Is the .40S&W caliber a useful round between the 9mm and .45ACP?

How do you feel about the .40S&W round?

  • Yes, it's a great round! Not much to dislike about it.

    Votes: 130 76.9%

  • No, it's useless, just a stop-gap between the 9 and 45. Meh.

    Votes: 32 18.9%

  • Well, it's a good first try but could use some tweaks!

    Votes: 7 4.1%
  • Total voters
    169
Depends on the application.
Being that all they are used for is paper punchers in Canada they all work great. 9mm being the cheapest to shoot.
I have had all three in Glock full sized frames and I found that I shot best with the 40cal. The 9mm has less recoil but it snaps back quicker. The 40cal seemed to be on par for recoil but the recoil pulse seemed slower and less snappy. The 45ACP had a very distinct thump to it and reacted much like the 40cal but a little snappier. I have yet to shoot a 1911 but I'm betting the added weight of the metal frame would lessen the recoil and put it on par with a 40cal. IMO of course.

Tim
 
9mm; .40 S&W & .45ACP

I actually like 'em all....... :redface:

2007-10-27_091302_1aCoffee.gif

NAA.
 
.40 or 9mm

Well mi cousin a cop in venezuela shot a robber 5 times and the guy have time to run, until he fell to the ground 20 o so metres after, with a g17 using 124 grs RN, I have the sad experience to defend mi life and the decease after 2 rounds of 180 grs RN didnt walk 2 metres
 
joseaventurero said:
Well mi cousin a cop in venezuela shot a robber 5 times and the guy have time to run, until he fell to the ground 20 o so metres after, with a g17 using 124 grs RN, I have the sad experience to defend mi life and the decease after 2 rounds of 180 grs RN didnt walk 2 metres
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Did he shoot him with 9mm or 40 cal? Personally, I prefer 9mm because it is less snappy and cost effective and would make a great CCW. :)
 
joseaventurero said:
Well mi cousin a cop in venezuela shot a robber 5 times and the guy have time to run, until he fell to the ground 20 o so metres after, with a g17 using 124 grs RN, I have the sad experience to defend mi life and the decease after 2 rounds of 180 grs RN didnt walk 2 metres
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Lol. Don't you think that it depends on where the person was hit more than on the difference between it being a 9mm or .40?
 
BP7 said:
so the 40SW kinda fits between the traditional 9mm and 45ACP rounds. more power than the 9 but smaller than the 45 giving "9mm capacity with 45ACP power" (sorta)

so is it actually a nice round? or would it be nice if it was revised a bit (more power, like the 10mm from which it came even though the 10mm never seemed to gain much ground)? or is it just a useless stop-gap?

discuss!!!
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Sure the .40 is a "nice" round. It packs a lot of power and energy akin to the .45ACP. Accuracy out of my NP58 is a decent 4" group out to 17 meters.

180 grain Lead Flat Point over 4.7 grain Titegroup reloads kick like my GP100 on full load 158 grain 357 magnums.

AS for magazine capacity, the .40 has an advantage over single stack 1911s but none over double stackers. The main advantage of .40 over .45, for me, is the fact that I can pick up all the brass I need for free at the range.



Looking at your question from the Target/Plinking Shooter's standpoint, I really see no need for the .40. I reload and cast for all three calibers to save money. However, 9mm brass is so much more plentiful, needs less wheelweights to cast 125 grain bullets for compared to .40 and .45 and a tad less powder to load.

I think 9mm pistols will last longer than .40 pistols even if they operate at similar 30,000 plus psi/cup, because their frames and slides are subject to lower recoil momentum, i.e. 130 vs 170 power factor.

Having said all that, if the .40 disappeared from the face of the earth tomorrow, I couldn't care less except that who can I sell my NP58 to?
 
[QUOTE. IMHO, the power gain is offset by shooting ability. Learn to shoot, and your won't need a nuclear tipped bazooka to take out your target :nest: .

(E) :cool:[/QUOTE]

Come on now...it's a tactical nuclear tipped bazooka!

This debate will never end. And before it does, I'm sure we'll all live to see another round appear. Something that the maker's will claim perfectly balances power and weight and recoil and penetrating power.

From a personal defence point of view, if you follow the doctrine of shoot until the threat is stopped, does it really matter if the threat eats 2 .45's or 3 9mm's or 10 .22's? Not really, as long as you the gun fight!
 
Didn't this whole .40cal thing come about after that FBI shootout in Miami back in the "80"s,the FBI wanted a better round then the .38s and 9mm used by their agents,so developed the 10mm,which a lot of their smaller agents where having trouble shooting full power,so they down loaded it, and someone said "Hey,if we're down loading this ,why not make it a whole new round." and then something ,something........

Its a good round,a lot was put in to the development of it,some in blood.
 
joseaventurero said:
Well mi cousin a cop in venezuela shot a robber 5 times and the guy have time to run, until he fell to the ground 20 o so metres after, with a g17 using 124 grs RN, I have the sad experience to defend mi life and the decease after 2 rounds of 180 grs RN didnt walk 2 metres
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mi cousin hit the robber 3 times in the abdomen and twice in the chest with the 9mm, mine was twice in the chest
 
carsmovies said:
.40 was a calibre that was created due to political reasons and was never actually needed in reality. The 9mm 147g JHP has way more than enough stopping power. All of Europe and Nato can't be wrong.
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Sure they can be wrong. Just because a lot of people think something, doesn't make it right. The earth is flat, guns should be banned, the matrix sequels will rock and so on and so on...
 
Considering mag limitation, it is the best caliber... most guns have 10 rounds (extra step for 45 acp) and it is more powerful than 9mm (no 9mm advantage of "high cap" mags)
 
Personally I think it's pointless...the only thing it does better than the 9mm is penetrate intermediate barriers, but even then I think it's the bare minimum for barrier penetration.

I guess if you can't do .40TC, but you are concerned about windshields etc, then the .40S&W makes sense.

But for me, the practical defensive round is the 9mm, the macho throwback round is the .45, the nuclear warhead is the .40TC, and .40s&w is just...I don't know. The wrong solution to a problem IMO. I would consider running it through my G20 with a conversion barrel, I guess. But I would never buy a dedicated .40s&w gun.
 
misanthropist said:
Personally I think it's pointless...the only thing it does better than the 9mm is penetrate intermediate barriers, but even then I think it's the bare minimum for barrier penetration.

I guess if you can't do .40TC, but you are concerned about windshields etc, then the .40S&W makes sense.

But for me, the practical defensive round is the 9mm, the macho throwback round is the .45, the nuclear warhead is the .40TC, and .40s&w is just...I don't know. The wrong solution to a problem IMO. I would consider running it through my G20 with a conversion barrel, I guess. But I would never buy a dedicated .40s&w gun.
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"the wrong solution to a problem" ? please explain problem
 
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