# .40 S&W: Love It Or Hate It??



## Spenser (Nov 6, 2006)

So what's the consensus on the .40 caliber? I fall in and out of love with it, myself. 

Sometimes I think it recoils sharper than the 9mm and .45. Other times I've got no problems with it at all. Sometimes I think it's the perfect middleman between the 9mm and .45. 

For me, it's depended much on the gun I've shot it out of. I've liked it better out of the Browning Hi-Power, the Sig 229, Beretta 96 and Cougars, and the USP full size.

I haven't liked it out of the Glocks, though the 27 seems to handle better than a full-size. Weird. 

There was also some talk a few years back that one couldn't obtain tight groups with it, that it was an inheirently inaccurate cartridge. I haven't found that to be the case, personally. Has anyone a gripe about the .40's accuracy? Does anyone have a favorite .40 and hate the others??

Or is it just me??


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## Shipwreck (Jan 26, 2006)

U should have put a poll up with your post 

Me, I do not care for the round. I have had many 45s over the years - right now, I have all 9mm pistols except for a Keltec 32. I prefer 9mm and 45s over the 40, however. And, I do not have any plans to own a 40.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I have the .40 in a Sigma. It does real good for me. I had to shoot it a lot to get use to the gun and caliber but that all fell into place after awhile. I like it well enough to use it for one of my home defence guns.


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## 2400 (Feb 4, 2006)

Everytime I had to qualify with my Beretta 96, I shot expert or better. I like the 40 it's a good round. :smt023


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

I enjoy my XD40.

I have noticed something relative to .40 vs. .45.

Two friends I shoot with every week have .45's and I have the .40.
They reload as do I and we are using the same powders. Sometimes Win 231 and sometimes Vihtavuori N320 or N340.

When we are finished for the day their guns, XD45 and a Glock, both have a significant coating of carbon around the muzzel end where as my XD40 or M&P9 is as clean as when I started.

Is this due to the different pressures during burn or something else?


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## SuckLead (Jul 4, 2006)

My Sig is a .40, and I like the round a lot. Unless I'm broke and staring at a box of ammo I can't afford. I got mine instead of a 45 probably for a silly reason, but it wasn't at the time. I bought the gun for armored transport work and didn't think I'd be able to qualify with a 45 (that and I was told the 1911 wasn't allowed for carry on that job... there's a gun I'll never see again :smt011 ). But I like the recoil on it when shooting, I like the accuracy, etc. I'm not married to the round at all, though.


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## The Hound (Nov 25, 2006)

I love the .40 S&W


I have the SW99 in .40 and it's the gun I'm most accuracte with. *shrugs*

I will buy another gun in .40 in the future, but right now I'm buying 9mm's.


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## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

Shipwreck said:


> U should have put a poll up with your post


No. We do not need another senseless poll.


TOF said:


> Is this due to the different pressures during burn or something else?


It might be because you're using different ammunition, perhaps?


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## Out West (Oct 1, 2006)

I like the 40 S&W. I like the power available, the larger diameter (compared to a 9mm) and the many choices available in factory loads. As a result, I shoot a lot of 40 S&W. However, I would not feel uncomfortable with either the 9mm or 45 acp in my holster.

Out West


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## Buckeye (Jul 13, 2006)

I like it. First gun I owned was in .40 and I plan on getting a sigma in .40. I don't own a 9mm...two .45's a .357 sig and a .40. I don't find it nor the .357 Sig unpleasant to shoot at all, maybe becasue I learned on them??


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## martial_field (Oct 16, 2006)

I shoot mostly 9 mm's but I do own a .40 in the Glock 35, which I bought for IPSC competition where the .40 makes major caliber (more points for off center hits on target). I notice the recoil is sharper but only a little so. I shoot 9's mainly because the ammo is a little cheaper while the round can still be used in IPSC or IDPA competition. As you undoubtedly know since you reload, the .40 is a high pressure cartridge and is harder on guns than the 9 mm. As far as being a self defense round, more leo agencies use the .40 than any other cartridge because it is an excellent compromise between the mag capacity of the 9 and the stopping power of the .45. There should be no appreciable difference in accuracy unless the greater recoil causes the shooter to anticipate or multiple shots are being fired quickly and the stronger recoil interferes with sight alignment.


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## NCHornet (Dec 20, 2006)

The 40 cal has a aweome 1 shot stop ratio, it is a terriffic defense round. I have 9mm, 38's, 357's, 44 mag's and a few others and it is the 40 in a Glock model 23 that I chose to carry. My next gun may be the new Cougar in 40 cal.


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## Vom Kriege (May 5, 2006)

I'm not a fan of it at all.


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## fattsgalore (Jan 20, 2007)

To the person noticing carbon on the front end of guns, its a .45. When i'd leave the range my stainless finish was black. A .45 holds a lot of powder in such a small shell. I have pics of other .45s same thing black tip, but i don't know how to post them. I've personally never seen a clean .45 leave a gun range after 100 rounds. 
As for the debate I'd prefer .40cal over a .45 and a 9mm, for combat. .45 doesn't have the penetration and 9mm doesn't have the stopping power. I wouldn't say the .40cal was the best but it was my first choice when it came to self defense. For target shooting I like 9mm and 45s. Nothing makes you feel more alive then dumping a .45. I don't seem to shoot consistently with my .40cal but haven't had much opportunity's to shoot it. I've only shot about a few hundred rounds through my Glock23 personally. Me and my friends have pumped about 1000rnds through it combined.


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## noproblem5671 (Dec 6, 2006)

*40 S&w*

Forty S&W is a good round, but for the price I'd prefer .45 ACP. I don't think there is enough of a stopping power advantage to .40 over 9MM to justify the higher cost of ammo. It feels more snappy in some guns than others. I don't mind the kick on .40 in my Beretta PX4, but the Glock 35 really snaps. I'll give a plus to .40 for having a little more stopping power than 9MM and having more guns available with higher mag capacity than .45.


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## Guzz (Dec 23, 2006)

I have a Glock 26-9mm, Glock 22 -.40, GP100-.357, and a Kimber CDP II-.45. I try to alternate firing each of them to stay accurate, but I find that I fire the .40 the least.

I think for the money, the .45 & .9mm rounds are a better value (more bang for the buck). Plus for some reason I just don't seem to enjoy the .40 as much as my other guns.


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## Spartan (Jan 1, 2007)

I like them all.


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## -gunut- (May 8, 2006)

I don't mind it. I would rather take a .45 or 9mm though


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## jenglish (Dec 29, 2006)

I like the round. I have the P99 in 9mm and 40 and to tell you the truth, the only difference is cost of ammo and mag capacity. The recoil, to me, feels the same and I can get the same accuracy out of both calibers. So I am happy with it.


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## Snowman (Jan 2, 2007)

*Like it...*

I'm a fan of the .40 myself. As was said, the .40 has an excellent one shot stop percentage (slightly better than the 9mm and .45). I've found its accuracy to be very good; out of my P99 anyway. I like the .45 and the 9mm as well, but the .40 S&W does have its merits.

See this website for some good info http://www.internetarmory.com/handgunammo.htm .


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## Glockamania® (Dec 21, 2006)

.40S&W calibers are the only thing I shoot...for now.

So I love them.


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## The Lone Haranguer (Jan 26, 2007)

I don't care for it in small guns due to the snappy harsh recoil. It's OK in larger guns, but I still like the mild recoil of the 9mm Luger or the "push" of the .45 Auto better.

There is going to be a GLOCK 27 for sale soon.


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## john doe. (Aug 26, 2006)

I carry a Glock 23 so am bias. I scanned the latest Solider of Fortune magazine yesterday and saw that the military is considering the .40. That could change the supply and demand thing.


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## bangbang (Jan 18, 2007)

I do not have much experience with the .40 S&W. 

I have only fired about 25 rounds from a well used Sig...and I think it was a Polymer Sig. Does Sig make a polymer?

I much preferred the 45 ACP Para-Ord 1911 and the Glock 9mm over the Sig 40 S&W.

It could be the weight of the 1911 absorbed much of the recoil from the 45ACP...I dunno...but as of now, I am not a fan. I will likley still get a 9mm as a first gun, and a 45ACP as my next (or third) gun. I probably will not bother with the 40 S&W.


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## jeepgirl (Jan 17, 2007)

i love shooting mine but the ammo is so expen$$ive.


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## scorpiusdeus (Feb 7, 2007)

I love the .40 S&W. 2 out of four of my firearms are in .40 and all future purchases will be in .40. My short list is an XD, A P99, a P2000, and another P226 ST. I can get all of those in .40 S&W. I shoot well enough with it in both a P239 and a P226ST. 

It has size, speed and capacity all in one.

The only two long shot purchases that won;t be in .40 are a 10mm and a .44 mag.


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## spacedoggy (May 11, 2006)

I thought the 40 was going to be the perfect round because it was between the 9mm and 45 acp. I got my P99 with S&W 40 and thought the gun was not very accurate. Then I got a compact XD in 40 and same thing. I was given a new compact XD 9 mm for doing some work and I was able to shoot much better with it. The 40 is just to snappy for me. I think it's easier to shoot the 45 acp than the S&W 40. I pick brass up all the time at my range and have to say the 40 is the most popular. 80% of the brass I find is 40. It was just not meant to be for me.


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## jamesp2000 (Feb 6, 2007)

*40s&w*

I have a M&P40 a really like the .40 cal very mild recoil.
I also have a S&W 4506-1 and there is nothing like shooting a big .45acp.:mrgreen:


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## mw1311 (Feb 7, 2007)

I personally like the .40 ....good compromise between stopping power and magazine capacity. I'm still a .45 fan tho.


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## nrd515525 (Feb 12, 2007)

I have an Astra A-75 in .40, and even in that little gun, recoil isn't that bad. It's been a great gun so far. Gobbles up everything I have tried so far.

I kind of want one in .45 just to see the difference.


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## SuperDave (May 19, 2007)

my friend recommends the .40 for knockdown power. I don't want to get a 9mm because of low price and then a .40 because i want to so i might just get a .40 in a sig or beretta.


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## Queeqeg (Apr 27, 2007)

Baldy said:


> defence


I always think it's funny how the Europeans spell it with a C, while here in the USA:smt1099 we spell defense with an S :smt023


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## SuperDave (May 19, 2007)

Queeqeg said:


> I always think it's funny how the Europeans spell it with a C, while here in the USA:smt1099 we spell defense with an S :smt023


go USA?:smt023


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## stormbringerr (May 22, 2007)

*40*

i like 40 cal a lot saying something is inherently wrong w/ the round sounds like an urban legend to me. i have a 40 cal XD, and plan to get a 40 cal sig 229 next the 40 has very high muzzle energy hence cleaner bore.


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## stormbringerr (May 22, 2007)

*40 cal*

you really seem to be the odd man out on this one shipwreck


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## Desertrat (Apr 26, 2007)

the 40 is an ok round.....just not my favorite. I believe it is an "overelapping"
round....we have plenty of 9mm's and the .45 is well established....so don't see the need for something in that gap to fill in.


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