Posted: 7/3/2008 3:50:52 PM EDT
| is this cartridge supposed to be a compromise between a 9mm and a .45? |
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Well, that's how it has been 'spun' and it actually has worked out very well in that regard. Originally it was a means by which smaller 9mm sized frames could be converted to 10mm bore size calibers. Briefly, once the FBI decided to use reduced velocity 10mm rounds, the .40 was just begging to be made. |
The .40 S&W was billed as the miraculous middle child that gave you the capacity close to the 9mm (eliminating .45 as a good choice) and the "knockdown"  close to the .45 (eliminating the 9mm as a good choice). It has many fans in the LEO community as well as shooters here. However, it seems there is just as much criticism as there is praise now that it's been established for well over a decade. First, there is an argument made that with modern defensive ammunition 9mm = .40S&W = .45ACP (so anything larger than 9mm is simply compromising capacity). If you care to dismiss that argument then the second issue is the high pressure of the .40 S&W. .45 not only makes the biggest hole (if you buy into that argument) but it is a nice, lazy, low pressure BOOM. The .40 OTOH is a high pressure SNAP that actually makes recoil/control characteristics worse than the larger .45ACP (to many). Moreover, the high pressure has been more of an issue with respect to reloading (or so it seems in these parts) resulting in Kabooms with negligent loaders. although in fairness, this could happen with any of the calibers mentioned. Today I think there is a counter revolution against .40 with opponents siding again with either 9mm or .45ACP. Based on the snappier recoil, and the fact it does nothing a .45 can't I see no reason to bother with one. If I want something with more rounds, I'd get a 9mm stuffed with the latest whiz-bang self defense ammo and I'd have more rounds and controllability to boot over the .40 S&W. Everybody is entitled to their opinion, but since there is no distinct advantage over either .45 or 9mm, I find it to be a failure of sorts. YMMV |
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Agree 100% with Pulps, Make mine .45 or 9. Forta, we don't need no stickin' forta! 
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Yes, but … Any traditional handgun cartridge is inherently a compromise, to include 9MM’s and .45’s. For my particular circumstances, I regard the .40 S&W is the optimum balance of power and capacity in a readily concealable and fairly easy to control handgun. Granted, that standard doesn’t necessarily apply for anyone else. If you want to reorient your thinking, look at it this way. The .40 S&W is an attempt to overcome the 9MM’s deficiency of lower power and the .45’s deficiency of fewer rounds.  |
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There seems to be much .40 hate on this forum. I don't think that it is deserved, with the majority of the law enforcement community now using it. If the round wasn't performing in officer related shooting incidents, then you would see departments dumping their .40s in favor of a different caliber. Guess what? They aren't. That alone is a clear indicator that this round does an excellent job. Maybe not better than the .45 GAP, but it does do well. |
+1 A .40 cal pistol loaded with some nice hot loads will get the job done most of the time. What it lacks in diameter to the .45, it "pretty much" makes up for in penetration due to it's higher velocity. To my understanding, the FBI dropped the 10mm for the .40 cal due to the strong recoil and fatter grip. Apparently the Feds had too many Girly Men. I'm fairly happy with the .40 cal Glock that my Department issued us, but I'd definately prefer the 10mm. Same capacity and more damage.
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I like the .40 just fine. I consider the HK .40 USPc to be a fantastic CCW sidearm. Enough to buy one when money is awfully scarce. That's what I think will work for me. I also own nine's and 45's. Just go with what works for you. Whatever you shoot, shoot it well! Shot placement is everthing! |
+1. The USPc in .40 is my primary carry these days. |
The only reason why I "hate" .40 S&W is because it fucks everything up when I pick up brass. I don't see many "hating" .40 at all, but the bigger point is to look at why it's being criticized. The point of introducing a caliber is to perform better in some application or another. In retrospect, it seems the .40 has not lived up to this. It may perform just as good as X or Y, but if X and Y predated it by 70 years, and it does NO better than either, then there's little sense introducing it. Granted, we know a little more today than we did 15 years ago, and we have loaded defensive ammo a little better as well, so you can't blame the developers of the 1980s for the issues in the late 2000s. However, you can select the caliber accordinly knowing now what you know, and today, I believe that there is no good reason for a shooter to select .40 (other than this was a caliber the person selected earlier and he shoots it well). So if you shoot .40 then shoot it. It clearly performs just as well as any other against bipeds with top defense ammo. But if you have no experience with the .40, there is no reason whatsoever to embrace the round (other than variety) since everything else does what it does with certain advantages to boot (i.e., higher capacity, and more controllability) |
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Using a .40 caliber weapon as your CCW made a lot more sense in the Clinton AWB years. The thinking was that if you were limited to 10+1 rounds, might as well carry a .40. A lot of compact .40s were made to conform to this trend, and now we are starting to see the gunmakers catch up to a post-AWB reality. Personally I like the .40 just fine. The 9mm is cheaper to feed, but if you reload, the cost difference is nearly the same. I do have to be more diligent about policing my .40 brass. There is usually plenty of 9mm brass lying about, since most folks don't seem to deem it worth picking up. Since I started shooting USPSA, I shoot more .40 than 9mm and .45 put together. .40 rules the roost in Limited division. Before long, you get used to it, and the 9mm feels horribly weak in comparison. |
Nobody is saying that it doesn't work. Maybe a few 10mm fanatics. But there are other options...better options...that provide practically the same performance, with reduced cost, recoil, capacity etc. |
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Hey, I'm a 10mm fanatic but I CCW a CZ75B in .40 everywhere I go! Whats not to like about 13+12+12?? 10mm is to .40 S&W as .357 mag is to .38 Spl. The arguments in both camps sound the same. To the OP, try them all (9mm, .40, .45, etc.) and shoot/ carry what you feel most comfortable with. |
