Given up on the .40 SW round.

[P-229]

CS45Fan,

It might be your gun.

My P-229 is extremely accurate.

When the .40 S&W debuted, I had doubted its efficacy. Then I read an article about it in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin. The .40 S&W was scientifically designed as opposed to tinkering with a wildcat. .40 caliber is most effective with a 180 grain bullet at ~1000 FPS. The 10MM gave diminishing returns. Moreover, the .40 S&W is manufactured in double stack mags. The research indicated that it performed as designed.

I think that the .40 S&W with a double stack mag is an excellent self-defense weapon. My P-229 is very easy to conceal as I'm sure most .40 S&W handguns are.

 

[dbfman]

I have a Sig P229 .40 and picked up the 9mm slide/barrel/spring/rod assembly from Sig to use. I shoot 115 gr 9mm and 180 gr .40 light loads (home made) and find that I'm more accurate shooting 40. I also have a Glock 22 and shoot 9 from it with a Lone Wolf barrel and also shoot that better with the original 40 S&W configuration.

 

[MyDads38]

I have 3-40 cal. handguns, all S&W: Shield 40, M&P 40 FS and SD40VE. The Shield from 2-7 yards is amazingly accurate; at 3 yds will stack 13 rounds on top of each other! My 2 FS shoot just as well/accurately as my 9's and 45's. And this is with factory ammo.

I don't seem to have the problem/issue with my guns not hitting POA/POI, I did have to adjust my sight picture from the usual 6 o'clock hold to Combat/Center of Mass hold, since that is how most SD/Service handguns are made to be sighted. All of my handguns will print where they are held.

 

[AFammo]

40 S&W

I was issued a 22 and a 23, both had more recoil then my V-10 with +p loads. At 25 yards I hit just fine with the 40. Quals from 3 to 15 yards the group is only three inches with 30 rounds, from a Beretta 96. The 22 and 23, I would score 95 out of 100.
I 'm trading my 4516-1 for a 4006???

 

[Whitwabit]

I guess I am one of the few who likes the 40 S&W and shoot it pretty well .. I do think though it is a caliber where the pistol needs to fit your hand well or you won't shoot it as well as other calibers with less felt recoil ..

 

[Lou_the_welder]

I had a XD40 tactical and it was the most accurate semi i owned. I even got a Stormlake 9mm conversion and that was very accurate also. I went through " one of my caliber consolidations" and removed the 40 altogether (and 380acp ) as i was reloading "too much stuff!"

It was one of the most funnest calibers i remember and very accurate and manageable. I regret not shooting 40s anymore. I got my ugly little vise down to 6 calibers, 12 bullet weights, 8 different powders. I know. Sucks huh.

 

[Snallygaster]

I don't shoot it very often, but my PX4 in .40 (probably the most loathed combination on MDS) is accurate, reliable and comfortable to shoot. It did shoot low/left for the first 200 rounds (maybe it was me?) but it's been great since. It's my only .40 and I don't think I'll ever sell it.


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[Whitwabit]

I don't shoot it very often, but my PX4 in .40 (probably the most loathed combination on MDS) is accurate, reliable and comfortable to shoot. It did shoot low/left for the first 200 rounds (maybe it was me?) but it's been great since. It's my only .40 and I don't think I'll ever sell it.


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I've got the PX4 Sub Compact in 9 and wish I had gotten it in 40 !! really like the feel of the flatter trigger on it .. took the Wings off and went low profile and de-cocker only ..

Much thinner profile !!

 

[Model63]

I guess I am one of the few who likes the 40 S&W and shoot it pretty well .. I do think though it is a caliber where the pistol needs to fit your hand well or you won't shoot it as well as other calibers with less felt recoil ..

Exactly how I feel, my M&P 40C fits very well in my hand whereas my Glock 43 is small. The snappiness of the Glock is tough while the 40 shoots well for me.

 

[flintsghost]

I've used the 40 in the 4006 and 4013 as well as HK USPc and 2 different SIG's. The S&W's were Dept issued guns and the others were personal guns. I have found in trying lots of different factory loadings that in general the 165 grain weights tend to group better and the 180 grain weights are very poor. In my Sig 239, the Speer 165 Gold Dot shoots as well as any of my revolvers and competition 45 auto's which is very well indeed.

 

[Whitwabit]

Exactly how I feel, my M&P 40C fits very well in my hand whereas my Glock 43 is small. The snappiness of the Glock is tough while the 40 shoots well for me.

What was a surprise to me with my 40c is I didn't shoot it all that well when I first got it .. till I put the large back strap on it one afternoon and it was like I had picked up a different pistol !!

My low left grouping came right up on the target bull's-eye and it felt better in my hands then either of the other 2 back straps !!

So don't be afraid to try all three ..

I'm breaking in a new Sig P229 Legion in 40 S&W along with a Sig P238 for a pocket gun right now ..

 

[bushmaster1313]

If I had known more, I would have gotten my Sig P226 in 9mm

Less noise
Less recoil
Less money

 

[rwsmith]

I'm not a .40 shooter but...

....maybe the gun isn't quite right for you. You didn't say which gun you were shooting. Maybe one a little bigger and heavier would be a little less 'snappy' and a better fit for your hand.

 

[Fox4506]

I too shoot my 40c better with the large backstraps. Recently I traded out the large backstrap for the medium, and I had to adjust my grip after a few rounds. I was a little perplexed as I had never had to do that before. Then I remembered that I had changed the backstrap to the medium. Changed it back to the large and problem solved. The larger grip gives me more to hold on to.

I like the 40 overall, I've been shooting it since 1999 because it was our issue caliber. I have several 40 cals and shoot them all ok. The recoil doesn't bother me much.

Fox

 

[Harkrader]

WOW! I could have written every word you wrote. I have a Sig Sauer P229 Equinox that was sold with a .40S&W barrel. My previous experience, YEARS, with the P229/357Sig was exemplary. I qualified with the P229/357Sig and P239/357Sig with the same scores I had previously qualified with the P228/9mm.
Couldn't hit spit with the Equinox. Got a Barstow 357Sig barrel and was hitting as I always did.

As I understand it, the round isn't the issue. It's how the shooter relates to it. It has a pressure "profile" (not my word) much different from other rounds, and some of us just don't adapt to it.

I also have a Sig P226X5 All Around (thanks to a forum member!) in .40S&W. The 357Sig models were apparently no longer made. I bought a Barstow 357Sig barrel after Sig customer service said Barstow make ALL the barrels for the US-made Sigs. My accuracy with the 40S&W was terrible. With the 357Sig, spectacular, and that's a tribute to the gun, not me. It's the size of a Government Model 1911 and I'll carry it CCW as soon as I find a suitable holster.

Sooo, the answer is "It's YOU!" but you aren't alone. It isn't the round or gun. If it doesn't work for you, get something else. There are many alternatives.
shd

post script: One of our Charming Children is a LEO. I started him shooting from the age of 5, like his older brothers. He went from an agency that allowed .45ACP, .40S&W and 9mm to one that allowed ONLY 9mm, to his current employer, that allows 9mm and .45ACP. He shot the .40S&W far better than I did, but much prefers the LEO 9mm ammo.