Defensive Carry banner

????Question on .40 cal?

4K views 39 replies 26 participants last post by  Jaybm 
#1 ·
I was recently discussing on another forum that I was considering getting a .40. To be honest I dont have alot of experience with semi-auto. I've been shooting .357 mag revolvers for close to 20 years. To my surprise most of the folks acted like the .40 was useless. I kept being told eith 9mm or .45. Well I'm just looking for a little advice . I'm really not interested in getting a .45. The gun I have my eye on comes on either 9mm or .40. Is the .40 not a very decent round? Please forgive my ignorance. When I look on paper it looks good but I know paper and real life are 2 different things.
 
#2 ·
Well I have a .40 cal Glock 23 I like it. There are many fine .40 cal weapons available. Go to a range and rent some and get a feel with what you may like.
 
#3 ·
40 is a good caliber. It has a little more snap to it than 9mm or 45 recoils wise which is why some dont like it, But its not much difference and not near a full load 357 recoil wise.

I have owned carried and shot 40 a lot as well as 45 and 357. Not starting a caliber war since this is just my opinion but given one bullet in a handgun to depend and that be all I had it would be 357 125gr jhp 45 jhp and 40 jhp in that order. But again that is just me. 40 does however run right along with the other 2 as SD ammo in my humble opinion.
 
#4 ·
Well, I don't think anyone will volunteer to be shot with one. And, it is a round that has been used in many police departments. I like my M&P40c and don't have any reservations about carrying it.
 
  • Like
Reactions: gregnsc
#7 ·
I have a FNP40, a little snappy but no problem handling it. My wife shoots it better than I do. I am a 40 fan.
 
#9 ·
It sounds like you may be looking at an EMP in .40 cal. I have the 9mm version and it's a sweetie! I too am thinking of getting a .40, but I didn't want to introduce another caliber to my family. However, if I find a Glock in stock at my LGS it could follow me home.
 
#15 ·
That thread is an absolute monster and very informative...


Get the .40 in XD or Glock. If you don't like it buy a barrel and do a simple swap to 9mm or you can even try .357 Sig. If you find you need more get rid of it and buy a .45

I like the extra snap the .40 provides and the fact that it's still on the 9mm frame.
 
#13 ·
It's not so much about the .40 round being bad. A lot of people have moved away from it simply because they don't feel that it offers enough superiority over 9mm to give up the extra capacity, plus the round tends to be much snappier, therefore it's harder to control follow ups with.

I will say this from my personal experience. i carried a .40 for a number of years and shot mine quite a bit, but what I found was I could shoot my wife's 9mm, which I never 'practiced' with, almost as well as the gun I practiced with weekly. I did a lot of reading about ballistics and decided to ditch the .40 and I've never regretted it, and my accuracy and follow up shot speed has improved well beyond what I had achieved with my previous carry gun.

All that said, some folks can shoot 'em great, so it definitely boils down to an individual thing.

Here's a good article you should check out.

http://www.imakenews.com/valhalla/e_article002168437.cfm?x=bk1b43S,bj7QPlVl,w
 
#16 ·
i have a glock 23 gen 3 and shoot it better then a friend and my stepdad with them using a smith and wesson gve9. im 5'7 145 so just depends i guess. im looking to get a 40 to 9 barrel so i can have two calibers in one. but overall i like my 40cal and don't regret getting it at all. but i can bet that some one wont know if they got shot with a 9 or 40 so its all up to you
 
#17 ·
I have a Glock 23c and a 27. (both are .40S&W), I actually like shooting the 27 better . Some interesting things about the .40 S&W round. I went to a local gun store and was thinking about getting a 10mm. I looked at the ammo boxes that had the ballistics listed. The .40 actually was more powerful than the 10mm, and it was 1/3 rd the cost. Most of the 10mm ammo is really watered down for better shootability I think.

I also have a Beretta Nano in 9mm. Maybe because of it's smaller size, I don't notice much difference in recoil than with the Glocks in .40 S&W.

If you go to www.balisticsbytheinch.com and compare the .40 to the .357Mag in a 3" barrel, the .40 has more power, (possibly because the powder burns quicker than the 357), so in the 357mag, the bullet is long gone before the powder is burnt up making for more noise and flash. In a 4" barrel the .357 gains on the .40.

.40S&W Corbon 140DPX .357mag Corbon 140 JHP

3" 1190 3" 1172
4" 1236 4" 1394
 
#18 ·
.40 S&W worthless??? I could give you several cemetery plot addresses that would prove otherwise. There is far too much data to the contrary to give that opinion any credibility whatsoever--not sure what "expert" told you that one!

When selecting a carry weapon, you should select the largest caliber that you can safely and effectively control while delivering the most accurate groupings. What is the best gun/caliber for someone else may not be what's best for you. Base your decision on your own feel and perhaps a trained instructor that can work with you on this decision.
 
#19 ·
Thanks guys. After spending much time on the computer tonight reading I'm really lening toward the .40. Wife had to take afriend to the hospital, kids in bed so I've lots and lots of time tonight. I really like what I have read not only on here but other sources also. From what I read it appears that the energy at the muzzle is pretty close to that of a .357, just with a larger bullet. Now I could be wrong but was told that in a full size gun like the Beretta 96 that a .40 should have a little less recoul than a .357. I asked about recoil compared to a .357 since thats what I'm use to shooting. Heck I almost have myelf talked into going and putting one on layaway tomorrow.:smile:
 
#20 ·
3 of 5 of my handguns are .40S&W....I trust it with my life.
 
#22 ·
This is a classic arguement and in my opinion (I don't claim to be an expert by ANY means) the main arguement for 9mm is capacity, my sr40 has a 15 round magazine so in a full size platform that advantage is null, personally its seems to me the .40 has a.unique recoil some people call it snappy if you will once you get accustomed to it (or any handgun for that matter) it will also nullify itself from the con side. Long winded way of saying personal preference. Some people like the 9mm some people like .40 you just have to decide whose side are you on :p
 
#23 ·
This is a classic arguement and in my opinion (I don't claim to be an expert by ANY means) the main arguement for 9mm is capacity
And lucky for us thanks to the morons in office, the CHOICE to choose high capacity is about to be out of your hands. New York already passed a bill last night, 7 rounds is all you get. Why anyone lives there is beyond me.

I guess we shall see if it really was a capacity thing. If I am limited to 10 rounds (or 7) then caliber isn't a factor for capacity.
 
#31 ·
If you do some ballistics research you will find that all of these are adequate for personal defense. It's the old Ford, no Chevy, hell no It's Dodge argument. If you like the gun your looking at, and it's 40 cal. that's fine.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rattlehead
#32 ·
The .40 S&W is a fine cartridge

I carry a .40 S&W pistol, which is strange, considering I've been a .45 ACP user for over 35 years.

The .40 S&W round throws a wider, heavier bullet at about the same velocity as a lighter, narrower bullet in 9mm. The arms themselves are the same size as an equivalent 9mm pistol. Okay, the recoil is a bit snappier than 9x19, but not so much as to be objectionable - at least to me.

I carry an H&K USP(c)40. I can make head shots at 25 yards and stay on a silhouette at 50 yards.

I'm happy with the .40 S&W round and handgun. What more could one want?

To be fair, I have several other pistols that fit the same criteria. Several Government Models, a couple of K frame S&W revolvers and two N frame revolvers. The downside is they are all larger and heavier pistols; good for shooting but not so good for carrying.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top