Why does everyone hate the .40s&w?

[tonyspdx]

It's an easy answer. Cost and availability. When ammo is scarce, 9mm will be cheaper and easier to find. The cops had a shortage of 40's last year and thats their standard round. Whoever says 40's are cheap to shoot, have money to burn, and shoot very little.

 

[pirateer2007]

Whoever says 40's are cheap to shoot, have money to burn, and shoot very little.

Or it could be that the rest of their handguns are chambered in .357sig, 10mm and .45acp, all of which are more expensive than most .40s&w.

I had to get a .40 barrel for my Sig 226st because I could barely afford the .357sig ammo it likes the best. Now, I can put Rem. UMC hollow points through it for much less $ than the Speer GD and get tighter groups.

So are .40s cheap to shoot? Yes and no. Ceaper than 9mm - no. Cheaper than most .45acp 10mm and .357sig - In most cases yes. It all depends on what you're compairing it to.

 

[NoAim]

It's an easy answer. Cost and availability. When ammo is scarce, 9mm will be cheaper and easier to find. The cops had a shortage of 40's last year and thats their standard round. Whoever says 40's are cheap to shoot, have money to burn, and shoot very little.

.45s are cheap to shoot.



When you have a Dillon reloading press.

 

[pioneer461]

I'm a huge .40 S&W fan. I carried one for much of my police career, buying a 4006 as soon as they were on the market in the early 1990's. That's a big gun, and I'm looking for a compact .40 to augment my carry guns. I carry a compact S&W .45 acp but want a powerful pistol with a few more rounds in the magazine.

"The coroner conducted an examination that concluded that the .40s didn't penetrate far enough to cause enough damage to stop the subject."
Nonsense! In 1994 I personally placed two .40 cal. Silvertips in the 10-x ring of a charging suspect, both rounds penetrating sternum, heart and severing the spinal column. Stopped him cold in his tracks.

 

[Will]

The reason the 40 has a flat nose it so the mags will fit into a smaller magazine. The caliber was designed to be built into a 9mm sized platform therefore the cartridge has to be about the same length as a 9mm.

Something I would have never considered. You learn something new everyday Still that flat nose has to slow the bullet, have an effect on recoil?

 

[rdt]

my first gun was a witness p in .40 and the flat nosed bullets really didnt like the steep feed ramp. i regularly experienced ftf, especially if i let the snapiness of the round break my wrist *at all*. i guess Tanfoglio made a mod that holds the mag a few mm higher so the round hits the ramp higher up, so maybe its just witness or the cz platform generally, i dont know. maybe the light polymer frame soaks up too little of snappy recoil? whatever the reason, its not an enjoyable experience to shoot. ill have to try a glock 35 in .40 next time im at the range.

that said... after shooting a variety of 9mm platforms im switching to 9mm for:
ammo cost and availability;
tactical and $ benefits of common caliber/mags with my family;
i buy the argument that 9mm bullet technology can make up for ballistic differences vs .40.

im on a limited firearm budget trying to build a servicable gun collection and shooting skills for three adults and im relatively new to guns generally. so maybe these considerations dont apply for other people.

btw, anyone want to buy a tanfoglio witness p .40... lol

 

[Stumps]

40 is just a little too snappy for some people. Other don't like it because it is a compromise cartridge (originally 10mm chopped down). I personally like it, but if 10mm was cheaper I would buy it.

 

[longcolt]

One of the things I like about the 40 caliber is that most guns that shoot 40 caliber can also shoot 357 sig with a barrel swap. This is a great advantage in my opinion.

I have a Glock 32 with both barrels and find it to be lots of fun to shoot and a superb defensive weapon.

I have shot 45 acp and reloaded the same for over 30 years also. I enjoy being able to own and shoot many alternative calibers like the 40 cal or 357 sig.

 

[Decidion]

You can get the best of both worlds by buying a Springfield XDM 40 and getting a 9mm conversion barrel...

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Of course, then you are stocking two calibers of ammo instead of one.

 

[Blitzkrieg]

While I have 9MMs and 45s and my wife has her 38s and 357 revolvers, I have been on a .40 kick lately because it's a good compromise round and ammo will be readily available as compared to many calibers due to extensive LE use of the caliber. My daily primary CCW is a MK III BHP in 40, and my wife and I recently bought matching consecutive serial number 3rd Gen G23s

I reload all of those calibers and I cast my own, so shooting is pretty cheep

 

[AndyH]

I just pick up my first .40 S&W a browning Hi Powerand I really like it. I have been shooting .45 for years. I am know wondering why I took so long to give it a try.

 

[coosbaycreep]

If the 1911 had come out in .40 instead of .45acp, this wouldn't even be a discussion, and .45acp would be about as popular as .44special is now.

It's more efficient than .45, more powerful than 9mm, reasonably priced, and usually easy to find ammo for. It's got a lot going for it...other than a history as long and distinguished as 9mm and .45acp.

I still don't like .40 though, but it wouldn't keep me from buying another gun in that caliber if it was a good deal on a gun I liked.

 

[Reco]

40 has recoil simular to the 9mm but almost the same energy and take down as a 45 round.

Its total WiN

 

[Sawdust]

"Why does everyone hate the 40 S&W?"


Because it's not the 10mm. I think of it as a compromise round. Slightly larger bore diameter (than 9mm) with less recoil than the 10mm. I believe the 10mm to be a great round. I just wish I could afford to shoot one.
Now a days quality 10mm ammo that is loaded to full potential is to expensive for me. I'll stick with my .45 till I get a real job. (that's going to take awhile in this economy )

 

[Seafarinman]

I like the .40S&W round. I owned 9mm and .45 pistols (Browning HP 9mm, TZ-75 9mm, Baby Eagle .45ACP Witness PS 9mm, CZ-97B .45ACP, Glock 19, Kimber CSII .45ACP) for many years. My first pistol was a P35, my second a Tanfoglio TZ-75 in 9mm, many more in both calibers. My last carry .45ACP pistol was a Kimber CSII. Never been in a gunfight luckily. I carried 2 (8) round mags as well as 8+1 in the pistol. I like the higher capacity of the .40 pistols. I carry an EAA Witness Steel now (12+1), and I also have an EAA Witness Elite Match that I am considering carrying (15+1). I don't own 9mm or .45ACP pistols anymore.

 

[ltwtcmdr]

All of the .40's that I have owned, I have found very good deals on....seems like a win/win for those who choose to have them.

 

[Redcap]

Power of a 9mm, price of a .45ACP.

Pass.

 

[Atroxus]

I used to have a Sigma SW40VE, my only complaint was the trigger. Everything else about the gun and cartridge was great. I don't know how people are getting the recoil worse than a .45 though. I rented a kimber custom .45 back when I had my sigma and I returned it after firing only a single box of ammmo because my hand was getting really sore. I would regularly put 100-300 rounds of ammo through my .40 in range session with no soreness at all.(although my trigger finger would be tired from the 14#+ pull) I ended up selling the sigma, but I would like to get another .40 eventually, just not another sigma.

 

[biggie24420]

I got a glock 27 and I too like the .40 cal. round. I also have a Sig P6 in 9mm. I wanna get a 40-9 barrel with a threaded end for my glock 27 so when I go shooting I can shoot 9mm and use the .40 for self defense. I would also assume that the glock will last longer with me shooting 9mm.

 

[greydog111]

+1 on the Dillon.

1000 lead slugs from supplier, Dillon 550, 1000 primers, 3lbs powder. Cost per round? About 15cents. Besides, when it comes to caliber, size matters.
45acp? because they don't make a 46acp. Greydog.