.40 S&W to 9MM

[CB3]

I liked everything about .40 for my self defense pistols. The figures and hype all justified carrying it over 9MM.

My first carry pistol, a ParaOrdnance P12 aluminum frame was so heavy fully loaded with 13 rounds of .45 ACP that I walked with a noticeable limp as I carried it. I gave that up pretty quick.

When I started going to smaller pistols for easier and better concealed carry, .40 became a problem to shoot well, and it beat up the lighter guns (Keltecs--dumped them). Even in a quality Kahr the .40 was hard to handle compared to 9MM and the nine had a little more capacity.

Then I, along with many ballistic and medical professionals, made the startling discovery that the difference between self defense handgun rounds' terminal performance was essentially indistinguishable in the OR, at least in part because all rounds were designed to perform similarly for penetration and expansion. Expansion differences were in the one or two tenths of an inch range, and with elastic tissue that was meaningless.

So I went back to 9 for greater capacity, easier quick shooting, availability and cost.

Here's a good summary of this:

Why I Like 9mm |

 

[MSG Glenn]

Although I shoot .40 cal & have an M&P40 & 40C I have to agree with you on self defense ballistics. Modern ammo has come a long way & even .380 can be effective.

There are 9MM barrels available for the .40 cal M&Ps. If you decide to get one I highly suggest that you shoot many rounds through it to be sure of reliability. You'll also need 9MM magazines to have a complete conversion. Some have said that you can shoot 9MM in .40 mags but don't rely on it for SD. Another possibility is to get a .357SIG barrel. In that case the same .40 cal mags are used. I would like to make that conversion as I have many .40 cal mags & have even dedicated 2 full size mags to use in the compact. I've never shot .357SIG but I've heard they're snappier than .40 cal. Since I've shot handguns in .45 & .357 magnum without a problem I'm not worried about the handling characteristics of that round.

I've given S&W a call a year or so ago to inquire about 9MM & .357SIG factory barrels but was told that they weren't offering them at that time. There are after market barrels available, though.

 

[Kframerbluvr]

I agree that modern SD handgun ammo has come a long way. My work has mandated Glock .40 pistols since 1998. Our current set will probably be replaced in couple of years and I am going to strongly suggest that we go back to 9mm Glock pistols. I personally prefer the .40, but for general issue to people who are mostly not into guns, the 9mm wins, in my opinion.

 

[Dennis The B]

I'm shooting 9mm ammo in both my M&P 40 Compact, and my M&P 40 Pro CORE. After about 500 rounds through each pistol, they've run flawlessly. They each have a Storm Lake conversion barrel, and I use 9mm magazines.

Accuracy is excellent. Recoil is a bit milder, as expected. The 9mm is much cheaper. At Wally World, 250 rounds of Rem/UMC run $72 in 9mm, and $91 in .40 S&W. At that price differential, 9mm is much less painful to the wallet.

I've always like the .40 S&W for self-defense, and I still put the .40 barrel on the Compact to carry it. That stated, the 9mm +P has a lot going for it.

I'd like to see the M&P's chambered in Super .38. That would be a nice combination.

 

[timn8er]

Did someone alert the popcorn guy about this thread?

 

[Magload]

Although I shoot .40 cal & have an M&P40 & 40C I have to agree with you on self defense ballistics. Modern ammo has come a long way & even .380 can be effective.

There are 9MM barrels available for the .40 cal M&Ps. If you decide to get one I highly suggest that you shoot many rounds through it to be sure of reliability. You'll also need 9MM magazines to have a complete conversion. Some have said that you can shoot 9MM in .40 mags but don't rely on it for SD. Another possibility is to get a .357SIG barrel. In that case the same .40 cal mags are used. I would like to make that conversion as I have many .40 cal mags & have even dedicated 2 full size mags to use in the compact. I've never shot .357SIG but I've heard they're snappier than .40 cal. Since I've shot handguns in .45 & .357 magnum without a problem I'm not worried about the handling characteristics of that round.

I've given S&W a call a year or so ago to inquire about 9MM & .357SIG factory barrels but was told that they weren't offering them at that time. There are after market barrels available, though.

I shot 9mm using my 40 mags while waiting on the 9m mags. I had no problems but wouldn't do that for SD. Then I don't carry a 9mm for SD as I have no problems shooting my 40 Shield. Don

 

[jstanfield103]

I always carry 9mm or 380 depending on what I want to carry that day. One thing I will say about the 40 S&W when shooting steel plates you can defiantly see and hear the difference between the two calibers. The 40 hits so much harder than the 9mm does. This being the only 40 that I own and just got it today. I picked up some ammo at Wally World 50 rounds $15.00. I did not think that was to awful bad and I will keep the brass until I get me a set of 40 dies for the reloader.

 

[Roccaas]

Two interesting (old) stories on .357Sig and the NC Highway Patrol. Snappy recoil versus automobile penetration.

North Carolina Highway Patrol Ditches 2k S&W M&P .357 SIGs - The Truth About Guns

North Carolina State Highway Patrol Buy SIG SAUER P226 in .357SIG - The Truth About Guns

 

[Arik]

I almost always carry a 9. But I have carried a 45 or 40 or 357/38 when I couldn't carry the 9 or there was no point in carrying the 9.

I'm a little torn on swapping even tho I do it rarely. On the one hand when we had the last panic 40 was always available and so I bought a HK P2000. It was a great price and allowed me to practice. So there is that variety thing going for having multiple calibers. But on the other hand all that money spent on extra guns and ammo could have been spent on buying more 9mm ammo. And then panics wouldn't really matter. I'm mean if you think about it the HK cost $500, that's 2 cases of 9mm.

As it is I have most major calibers. I had the M&P 357sig and thought it was snappy. I've shot other 40 cal handguns and thought the same but I find the HK and my Glock 22 to be soft shooting

 

[HappyPuppy]

My shield is a .40 and my Kahr is 9. Both are small single stacks and both will do the job.

The 40 is snappy vs the 9 bun not bad. I just like caliber choices due to the ammo shortages

 

[Smoke]

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsxdk1V8i-M[/ame]