40Cal

I have a KP944DC (Stainless P94 in .40 cal) that has never been shot (and still has the stickers on the slide). Also have like 1500 rds of .40 cal ammo, just in case I ever needed/wanted to use it. But....I'm quite content with just .22, 9mm and 45 in pistol/revolver calibers and often get the urge to sell off the 40. (and also considering selling off my first gun... a S&W Model 10 38 for the same reason since I have a .357 available which will shoot .38 and .357).

Do folks prefer the 40 cal over other calibers? If so, why? I have heard the 40 has more kick and punch but never fired one. What is the going value/rate for a LNIB KP944DC?

I used to think that the .40 S&W was a better PD choice than the 9MM.
I have since changed my mind about that because of the availability of better bullet and ammunition choices than were previously available for the 9MM.

Now, this is just my OPINION.

I have not tested my theory in the field, as gun fights are not the sort of thing that I go out looking for, but I think it is obvious that the 9MM of today is not the same thing as it used to be. That, along with the better concealability of most 9s than most 40s and the increased magazine capacity, well I still have a .40, but it is strictly a range gun.

OP, the key to making money on the stock market is "buy low, sell high."

Currently, selling a 40 is not a good idea, as demand is just not there for them. A couple of years ago, the FBI decided to switch from 40 to 9mm, and everyone panicked. Suddenly, the 40 was no good, and 9mm was the do-all death ray caliber.

Police departments all over America have been trading on their 40's for 9mm's.

My advice would be to keep it. Next time there is an ammo shortage, and you can't find 45 acp or 9mm ammo, guess what ammo you WILL be able to find. Yup, 40.

As for whether 40 S&W is any good, people can and do argue about this until the cows come home. The bottom line is that it's just fine.

I prefer the 40 for carry and I, too, have a KP944, but mostly for range duty. It is rough, weighs a ton, the slide is loose and sloppy, and the trigger is long, creepy, and just plain lousy. Yet I shoot it better and find it more enjoyable than any of my other centerfire pistols. The weight and ergonomics seem to absorb and tame the snappy recoil of that round. I would encourage you to find out for yourself just how nice that gun shoots. It just might surprise you.

I own a couple of .40's. I have an old P944 with a blued slide and a XD-40. To be honest I spent a lot of time with that P944 learning. It is a good reliable firearm but there are other guns that are easier to shoot well for me.

As for 9mm being the equal of .40 now. A lot of folks say 9mm has improved to the point it is as good as .40 because bullet technology has improved. I would think that .40 should have improved the same amount because of the same advances in bullet technology. With that said I don't think either one is a bad choice. I agree that it is a good idea to have something in .40 around in case we go through another time when ammunition is hard to come by. If I were you I would probably keep the pistol.

Ok..... so I think most of us agree that I should keep the .40 around, and why I got/kept it in the first place. It was part of a package deal, but figured it would be nice to have just in case. That did reinforce my original thoughts. And with a twinkie in 9mm (KP94DC 9mm), along with some other P's, isn't taking up much space LOL.

Now, as for the Model 10 .38, it has been barely used .....but was my first. I might have to consider trading that in or selling outright.

PAVTXER said:

Now, as for the Model 10 .38, it has been barely used .....but was my first. I might have to consider trading that in or selling outright.

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If you do sell it, I might be interested in it, depending on bbl length and price. 8)

I would just hang on to it. NIB P guns are probably going to increase in value, especially since they didn't make nearly as many in .40 caliber.

I think the biggest problem with the .40 is that it is overpressured from the factory, resulting in snappy recoil and sometimes blown up guns. You don't need much in the way of velocity to get the job done with a .40 caliber bullet. The .40 S&W is a sweet cartridge when loaded with a flat point lead bullet at 850-900 fps. I shoot the Lee 410-175-TC over 4.5 grains HP-38 out of my Glock 22. Very accurate, easy to shoot, and will put the smack down on anything on two or four legs here in the Bluegrass. I think of it as a 15 shot .44 Special. 8)

FergusonTO35 said:

I think the biggest problem with the .40 is that it is overpressured from the factory, resulting in snappy recoil and sometimes blown up guns.

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I believe this is a common misconception regarding the 40. The 40 is rated by SAAMI for the exact same pressure as the 9mm at 35,000 psi mean average pressure. Blown up guns are more likely a result of chambers that don't fully support the cartridge.

I don't doubt what you are saying, however I still think the .40 is generally overpressured.

ditto1958 said:

As for whether 40 S&W is any good, people can and do argue about this until the cows come home. The bottom line is that it's just fine.

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I'll second that!

I have a KP944DAO and it has the 11 round mags(from a P91). It shares ammo and its mags with a Police carbine(PC4). I love the 40 round. If you have a heavy gun, like a Ruger P944, it handles the recoil perfectly. I found that during the last ammo shortage, 40 caliber was for sale everywhere. I also have a 9mm and a 380 and could never find ammo for that, so I shot a lot of 40 during that time . hold onto the P944 !

OK, now we're in my neighborhood! I once did a 20 minute presentation called "The .40 Smith and Wesson". I can tell you all about it!

Of course, that was 20 years or so ago, and memories, well, ya know!

Anyway, here's why the .40 S&W was so popular: Back in the day, 9mm was viewed as "anemic", mainly because of the Miami-FBI shootout. Deserved or not, that was the view. S&W came up with the idea of a .40 cal cartridge that was the same overall length as the 9mm, and so could fit in the same frame-sized guns. (As an example, Beretta 92 and 96. We once took a barrel ONLY from a 9mm 92 FS and installed it in the 96D; it functioned perfectly! Even the .40 magazines held and fed the 9mm ammo)

So, we get a .40 cal that will fire a 180 grain hollow point at around 950 fps, or very close to the 185 grain .45 ACP loads that were so popular at the time. ".45 punch in a 9mm package!"

I can't speak to pressures, but I can tell you that the .40 is heavier recoil and rougher on guns than the 9mm. The only two I've seen "blown up" were traced back to faulty ammunition (the brass case was formed from a 9mm size brass pellet rather that the correct .40 S&W sized pellet). Remington owned up to it and paid for the guns. I have seen several cracked aluminum Beretta frames, though.

As 5of7 correctly notes, bullet technology has advanced significantly since then (tho 25 years ago I never felt under-gunned with 9mm 124 grain Hydra-Shok +P+!), and the 9mm is recognized as a better stopper today than in years past. Many departments are transitioning back to 9mm (cheaper ammo, easier to shoot and shoot well).

Personally, I like .45 ACP for my CCW, but I can't find fault with 9mm or .40, so long as you choose quality ammo and your gun is reliable with it.

Let's take a look at the FBI Maimi debacle. SOF magazine got the report via FOI ; it may still be online. Basically if you don't get a good hit the BG doesn't die. Ya several of the hits might have eventually proved fatal. The problem was inadequate training according to the report. The "answer" was the 10mm. But the first guns out had problems as did the ill trained agents. That led to the CYA (for FBI REMFs) 40 cal. Commercial ammo seems to float between 38+P and 357 (around 9mm) in muzzle energy. I don't see the point. A good modern 45apc, 9mm or 10mm will do a better job for less money and effort. Why not the 45apc? Well the 1911A1 is too good and too bad, it really hurt the adoption of the 45 by law enforcement. But now there are 45apc pistols that are just fine for duty or cconciled carry now. They are pricy but very good. I carry a Springfield XP 9mm. I've used it once, shot a car and the BG ran like a gizzle with a hot & sour emminia. With so many better and less expensive pistols available I don't see the point to a 40; not horrid but IMHO less than great.

I would definitely hang onto it! I have 5 pistols in .40: 3 Sigs, 1 HK, and 1 Glock. The LAST pistol I would ever consider selling is my P229. I say that even though I've recently acquired a couple more 9's, mainly because they're a little cheaper to shoot. I don't find the recoil of the .40 at all objectionable, but it is slightly more than a 9mm, naturally.

My first Ruger was a 9mm P-85 back in 1988 which I eventually traded for a P-89DC; it's another gun that I don't plan to ever part with.

I wish I had picked up a couple Ruger .40s when I had the chance when they were plentiful.