.40 S&W, Like or Dislike, Why?

[Rook]

I've got 9s and 40s but my favorite is the 40. More power than a 9 but still in a small size such as my Kel-Tec P-40.

 

[mikld]

First off, I don't own a .40 so this is just my opinion. I read, several years ago that the emphasis/reasoning on changing a major police department's handgun to 40 S&W was because many of the police couldn't handle the recoil of a 45 ACP or 10 mm, and 9mms were thought to be "too small" to be effective. I can't produce facts, but that is just what I read.

I was a revolver guy for 30 years before I got a semi-auto and that was because I got a good deal. Did not dislike semi-autos, just had a revolver "base" and had .38 Specials (3), .357 Magnums (2), .44 Specials and .44 Magnums (5). Today I have 4, 9mms and 2, 45 ACPs and reload for them (I can load "mild to wild", depending on need). I just see little need for a .40 as "everything" is covered by those two...

 

[Rick Courtright]

Hi,

I don't have a dog in this fight: when I went to buy my first, and still only, CF auto, I figured the 9mm was approaching its 100th birthday, and, like other cartridges of its age, must have survived that long by doing a decent job of whatever it was being used for. So that's what I bought... and, so far, it's done a decent job of whatever I've used it for.

Buddies who shoot .40s like the fact they're a little hotter than the nine, and a little lighter to carry than the .45. I figure it's their money, and mfrs offer us a tremendous variety so each can spend it the way they like. While I don't have any plans to buy a .40, over the years a fair amount of used brass has shown up on the doorstep, and there's quite a bunch of .40s in the pile. So, who knows, the temptation may arise, and I find it's best to never say "Never!" Curiosity can be a powerful motivator, as well as the one of the gun world's best sales tools...

Rick C

 

[mrmike7189]

I started shooting 22 and 38 revolvers, then got into 9mm...loved the fact that the recoil with semi auto was lighter. When I wanted LITTLE MORE POWER I moved up to 40S&W.
When I want to plink...i shoot 9mm it's cheaper.I also have some awesome +p hollowpoints for the 9mm. when I want some serious oomph for a home defense weapon, but I feel that the 40 is better?

 

[rattlegun]

I use 9mm for plinking only. The 45 and 40 are the two that get carried.

 

[ncvikingfan]

I was one of the first to jump on the 40 bandwagon...bought a Ruger KP91DC with a three-digit serial number. It was accurate, reliable, and hard-hitting. I have been a fan of the cartridge ever since.

What some of the younger folks on this forum may fail to realize is that bullet technology at that time wasn't nearly as good as it is now. The 9mm had a reputation for being a poor fight stopper. 45s (and 10mms) required big guns to house them and generally sported low capacities. The 40 was a fantastic compromise, with a fairly heavy bullet of decent diameter, driven fast enough to expand more reliably than many other cartridges, coupled with respectable capacity in a 9mm-size firearm.

With current propellent and bullet technology, the 9mm is a very viable self-defense and law enforcement caliber. Polymer firearm frames have helped make 45s and 10mms that are svelte enough to fit most hands while still housing double stack mags. By the same token, those same advances have made the 40 even better than its initial iteration. It still outperforms the 9mm while fitting in the same envelope. It holds more rounds in a smaller package than the 45s and 10mm Autos. Ammunition is reasonably priced, and it has earned a solid reputation over the last quarter century as a decisive stopping cartridge.

For those reasons, it still has a place in my collection.

+1. However, I do not have the KP91. My first Ruger .40 caliber was the KP94.

 

[sliclee]

I like girls with med sizes boobs, what about you?
I also like em about 5'7'=5'8".
Get what I mean, everything has a story and a reason.
We are speaking about reloading, shooting,etc.
The 9 is bullet specific, best size to carry, small, was downgraded to kill it years ago, the history of calibers is out there.
The 45 THE ONLY GUN IN THE WORLD SAYS IPSIC.
THE 40 CALIBER** is the hottest next to the 10, 44,45 etc. You can kill paper with almost any HARD bullet from 100 grains
to 250 grains in a revolver or a semi. Comes with a warning in reloading books.
Gun is more expensive to make if hot ammo is to be used.
Read about it but don't talk about it goes back to the beginning, what do I want it to do, it will do almost anything you want.
The 45 is not a hot caliber, the guns made for it are good to about 850 to 950 FPS, nothing wrong with that. Works well.

 

[Enigma]

I've had two .40 S&W pistols - a Springfield 1911, and a Glock G22 Gen 4. I sold the 1911 almost immediately - they're just SUPPOSED to be in .45 ACP. The Glock held my interest for a while, but ultimately I lost interest. Ultimately, I have concluded that the FBI has finally got it right - modern 9mm ammo will do anything that the .40 S&W can do, and they don't destroy the gun in the process. My only Glock is currently a 9mm, and I simply see no need for the .40. Between all the other handgun cartridges that I shoot and load for, they pretty much have it covered.

 

[mrmike7189]

I've got 9s and 40s but my favorite is the 40. More power than a 9 but still in a small size such as my Kel-Tec P-40.

I bet that kel tec in 40 cal. really stings the hand after you shoot a box of 50 !
My uncle has one of those in 9mm and it's really a great little pistol for the money

 

[sliclee]

Will I read your comments and give or take a few days reading of new hand guns and their calibers I noticed the advertising
per gun usually was ,9,40,45 or like that, but now says made in 9 or 45 leaves out 40 in a few ads.
Do I take it as removing 40's altogether or as some 40's standing alone.
I personally believe the 40 is the best all around in our country only.
In other countries you probably won't be able to find that caliber . 380 and 9 being most prevalent.

 

[rattlegun]

The 9mm is enough for the FBI because they have multiple officers shooting at one person, so being machine gunned so to speak by two, three or more agents with 9mm of course their results show no need for more power.

People just don't get with ballistics, totally brainwashed by every fad every few months.