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How Effective is the 40 caliber handgun in stopping a lethal threat?

74K views 83 replies 68 participants last post by  m5215 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Shooters,

I am a former Marine and ask both shooters & LEO'S:

With the proper shot placement how effective is 40 cal. handgun in stopping a lethal threat? While active in the Marines I have personally seen the damage a .45 caliber handgun can do.

I have shot various .40 caliber guns but lack information on how successful the .40 caliber gun is in incapacitating someone threatening you with lethal force! I have taught my wife to shoot our 9mm -Sig 239, which is used for protecting our home against lethal threats inside our home. We have shot 9mm, 40 caliber and 45 pistols at our range and from shooting all these caliber handguns the 40 caliber handgun is what we shoot best.

Plus I feel that 9mm handgun is not enough for our needs --when in most encounters I had in the Marines --were so surprisingly fast that only one or two shots were fired. How effective is the 40 caliber handgun with 1 -2 shots in stopping a lethal threat?
Thank-you shooters for your thoughts & data!

There's No Life Before Coffee!:theyareontome:


:wave:
 
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#2 ·
Oh heck yeah.

The. 40 is a fine choice and will kill anything you need dead.
I personally beleive in the theory of shooting the biggest caliber that you can be proficient with, but with that being said, I do carry a SigP239 .40 alot and dont feel the least bit undergunned.
 
#4 ·
Look how many people the Germans in WW2 with 32 PPs and PPKs. Don't get me wrong, I carry a 380, 38, and 40, but anything is better than nothing.
 
#5 ·
While active in the Marines I have personally seen the damage a .45 caliber handgun can do ! I have shot various .40 caliber guns but lack information on how successful the .40 caliber gun is in incapacitating someone threating you with lethal force! Do any shooters on this site have any knowledge on the effectiveness of the .40 caliber gun? I will be using this gun for protecting my family!

What caliber gun to you prefer( .40 cal.or .45 cal.) for protecting your family?

There's No Life Before Coffee!:theyareontome:

Nothing wrong with .40. Nothing really wrong with a good 9mm either. SD ammo for the 9mm is nothing like the 9mm ball used in the M9.

BUT, a very important thing, maybe the MOST important thing, is confidence in your weapon. So, if the .45 works for you and you are happy with it, why swap to a .40?

Of course, I personally think a shottie loaded with good buckshot beats 'em all.
 
#7 ·
While I can't say I have seen the trauma inflicted by a .40 cal, I can say that guns have been pretty much my sole hobby for the last 28 years. The .40 S&W is a newer caliber compared to the .45 but it has defenitely left a positive impression in the firearms community.

Before I go on, I will say my "preferred" caliber is the .45 ACP for various reasons. Your question is about the .40 so I won't try and sell you on the .45 ACP. I will tell you even though I prefer the .45, my second choice in caliber is the .40 because of it's size and potential as a SD round.

I subscribe to the "larger is better" crowd, to only a certain degree. I feel the .40 can be better than the 9mm depending on load but the .45 can be better than the .40, depending on the load. I only own one .40 handgun and all the rest are .45's or 9mm's. Odd eh ? Bear with me on my reason.

When I was shopping for the smallest, toughest, most concealable and reliable handgun with the "most power" available, I settled on the Glock 27. I searched and searched for something that gave me everything I wanted in a better package but it wasn't there. I didn't want the 26 because I felt the 9mm from the short barrel would not have the same potential as the .40 from the short barrel. I can't get a .45 in that small a package so I bought the 27.

As my daily concealed carry handgun, the Glock 27 in a .40 caliber gives me excellent firepower with very good ballistics in a fantastic carry platform. I have no qualms about the .40 and feel it is an excellent compromise to the .45 to get what I want in an ultimate carry package. If I go with a bigger gun for carry on a particular day, I trade up to .45 or even my Glock 19, which has a 4" barrel.

My reasons are neither right nor wrong. They are logical to me so I feel very good about my choices. Others may feel different but I will say firmly that I believe the .40 S&W is a very good candidate for a subcompact or even a full sized carry gun. Not as versatile in loadings as my .45's but a great SD round, none the less.

Hope this helps !
 
#9 ·
I like the .45 as well, but the .40 hits plenty hard. 12 gauge or .223 trumps them both. :image035:
 
#10 ·
I'm retired Navy... I know what you mean, but since retiring I have become a .40S&W convert. I sold my SIG P220 and purchased a SIG P226 (.40S&W). That is 8+1 for the P220 compared to 12+1 for the P226 (.40).

Very close to the same size as the 9mm, and just about as good of stopping power as the .45. I personally prefer the .40S&W over the .45, which does not mean i will never buy a .45 again. It's always good to have a little variety in everyone's life.

Just remember: Shot placement may not be everything, but it's a lot.
 
#11 ·
you will like the 40

I'm a lover of the 45 too but am seriously considering a 40. Smaller yet lethal package, Lighter weight, more rounds and less weight per round as well.

Love the 12 Ga for home defense but prefer #2 or #4 to buck load though. Everybody needs a 223-308-762/39 type weapon but not for the primary home defense. These will definitely stop & kill your intruder but will also put a hole thru your garage, thru your truck, thru the neighbor’s wall and thru your neighbor all at the same time. I prefer to think I can limit the destruction to the confines of my home in most cases.
 
#12 ·
I agree with the others about whichever round you can be proficient with - shot placement matters a lot.

I don't mean to be personal, but are you the only one who might need to use this firearm for self-defense? If you have a spouse or significant other who might need to use this firearm, and it is the only one available in your home, can this person use it effectively as well? I doubt I'll ever own something beyond a .40 because this is what my wife can shoot reasonably well.
 
#14 ·
How about #2 or #4? I prefer this to buck for no better reason than if I fill an intruder with #4 they will spend a lot more time cutting on him/her to get it all back out, and of course less penetration. It's not because of a larger spread. At the typical 4 to 8 feet it's going to be a pretty compact pattern anyway.
 
#17 ·
I think you'll find the .40 is just about 10% less (ballistics) than the .45 ---- unless you load it with Magtech Guardian Gold 155 JHP. That round flies at 1205 fps and packs energy at 500 ft./lbs. at the muzzle. Most .45 is in the high 300's to low 400's for energy. For that matter, the Magtech Guardian Gold for the .45 packs a whallop too - the 180+P flies at 1148 fps and has muzzle energy of 540 ft. lbs. Expansion on both is awesome! I have both calibers but prefer my .45.

Ballistics aside, other's points are spot on - CONFIDENCE AND PLACEMENT. My wife does better with my 1911 than my .40 as the .40 has a snappier recoil than the 1911.
 
#18 ·
Nothing wrong with a .40SW

Here's my biased ranking of SD calibers :smile: ( I have guns chambered in all these).

.357mag/ 357sig
.45acp
.40SW
.38spec. +P
 
#21 ·
Here is what I carry in .40 Sig P239 SAS DAK trigger w/lasermax

I am not afraid of the dark with it:smile:

 
#22 ·
In auto pistols I think the .40 would be an acceptable alternative to the goodness that is the .45 ACP. I don't think as highly of the 9mm.
 
#23 ·
I will be using this gun for protecting my family!
Then you're well motivated.

Plenty of folks have been stopped by 9mm on up. By far, the greatest factor is going to be what you do with it. So long as your choice means you'll have it with you, you're effective with it, you are comfortable and well-trained with it, then it should be sufficient. Like anything else in this world: ain't no guarantees. Get a good tool, then work it until you know for a fact it'll do what you need it to do. Then, and only then, you can be assured it is sufficient for the task.
 
#26 ·
.40 is great for home defense. You get a round with a good amount of power in a platform that allows you a good amount of capacity in a smaller handgun. Which is pretty much why I settled on it. Rather good power and performance (check some ballistics sites, etc) in a handgun that doesn't have to be huge to achieve a large capacity of rounds.
 
#28 ·
Hopefully the enemy only knows 90 percent of the Marines -the last 10 percent the enemy does't know is what has defeated the Marines enemies time and time again-as proven by history!:congrats:
 
#27 ·
.22, .380, .38 special, 9 mm, .40S&W, .45 ACP..... they will all work. Just remember the "three S's" Shot placement, Shot placement, Shot placement. A good hit with a standard velocity .38 is a lot better than string of loud misses from a hi cap .40 anything! A handgun with a full size grip and a 4" or 5" barrel is easier to hit with than someting smaller. Only hits count.
 
#29 ·
Doesn't matter, shot placement is king
 
#32 ·
In respect to what you stated --I believe that caliber does matter. Some shooters can get much better shot placement with one caliber versus another caliber--so in retrospect this supports the theory that shot placement is king!

A Marine Till The Day I Die!

:wave:
 
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