Why does everybody hate 40 s&w

[rockyfatcat]

Why do we even have .40 cal? The government started looking at knock down stay down ballistics. The 10mm round emerged from all that research. The trouble was they don't make enough Federal officers tough enough to handle the recoil from shooting the 10mm round.

So the 10mm was de-tuned and the .40 was the result. Compare 9mm to .40 ballistics and it's a wash. Compare the price per round between 9mm to .40 cal and make your own decision.

I don't hate it, but i'd take a 9mm over 40, period. Their is enough cheap 9mm ammo available to shoot, and the newest generation of ammunition makes some of the smaller rounds far more effective for a hefty price. I remember some departments prohibiting the 9mm 30 years ago. In one example of a police officer involved shooting, the 9mm failed to penetrate the glass in a car door.

 

[Patronus]

The ONLY 9mm I really feel comfortable carrying us crimped into a 40 S&W casing and called 357 Sig. And, yeah, it's a tad "snappy" too.

 

[Ken Ford]

Why do we even have .40 cal? The government started looking at knock down stay down ballistics. The 10mm round emerged from all that research. The trouble was they don't make enough Federal officers tough enough to handle the recoil from shooting the 10mm round.

So the 10mm was de-tuned and the .40 was the result. Compare 9mm to .40 ballistics and it's a wash. Compare the price per round between 9mm to .40 cal and make your own decision.

I don't hate it, but i'd take a 9mm over 40, period. Their is enough cheap 9mm ammo available to shoot, and the newest generation of ammunition makes some of the smaller rounds far more effective for a hefty price. I remember some departments prohibiting the 9mm 30 years ago. In one example of a police officer involved shooting, the 9mm failed to penetrate the glass in a car door.

With the "new generation" ammo it's just as expensive as .40 in carry ammo.

 

[NWSharpshooter]

With the "new generation" ammo it's just as expensive as .40 in carry ammo.

I carry a 40 because I can pick up police trade in 40 cal Glocks for next to nothing and can usually trade or pick up 40 ammo for next to nothing because "nobody wants it." It is definitely cheaper for me to carry and shoot 40 than anything else.

 

[rockyfatcat]

With the "new generation" ammo it's just as expensive as .40 in carry ammo.

What I was trying to say was there is cheap ammunition for training and punching holes in paper.

The next generation ammunition is going to be very pricey regardless of caliber, and aside from verifying that it functions reliably in your weapon it is going to be carried in your weapon and possibly never going to be fired until it is time to rotate your ammunition.

 

[gh1950]

Lots of wasted energy as muzzle blast.

The "wasted energy" is still reflected in the recoil. It;s that "equal and opposite reaction" thing in Newton's law. The energy in the recoil doesn't care if the energy at the muzzle is wasted or not. It's going "that away" and recoil is going "this away"

That "wasted energy" is ejectum in the form of accelerated gas resulting from the conversion of the solid gunpowder to gas, and a small amount of unburned powder, which is part of the energy equation for the downrange component, but usually so insignificant it's not included in the calculation

 

[Fatal_Bert]

The "wasted energy" is still reflected in the recoil. It;s that "equal and opposite reaction" thing in Newton's law. The energy in the recoil doesn't care if the energy at the muzzle is wasted or not. It's going "that away" and recoil is going "this away"

That "wasted energy" is ejectum in the form of accelerated gas resulting from the conversion of the solid gunpowder to gas, and a small amount of unburned powder, which is part of the energy equation for the downrange component, but usually so insignificant it's not included in the calculation

I was referring to a snub nose .357 in that quote just as an example that felt recoil doesn't necessarily equal more energy on the target. Case in point a long slide 9mm+ and a snub nose 357 send roughly the same size bullet at roughly the same speed but the 357 has much more felt recoil.

No one is arguing that the .40 doesn't have more energy. The argument is that the small energy gain isn't worth the sharp muzzle flip associated with the 40s&w. And it's not that I can't handle recoil it's that I'd rather be able to have faster follow up shots than a slight increase in energy.

Funny thing is if you were to go back in the ODT archives around 2012 and look at the 40s&w threads you'd see I used to be a big proponent of the .40 but sense then I've done I lot of shooting and my own testing and found the 9mm just works better for me and sold my .40s.

 

[Ken Ford]

I was referring to a snub nose .357 in that quote just as an example that felt recoil doesn't necessarily equal more energy on the target. Case in point a long slide 9mm+ and a snub nose 357 send roughly the same size bullet at roughly the same speed but the 357 has much more felt recoil.

No one is arguing that the .40 doesn't have more energy. The argument is that the small energy gain isn't worth the sharp muzzle flip associated with the 40s&w. And it's not that I can't handle recoil it's that I'd rather be able to have faster follow up shots than a slight increase in energy.

Funny thing is if you were to go back in the ODT archives around 2012 and look at the 40s&w threads you'd see I used to be a big proponent of the .40 but sense then I've done I lot of shooting and my own testing and found the 9mm just works better for me and sold my .40s.

That's what I'm saying, pick what's right for you. I like .40 but all but one gun can shoot 9mm .40 and .357 Sig so I can adapt if needed.

 

[TapcoFan]

I keep telling myself that I'm going to buy another barrel and a couple magazines to convert when I want to change things up... but I am lazy.

 

[sambo77]

I wouldn't say I hate the .40 but I don't prefer it, I can shoot it accurately and I carry it for work but I prefer a .45 or 9mm . Not for the "it leaves a bigger hole" or "more capacity" reasons but simply I enjoy shooting those calibers and feel that I can do so more accurately and reliably. But I wouldn't turn a good deal on a .40 down especially on a sig.