Anybody a big fan of the .40?

[BehindBlueI's]

Exterior Ballistics are not the only factor to consider for civil defense. While we have come along way in potency and efficiency in bullet performance, instant availability of a common caliber on the street can be a good thing. A good source of ammo and/or weaponry just may be lying around for you to use. Or, while traveling, the retail store just may not carry your caliber.

That is the issue with boutique rounds. Harder to source and so much less incentive to put the R&D time in to "tune" the bullet. As you point out, hitting what needs to be hit is the much more vital part of the equation. .45 Colt is a cartridge with a proven track record, but it's real tough to find ammo for at the moment, and there's not a lot of development on the cartridge these days. The silvertip works as advertised in this particular cartridge, but is decidedly older tech and is kind of hen's teeth at the moment.

 

[Patrick Taylor]

I shoot and load more .40 than anything else. Brass is cheap and it only comes with one size of primer unlike the 45 and 10mm , crimped primers are also less likely to be in once fired brass than 9mm.

There are other things to worry about and get squared away on before the worry of caliber choice out of the usual defensive rounds.

 

[Patrick Taylor]

 

[BJHay]

I'm partial to the baby Glocks for carry and owned a modal 26 and 27 (same gun but the 26 is 9mm and the 27 is .40).

I found the recoil of the .40 in a small gun to be snappy. I had to practice every week with the 27 or I might have problems keeping a good shooting grip for a 3+ shot string and basic marksmen would drop with the first few rounds. If I had time for weekly practice the .40 was fine even in the small gun.

I shot the 26 more consistory from one training session to the next even if several weeks elapsed in between.

I chose the 9mm and haven't looked back. The Glock 27 was one of the few guns I've ever sold.

 

[DadSmith]

I'm a fan of heavy for caliber bullets.
IMO bullet penetration is key along with shot placement. How many actually know where the vitals are and practice shooting them?

Shot placement is the key to any survival shooting. How you trained, and if you have trained enough when a survival situation arises. Because you will fall back to muscle memory and your training. If you have no training or very little training that's where you will be in a shoot to survive situation.

 

[Eric94]

I noticed last year there was still 40 ammo on the shelves. I remember 18 years ago 40s were the most popular thing around. I carried a 357 and didn’t pay attention to semi automatics until recently. When/why did the 40 lose popularity? Anyone here love them?

My first pistol was a 40.
Springfield XD Subcompact.
Snappy thing. I wouldn't recommend it as a first pistol.
At the time, I thought it was a good compromise between 9 and 45.
I also though if it was good enough for the police, it was good enough for me.
The police and I have moved toward 9mm these days. Haha.

 

[edporch]

As someone who started out shooting .357 Magnum double action revolvers in high school that a friend had, I've never understood why so many people complain about the .40 SW being "snappy".

 

[88E30M50]

.40 is a really good caliber that has gotten a lot of bad press. Myths are still told by people who have little experience with it, such as saying that it's a high pressure round. It shares the same pressure as the 9mm but nobody complains about 9mm being high pressure.

Or, that it's a snappy round. Any caliber is snappy when shot through a light gun. Nobody calls .357 Mag a snappy round but everyone understands that it is snappy in a J frame. But, someone shoots .40 in a Glock and comes away whining about the caliber instead of the application of that caliber.

In the right gun, it's a pleasure to shoot and a great reloaders round.

 

[Robert Richardson]

I just never found the love for it. If you like it, go for it.

 

[edporch]

.40 is a really good caliber that has gotten a lot of bad press.
-Snip-

Funny thing, I've owned and still own pistols in .40SW and never knew it was a "bad" round until some people began proclaiming it is.
I have swapped the barrels out on most of them to .357 Sig though, which is a plus to be able to shoot two different rounds.

But I still have more faith in a .40SW/.357 Sig pistol than a 9mm.
IN fact, I never owned a 9mm for carrying until maybe 6-8 years ago when I bought a S&W 9mm Shield to use as a pocket pistol.

I did switch to the Sig P365 as my pocket pistol in early 2019.

 

[Eric94]

As someone who started out shooting .357 Magnum double action revolvers in high school that a friend had, I've never understood why so many people complain about the .40 SW being "snappy".

It probably was due to the high bore axis of the Springfield XD40.
That and short barrel.
I bet a Glock 22 would be a lot better.

 

[Squid556]

While its easy to see the light dimming for the .40, id like to make a forecast for the future new 40 cal shooters.

I suspect 40 may be see a resurgence with new glock builders who buy surplus police glocks and convert / experiment between the 3 calibers.

In addition to builders, perhaps peppers may buy more cheap police glocks. The 40 caliber glock is really an ideal "prepper" pistol. Shoots multiple common calibers, takes the most common mags, most holster availability, most parts options and availability.

Might even become a "hipster" caliber. Sometimes folks choose a caliber because its NOT what everyone else has. I've seen that a time or two.

I don't think the 40 is going to go extinct, rather its new users may not be the same type of buyers it used to attract.

 

[Squid556]

It probably was due to the high bore axis of the Springfield XD40.
That and short barrel.
I bet a Glock 22 would be a lot better.

I think you're right. My 22 is quite comfortable to shoot, not much difference between normal 9 and 40 loads. However, I ran a mag of spicy Winchester 155 silvertips through it.... Made my hand sting for several hours afterward. Box claims 500 ft/lbs

 

[OZZY.40]

I just bought a USP in 40. During the ammo drought we just experienced, 40 s&w seemed to be available more than 9 or 45; although it still cost a small fortune for a box!

 

[snapping turtle]

I prefer the 40 in my Sig P229. It was built for the 40 and you can tell. Sometimes I will take her out fancy with the 357 sig.

 

[Mgderf]

Nobody calls .357 Mag a snappy round but everyone understands that it is snappy in a J frame. But, someone shoots .40 in a Glock and comes away whining about the caliber instead of the application of that caliber.

In the right gun, it's a pleasure to shoot and a great reloaders round.

My .40 is an all steel "Baby Eagle".
Magnum Research made clone of the CZ75.
It is indeed a pleasure to shoot.

 

[CWMC]

I put the .40S&W right below Americas favorite little fat boy .45ACP. 9mm comes a close 3rd place. One of my favorite hiking pistols is the G23. Yes, Iam a big fan.

 

[Amishman44]

I'm a fan of .40 S&W, having purchased my first Glock 23 on 9/11/01 (only because I missed the dealer on 9/10 due to leaving work later than usual) and have had a .40 S&W in the stable ever since!
I'm a bigger fan of .45 acp and .357 magnum but have often carried 9mm to match the wife in both caliber and magazine interchangeability. However, my experience is that .40 S&W splits the difference between a low capacity, single-stack .45 acp, a 6-shot revolver, and the lighter 9mm caliber very well!
That all being said...the .357SIG caliber supercedes 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 acp in every category, performance-wise, for a semi-automatic platform caliber. Love it! Have .357SIG barrels for each .40 S&W pistol! And .357SIG matches .40 S&W in the capacity category, which supercedes a 6-shot revolver.

 

[binkerton]

Hat tip to Dadsmith for pointing out the M&P trade in frames at Aim Surplus last week. After reviving my old 1.0 40 FS, I now have a 2nd M&P40 to play with again.

 

[OZZY.40]

I prefer the 40 in my Sig P229. It was built for the 40 and you can tell. Sometimes I will take her out fancy with the 357 sig.

What makes the P229 better than the P226 in .40? I was thinking of getting a P226 until a USP popped up.