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
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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!!!
 
In my opinion the .40 is the best overall self defence round for stopping power and carrying capacity (which might be a moot point in Canada but nevertheless.)

It's larger than the 9mm and faster than the 45. The 45 might have slightly better stopping power power but being a larger round most magazines carry less rounds. That's why many police departments are now using .40.

I have a Glock 22 in .40 and am happy with it. Downsides compared to the 9mm is more recoil and more expensive ammo.
 
I don't shoot one - I've stayed with 9mm, which works fine on paper - but if I were ever in a situation where I needed to carry a weapon, I think the .40 would be my first choice.
For recreational purposes, the only downside to a .40 is that ammunition is a bit more expensive than 9mm. And if you compete in a shooting game with power factors, .40 might have an edge.
 
40 cal

I'm no expert when it comes to pistols.I had an opinion that was based on the second hand information. I have owned 9mm and 45ACP and liked them both. I had read that the recoil of 40 cal was snappy and it was much harder to control than a 9mm. Read some stuff on 'Box Of Truth' and found it to be a decent round. Then I decided to shoot them all. Went to local gun range and shot all three, 9mm, 40 cal and 45ACP. To my surprise I shot best with the 40 cal!
 
I've shot a few handguns chambered for it and it's a decent round but I don't own any firearms that are chambered for it. Until I can legally carry a handgun I'll just stay with what I've got (9mm, .357, .45 ACP). Come to think of it, even if we were allowed to carry a handgun I may not even buy one. :redface:
 
.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.
 
It offers comparable ballistics to the old .38-40 (which is really .40 calibre) and fits into smaller guns than .45 ACP. It strikes me as a good compromise.

The 10mm doesn't offer any real advantage for personal defence over the .40 S&W. Its higher muzzle velocity is not required to make properly designed bullets expand, it has higher recoil and muzzle blast, and requires larger, .45 ACP-sized guns to accomodate it.
 
I found 9mm snappy
I found .40 to push rearward
I found .45 to push rearward, and thud into my right hand.

after trying all 3 in the same pistol, I noticed I shot faster, better in the .40.
My grip and agressive stance allowed my elbows to take the push from the .40. I found muzzle flip to be the least in .40
 
my experience thus far has excluded the 40 :( seems the 9 and 45 are the main things at the range (aside from 22 and 38/357 revolvers)
 
When my shooting partner and I go to the range,we shoot a couple of clips or wheels out of the big guns then it's 22 time.We found a great sale at SE acouple of years ago
so we bought a couple of cases each(22),so we are good for quite a while yet.It was a good thing we didn't get stopped on the 3 hour drive home,the back seat of my truck was full to the brim with 22,but having that much sure gets you to the range alot more,and no wives helps to.Somtimes ya have to love divorce. LOL
 
wasabi said:
When my shooting partner and I go to the range,we shoot a couple of clips or wheels out of the big guns then it's 22 time.We found a great sale at SE acouple of years ago
so we bought a couple of cases each(22),so we are good for quite a while yet.It was a good thing we didn't get stopped on the 3 hour drive home,the back seat of my truck was full to the brim with 22,but having that much sure gets you to the range alot more,and no wives helps to.Somtimes ya have to love divorce. LOL
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Sorry but I didn't realize this was a social thread.
 
wasabi said:
When my shooting partner and I go to the range,we shoot a couple of clips or wheels out of the big guns then it's 22 time.We found a great sale at SE acouple of years ago
so we bought a couple of cases each(22),so we are good for quite a while yet.It was a good thing we didn't get stopped on the 3 hour drive home,the back seat of my truck was full to the brim with 22,but having that much sure gets you to the range alot more,and no wives helps to.Somtimes ya have to love divorce. LOL
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and i had KFC for lunch today. :dancingbanana:

sorry, how does your post relate to the topic here? did i miss something along the way?
 
I dont see what the 40 brings in when you already have pistols in both 9mm & 45 cal ?? Much like a 41 Mag to me...I know quite a few with both 9mm / 45 cals but dont know anybody that has (and shoots) pistols in all 3 calibers (9mm, 40 & 45) But if you have one only, the 40 is a great choice !!
Mk
 
In my Storm, .40cal in 165gr gets 44mag velocities. What's not to like. Also being straight walled case it is easy o reload and does not cost much more than 9mm to reload and brass is easy to find.
 
kidvett said:
I dont see what the 40 brings in when you already have pistols in both 9mm & 45 cal ?? Much like a 41 Mag to me...I know quite a few with both 9mm / 45 cals but dont know anybody that has (and shoots) pistols in all 3 calibers (9mm, 40 & 45) But if you have one only, the 40 is a great choice !!
Mk
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I have (and shoot) pistols in all 3 calibers. I like my 9mm for IPSC cause there's no advantage for shooting 40 in production, my 40's are nice for noise and snap and my 45's are great cause I don't have to go downrange to see my hits :p :D .

Is it the be all and end all? No! Is it a bad round? No!
It is a wussified 10mm that allows for smaller guns/users. 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:
 
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