Sacred cow
The .40S&W is a fine round. But I don’t like, use it or own in guns in that caliber for pretty much the reasons listed here. That, and you get 30% more recoil and 50% more cost for a 10% increase in performance over a 9mm.
Remember, I do this to entertain me, not you.
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February 23rd, 2012 at 11:13 am
Don’t forget severely reduced magazine capacity…
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:24 am
The .40 S&W has been around for what, 22 years? Just a flash in the pan if you ask me.
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:27 am
Short and Weak. Get a proper 10 and be done with it.
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:32 am
All my pistols are either in .22LR for magazine capacity and ease of training or .50BMG for stopping power.
No compromises.
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:38 am
Some years ago I bought a G23 because I had heard I needed “more gun” – and ran a thousand or so rounds through it getting proficient. I discovered two things: one, my skill with my old 9mm went waaay up, and I really liked the G30 I subsequently moved to..
Good training, HARD to shoot well.
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:44 am
Run what you brung…just hope you brought enough…
Shit, I am still stuck on Drag Racing in the transmission thread.
February 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
I always have looked at the 40 with disdain. I would carry a .45 or 10 before I would ever buy or carry a 40. My greatest lament is that they do not manufacture a Steyr in 10mm….
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:10 pm
Just shifted over to 9mm from .40 S+W. Purely a matter of Economics of Scale, since you showed that all Pistol Ammo works pretty much the same. More Ammo for less dollars.
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
I agree with his “guns are not made to be .40”. I’ve seen a few too many issues with guns in .40 S&W, either the odd blowup, or the odd ejector detonation with unloading, etc. depending on the gun.
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:30 pm
They say you get the best burgers and steaks from sacred cows.
February 23rd, 2012 at 12:43 pm
Ran 40 for a few years, but found my hands, and my wife’s hands, dont like the recoil as much.
Price is a factor too. nice thing about glocks, once you get used to shooting one, you can shoot them all pretty easy!
February 23rd, 2012 at 2:00 pm
I first read the title as “Scared Cows”.
Anyway; we’re splitting hairs here, and then we’re splitting the split hairs. “Buy the one you like” is the best advice I ever heard anywhere, about any gear, in any disclipline. You’ll use it more because you like it. If later you decide you like something else better, get that.
When I got my first auto pistol, I knew nothing about anything, so I picked the one off the shelf, at the local store on that day, that delivered the most KE– the Glock 20 in 40 Smith and Wesson Magnum (“I know what you’re thinking– Did he fire sixteen shots or only fifteen, or did he even start with a full load of fifteen plus one…?”).
February 23rd, 2012 at 3:43 pm
Way back before the internet I read a lot of gun magazines. Whenever they would do a test of a gun in 9mm, .357 Sig, and .40 S&W, the for-tay always was the least accurate (at least that’s how I remember it).
Left a very bad impression on me.
February 23rd, 2012 at 6:34 pm
I own pistols in .22, .32, 9mm, .357Sig, .38 Spl, .40S&W, .45ACP. Each of them has its place and its uses. Anything except the .22 is a good choice for self defense, given the right conditions. I don’t think that capacity is a problem between the .40 and the 9mm. My M&P holds 16 rounds of .40 or 18 rounds of 9mm.
Stopping power is a myth, and shot placement is a much larger factor than the minor differences between defensive pistol ammo.
February 23rd, 2012 at 7:30 pm
To each his/her/its own. No complaints with my .40s. See no particular reason to switch.
February 23rd, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Recent ballistics research indicates that 9 mm, 40 and 45 all have similar wound channel characteristics, with one major caveat: if the round achieves penetration. A round from a full size weapon, even a 9, will likely achieve this. The big push into pocket size guns makes penetration problematic. The much shorter barrel means a round is likely to exit the weapon at a much slower velocity. At close range this shouldn’t be an issue but at longer distances heavy clothing could cause a round to fail to penetrate. if this happens, go back to the old adage, two to the body, one to the head.
February 23rd, 2012 at 8:52 pm
Only things I have I think I would sell are a cheep 1911 ripoff and my XDm .40, because it’s the only thing I have in that caliber, and the mag release needs to get the stick out of its ass. Thinkin maybe I’ll exercise it a few hundred more times tonight.
February 24th, 2012 at 12:07 am
So, to summarize various expert opinions that I’ve read over the years:
Anything less than 9mm is underpowered, but the 9mm is the Europellet
.38 Special is underpowered
.357 Magnum is plenty powerful, but limited to revolvers which have insufficient capacity.
.40 S&W is covered by this post & comments.
10mm tends to crack the frame.
.44 Magnum is limited to revolvers, etc.
.45ACP is slow and limits capacity.
Every other handgun round is rare and expensive.
Did I miss anything?
February 24th, 2012 at 12:35 am
That’s why I sold my Glock 23. Both .45 & 9mm seem easier to control, at least to me. Going from 16 rounds of .40 to 14 rounds of .45 onboard did not cause me angst. And now I’m getting my first 9mm; at least, the first since the days I carried an M9. Of course, back then, concealability was not a concern.
February 24th, 2012 at 3:39 am
I first read the title as “Scared Cows”.
You must have come here straight after reading this post.
February 24th, 2012 at 6:05 am
.40 has too much recoil? Perhaps.
I find my Glock 23C, which is the model with barrel porting, handles just fine in terms of recoil.
As far as .40 terminal ballistics vs 9mm, I guess it all depends on whether one thinks the FBI standard is too stiff or not. That’s why the FBI went to .40 caliber, not because of a lack of suitable loadings for the 9mm. The 180 grain JHP “FBI load” in the 10mm cartridge (which led to the invention of the .40 S&W) was specifically designed to meet certain minimum performance standards the FBI wanted. A standard the 9mm could not reliably meet.