I still like the .40

[Texas48]

Carry my G27 daily but have several others using 10mm bullets. G29sf G20Gen4, G23Gen4, and spare G27Gen4. I find the heavier the bullet the .40 becomes less snappy. I have a few 9mm handguns and they are all good shooters recoil is less snappy depending on what loads you are shooting. I just prefer the performance of the .40 over the 9mm.The most accurate of all my handguns are the G20  then the G29sf. My 29sf was my edc for years but now I am getting older and the lighter weight of the 27 and it conceals better than my 29sf so the 27 is a better choice for ME. IMHO  a 180gr bullet in the 7 or 8 region will case more damage that a 115gr or 124gr bullet in the same region of the target. Just my opinion. 

[G26S239]

I have 1 FNP, 2 Glocks, 2 Sigs and 4 HKs in 40 S&W and I like them. Anyone who wants to whine about 40 S&W being snappy better never try shooting a Ruger SP101 or 629 because it might give them an owie.

Edited July 9, 2018 by G26S239

[TeaDub]

I still like the 40. I've carried one for around 20 years. Recently, I have found myself reaching for my 43 more often. My pair of 40s aren't going anywhere tho.

[Will Beararms]

On 7/8/2018 at 8:02 PM, G26S239 said:

I have 1 FNP, 2 Glocks, 2 Sigs and 4 HKs in 40 S&W and I like them. Anyone who wants to whine about 40 S&W being snappy better never try shooting a Ruger SP101 or 629 because it might give them an owie.

‘Like grabbing a yellow jacket nest it is. 

[Boogieman]

I can't stand when "experts" use water jugs, cinder blocks, melons etc.  It means absolutely nothing in regards to effective self defense.

[Will Beararms]

Part of it to me is the fact I carry a pistol chambered in a round conceived and made in America by Americans. Glock saw the handwriting on the wall and acted decisively and quickly. That said, the Smith & Wesson 4046 is a great pistol. 

[TeaDub]

14 hours ago, Boogieman said:

I can't stand when "experts" use water jugs, cinder blocks, melons etc.  It means absolutely nothing in regards to effective self defense.

Water jugs can have "some" meaning. At one time, I had an excellent article written about 20 years ago. SWAT magazine, iirc. It contained a formula that reliably got to within about 5-10% of calibrated gel. Something to the effect of "if a jug was cracked but not fully penetrated, then add this many inches", etc, etc. It also had an expansion conversion as well. I need to look for that magazine.

I agree tho, for someone making a youtube video as an "expert", they need to do it better. The backyard tester can get some benefit from water jugs.

[Borg warner]

On ‎7‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 9:06 AM, Will Beararms said:

I never knew it was snappy until I heard about it on the internet. Any JHP load off the shelf is a decent to excellent self defense round. You can’t say that about most other calibers. 

I think the word "snappy" is a term to describe any recoil that's more than a 9mm which is pretty much inconsequential and hardly worth mentioning. My first Glock was a G19 and at the time I didn't know much about Glocks. Then I learned that I could have same exact size gun in a larger caliber that lunched heavier bullets so I got a G23. I shot the two of them side by side and I was amazed that I could hardly tell that there was any difference in recoil.

Glocks do an amazing job of absorbing recoil. I think the polymer frame flexes and absorbs some of the recoil and the wide grip spreads the recoil over a larger area of the hand rather than focusing it on a smaller area. My first 9mm handgun was a S&W model 39 and had had less recoil than my 1911. But then I shot a model 59 that was a heavier gun with a wider grip and it was almost like shooting a 22 rimfire. My 10mm Glock 20SF also has no recoil worth mentioning even with the hottest loads. And yet some people are intimidated by the recoil of the 10mm. I suspect these people have no frame of reference and have never shot a real magnum handgun that was of a caliber that started with the number 4.

What I like about the 40 is that with the 180 grain bullet it comes close to duplicating or even surpassing the ballistics of the 45 Auto with 185 grain bullets but is available in guns the size of a 9mm and with greater capacity than a 45. I also don't buy the argument that the 9 is "Equal" to the 40 because of "Modern Bullet Technology", when that exact same Modern Bullet Technology is also used in the 40.

 

[Will Beararms]

Glock masterfully used semantics to sell a lot of pistols. What the data tells us is that with modern ammo, a FEW 9mm rounds are equivalent to the .40 and .45. 

What the industry is telling us is that with modern ammo, there’s no difference between the 9mm and the .40 Caliber——a half truth.

[PNWguy]

I can tell a difference in felt recoil between .40 S&W Glocks and other similarly sized pistols.  Glocks transfer more felt energy to the shooter than other pistols.

I shot a Glock G29 with a .40 S&W conversion barrel for GSSF.  Felt great.  Bought a G19 and started developing loads for it.  Found I had to run hotter loads to equal the accuracy of the .40 soft loads.  Recoil was the same.  Bought a G35 and it has slightly more felt recoil with my match loads than with the G19 with match loads, but is more accurate.

OTOH, for feeding my Taurus 9mm G2c, I buy off the shelf ammo since the little bit of cost savings isn't worth the time and effort in reloading for it.

[G19 DB]

Me too.

[t4terrific]

I can't stand when "experts" use water jugs, cinder blocks, melons etc.  It means absolutely nothing in regards to effective self defense.

What does?

[Boogieman]

3 minutes ago, t4terrific said:

What does?

Accepted testing mediums and procedures along with verifiable statistics.

[rattlegun]

I'm a 40 fan too...

 

[cptnawesome]

Never really noticed much of a difference in .40 and 9...love my EDC 23 and nightstand 22

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

[bobandmikako]

For semi-autos, I shoot and carry 9mm most of the time but do own .40 caliber pistols and like the round well enough.  I especially liked it a few years back when there was an ammo shortage and I didn't have much time to reload.  I could still find plenty of .40 ammo locally.  As far as recoil goes, I can tell a difference between 9mm and .40 caliber but it's not that much. I notice it more in the sub-compacts for obvious reasons.  I also notice the difference between .40 and .357 Sig when shooting my G27 and G33 side by side, but it's also not that big of a difference.  Now, when I shoot .357 magnum out of a scandium-alloy frame M&P 340 revolver, that's when I notice some unpleasant recoil. 

[DWARREN123]

Nothing wrong with the .40 S&W. Shoot what you like and be safe!

[Borg warner]

On ‎7‎/‎12‎/‎2018 at 8:38 AM, PNWguy said:

I can tell a difference in felt recoil between .40 S&W Glocks and other similarly sized pistols.  Glocks transfer more felt energy to the shooter than other pistols.

I shot a Glock G29 with a .40 S&W conversion barrel for GSSF.  Felt great.  Bought a G19 and started developing loads for it.  Found I had to run hotter loads to equal the accuracy of the .40 soft loads.  Recoil was the same.  Bought a G35 and it has slightly more felt recoil with my match loads than with the G19 with match loads, but is more accurate.

OTOH, for feeding my Taurus 9mm G2c, I buy off the shelf ammo since the little bit of cost savings isn't worth the time and effort in reloading for it.

"Glocks transfer more felt energy to the shooter than other pistols."

I think it must be a case of individual perception of recoil because I've always thought the exact opposite, that Glocks with their polymer frames actually absorbed recoil and the wide double column grip frame spread the recoil over a broader area of the hand.  I find the recoil of the 10mm greater in a Colt Delta Elite than in a Glock 20 even though the G20 weighs less and the 1911-based Delta elite actually fits my hand better although the G20SF fit's my hand fairly well.

My G20 does not seem to have any recoil worth mentioning even with the hottest loads compared to my 4" 41 magnum revolver even with the lightest loads. In fact the ballistics of the Winchester silvertip 175 grain 41 mag and the Winchester silvertip 175 grain 10mm are very close (1290 fps for the 10, 1250 for the 41) but I actually shoot the 10m better. Much hotter loads are available in the 41 but it's a REAL magnum and compared to the 41 and 44 magnums and hot-loaded 45 Colt or 454 casull, the 10mm is a creampuff especially in the large frame full size Glocks.

And ballistically the 10mm is closer to the 357 magnum which is really only a beginner's magnum and doesn't have much recoil to speak of in a full size revolver. I have a model 28 Highway patrolman and even the Underwood 180 grain loads that develop 1400 fps/783 ft lbs are no big deal compared to the Underwood 265 grain 1350 fps load in the 41.

  

Edited July 14, 2018 by Borg warner

[Citra47]

Gen 2 G23 was my first Glock and still have it but usually carry G27.

[Will Beararms]

I shot my Glock 23 this morning. Anyone who cannot handle the recoil of a Glock 23 does not meet the physical requirements necessary to carry a firearm n a law enforement capacity.  It’s a smooth piece lf engineered plastic and treated metal. 

[Boogieman]

I bad mouth the 40 constantly.  Nothing against the round but 40 guys are like vegans.  It's like a religion for them.  They get absolutely unhinged.  And this gives me great joy.  But today I picked up 5000 rounds of S&B FMJ for $500.  Looks like I'm digging out the G23, USP 40 and 1911 in 40 for a while.  I guess cheap ammo prices are a plus for the 40 being on the outs these days.

[Citra47]

7 hours ago, Boogieman said:

I bad mouth the 40 constantly.  Nothing against the round but 40 guys are like vegans.  It's like a religion for them.  They get absolutely unhinged.  And this gives me great joy.  But today I picked up 5000 rounds of S&B FMJ for $500.  Looks like I'm digging out the G23, USP 40 and 1911 in 40 for a while.  I guess cheap ammo prices are a plus for the 40 being on the outs these days.

Actually, .40 S&W is not my religion. I probably shoot more .45 ACP than .40 S&W, but find the G27 easier to tuck away for social purposes. I also shoot 9MM, .380 ACP, .38 S&W, .380/200, .38 Special, .357 Mag., 10MM, .44 Russian, .44 Special, .44 Mag., .45 Schofield, .45 Auto Rim and .45 Colt and reload for all of them. Oh, yea, and I like shooting the .22 and .22 Mag. which I can not reload. I have never been married to one cartridge or caliber. I actually wish I had because I would have spent a whooool lot less money for loading dies & casting equipment.

While my CC is normally a G27 I also sometimes carry a G26 and in the winter a G36 or Ruger P345. I don't really bad mouth any caliber because I really like them all and find they all have a use even if just for fun shooting out of relatively obsolete guns. The only thing I really don't like is when someone bad mouths everything but what they deem their perfect caliber or gun. All the many calibers we can enjoy were marketed for good reasons and we are lucky to have the options and choices we have. 

Edited July 15, 2018 by Citra47

[PNWguy]

9 hours ago, Borg warner said:

I think it must be a case of individual perception of recoil because I've always thought the exact opposite, that Glocks with their polymer frames actually absorbed recoil and the wide double column grip frame spread the recoil over a broader area of the hand.  I find the recoil of the 10mm greater in a Colt Delta Elite than in a Glock 20 even though the G20 weighs less and the 1911-based Delta elite actually fits my hand better although the G20SF fit's my hand fairly well.

First of all, I agree that the Glock in 10mm is very pleasant to shoot.  I load my G29 up pretty hot and the recoil has never been excessive.  Especially in comparison to my Ruger Bisley in .45 Colt with my hot bear loads.  I will actually wear a glove when I wring out new loads for it.

As for the Glock .40s and recoil, I have seen quite a few folks opine that other similar polymer double-stack pistols have less felt recoil than the Glocks...

http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/archive/index.php/t-492286.html

 

 

[fortyofforty]

14 hours ago, Boogieman said:

I bad mouth the 40 constantly.  Nothing against the round but 40 guys are like vegans.  It's like a religion for them.  They get absolutely unhinged.  And this gives me great joy.  But today I picked up 5000 rounds of S&B FMJ for $500.  Looks like I'm digging out the G23, USP 40 and 1911 in 40 for a while.  I guess cheap ammo prices are a plus for the 40 being on the outs these days.

I actually find that about every caliber.  The .357 SIG guys are fanatics.  The 9mm guys are lunatics.  It really doesn't pay to bad mouth any caliber, since I'm convinced each has a place and can play a role in a defensive weapon.

But if it makes you joyful to bad mouth one caliber or another due to your psychological makeup, no one will stop you.

[Boogieman]

7 minutes ago, fortyofforty said:

But if it makes you joyful to bad mouth one caliber or another due to your psychological makeup, no one will stop you.

Though they will try.  ?