.40 is assuming an intersting and unexpected role IMHO.

[stagpanther]

I too am a big fan of 40 calibers and love my 10 mm and 41 mag handguns. Even though I don't have one (yet) I can definitely appreciate a utility for the 40 S&W as a CC/HD choice--had my eye on the XD compact version for a while.

 

[Guv]

I have quite a few choices in my safe, both revolver and auto but find my 96 INOX Beretta my farm/ranch favorite. Decent power, good accuracy and capacity. I do feel that the 180's are much nicer recoil and blast wise than the lighter 155 etc loads.

 

[Will Beararms]

i have been hunting in the woods for 44 years since the age of 7 by myself. i was in the woods at the age of 5 with my father. two years later, he would put me on a deer stand with a 1957 Browning 16 gauge and walk off a few 100 yards in the opposite direction. By age 10, i was fully self sufficient as a fisher and hunter. i have had some close encounters with wildlife including 7 years as a guide.

An M&P40, Glock22, SR40 or similar platform is a decent woods pistol------not a .44 magnum, .45 Long Colt or .500 Magnum but decent.

 

[Mauser69]

Lots of Personal Preference - ain't it Great to have a Choice?

Personally, I like the .40. I do not own or have any interest at all in the 9mm or .45 ACP. Not badmouthing them - just not interested.

I came by the .40 in an interesting way - I grew up on single action western handguns - absolutely still my preferred weapon for fun and hunting - even home defense since I am so accustomed to using them. I generally take to the .357, but also do a lot of .44 mag shooting. But an SAA style gun does not make a practical CCW!

So when I started carrying concealed around 20 years ago, I had to find something else. At that time, I did not own nor was I interested in any type of auto pistol, but it seemed the best option. And my yawning attitude towards the .9mm almost forced me to look seriously at the .40! My first CCW was a fantastic little Firestar - small and concealable with a GREAT personality and impressive manners at the range. My only complaint with that gun is the weight (all steel and 30 oz empty). But I still own and carry it, along with some lighter-weight newer options, also in .40.

There is no doubt that the .40 can be more of a handful than the 9mm, but IMHO it is more of an issue with the specific gun design than the caliber. For example, virtually no one would argue that the .380 is a "bigger" or "meaner" caliber than the .9mm, but an awful lot of the little .380 guns available are much nastier to shoot than a good small .40.

On paper, the .40 clearly has more power than the 9mm, and in the right gun, that is an advantage I like. I personally am glad all the choices are available, and that I am free to choose the ones that fit me the best.

 

[JC57]

When I was in the market for a semi-auto pistol, it was at the peak of the ammo shortage in early 2010. I couldn't reliably find 9mm or .45ACP ammo anywhere, though .40S&W was in good supply in both practice and defensive rounds.

So I bought a Glock 22 Gen 4, and picked up a Storm Lake 9mm conversion barrel and some G17 mags, to have a 2-in-1 gun.

I have found that I shoot the .40 just fine out of that gun and the recoil doesn't feel much better or worse than the 9mm out of the same gun.

I like the fact that .40 comes in weights ranging from 135 - 180gr, and that the better loads like Federal HST are frequently in stock whereas with 9mm they are not.

In short, it's good enough for me and I have no complaints with it.

 

[SauerGrapes]

I like the .40 and own 5 of them. I shoot Limited class in uspsa which is probably one reason for adopting the .40 for most popular caliber in my gun safe.
The difference in felt recoil to me from .40 to .45 seems the same.
I carry .40 most of the time in a Sig 229. If I want a smaller platform, I'm quite comfortable carrying one of the 2 sub compact 9mm I have.

Hand loading the .40 is where I enjoy working loads for all kinds of applications. I have a castrated .40 round that even my wife can shoot. If it wasn't for her I probably wouldn't own a 9mm. Nothing wrong with 9mm, just find I could survive without it.

That said, nothing more fun to shoot than a 9mm 1911. I usually throw it in my bag for the range for times I see someone handing a new shooter something stupid like an air weight 38spl or a sub compact .40.

 

[Siggy-06]

.40 s&w is still my favorite handgun cartridge to this day. A little bit snappier and a round or two less capacity won't change my opinion on it. Plus when the whole gun buying/ammo panic comes and goes, I can usually find .40 on the shelves as opposed to 9mm and .45, and .22 is a fairy tale.

 

[Tin Foil]

originally posted by Will Beararms
.40 while it seems to continue to decrease or at least i think it is decreasing in popularity among civies.

Only on the internet. And as we know the internet is far from representing the real realities in life. Hearsay and innuendo sprinkled with some grade-A b.s. About as legitimate a source of information as Wikipedia, which ain't saying to much.

I'm a revolver person who will never ever adapt to shooting a cartridge design for a semi-automatic platform out of a revolver. But I am constantly drawn to the .40 cal. Not in terms of cost per round which as you made note is not that much higher and indeed surprised me when I stated looking around at the various sites that carry ammo. Partly because I think more people such as myself have come to realize just how versatile the .40 cal round is if you get the right gun for it.
It has the speed of a 9mm and the up close stopping power of a .45. The key is not to try and handle it coming out of gun that doesn't have the weight behind it to control it.


Here is an example

Ruger LCR .38 special at 13.50oz unloaded __________ Recoil Factor: 7.16 ft-lb
Glock 27 Gen 4 .40 cal at 21.89oz unloaded ___________ Recoil Factor: 10.57 ft-lb
Beretta PX4 Storm subcompact .40 cal at 26.1oz unloaded ___________ Recoil Factor: 7.85 ft-lb

'lil' Bukus conceals in front pocket as well as sweet pea and handles just as easy.
And it's rated as a full duty pistol which only weights less than 1oz than the compact model and less than 2.5oz as the full size.
Priorities and what you are willing to live with and or deal with.
Happy Shooting everyone.

(please be advised that once 'lil' Bukus makes the cut he will become the primary in right front while sweat pea will move to the left front to only ever be practiced with off hand one handed for those situations where primary hand is unavailable and to be used upon entering vehicle in door cubby hole for the faster reaction to potential car-jack and or other unexpected interruptions)
____________

 

[Frankly]

Instead of making specious arguments to defend our choices, can't we admit that all our choices are equally valid for our own reasons? If there were one perfect gun, wouldn't we all own it to the exclusion of all others?

 

[walks with gun]

Thank you Frankly , probably one of the most intelligent things I've read on this whole board. Seems there are a lot of members who would rather argue just to be heard than listen to another's reasonable thought.

 

[Will Beararms]

It's truly interesting how the .40 has taken off considering the issues with the first generation Glock .40's. It's not my favorite round but I have a healthy respect for it and own a platorm for it.

I like be shooting the 9mm from a mid to full size frame ----- it's my favorite along the lines of shoot ability.

I love the hole a .45ACP makes and the fact a 230 grain ball round is adequate for self defense. I'd have to say it's my favorite if I had to choose one round.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

Thinking about picking up a S&W SD40.

Mainly for diversity in case there is another panic and the SD40 can be had for cheap---.40 was the only ammo on the shelf last time around.

No real fan of the .40---but I like to shoot. Still can't find .22's on the shelf.

 

[Will Beararms]

You can get an XD or even and M&P for a good price if you scour places like Bud's. Bud's even puts .40's on 180 day lay away.

 

[Bongo Boy]

I like 40SW for a few reasons. The brass is readily available in mass quantities for cheap, it's not uncomfortably small for me to manage in reloading, it's incredibly inexpensive to handload and I can share bullets with 10mm Auto.

In my MP40 Pro 5", modest Clays and Nitro 100 loads are an absolute blast to shoot and selected combinations have proven both very accurate and fast-shooting in ESP division.

For self defense, it's the smallest round I'm comfortable carrying, and it can be loaded safely to some impressive specs. It allows me to pack a Kahr K40 on those days when I really need something smaller, and I find it perfectly comfortable to shoot. I just don't experience, notice or object to any aspects of 40SW recoil that seems to bother so many. I also feel it provides a nice balance between punch and capacity, and I'm not a real big 'capacity' guy anyway.

I found it very challenging to work up accurate loads in 40SW initially, but I think at first I was focused on driving 155 gr real fast, for whatever reason. I've combined 165 and 180 gr cast with Nitro 100, 4756 and No 2 and loaded about a zillion of them, and zeroed-in on a couple of loads that just 'work'. Very sweet.

For all my prejudices, preferences and peculiarities I find 40SW to be ideal for the more compact carry weapon. While 10mm is my 1st choice, I don't have or really want a smaller, lighter carry gun in 10mm (the G29 is small and light enough for me). It's the caliber I would recommend to the rest of my family when they choose to carry.

 

[stagpanther]

I've never met a 40 anything I didn't like ; )

 

[rburch]

I'll admit limited experience with them, but I find I can generally fire about 3 accurate shots from a 9mm for every 2 I can get off with the 40.

I could spend years and thousands of rounds practicing, and that shouldn't change, the lower recoil allows faster return to the sights.

For this reason I chose 9mm over 40 for my carry guns.

That said I do plan to buy the 40 upper and a few mags for my FNS when they start selling them in the fall.

During the last run, 40 was available in my area, and 9mm wasn't.

 

[wojtekimbier]

We haven't had a good old pistol caliber war in a while.
A short summary: There are people saying X has a higher diameter than Y, that Y has a higher muzzle energy, that they/somebody else had used X to hunt whathever animal lives in their neighbourhood, Z is cheaper to reload, but X is more available when there is a shortage, yet Y holds more round in a magazine etc...
Oh yeah and Y is more "snappy" than X/Z.
Have I missed anything?
Have fun

 

[mavracer]

Have I missed anything?

Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas
It's all a balancing act and best compramise is a oxymoron

 

[cslinger]

You know what. .40 has a fairly impressive history of stopping threats.
You know what .45 has a fairly impressive history of stopping threats.
You know what 9mm has a fairly impressive................etc.

You know what they all suck without a high quality bullet loaded into them. (HP etc. )

You know what even with the best performing ammunition they all really just suck less. If you think a single piece of tiny lead is going to stop a determined attacker barring the perfect shot that hits the off switch then I think you may be under some false hope.

Any of them work about as well as the other and differences are in the statistical noise. There might be slight pros or cons here or there ie barrier penetration, flatter trajectory, capacity etc but again none that hugely outweigh another.

One of, if not my favorite piece of tactical Tupperware is the HK P2000 in .40 caliber. I give up 1 round to the 9mm or 3 rounds to a Glock 19. I give up 1 round to a Glock 23. Recoil is very manageable and equal to or lighter then a G19 with proper defensive ammo. Honestly you could give me either a G19 or a 23 or a P2000 or a SIG P220 and as far as I am concerned the most striking and appropriate difference is how the triggers work/feel.

I think the most telling thing is when you look at the ballistic performance of the HST line they all 9mm and above perform eerily similar almost, dare I say, like they were designed to.

Pick what you like and to quote one of our fallen brothers BA/UU/R. Don't sweat the small stuff. Variety is the spice of life and when there is a shortage those of us who have and are comfortable with all the major calibers are likely still hammering away at the range while the dedicated 9/.40/.45/God forbid .380 shooter is likely staying home due to lack of ammo or fear of depleting the stash.

But as long as we are on the subject.
.45
Ak
Maryanne
Chevy
Windows
New battle star galactica.

I think that covers all the answers.

 

[cslinger]

And one other thing. As far as .40 short and weak vs 10mm. I have actually read several sources that the FBI was looking for a round to perform to a certain specification. The 10mm came about and was eventually downloaded to meet that specification. Smith and Wesson realized that said specified performance could be met in a more efficient package and the .40 was born. When looking at it that way .40 is kind of a brilliant caliber from a design and creation standpoint.

Full house no holds barred 10mm is hella fun though.