9mm or .40 in a subcompact?

RaisinRiverRon · Feb 14, 2014

Going to break down and buy a mousegun, 3" bbl., grip you can get two fingers on.
I'm leaning toward the .40, but wondering if I'd be better off with a 9mm for faster recovery between shots.
I generally lean toward bigger is better; .45 Colt revolver, 10mm pistol, .357 5-shot revolver. But I notice my split-times with my .9mm HP are pretty quick.
Any opinions?

Mike J · Feb 14, 2014

My only subcompact is a Kel-Tec P-11. It is a 9mm. It weighs 14 ounces unloaded IIRC. It is snappy enough. I would not like a pistol this size in .40.

FWIW I like .40 in mid-sized or full sized pistols. If there is a rental range near you it might be worth renting a couple of your options & checking it out.

luvmyRugers · Feb 14, 2014

I think I may have said this before on here...Carry what you can shoot / handle best and feel the most comfortable with!! End of story.
Personally, anything that starts with a .4 or larger for me. YMMV
Good luck in your decision.

22/45 Fan · Feb 15, 2014

I have a Kahr PM9 and the recoil with 9 mm +P is more than impressive enough. A .40 in this pistol would be very unpleasant. Modern high performance 9 mm ammo is so effective that insisting a .40 or .45 are the only acceptable calibers is obsolete.

GKC · Feb 15, 2014

Rent it before you buy it! If you can't find the one you want, rent something comparable (barrel length, action, weight) to check recoil. A lot of people find .40 to be too snappy in a full size polymer gun, not to mention a compact or subcompact. Everyone is different when it comes to felt recoil, though, so if you can try before you buy, do so.

Clovishound · Feb 16, 2014

I'm with the herd on this one. Shoot one of each. If you like the 9 better, don't worry about the caliber differences.

Geoff Timm · Feb 16, 2014

I went with 9mm practice is considerably less expensive and I'm told the 9mm is easier to reload.
Geoff
Who needs to do all sorts of stuff this weekend, but I must be werry quiet...

RaisinRiverRon · Feb 16, 2014

Thanks for the input. The Kahr PM is the pistol I'm planning on getting, just unsure which caliber I'm going with. I reload both 9mm and 10mm, and have 1000 rds of once fired .40 brass so reloading and practice cost aren't really a concern.
Especially today with the quality of bullets designs available the difference in performance between pistol cartridges out of a 3" bbl. are minimal and shot placement a more determining factor.
Mostly I was looks for personal experience like 22/45 Fan's.
I guess I'm going to take everyone's advice and pay(argh) to rent one in each caliber to make a decision.
Thanks.

FergusonTO35 · Feb 17, 2014

I would advise against the little Kahr in .40 unless you can shoot it first. This gun is about the size of a Walther PPK and weighs even less.

gmartinnc · Feb 17, 2014

A 938 Sig with the short mag contained all inside the grip, is a handful with hot loads. The 7 round mag gives you all fingers on the gun, but isn't quite as compact.

Geoff Timm · Feb 17, 2014

I have a Kahr 9094N, but it is large enough for all my fingers. I find this good.
Geoff
Who also has a SWaMPy 9c which is thicker, much thicker.

Nerd_Ferguson · Feb 17, 2014

For me it's not "can you shoot it". It's do you want to. I want my carry to be something I want to shoot often. I can shoot my friends Kahr PM 40 accurately. But I don't enjoy it. If I owned one, I would have to make myself practice with it for proficiency instead of wanting to shoot it for fun.

Shooter III · Feb 20, 2014

RaisinRiverRon said:
Thanks for the input. The Kahr PM is the pistol I'm planning on getting, just unsure which caliber I'm going with. I reload both 9mm and 10mm, and have 1000 rds of once fired .40 brass so reloading and practice cost aren't really a concern.
Especially today with the quality of bullets designs available the difference in performance between pistol cartridges out of a 3" bbl. are minimal and shot placement a more determining factor.
Mostly I was looks for personal experience like 22/45 Fan's.
I guess I'm going to take everyone's advice and pay(argh) to rent one in each caliber to make a decision.
Thanks.

((( WAIT )))
Read up on the new Remington R51 pistol >>> http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2014/01/remington-r51-9mm-gun-review8/ <<< as soon as they hit the Gun-Stores I want to hold and shoot one in the .40 S&W, if I like it, it will replace my Bersa .380 for a sub-compact.

22/45 Fan · Feb 20, 2014

Shooter III said:
((( WAIT )))
Read up on the new Remington R51 pistol >>> http://www.personaldefenseworld.com/2014/01/remington-r51-9mm-gun-review8/ <<< as soon as they hit the Gun-Stores I want to hold and shoot one in the .40 S&W, if I like it, it will replace my Bersa .380 for a sub-compact.

Well, it's only available in 9 mm initially and it may be a while for the .40 to be introduced. Also it's a brand new product for Remington and I wouldn't want to be one of the Beta-testers so I'd also wait until all of the initial bugs have been worked out. Between those two considerations it might be quite a while before a reliable .40 is available.

Finally, it's going to be another light, small gun and will be just as unpleasant to shoot as any other similar pistol in .40 S&W.

Shooter III · Feb 20, 2014

22/45 Fan said:
Finally, it's going to be another light, small gun and will be just as unpleasant to shoot as any other similar pistol in .40 S&W.

All you're doing is making an assumption on past experience, so you don't know that for sure, It's an updated version of a design made to reduce muzzle flip and recoil. Consequently, none of us will truly know what it's like until someone actually shoots it and then gives us a report, try opening your mind to new possibilities !!! The most innovative things came to us in the early 1900's and all we have been doing since then is making those innovations better. Ain't much new under the sun.

22/45 Fan · Feb 21, 2014

Shooter III said:
All you're doing is making an assumption on past experience, so you don't know that for sure, It's an updated version of a design made to reduce muzzle flip and recoil. Consequently, none of us will truly know what it's like until someone actually shoots it and then gives us a report, try opening your mind to new possibilities !!! The most innovative things came to us in the early 1900's and all we have been doing since then is making those innovations better. Ain't much new under the sun.

You are dedicated to this fiction aren't you. The R51 is an updated design dating from 1918 strengthened to handle modern 9 mm (and eventually .40 S&W) ammunition and using better materials than the original. Otherwise there is nothing revolutionary or magic about it's design.

Past experience (read; knowing physics) says ANY small, light pistol shooting a 40S&W round is going to recoil hard and nothing Remington did or your wishful thinking is going to change that.

BTW, there have already been a couple of magazine tests of the R51 in 9 mm and they say it recoils pretty much like any other similar light 9 mm so it's pretty certain the .40 version will be more of the same.

MountainWalker · Feb 25, 2014

Both the SR9c and the SR40c are fluffy kittens cats to shoot. It is amazing how well that dual recoil spring absorbs shock. The 9mm is extremely light recoil and the 40SW version is easy to shoot and still has soft recoil. The downside is that these recoil springs make operating the slide a chore for most and may be too much for some. With good technique it's not to hard but still way harder than G26/27 pistols. I like the thumb safety on this striker fired weapon. Ruger has come up with a dandy little pistol in the SRc.

22/45 Fan · Feb 25, 2014

MountainWalker said:
Both the SR9c and the SR40c are Fluffy Kittens cats to shoot. It is amazing how well that dual recoil spring absorbs shock. The 9mm is extremely light recoil and the 40SW version is easy to shoot and still has soft recoil. The downside is that these recoil springs make operating the slide a chore for most and may be too much for some. With good technique it's not to hard but still way harder than G26/27 pistols. I like the thumb safety on this striker fired weapon. Ruger has come up with a dandy little pistol in the SRc.

+1. I have the 9c and it is indeed very pleasant to shoot but it's not a super lightweight with a very small grip either. I haven't shot the 40c but it's weight and grip size should also make it manageable. And, yes, the recoil springs make for a pretty stiff slide operation.

I also like the manual safety as it makes the gun a bit more "proprietary" and keeps the very young, ignorant or careless (who shouldn't have access to it anyway but mistakes happen) from firing it by just pulling the trigger.

vito · Feb 25, 2014

I have the sr40c and it is not the most pleasant gun to shoot. "Snappy" is a somewhat mild way to describe it. I find that when switching at the range from my s40c to my P97 (45acp) it is like switching from a 12 gauge to a 20 gauge in terms of recoil. But I chose the sr40c as a carry weapon for both its caliber (pretty much the standard in law enforcement) and capacity (9+1 or 15+ 1 depending on which of the two magazines that came with the gun that I use). If I want a smaller gun, I use my LCP with Hornady Critical Defense ammo. And as time goes on, I am becoming increasingly convinced that there is not all that much difference in effectiveness between 380 acp, 38 special or 40S&W,

Jayhawkhuntclub · Feb 25, 2014

What do you think the 40 is going to give you that the 9mm won't?

The 9 is all you need, the recoil is less and the ammo is cheaper. Seems like a pretty easy decision to me.

9mm or .40 in a subcompact?

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