Lack of interest in 40 SW yet 10MM is getting popular??

[BLUEDOT37]

The 10mm does NOT have a safety margin to run up the loads... The .40 case is actually stronger than the 10mm case because of the small primer pocket, thus more meat in the base. The 10mm case is prone to significant bulging in barrels with inadequate chamber support, and this is an impediment to pushing the loading envelope unless you have a fully supported chamber.

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As far as "safety margin" goes, short cases filled to capacity with medium/fast powders are more prone to high pressure spikes caused by bullet setback than larger cases that have an air space in them.

Any pistol case in an unsupported chamber will bulge even the 9x19, with its thick tapered walls, if pushed to +P+ territory.

Sounds like you never heard of the Glock smile, infamous on their early 40S&W models with unsupported chambers?

40S&W cases are no stronger than 10Auto cases. If anything the 10Auto cases should be stronger since it operates at a slightly higher max SAAMI pressure, 37.5K psi -vs- 35K psi.

And having small pistol primers means nothing at pistol pressures. The 10Auto cases that have SPP are not any stronger the ones using LPP. It just doesn't matter in this case.

Back in the day they said the 454 Casull had to have SRP to operate safely but it was just the brass' problem. No modern large caliber magnum pistol cartridge since then has used small primers instead of large primers, not the 460 Magnum or the 500 Magnum nor any other common one you can think of. It's a non-issue with modern brass designed & manufactured properly.

It's not the cartridge's fault that some manufacturers design their firearms with unsupported chambers. Definitely not going to see any 460 Rowland barrels with unsupported chambers.

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[DonD]

Aside from the latent racism and DonD's smugness, the only thing you'd really need to do here is move even slightly uphill or to his side. No need to shoot.

Bite me. Being morbidly, morbidly obese has nothing to do with racism. By the way, I'm 6' 2" and 176 and at 78 do better than most of the 35 yrs olds at a large gym. Dom

 

[roundgunner]

I have read thru this thread and find a lot of opinions to agree with, on all sides. The gun world, self defense and life in general is a series of compromises. I have studied weapons of all sizes, carried 1911s as sidearms issued by Uncle Sam for years as a special weapons guard and landing / boarding party team. Master class revolver shooter in IDPA, have been instructed and given firearms instructions since the 70s. I give you a partial look at my background so you know where my opinions come from.

I'm a 40 S&W fan. I have them in all sizes and almost as many as I have 9mm. The 10mm I had was a 4" 610 used in IDPA ESR division for a few years. I foolishly traded it away to get a 625-3 becouse it reloaded a bit faster and I was trying to catch Jerry Miculek.

Comprising
I decided long ago to go with 40 (the great compromise cartridge) for my self / family defense for many of the reasons already given and a few that have not been yet.
Many say a 9mm is fine and I agree but it has also been pointed out a modern 9mm almost always expands nicely to be almost on the same level as a 40. Along those same thoughts a modern 40 almost always expands also but it never shrinks down to a 9.

The 10mm is a superior round to the 40 no doubt. I have built ammo up for my 40s that get somewhat close, and for my needs are more than powerful enough. I seldom get into big brown bear territory and when I do I carry a 3" 629.

I do camp in black bear territory often and have them living in my area. That is the reason I played around with high power 40 hard cast, camping with a full size 40 with glowing night sights, a light and laser is lighter and better than the 44 Magnum with laser only.
That load is 180gr TC over 9gr of BlueDot for 1150 fps in the full size M&P, 1087 in a compact.

For normal SD and my bed headboard the full-size with light and laser gets Speer Golddot 180 short barrel ammo that gets 995 fps.

I have socked away some home made ammo for Armageddon and wanted less expensive ammo so I could have more of it. This answer was 180gr JHP over 8.5 BlueDot for 1113 fps. Not 10mm levels but plenty for 2 legged vermin.

I also have a PCC in 40 that becomes my wife's oh sh!× gun for the house at night with a bright light and laser. It spits out the 180 BlueDots at 1360! Plenty respectable for the 40 short & weak.

All that said, if I had the same options / sizes with 40 & 10 when beginning my build up I would have most likely gone 10mm.

I used to consider this highly modified Para Ordinance P16 with expanded high cap mags (20) the king of SD handguns, times do change but I still love it.

 

[roundgunner]

I should have added than on a good day this M&P with an APEX trigger can reach out to 70 yards and hit. Overcast with the laser from a rest.

 

[AF FAL]

I'm a gun nerd, plain and simple. I don't have a favorite caliber, but love many for their individual merits.

That said, I love the .40. I think many overlook its value as a suppressor platform, as the majority of commercial 180gr loads are already subsonic. I also see the .40 as kind of occupying a sort of "Goldilocks" zone for those that want something that hits harder than a 9mm, the .40 has more capacity than a .45 but fits in a 9mm size package.

Personally, I like the cheap bullets. Years ago I discovered swaging, and bought a die set that turns range pick up 9mm cases into jacketed .40 bullets, I use them in .40 S&W, 10mm, and 40 Super.