Anyone else think: "I should have got a 9 mm instead?"

[bushmaster1313]

I do not like dwelling on mistakes of the past. However, when I shoot my full size .40 S&W pistol, and especially when I compare the price of .40 S&W to 9 mm ammo, I think that as a shooter it would have made more sense to get the 9 mm.

I fully understand that a police officer or soldier might want the extra oomph of the .40 S&W. But as a range toy, it would seem that the 9 mm is superior in many ways -- i.e., recoil, noise, price.

I wonder what influenced me to get the .40 S&W?

ADDED NOTE: This is not about the relative superiority of 9 mm and .40 S&W. Rather, I am wondering if anyone else has had a similar regret and if they have an explanation for why they got the .40

 

[federali]

On The Bandwagon

As written scores of times here and on other forums, many LE agencies, most notably the FBI, went to the .40 following the infamous 1986 FBI Miami shootout in which 9mm bullet failure is widely suspected of allowing gunman, Michael Platt, to kill two FBI agents and wound five others.

The .40 was pushing the 9mm into its grave when a strange thing happened: many LEOs were having trouble maintaining proficiency with the snappy .40 and the cartridge apparently wasn't stopping anyone any quicker than the 9mm so the FBI has decided to return to the 9mm.

I know there is a great danger of touching off a caliber war here but the 9mm works form me, the ammo is certainly cheaper and brass is often available free of charge.

 

[islamoradamark]

i like both bullets, but prefer the 9mm more bullets to gun, accurate,cheaper, easy on the ears

 

[Donn]

I know the name's a pox for many, but James Yeager is right with regards to high pressure rounds, (40 S&W, 357 Sig), in a 9mm poly platform. At some point, the gun will break, even the almighty Glock. That swayed me to the 9mm. Other opinions vary, and I'm certain many will, as this subject is a minefield.

 

[BigBoy99]

I never went down the .40S&W lane as I have many 9mm handguns and I don't need another caliber to worry about. If I want a 40 caliber, I'll pull out my M1911A1!

 

[BigCityChief]

I've owned a # of .40s, but I'm down to only one. It's a good round IMO, but for range use, I much prefer the 9MM or .45 ACP round. As a Self Defense round, I think the 9MM is very adequate. That said, I wouldn't say you made a mistake - you tried it, learned something, and now have a decision to make about keeping, selling or trading it.


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[williamlayton]

HUMMMM ! Let's see here.
I much prefer to shoot a .45 over either the .40 S&W or the .357 Sig.
Both of those were designed to do what the 9mm can't--which is kinda misleading.
Nobody knows what kind of armor they will encounter in a firefight---Hope I never find out, either.
The .38 super was supposed to have taken care of car door armor.
The .45 would STOP a man.
The 9x23 was the better choice for both.
The 10mm was to stop anything.
Some folks like the .22 for some purposes.
The .32 has put the lights out of many a person.
Right now--when I walk down the street, going into Home Depot to buy lumber for the Tree House, I weigh in at 290 pounds, my pants are falling off my hips and my shoulders are sore. I had to put beefed up suspension on the Mustang and the cops are laughing so hard they can't arrest me.
I look like a snowman in a duster with so many bulges it would make some fat folks look slim.
Youse guys just gotta make up your minds and tell us stupid folks what we need to carry.
Make a decision and stick to it.
Blessings

 

[Jessie]

For the range? Of course a 9mm will be better.
As far as the Miami shoot out? I think there was a knee jerk reaction to that. One of those guys got up after being hit by a 12ga. At about 25ft, so there was more going on than just bullet performance. Like drugs? Very popular with the terrorists these days.
Besides, bullets are so much better today.

 

[Rpg]

I wonder what influenced me to get the .40 S&W?

Marketing ?

 

[Mickey D]

I never fell for the .40 S&W. I prefer .45acp in a 1911 and .44 spl or .45 Colt in a revolver.

 

[Biginge]

HUMMMM ! Let's see here.
I much prefer to shoot a .45 over either the .40 S&W or the .357 Sig.
Both of those were designed to do what the 9mm can't--which is kinda misleading.
Nobody knows what kind of armor they will encounter in a firefight---Hope I never find out, either.
The .38 super was supposed to have taken care of car door armor.
The .45 would STOP a man.
The 9x23 was the better choice for both.
The 10mm was to stop anything.
Some folks like the .22 for some purposes.
The .32 has put the lights out of many a person.
Right now--when I walk down the street, going into Home Depot to buy lumber for the Tree House, I weigh in at 290 pounds, my pants are falling off my hips and my shoulders are sore. I had to put beefed up suspension on the Mustang and the cops are laughing so hard they can't arrest me.
I look like a snowman in a duster with so many bulges it would make some fat folks look slim.
Youse guys just gotta make up your minds and tell us stupid folks what we need to carry.
Make a decision and stick to it.
Blessings

I think ive found my twin brother. I have never owned a .40 or .357 Sig. Have a lot of 9mm and .45s. Think I'm good.

 

[vito]

I was pretty much a 38 Special guy, plus I had one 45acp semi. But I wanted a semi-auto for concealed carry and thought, if the police use the 40S&W they must know something that I don't. So I bought a compact 40 with a 10 round capacity for carrying, and found that I hated practicing with this gun. I guess "snappy" does justice to what it feels like. Then I bought a more compact 9mm, and even though it only has a capacity of 8 rounds, it is much more compact and easy to conceal, AND it is more pleasant to practice with, which has resulted in me feeling more confident. My one and only 40 now sits untouched for the most part, and would be the first gun that I would sell from my small collection of handguns.

 

[Paper Maker]

I just sold my only 40S&W, a Springfield XD40 subcompact. It was very snappy and almost uncomfortable to shoot. I rarely practiced with it, so after 2 years in the safe I sold it to a (LEO) friend. When I bought it, I don't think I could get my hands on a 9mm. For what it's worth, I prefer 9mm and 45acp.

 

[Triathloncoach]

No more 40 or 45. I have an Octane 9 and if I cant put it on, I don't want it. 40 doesn't suppress well. 45, maybe next can? But my EDC is a LCP.

 

[Smoke]

I didn't choose a .40 and then regret it but I can tell you why I chose a 9mm over a .40.
I owned a CZ 2075 RAMI in .40 for several years; every time my wife tried to shoot it she literally bruised her hands. Eventually I sold the gun. When I decided to get another subcompact I chose 9mm because I wanted something my wife could fire without damaging her hands.

After I bought the 9mm I had second thoughts so I actually went and researched both rounds and as everyone has said there isn't much difference performance wise between the two and I can fire the 9mm more accurately even in a lighter gun. The only place I see a clear advantage of a .40S&W over an 9mm is if you are shooting at a car or a brick wall (This is based on my reading not personal experience) and I just don't see that situation arising for me as a private citizen.

I now own one .40 gun, a S&W 4006 I own it because I like that gun and because I can use it if (when) we have another ammo panic and I can't find 9mm.

ETA I was in my LGS yesterday and the owner said they will not be stocking anymore .40 guns except a couple of GLUNK models. Apparently there's just not the demand for them

 

[Chukar60]

I have never owned a 40, have several 9's. Never saw enough difference to put up with the extra cost, recoil and noise.
Apparently the public has figured it out. Last year the classifieds were loaded with used 40's. not so much this year.

 

[Vulcan Bob]

Back in the day I used to be a real 9mm hater, but man in my opinion the modern 9mm ammo particularly the bullets themselves have changed my mind. With at least a four inch barrel I would not feel under gunned with the a 9 full of Speer 124gr plus P Gold Dots.

 

[cmort666]

Actually, I wish I'd gotten a .40 S&W instead of a 9x19mm, but for different reason.

After having a Glock 22 for years, I had the choice of buying a Glock 19 or a Glock 23. I found the sharpness of the recoil of the Glock 22 objectionable enough to choose the Glock 19.

That was before I became aware of the existence of 9x19mm conversion barrels for .40 S&W Glocks. Now I wish I'd bought a Glock 23 and a 9x19mm barrel and had the best of both worlds.

 

[Mule Packer]

Bushmaster, as you can see, there are a variety of opinions here. That's one of the many reasons I like this forum because you've got a lot of folks with a lot of good experience.

When "push comes to shove," though, you're the only one who can decide whether or not you should've gotten a 9mm instead.

My daughter prefers a 9. Two of my three sons shoot .40's and they really like them...a lot. My third son's main carry is a 10mm. Who's to tell them they're wrong? Not me.

Their ol' dad, however, has never really caught on to either the 9mm or the .40 S&W, much less the 10mm. I'm old school...real old school, and stick with either a .45 Colt or a .45 acp. Oh sure, I've got .38's, .357's, a .380 and a bunch of .22's, but if I had to pick just one handgun caliber, I'd go with a .45.

Everyone has their own reasons for choosing the caliber they do, but the main reasons I like a .45 are because 1) the recoil is not objectionable and 2) it does what it was designed to do.

If you don't like the .40 for the reasons you stated and think you'd prefer a 9mm, then, by all means, go for the 9mm. They're definitely more comfortable to shoot, less expensive to shoot, and with modern ammo, are very effective.

That's one of the great things about shooting...you get to pick which caliber you enjoy the most...and there are a heckuva lot of choices out there.

 

[rwsmith]

The 9 is common, cheap.....

......and effective. I went for a 9 and I bought a 9 and have no regrets. I stay away from large caliber revolvers too for cost of reloading.