What is wrong with the 40 S&W?

[walnutred]

The caliber seems to get no love right now with used handguns in this caliber bringing the least money. I like the caliber but most of my shooting is casual shooting at paper or metal plates. I've used 40 S&W one in self defense against a pit bull and the caliber did everything I hoped. The big disadvantage I see is that if you don't reload it is more expensive to shoot than 9mm. However I find it easier to reload 40 S&W than 9mm so to me that is a moot point. When the caliber first came out I saw it as 45 performance on a 9mm platform. I think others did too but it has since lost it's shine.

So from those of you with experience with this caliber what did you like and what did you dislike. You are not going to change my opinion of the caliber but I'd really like to hear your opinions and experience. For what it's worth the few times in my life I actually felt I might have to depend on a handgun to keep body and soul together I made sure I had a 1911A1 in 45 ACP in hand.

 

[tlawler]

I, for one, like the .40. I have several and reload for them. To me, they are more desirable than a 9mm, and as long as the nines hold popularity, it just helps the price of the 40’s as long as you’re buying and not selling. I also like the versatility of the caliber. You can easily convert to .357 Sig with only a barrel change.

 

[robvious]

I like the 40... easier to see the holes...lol

 

[scattershot]

I like the .40, too. Glad it’s not the current fad, so there’s more for me.

 

[Valmet]

I’ll agree with the masses that with current bullet technology and propellants the gap that once existed between the 9mm and the .40 has narrowed, but that doesn’t make the .40 a bad cartridge by any means- it’s as effective as it ever was.

And most folks that say that a .40 “wears” quicker than a 9mm will never come close to putting enough ammo thru their handguns to worry about it. Lots of great deals to be had on Glock 22s and 23s lately with so many ppl decrying the .40.

 

[KSDeputy]

When I retired my Sheriff's Office had just replaced model 645 with the model 4506. I haven't kept track the whole time I have been gone, but last year they had .40 Glocks. I was recently told they were going back to 9 mm Glocks. The reason, I do not know. I have carried a .45 since we changed to semi autos from the .357 revolver. I still carry a .45, and expect I always will.

 

[Sevens]

I don't have much tangible to add but somehow that never keeps me from rambling. At the moment, I have NEVER loved .40 more! I recently grabbed a barely-used CZ Tac Sport in .40cal and it is absolutely everything that I could possibly have hoped it would be. Beautifully accurate, big and heavy that eats up the muzzle flip and with no doubt whatsoever, it smacks steel plates harder and dumps them with more authority than does 9mm, which is what I'm usually throwing at them.

I'm carrying 9mm and I'm good with that. I've got lots of handguns in a slew of calibers, my .40cal's number the fewest, but this CZ TS is a total winner and in .40cal, it's a thumper.

For anyone who was an avid handgunner through the AWB, the .40 S&W round made a LOT of good sense for defense, as you were capped at 10 rounds capacity. Running .40cal when 9mm was still being dumped on as often "ineffective" and you were stuck with a max of 10 either way... .40 S&W guns sold quite well.

 

[antilamr]

I don't currently have anything in .40 but came across a very nice CS40. I shoot my 3913 very well as well as my 1911. From what research I was able to do most opinions were that the CS40 was harder to shoot than the CS9 and CS45. (More recoil/flip)
Any thoughts on using the CS40 foe EDC?

Sent from my LG-H932 using Tapatalk

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I cut my teeth on a .45 M1911A1 during my time in the Army (1960's, early 1970's) and that remains my personal preference for a defensive handgun.

I also learned to love the Browning Hi Power with a captured piece (FN P-35) in Vietnam, and the 9mm cartridge has been in use around my house for many years.

My first .40 S&W was a Kahr P40 compact, polymer framed pistol weighing in at just over 16 oz. empty. This has been a reliable and accurate "travelling gun" and back-up piece for the past 15 years or so. Only complaint I have ever voiced is the sharp recoil with high-performance loads in such a light pistol, but it is not a pistol intended for extended range use.

Several months ago I purchased a Sig P229 in .40 caliber. This is a very fine defensive handgun, DA-SA function with easy-to-use decocker mechanism. I like it a lot and would not hesitate to rely on it as a primary defensive handgun. 12-round standard magazine is a plus for the intended use.

Ballistics of the .40 S&W compare pretty well with the .45ACP, with the .45 capable of heavier bullets, of course. Several major federal agencies continue to use the .40 as standard issue, as do a number of major LE agencies, and good quality ammo is easy to find for now. I doubt that the .40 will dry up and blow away any time soon.

Brass, bullets, and other components are readily available, and the .40 is quite easy to reload ammo for. Looking into my ammo locker I see about 800 rounds or so ready for use, and I intend to enjoy them all.

 

[URIT]

The CS40 is a tack driver at 7 yards (the distance I drill). Recoil has never been a problem for me after carrying a .357 magnum revolver for 25 years. I learned to ride the recoil wave a long time ago.

Heavier metal handguns in .40S&W seem to outperform the plastic offerings. I have one plastic 40, a PPS40, which is a great CCW but not a range gun. After a few mags, it can seem punishing to my old hands.

My favorite 40s are the single stacks built on 45 frames - CS40, 4053, and 4054. The older I get the more bothersome the double stacks become.

Ammo cost is a bit more but not prohibitive for me. I only use factory ammo and shoot a case of 9mm and 40S&W every year, so I bring most of my accumulation out to dance at least once a year.

A few years ago, you could find 40 ammo but no 9mm in the big box stores. I don't have a problem buying 40 in bulk through the same online vendors I get my 9mm ammo.

There are some great bargains on used 40 police trade-ins or sock drawer offerings from the guy who's trading down to 9mm or 380.

.40S&W is a caliber best left to experienced shooters who enjoy using a heavier handgun and have mastered recoil.

 

[scrufff]

I enjoy the 40S&W very much.Its easy to find,,easy to reload and there are still lots of great guns chambered in this calibre. I have two 610 revolvers that I shoot 40 thru in competitions. The wife also likes and can handle a 40S&W so its a family affair.

 

[gwpercle]

The 40 S&W had it's day in the sun , not a thing wrong with it .
I thought it a well balanced round .

Funny how after the big party is over , everyone goes right back to ....the ancient but ever present , hard to beat ...
9mm Luger or 45 acp . Each has it's camp and the debate as to which is better goes on .
The newcomers just lays in dust ...all beat up , all his adherents have abandoned him .
I find it strange that a round designed in 1902 (9mm Luger) and a round designed in 1911 (45 acp) are even still talked about....
much less still popular !
I guess , like the 30-06 , they just get the job done .

In my 70 years of life I've seen a lot of different rounds hit the scene on fire...blaze up and then fade out to become a footnote in "Cartridges Of The World" !
Gary

 

[Fastbolt]

I was a longtime .45 shooter who only finally grudgingly accepted 9mm ... when they made me carry one for work.

Just about 10 years after the .40 had been in LE-service, and had demonstrated it was "working" acceptably well in actual shooting incidents, I became a little interested in it. That "interest" was motivated by the fact that my own agency was beginning to show some interest in it. I'd already picked up 3 different makes/models before I was issued my first one.

Now I own 5 of them, which is coincidentally the same number as the 9's I presently own. (I own 9 .45's, FWIW. )

It can be a somewhat snappy and brisk recoiling caliber for the "average" shooter, and a bit daunting and unpleasant for the "minimally average" shooter who isn't interested in shooting very often (or more than is absolutely required, if it's issued).

For an armorer required to maintain and repair a lot of issued weapons, it's often a bit more attention and parts-intensive than maintaining a similar inventory of 9's or .45's.

For firearms instructors it can make it a harder task in training and repeatedly qualifying folks who aren't more than "average" shooters (especially if the shooters with whom they work aren't "gun enthusiasts" and their interest stops when they manage to squeak by qualifying and leave the range).

Since there's a bit more of the metals involved in making the cartridges, the cost can be a bit higher (more copper, brass and lead, by weight, after all).

There's nothing particularly "wrong" with the .40 as a defensive caliber.

Personally, after having invested the time to send some many tens of thousands of .40 downrange, I've found it's made me a better shooter. By that I mean it's made shooting 9's (even +P & +P+) and .45's seem easier.

Over the long run, I think it offers a nice compromise between a heavy 9mm (147gr) and a light .45 (185gr) for those folks who like to use heavier bullets.

The expansion often demonstrated by a good .40 JHP might exceed that of a good 9mm JHP by a couple hundredths of an inch, give or take. Maybe the same amount of diameter less than a good .45 JHP that expands. If that matters to you, go for it. (Think dime, nickel & quarter, more or less, but it's not like it's any sort of hard & fast "rule".)

Capacity? Less than similarly sized 9, and more than a similarly sized .45. (Notwithstanding that a .45 typically requires a larger grip girth.)

Lots of "average" shooters seem to find they prefer the felt recoil of a 9 to that of a .40 ... and some claim they can't notice the difference.

Well, as long as the holes in the intended target are appearing where they need to appear ... and the claimed "unnoticed" felt recoil proponents don't suffer any loss of actual accuracy ... pick whatever you wish.

I like that the .40 has heavier bullet weights available compared to the 9.

Don't lose any sleep worrying about the practical difference, though.

Pick what you like, for the reasons you like ... and if one comes in a prettier color finish, so much the better?

I just ask myself if I can put the hole where I want them to appear, as rapidly as I want them to appear (may need for the to appear?) ... and have no immediate plans to divest myself of any of the 3 major calibers.

 

[sigp220.45]

I love the .40 S&W. All but a couple of the police shootings I worked were with it, and it worked fine every time.

Now is the time to pick up a police trade-in dirt cheap. Ammo will be around for a looooong time.

As noted above, all you need is a barrel to make it a .357 Sig if you want something to show the cool kids. For me, the .40 is fine.

 

[rockquarry]

Can't imagine what advantage a .40 S&W would have over a .45 ACP.

 

[sigp220.45]

Can't imagine what advantage a .40 S&W would have over a .45 ACP.

It fits in a 9mm sized gun.

 

[Erich]

I stepped gingerly away from the .40 when I saw my middle-of-the-road handloads do weird things at temperature extremes. I load plenty of things that aren't touchy.

I haven't missed it: the .40 S&W guns don't stop any better than a 9mm (he says, having worked on a couple hundred handgun killings in some capacity), experts can't tell the difference in the wound track left by a .40 JHP and a 9mm JHP (this came up), 9mm guns hold more rounds and 9mm ammo is cheaper. Plus, I have (and happily load for) .45s.

But you're right: there are some screaming deals these days on police trade-in .40 guns (because so many departments are going back to the 9mm).

 

[Univibe]

.40 S&W should never have been born. But that's also true of .45 ACP.

 

[growr]

.40 S&W

.40 S&W should never have been born. But that's also true of .45 ACP.

If I understand your various posts correctly the ONLY cartridge to have and shoot is a 9mm?

Many will cite that improvement in 9mm projectiles makes it so much more formidable ( including the FBI), do people think that other diameter projectiles were just sitting still with no R&D as well?

Randy

 

[walnutred]

I haven't missed it: the .40 S&W guns don't stop any better than a 9mm (he says, having worked on a couple hundred handgun killings in some capacity), experts can't tell the difference in the wound track left by a .40 and a 9mm (this came up), 9mm guns hold more rounds and 9mm ammo is cheaper. Plus, I have (and happily load for) .45s.

).

Have you seen many shootings with the more exotic 9mm projectiles?