headbangerJD
New member
Simple, straightforward question. Why is the 40sw round snappier than 9mm and 45acp?
Why is the 40sw round snappy?
- Thread starter headbangerJD
- Start date
I had my first experience with the 40 S&W today, and it is snappy indeed. The dude at the range told me it uses fast burning powder versus slow burning powder. I am more of a collector type than a reloader, but I'll take his word for it. Frankly, I didn't care too much for it. And this is coming from somebody who routinely shoots 357 mag revolvers. If I hadn't already bought a Glock 23, I'd buy a Glock 19 instead. However, with the kind of ballistics the 40 S&W has, I have no doubt it's effective.
cougar gt-e
New member
JohnKSa is correct.
The 9mm and 40s&w both have the same pressure, but tossing a 180 gr chuck downrange has more "snap" to it than tossing 115 or 125 gr. Amazing, but true.
The 9mm and 40s&w both have the same pressure, but tossing a 180 gr chuck downrange has more "snap" to it than tossing 115 or 125 gr. Amazing, but true.
cougar gt-e
New member
I think 155 or 165 is the sweet spot for a 40s&w. The hype velocity light weight rounds are tweaked and twaddled so much they are just not as good for the intended use (firing multiple shots quickly and accurately for stopping bad guys). I like the 165's the best but the 155's are very close.
bullet weight
it was mostly the bullet weight you shot, never tried that light of a bullet (135gr) from my 40's, the 180's are a dream to shoot IMO, the 155's have a bit more snap to them I guess, but I've never had an issue with the 40 recoil. Now my makarov's (pa-63) I would call snappy.
If you want a smooth shooting 40, go with a P229 or a SW 4006, very very easy to shoot IMO,.
Croc4
it was mostly the bullet weight you shot, never tried that light of a bullet (135gr) from my 40's, the 180's are a dream to shoot IMO, the 155's have a bit more snap to them I guess, but I've never had an issue with the 40 recoil. Now my makarov's (pa-63) I would call snappy.
If you want a smooth shooting 40, go with a P229 or a SW 4006, very very easy to shoot IMO,.
Croc4
cougar gt-e
New member
One point. The light weight rounds tend to throw more flash out the barrel. The time the bullet spends between leaving the case and leaving the barrel is shorter, so there is more powder still burning after the bullet leaves. That will tend to make the shooter think there is more recoil. The flash does that to your brain by making you blink and flinch. I think of that as visual as opposed to felt recoil.
ostrobothnian
New member
Alot depends on the pistol itself. Sheesh, if you think that's snappy try a 10mm. 
When I shoot my S&WM&P40, I shoot mostly Federal HST 165grain JHP which is my carry load when I carry the 40cal. I also carry the S&WM&P 357Sig shooting 125grain Speer Gold Dot Hollow Point and honestly I think the felt recoil is about the same, I shoot both equally as well. One gun shooting two different calibers with just a barrel change, I like it alot.
I have a Walther PPS 9mm (I love it.) that I had at the same time with an identical PPS .40; I tried all kinds of ammo in that sucker, and each was as nasty and mean like a spooked pit bull. I sold it because I just hated shooting it, and my accuracy was horrible with it. Whats the point of having an RPG that can't hit a target a mere 10 yards away.
I sold it because I just hated shooting it, and my accuracy was horrible with it. Whats the point of having an RPG that can't hit a target a mere 10 yards away. LafeHubert
New member
I have not had much experience with the .40 S&W in anything but the Glock 22 and my Springfield XD-40 Sub Compact, and what is comfortable in the Glock is plain nasty in the little XD. To me, all of the polymer framed pistols have more twist and jump, that thing I think we call "snap", because the center of gravity is higher in the hand than steel framed pistols. I think this is compounded in the compacts because of the short grip. The higher pressure loads like the .357 Sig, .40 S&W and 10mm demonstrate this more than the lower pressure rounds. I tend toward Cor-Bon for self defense in my revolvers and 1911s, as I appreciate the reliability and extreme bullet expansion of that ammo. But I found the Cor-Bon 135 gn. .40 S&W to be more than I was comfortable with in the XD-40 SC. That load in that pistol reminded me of shooting Federal 125 gn. .357 Magnum rounds out of a 2 1/2" bbl S&W Model 19. It's controllable and would do the job, but with unpleasant muzzle blast and flash; not something I would want to shoot regularly. Shooting the same round in the Glock 22 is like shooting that hot .357 Federal round in a 4" bbl S&W Model 19; something I could do all day. I fiddled around with other loads and finally settled on Hornady Custom .40 S&W 155 gn XTP (#9132). This load is accurate and has tolerable muzzle flash and blast out of the XD-40. That load almost meets the box claim of a muzzle velocity of 1180 fps out of my Glock, 1120 fps over my Master Chrony, and still produces a respectable 1060 fps out of the XD-40's stubby 3" tube. The Hornady load also shoots close enough to the same POA as the Federal American Eagle 165 gn FMJ ammo I use for practice that I can do most of it with that and save the expensive Hornady for the end of the training session. It works for me but YMMV.
Good Luck.
Good Luck.
New to the site, long time hand gun owner. Bought an XD SC 40 last week for my C&C and took it to the range friday... Awesome gun but the thing kicks like a mule, more brutal then my snub 357. I'm not afraid to shoot anything and own enough different guns that felt recoil has never been an issue for me. Maybe just need to get more range time with it, but in the XD SC the 40sw is a handful to say the least. My brother bought a Glock 23 and it handles the 40 a little better.. Kind of wish I could have shot the XD before I bought it..
I used to have a SW Sigma 40 and it definitely was snappier than my Beretta 92FS. It was nowhere near as bad as the kimber custom 1911 that I rented at the range though. I have often fired 100-200 rounds of .40 in a single session with my Sigma and stopped only because I couldn't afford more ammo. After 50 rounds of 230gr FMJ through the 1911 though my hand was sore enough that I didn't want to shoot it anymore.
I got a S&W Sigma .40 as a gift a while back. I had sold all my .40s years ago and stuck to mainly .45 and .357. I took the Sigma to the range and I was blown away by how snappy it was. Maybe I'm just not used to it. But I'd rather shoot .45s all day long than shoot .40s. Just my own personal preference.