# Shooting the.40??



## Zeek_in_NMI (Apr 14, 2013)

I'm considering buying a .40 for a carry gun. I am not new to guns in general but haven't shot hand guns much at all. I've got myself convinced that a .40 is something I should use/have but having never shot one I don't have an idea what to expect. I recently have been practicing with my 9mm Norinco and am not having any problems controlling that. I might add that the 9mm seems very adequate, sure wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of one. I guess I'm looking for some feedback on shooting the .40 and it's effectiveness/hype. Also I should add that I have never shot a .45 before so I don't have that to compare with either, if it matters.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Shooting a .40 cal. is like shooting a 9mm on steroids. 

It's still manageable and not all that intimidating, unless you are totally new to shooting. 

I like the 9mm, and have plenty of handguns chambered in that round, but my primary carry gun is my SIG P250C in .40 cal.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

The recoil you feel from any cartridge is going to be affected by a number of factors and one of the primary items in this is the gun you are using. How does it sit in your hand? How heavy is it? Is the bore axis high, about midline, or low? What is the size of the gun? These are just some of the things about a handgun that are going to be factors in the felt recoil.

As for the .40S&W, perhaps the most common adjective you see is "snappy", or "sharp". Like paratrooper said, many will tell you it is like a 9mm on steroids. But it's not bad at all and it is an excellent defensive round... right up there with the best. My primary carry gun is a gen3 Glock 23, which of course is a .40S&W. I have other pistols chambered for this round and over the years, have had quite a collection of them. I have never felt that the .40 was too much cartridge for any of those guns or for me. My preferred loads for my Glock 23 is the hot Gold Dot 165gr #53970 (1150 fps with 484 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle) and the Federal 165gr HST.

The .40S&W is a great caliber for those who want a bit more than the 9mm has to offer, yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry. I just bought another one yesterday; a gen4 Glock 22. I had been looking at a Glock 21SF but went with the gen4 G22 because it felt so good in my hands. Now my two gen3 G23's have their big brother.


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## Zeek_in_NMI (Apr 14, 2013)

Paratrooper, When you say your primary carry gun is your SIG P250C in .40 cal is it due to the SIG or the .40, or maybe both?



paratrooper said:


> Shooting a .40 cal. is like shooting a 9mm on steroids.
> 
> It's still manageable and not all that intimidating, unless you are totally new to shooting.
> 
> I like the 9mm, and have plenty of handguns chambered in that round, but my primary carry gun is my SIG P250C in .40 cal.


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## Zeek_in_NMI (Apr 14, 2013)

SouthernBoy, could you expand on your comment "The .40S&W is a great caliber for those who want a bit more than the 9mm has to offer, yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry"? Specifically the part "yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry".



SouthernBoy said:


> The recoil you feel from any cartridge is going to be affected by a number of factors and one of the primary items in this is the gun you are using. How does it sit in your hand? How heavy is it? Is the bore axis high, about midline, or low? What is the size of the gun? These are just some of the things about a handgun that are going to be factors in the felt recoil.
> 
> As for the .40S&W, perhaps the most common adjective you see is "snappy", or "sharp". Like paratrooper said, many will tell you it is like a 9mm on steroids. But it's not bad at all and it is an excellent defensive round... right up there with the best. My primary carry gun is a gen3 Glock 23, which of course is a .40S&W. I have other pistols chambered for this round and over the years, have had quite a collection of them. I have never felt that the .40 was too much cartridge for any of those guns or for me. My preferred loads for my Glock 23 is the hot Gold Dot 165gr #53970 (1150 fps with 484 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle) and the Federal 165gr HST.
> 
> The .40S&W is a great caliber for those who want a bit more than the 9mm has to offer, yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry. I just bought another one yesterday; a gen4 Glock 22. I had been looking at a Glock 21SF but went with the gen4 G22 because it felt so good in my hands. Now my two gen3 G23's have their big brother.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

Zeek_in_NMI said:


> Paratrooper, When you say your primary carry gun is your SIG P250C in .40 cal is it due to the SIG or the .40, or maybe both?


I came across this handgun totally by coincidence. I had an ad on Craig's List. I was selling a brand-new Echo weed-eater. It had a bunch of accessories with it.

Part of my ad read......"Will trade up or down for firearms".

A guy called me saying that he had a new SIG that he had bought just before Christmas. He was now saying that he needed a weed-eater more than he did a gun. I told him to come on over so I could take a look at it.

He arrived, and it was new / unfired in it's plastic case. He looked at the weed-eater I had for sale, and said that it would do fine. I asked him what kind of value he had on his SIG. He said he paid $450.00 for it.

Since I was asking $375.00 for my weed-eater, I told him I could make up the difference in cash. He said fine, so I gave him $75.00.

He went his way, and I took some time to get to know my new gun. The more I handled it, the better I liked it. I was happy that it was a .40 cal., so that was good.

It's capacity is 13+1. I bought 4 more factory mags for it shortly thereafter. Anyways, that's how I came to love my SIG P250C. If I hadn't traded for it, I wouldn't have sought it out on my own.

I also put a StreamLight TLR-1 light on it. Between the gun and the light, it's a great combo.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

I think the .40 S&W is a good round with plenty of power, but I cannot shoot it as accurately (with the same speed) as I can the 9mm. JMHO.


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## paratrooper (Feb 1, 2012)

berettatoter said:


> I think the .40 S&W is a good round with plenty of power, but I cannot shoot it as accurately (with the same speed) as I can the 9mm. JMHO.


The .40 does snap a bit more than the 9mm, but not so much, that some range time can't cure. :smt068


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## denner (Jun 3, 2011)

Zeek_in_NMI said:


> I'm considering buying a .40 for a carry gun. I am not new to guns in general but haven't shot hand guns much at all. I've got myself convinced that a .40 is something I should use/have but having never shot one I don't have an idea what to expect. I recently have been practicing with my 9mm Norinco and am not having any problems controlling that. I might add that the 9mm seems very adequate, sure wouldn't want to be on the wrong end of one. I guess I'm looking for some feedback on shooting the .40 and it's effectiveness/hype. Also I should add that I have never shot a .45 before so I don't have that to compare with either, if it matters.


Probably a better question to ask is shooting the .40cal in what? Great round, but can be a tad bit snappy in smaller, lighter semi-auto's, but still very manageable.


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## Broondog (Feb 1, 2013)

i find the .40S&W round to be quite pleasurable to shoot, and feel that it would be a very effective round if i ever found the need to use it on anything denser than paper and tin cans. with practice (just like anything) follow up shots and/or target reacquisition are not a problem in either of the handguns i have that shoot it. both are Glocks, a G22 (full frame) and the G27 (subcompact).

in fact the G27 is my preferred carry gun.

hell, i can't even remember the last time i lit off a 9mm, and 5 of my handguns are chambered for that round!


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## shaolin (Dec 31, 2012)

I like the 9mm better and some LEO departments are leaving the .40 for the 9mm. Yes it is a good rd but I don't like the recoil of it. I like the .45acp recoil better as it is a push and not a snap. a 9mm with good JHP will give you a 90% manstopper so bullet placement is key. If you shoot it fine then I don't see a reason to switch unless you collect different guns. Get yourself a G19 if you want another 9mm or a G23 if you want a .40 S&W. I like to carry the .40 in winter times and when I am hiking on the AT.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

Zeek_in_NMI said:


> SouthernBoy, could you expand on your comment "The .40S&W is a great caliber for those who want a bit more than the 9mm has to offer, yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry"? Specifically the part "yet want a decent capacity in guns that are not too large for carry".


Sure. Most modern 9mm pistols are built with carry in mind since that caliber is so popular for that reason. A few good examples are the Glock 17 and 19, the XD series, and the M&P 9 series, all of which are in the same general size. Their capacity usually runs around 15 to 17 rounds in the magazine. The Glock 19 is a perfect example in both size and capacity. It is classed as a compact pistol yet its magazine holds 15 rounds so you get a 15+1 round count. Its .40S&W brother is the Glock 23 which has a round count of two less that the model 19. So you give up a few rounds but gain some bullet diameter and power in the form of muzzle energy.

If you go up slightly in size to the M&P 9 and M&P 40, you pick up a few more rounds for your magazines. There are always trade offs for one reason or another and that is to be expected. The .40S&W cartridge, in its current quality defensive configurations, is a fine caliber to carry for one's own defense. You could do a lot worse, but not a whole lot better with this cartridge in a good carry pistol.

Hope I answered your question.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

berettatoter said:


> I think the .40 S&W is a good round with plenty of power, but I cannot shoot it as accurately (with the same speed) as I can the 9mm. JMHO.


This is going to be largely a factor of the gun which you are shooting as well as the caliber. Some .40 caliber pistols are more "friendly" to the shooter and therefore, easier to shoot in rapid followup drills. But then again, generally their 9mm counterparts are quicker still than the .40's. A good example of this is the M&P 9 vs the M&P 40. Fabulous ergonomics and handling with both of these guns and the .40 can to fired pretty fast. But the 9mm version is still gong to be faster simply because of the reduced recoil.


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## Zeek_in_NMI (Apr 14, 2013)

Thanks all for the comments/ .40 lesson. I was leaning on getting a .40 but was worried it may be something I wouldn't carry or find unmanageable. Sometimes I get hung up on trying to get the "perfect" thing e.g. weed eater, lawn mower, gun, hamburger, .40, .45, 9mm, you name it, and once I make the purchase I ask why did I buy this thing. The .40 was heading in that direction and I just wanted to have an idea of where I might be going so I could dress accordingly. I'm thinking not a pocket pistol but maybe a compact @ a minimum to help with the recoil. 

Thanks again for all of your comments.


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## Zeek_in_NMI (Apr 14, 2013)

paratrooper,
Need a good weed eater? Sounds like practice should cure whatever problem the snap will cause. 
Thanks


paratrooper said:


> The .40 does snap a bit more than the 9mm, but not so much, that some range time can't cure. :smt068


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