I am considering supporting my recent addiction to purchase pistols by getting a 40 cal. I have never been a fan of the 40, but feel a gap between my 9mm and 45acp. At this point I have all 3rd gen smiths, which would logically mean I am looking at 4006 or 4013's. BUT a part of me says "what about the tupperware guns?" Also, it seems the 40 cal ammo is MUCH easier to find in my area.

So the question, what do you guys think about the Beretta Storm PX4? Springfield XDm? compared to the 4006 or 4013s? Thanks.
TD

I would go with the xdm over px4. Also the M&P 40 over the px4. 4006 or 4013 are great guns, just depends on what you are looking for

Save some money and get the new SD40. It is amazing.

M&P is the best .40 on the market right now. Period.


Other than that the 3rd gen guns have proven durable and reliable.


I don't care for the XDs for a variety of reasons, and I would not carry a PX4 if I got it for free.

I'd go with the 4013. I prefer the 3d gen ones. Tupperware belongs in the cabinet in my opinion.

Probably depends more on your use. The compact carry 40s' are plenty snappy and not all that much fun to shoot. The heavier 4006 is a great range/HD gun, available at a reasonable price and will last forever with proper maintinance. I have several friends with the XDms' and they're happy with them, but I know a couple would have jumped on the M&P 40 Pro 5" if they would ever get them out there. I do like a tuned M&P trigger over a tuned third generation TDA trigger. Never had/shot the Beretta and never had anyone rave about one either.

The 4013 is one of my favorite 40s. It a great little single stack that can easily be carried. I would not hesitate to get one if I were you. You might also consider the sw99 they are very underrated in my opinion.

Don't own any tupperware guns, but I do have a 4006 and a Taurus 101 (Beretta 92 clone) in 40. The Taurus has an alloy frame, but is still heavy enough that the 40's snappy recoil isn't too bad. The 4006 is more comfortable to me than the larger Taurus. Basically the 4006 is the size and weight of an all steel 1911 commander. The 4006 is pleasant to shoot with some downloaded range ammo, with full house .40's it has some significant recoil, but not hard to handle by any means. I can shoot steel faster with my 5906, or my 4566TSW than with the 4006, but the 4006 gets some pretty high marks. They can be had cheap, mags are cheap, and they will last forever with minimal care. Check 'em out.

In my area, .40 S&W ammo is easier to find than .45 by a wide margin, and sometimes available when even 9x19 is not.

I can't speak with experience on either of the guns you mention but have shot both S&Ws and owned one of them. I had an early 4013 and it shot well enough with the right ammunition (Silvertips), but I found it awkward due to its high bore-axis. I have heard 4006s were not terribly accurate, and the ones I shot (early ones, also) seemed to be that way. Having said that, I admit I have never been a great shot with the 3rd-generation guns, probably mainly due to the Delrin stocks.

You mention the black guns. You should at least have a look at an M&P. They are good, sturdy, accurate guns. They are not going to shoot with a custom built 1911, but for what they are, they fill the bill and are much more comfortable in my hand than the competition. My only other suggestion would be to consider a SIG P226 or P229. I have a P229 that is a particularly good shooter.

4013TSW is my favorite 40 to shoot. I've got a Glock 22, G27, and my 4013. The TSW series is a good looking gun.
Joel

I've owned 3rd gen 40 almost since their release in '90. They really are great guns. Earlier in the year I purchased my first polymer pistol, a M&P40c simply to feed a niche that a 3rd gen pistol couldn't quite fill. An ankle gun to replace my M60. The alloy frame 3rd gen pistols are just a tad too heavy for my taste by about 6 or 7 ozs.

The M&P40c fills this niche quite nice, it's around 1.5 ozs heavier than a steel J Frame and holds twice as many. It actually rides better than my M60 for all day comfort.

If I'm wearing a belt holster it will be a 3rd gen pistol, a Shorty 40 or a 4003. There are a number of great 40 caliber 3rd gen pistols to choose from, don't limit yourself to the 4006 and 4013. There are some that are a little harder to find than others; Shorty 40, CS40 and 4040PD. The other models will be some varient of the 4006/4003 or the 4013.

For a range gun I would look for a 4006, it it were something I wanted to carry I'd look at any one of the many alloy frame guns. There is about 10 ozs. difference between them. This isn't to say the recoil from any one of the alloy frame is dramatically different than the 06, but it is a little more pronounced.

Cheers,
Sam

__________________
Beware the man with one gun...

Me too!! I was kind of late to the 3rd gen. party so to speak, but I like the 3rd generation pistols. I am up to six now (I think).

__________________
Regards,
Russell

I am fond of the 3rd gen Smiths (and I just got a 3913). However I have been told by several the 4006 is not real accurate and the 4013 is not as reliable as the other 3rd gens. The police around here are actually dropping the 4006 and 4013's and going with Sigs due to these issues.

I have shot the M&P and the XD's. Both felt nice and I felt where quite accurate. I am not fond of SA only pistols so these to models are something I would have to get used to. The XD does seem to have more saftey, but not really.

I would like to consider Sig but DANG they expensive. I would possibly be using this for everything, range-CCW-HD-etc. So DA/SA would be best, but would consider a M&P type.........maybe :-)

Of course I might just get some good +p ammo for my 3913 and not worry about 40 cals :-)
TD

The very first handgun I purchased was a 40 caliber XDm. The reason that I chose it was that it's what I shot best with off the wall of rental polymer pistols at a local range/gunshop. Fact is that I find the it points superbly. However, the 40 caliber M&P was a very close second and the grip is probably the best feeling polymer grip on the market. In all honesty, I'm not really a fan of the off road traction bars on the XDm and prefer the stippling of the M&P.

Since that purchase, I picked up 4 S&W revolvers and 2 Sig Sauers, which I believe was the prototype of the grip contours on my XDm, when compared to the grip on my Sig P239 it measures almost identically in reach and width with length being the only major difference. The Match Barrel hype is just that, from a bench rest I can shoot tighter groups with my P239. So, it's not going to group under an inch at 25 yards, but it will group between 2 and 2 1/2 inches and that's certainly good enough for Action Pistol Matches.

Pluses for the XDm is that it has a LOT of capacity, in the 40 caliber it's 16 rounds in the magazine. It also has a decent trigger for a striker fired pistol and a short reset. Recoil isn't at all bad and feels very similar to the recoil of my P239. I also like that the XDm features a grip safety, with that safety you don't have to worry about an AD while holstering if the trigger gets snagged as long as you stay off the grip safety. Finally, with the 4.5 inch version, you get a nice long sight radius.

Minuses are that like most striker fired pistols there is a noticeable amount of creep once the sear is engaged, about 1/16 inch. There is also about 1/16 inch of overtravel in the trigger, however that is easy to fix with a small shaped bit of rubber glued to the frame. One benefit of adding an improvised overtravel stop is that the reset is effectively reduced to about 1/8 inch, which makes rapid fire drills very easy to run. I also find the pre-travel spring is a bit too weak, whenever I pick it up and start shooting it I have a tendance to "slap" the trigger for the first couple of magazines. Probably because I always do some DA revolver shooting at every range session. Finally the bore axis is a bit higher than some of the polymers on the market so there is a bit more muzzle flip than something with a low bore axis like a Glock. Since Sig Sauers have a bore axis similar to my XDm, the muzzle flip really doesn't bother me but it would probably be an issue for someone used to shooting semi's with a low bore axis.

Bottomline, the XDm is a quality polymer with the mixed blessings of almost any polymer, which means that you get a somewhat so so trigger in a fairly light weight pistol with pretty high capacity magazines. For me the most positive feature is that it's such a good "natural" pointing pistol. Would I recomend it, not sure, some would be driven nuts by the trigger. However, I would certainly recomend taking one for a test drive.

miles71 -
4006 no question about it! See if you can get one of the CHP sell offs.
You should be able to get one at a good price. You may also consider the 410. We love ours.
Good Luck.
469r

I'll 2nd get the S&W SD40, it's amazing!! It's a cross between the M&P and Sigma and for around $400, I don't think you'll beat the price. I put 300rnds through mine last night (brand new/not cleaned) not one hipcup, and accurate.

I agree with Scooter 123. Also, the XD is a better built gun. I own and carry a XD .40 4" barrel. I have shot 3000 rounds recently at a tactical 3-day course academy and I did not have one misfire or malfunction. I checked for loose breech and it was still tight. I dry fire every day for 15 minutes on multiple targets in my garage. With practice, the take up on the trigger will be second nature if practiced from a draw to target. I can shoot from draw to line on target very quickly with practice. The new XDM has more features than the XD. But for your own satisfaction, see if you can test fire the XDM and the M&P at a range and you be the judge. It is a matter of preference and feel.
Nick

I have no experience with anything except the Sig P229 in .40 but, it is an excellent weapon. If anything is any better I want one of thos for my collection also. I realize it is not a polymer but I still like it a lot. It is my daily carry. However if the smith 4013's shoot as good as my 5903 TSW I suspect they would be a real close match.