in rapid fire strings where your squeezing one off every time you obtain a flash sight picture, recoil, & how fast you recover from it with a given pistol & caliber can affect accuracy, especially in a heavier recoiling caliber. Fatigue is another factor at the range, as recoil forces can tire your hands, wrists, & forearms.

It's not so much being recoil sensitive, a calibers recoil will affect individuals differently, as will different weight loads in a given caliber & launch platform. As I stated, I'm not very "proficient" w/ the 155/165gr. loads when shooting them in a light pistol like the G-23, again I shot the 180gr. loads much better. However, I might shoot the 155/165gr. loads in a heavier pistol ie; a Beretta Border Marshall, just as well as I shoot the 180's from the 23.

Best, JNB01 :)
 
I traded my SIG Sauer P229 .40S&W because of the gun, not the caliber. Hell, my 10mm has more muzzle blast than that .40S&W and I shoot it as well as my 9mm's and .45acp. I have found that the noise bothers most folks more than the way the gun recoils in the hand.
 
The gun I shoot the best is my SIG P226 .40S&W. I don't have a problem with the recoil or accuracy. The trigger, grip, weight and length of the P226 definitely help matters. Very well-balanced gun.

I prefer 165gr over the other weights.
 
blades67, I definitely agree w/ you on the noise factor. Muzzle blast can affect people just as much as recoil, I've heard many people say that about the 357 Sig, especially when fired from a short bbl'd gun. It seems to hold true for the hot .40 loads out of shorter bbl's as well, & then there's the 357 mag ect....ect.

Thanks again for the replies, JNB01 :cool:
 
I think some of it might matter what caliber the gun was originally designed for.

The first glock was a 9mm and people seem to talk better about the 17 and 19 than the others, with what seems to be alot against the glocks in .45.

The USPs were originally introduced in the .40 and they seem to be preferred and well liked in that caliber

so forth....

This is strictly conjecture on my part and may be nonsense, but the idea just occured to me and I thought I might mention it.
 
JNB01,

I use American Eagle for practice (180 gr.) and 165 gr. Federal Hydra-shok for serious stuff.

I get very good accuracy with the American Eagle (for as cheap as it is), but my USP really shines with the Hydra-shoks.

Shake
 
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