.40 over 9mm

[Pandaz3]

I recently had a 10 MM jag and fired my G20 and both XDM10's, I really had no discernable problem getting on target with the first round, and subsequent rounds. The muzzle does flip a tad higher and it comes back down nearly as fast as it went up. It's not a G-18, but I don't care about my speed as much. I have actually been on the receiving end of a full auto (RPD's and AK's) I was the only target, they missed.

 

[3putts]

I get the heavier gun would produce less recoil, but he said it was easier to carry and I was curious why.

The Glock is easier to carry. Don't see any confusion with that statement.

 

[DB is Here]

The Glock is easier to carry. Don't see any confusion with that statement.

I misunderstood what he said, re-read it. Makes total sense.

 

[HIGHRPM]

The main reason that I have found, reading everything I could regarding the different handgun calibers is that seemingly most people are very recoil sensitive. I am not so I look at the overall performance of the caliber to see what I think. I ABSOLUTELY love my 40 and would rather have more 40's than my 9s. People need to be taught properly what to expect from each caliber in relation to its performance. My wife is 5'2" and a total wimp and I have taught her to shoot everything from .22 up to 357 Mag. She is ok with the 9, Loves the 40, absolutely loves the .357, which has become her favorite. If she (the wimp) can handle the 40 there is little reason why others can't. Recoil must be scary to people ??? She can't understand why people can't seem to handle the 40. Long Live the 40 !! IMHO

 

[DuneHopper]

The main reason that I have found, reading everything I could regarding the different handgun calibers is that seemingly most people are very recoil sensitive. I am not so I look at the overall performance of the caliber to see what I think. I ABSOLUTELY love my 40 and would rather have more 40's than my 9s. People need to be taught properly what to expect from each caliber in relation to its performance. My wife is 5'2" and a total wimp and I have taught her to shoot everything from .22 up to 357 Mag. She is ok with the 9, Loves the 40, absolutely loves the .357, which has become her favorite. If she (the wimp) can handle the 40 there is little reason why others can't. Recoil must be scary to people ??? She can't understand why people can't seem to handle the 40. Long Live the 40 !! IMHO

Same here, no issues. I do see topics on recoils, but I never really notice much. It may too if you start at a young age you really dial in what is happening. Kinda like a Bike been riding one since 5, can not ride for years and then hop on, but if I never rode one, and at 56 tried, probably fall on my bubblegum. I think people who do not shoot much or are semi new are still learning the curve. My Fav is the 40, and a close second or tied is the .357. I think also matter the quality the firearm. I shot a PT-22 once and had more pop then any 9mm Ive shot. ( and wouldn't hit anything over 10ft. Wife carries a Sig 9mm, but also loves the 40 allot, and the 5.56. 7.62x39, 7mm Mag, 30.06 etc. She actually doesn't care for 22LR. She says it goes pew pew. She, like allot of us enjoys the power behind it and the fact it feels like it might actually do something.

 

[DB is Here]

Recoil must be scary to people ???

Never seen it as an "it scared people argument". I own both, shoot both but carry 9MM for one reason only and that reason is I can get more shots on target quicker with a 9MM then my .40
That probably has more to do with the weight of my fantastic plastic guns then the caliber though.

 

[NU9MM]

I used to have a G22 and it was really blocky in my hand I have smaller hands. And if I remember the recoil was sort of snappy. How is the recoil in a M&P compared to the Glock since that's my only comparison. Years ago I had model 411 S&W .40. I now have a 1st Gen FS M&P 9mm. I did like the .40cals though. I'd be very interested in M2.0 .40c I've never shoot any of the M2.0 series.

 

[The Heretic]

Yeah, for me, it is how fast I can put lead on the target when it comes to a defensive gun vs. the effectiveness of the round. Generally that would start at 9mm and go up from there.

If you think that recoil is nothing that any person needs to be afraid of, shoot a 329 PD with a 300 grain bear load exiting the muzzle at 1200-1300 fps. After you staunch the blood that may be flowing from an open cut on your hand, you'll be waiting a minute or two for the feeling in your hand to return.

Yes, I have had that gun draw blood more than once, and even with a 165 gr. 44 special load, it still stings my hand. I can shoot it effectively, if I have to, but I don't like to.

As for 9mm vs .40 vs. 45 - for me the .40 seems about the right compromise of effectiveness vs recoil vs capacity, but the 9mm would probably be about as effective and faster on the repeat shots.

To each their own. Pick what works for you and go with it.

For a member of my family, that means 5.7x28, and there is no "teaching" or learning or practice that is going to help - it is a health problem and it is only going to get worse.

 

[NU9MM]

What IWB holster y'all use. I'll be carrying my FS M&P 9 for now. Looking for a nice holster.

 

[Pandaz3]

What IWB holster y'all use. I'll be carrying my FS M&P 9 for now. Looking for a nice holster.

I have this or a patriotic version of the same thing from Cook's Holsters. I like it as it is adjustable for cant which makes it easier to find 'the right spot' I carry AIWB mostly as I can sit at the wheel of car or pickup and draw. (AIWB is more comfortable with shorter holsters and barrels) I have them for XD Subcompacts, a Shield, a Taurus G2C, and one on the way for my 3.6" M&P40C. I like the single wide clip that slides right over my belt and snaps securely in place, gun and all. If I need to remove the gun to go into the post office, it is easy to hook two fingers under the clip and pull it holster and gun right off. Trigger protected all the time. Now there are a lot of makers with this clip, so you have more choices. Another thing is gun retention in the holster and during the draw. Cook's has a screw adjustable retention so you can make it right for you.

I tried what I thought was a similar holster from 'On your 6' and is had a reasonable shell, but the clip was mounted to the shell in a way that took up a lot of the clips space so it was hard to use a wider belt. The clip was a claw and was hard to remove from the belt once on. Gun retention was a rivet and hat meant retention was set by the holster maker, luck of the draw if right by you.. Cheaper though.

I have a Crossbreed horsehide backed Kydex shell that is nice with two clips, very comfortable once you find that 'right spot'

 

[NU9MM]

Ok some of you said the recoil is negligible between the 9 and 40. So I hate to assume but with training and range time I assume can one make the snapper recoil a non issue. I do like the idea of being able to have conversion barrels for the 40.

 

[The Heretic]

Ok some of you said the recoil is negligible between the 9 and 40. So I hate to assume but with training and range time I assume can one make the snapper recoil a non issue. I do like the idea of being able to have conversion barrels for the 40.

Others vary, but give me two same model guns with standard loads and I can certainly tell which is 9mm and which is .40 - I have both.

The more recoil, the slower I am on the repeat shot. But I still prefer the .40 over the 9mm

 

[NU9MM]

Here's a question I've been going to ask. I hear guys and gals say I shoot M&P better than Glock so I switched to M&P or vice versa. Is it the grip angle less recoil etc. I'm sure most is probably what your used to or just good ole range time and practice. I had one person say any competent shooter should be able to shoot any pistol well.

 

[No_Regerts]

Here's a question I've been going to ask. I hear guys and gals say I shoot M&P better than Glock so I switched to M&P or vice versa. Is it the grip angle less recoil etc. I'm sure most is probably what your used to or just good ole range time and practice. I had one person say any competent shooter should be able to shoot any pistol well.

I carry an M&P on duty and its the least accurate duty weapon I've ever carried. That means I dont shoot itty bitty groups with it in slow aimed fire. With that said, I don't need itty bitty groups to run a gun in a defensive situation. The M&P is easy to run. Its adaptable to the size of your hand and the controls are easy to manipulate. The M&P shoots "soft" to me compared to Glock.

Ive heard several say they can make faster hits with 9mm due to manageable recoil. It shouldn't be a problem to shoot just as fast with a larger caliber when the target is a torso and the engagement seldom occurs beyond 5 yards.

 

[Pandaz3]

A double thumbs up to No Regrets !!!

I really like my Springfield XD40 Mod 2's they seem to shoot soft to me. I did test my Shield 40 against the Shield 5, but not a fair test I had moderate 40 ammo and Underwood +P 45 ammo, naturally the 45 had a lot more recoil, I try again with more comparable ammo. I also have yet to try my M&P40C's, but I will the shorter one will get a 357 Sig conversion once I get some 40 rounds down range.

 

[orygun]

Here's a question I've been going to ask. I hear guys and gals say I shoot M&P better than Glock so I switched to M&P or vice versa. Is it the grip angle less recoil etc. I'm sure most is probably what your used to or just good ole range time and practice. I had one person say any competent shooter should be able to shoot any pistol well.

I've never thought the grip angle should be a problem as I grew up shooting a Ruger Standard 22 and have been shooting 1911s for nearly 30 years eek. I've shot Glocks a bit and never had an issue, but the last time I took my G22 out to shoot, it was a struggle to get good hits on target. Switching to my Shield (much smaller gun) allowed me to chew the center out of the target.... The Glock is super "chunky" in the grip and I think that's the biggest part of my equation. Initially I didn't like the thin, pointy grip on the Shield, but I love the way it shoots.
I can switch between the Shield, the Ruger and a 1911 and don't even notice the grip angle difference.

 

[NU9MM]

orygun I agree 100% on the Glocks feeling blocky in the hand. I had a Glock 22 traded it in for my Gen 1 FS M&P 9. But for some reason still love 40.

 

[DHart]

I used to have a G22 and it was really blocky in my hand I have smaller hands. And if I remember the recoil was sort of snappy. How is the recoil in a M&P compared to the Glock since that's my only comparison. Years ago I had model 411 S&W .40. I now have a 1st Gen FS M&P 9mm. I did like the .40cals though. I'd be very interested in M2.0 .40c I've never shoot any of the M2.0 series.

Recoil with pistols which were designed for .40S&W, such as the M&P40, SIG P320 40, HK VP40 is quite noticeably softer and less "snappy" than it is with Glock 40s.

The reputation of the .40S&W caliber being "snappy" comes from people who have fired .40S&W only from Glock pistols.

My favorite forties are the M&P40 and the P320 40. Both are VERY soft shooting guns, which make shooting .40S&W feel more like 9mm target loads.

My Glock forties (G23 and G22) are relegated to safe-queen status. I did convert my G23 to 9mm, making it just a bit nicer to shoot 9mm than my G19 - due to the heavier conversion barrel.

 

[orygun]

The reputation of the .40S&W caliber being "snappy" comes from people who have fired .40S&W only from Glock pistols.

I think people who think the .40 is "snappy" probably only shoot handguns with smaller diameter bullets, with the 357 being the exception. I've never shot a 40 that had anywhere the "snap" of a true 357 Magnum round, but everything else smaller is softer. (no experience with the 357 Sig).

 

[NU9MM]

orygun When I was a reserve police officer I carried a 4" 586 and ran magnum rounds all the time. And yes it had a little snap.