NCLEO89

To each their own. Personally, if I must defend myself with a handgun, it will be a .45 ACP. Why? Well...if you take a .40 round, and try to chamber it in a .45, the un-fired .40 round will slide down the barrel and fall out. In other words, my personal philosophy toward guns follows the same philosophy I have toward paychecks, hamburgers, steaks, knives, locomotives, and women: BIGGER is BETTER!

bhefley59

I have a SR40 and a P95 and a close friend has the SR9. I have put a lot of rounds through all three of these guns. The P95 has the less recoil of the three, with the SR9 a close 2nd, and with a touch more is the SR40. I can shoot a better group with the SR40, and low muzzle flip make double taps a snap. But both 9mm's are great shooters and can put round after round on target. These are great guns !!

Sportdog7

No doubt a 45cal has it merits, but I like the SR-40's 15 rounds in the mag plus one in the pipe! Lots of lead downrange under control, is at least in my book a equalizer to most 45's.

JerzeeDude

The 40 S&W is my absolute favorite caliber. It is very easy to reload, it is accurate, great knockdown power. I'd take the 40 over the 9mm anyday.

Lead Slanger

Enough said! .40 S&W is a bad mama! Eat you heart out .45 ACP is what I say! Disagree if you want, the .40 is the round for me.



Check out all of tnoutdoors9's videos for some awesome ammunition tests. He is the man.

Amishman44

I have a Gen II Glock 23 in .40...and I love it! While it is somewhat more expensive to shoot than my wife's Gen II Glock 19 in 9mm...mine is really pretty accurate compared to others I have seen!

My personal preference is a .357 mag revolver, but prefer an unchambered semi-auto pistol with young kids (ages 7, 4, & 3) in the house. I have had a few semi-auto's in .357 sig, which is a potent little round, but cost and availability has removed that round from the stable.

Since I'm used to a .357 mag...the .40 doesn't really bother me to shoot...the .357 sig was a bit 'snappier' with slightly more time required for an accurate second/follow-up shot. From everything I've read, the 155 grain bullet is the preferred or optimal grain for the .40 caliber...I also happen to like the feel of this grain when shooting.

The .40 has some great advantages...it's readily available, provides decent impact, penetrates well, is as accurate as the gun/shooter, etc. If you read up on articles posted by coroner's from a few major cities (Houston, Miami, etc.) you will find that the .40 performs fairly well in self-defense situations...at least according to their opinions.

My wife's G-19 feels a bit 'soft' to me when I shoot it, but I am used to a larger caliber so it's just a personal opinion. I do, however, like the CorBon brand in 9mm...as it's a bit 'snappier' feeling a bit more like a .357 or .40, which is preferable to me. As my wife and I would like to be carrying the same round, I will probably be purchasing a conversion barrel for my G-23 as she cannot go up to the .40 in her G-19. She has shot the .40 and says that she would be okay carrying that round, but I've watched her shoot and she doesn't 'flinch' with the 9mm as she does with the .40 I think it's better for me to match her level than try to bring her to my level and not do as well! With the CorBon 9mm JHP, I'm comfortable enought to make that adjustment.

Just my 2 cents worth...good luck!

Amishman44

I know a FFL who faced eight (8) guys in his shop one day who came in a group and was causing 'conflict'...and then one of the guys pulled his shirt up to show him his gun. The FFL pulled his own 1911 and sought a defendable position where he could retrieve his AK for additional firepower. He had carried his 1911 since the early '70's, after he got out of the military, and after than day he switched to the .40 in order to have a higher capacity magazine...I believe he got a Walther. It was the first time he had experienced a 1 for 1 shot situation...and he didn't like it!

Obo2

the 40 is a great choice and has comparable stopping power to the 45 with higher mag capacity

the recommended fastest load for .
40S&W with a 180 gr. jacketed bullet is 1160fps. The recommended fastest load for the .45 acp. with a 185 gr. bullet is 1149 fps. If you use the common formula to calculate energy the .40 S&W power factor is 208.0 and the .45 acp. power factor is 212.565.

bigger is better doesn't necessarily apply in ballistics

Storm40

I own both: SR9c/SR40c

Recoil is minimal on both. Recovery time for followup shots is slightly longer with the .40. I would not get too caught up with the caliber wars since most manufacturers now are loading ammo that do not differ much across the caliber spectrum. Speer results:
Attachment 4275

Obo2

the 9s in that pic definitely show a smaller temporary cavity

constmantx

I've had numerous pistols, and revolvers in my lifetime of over 58 years. The Ruger SR40 is for me, the best handgun i've ever owned. It's my primary, main carry, preferred carry - period!

Redleg

Guys, please understand that it was not my intent to start a "caliber war." Frankly, I don't have a doubt in the world that for almost anyone a 9mm is more than adequate to put down even the most ferocious Zombie.

My real reason for starting this thread is simpler. At several local gunstores I have heard some fairly harsh reviews of .40 cal. (which is a caliber which until recently I was completely unfamiliar with.) You hear that it is hard to control, very harsh recoil, the worst of 9mm and .45, etc. For various reasons I decided to buy SR40c regardless. When firing it for the first time at the range I was quite frankly astounded at how accurate the pistol was, and how controllable the .40 cal. recoil was. Not at all what I had been expecting based on the comments I had earlier been hearing.

Lots of good comments on this thread.

Sportdog7

Glad you like the 40cal., your not alone many here feel the same way!

GunBlue

The .40 certainly has better terminal ballistics than the 9mm, and was developed because of a desire to approximate terminal .45 ACP ballistics with a smaller cartridge and greater carry capacity. I was participating in those years of testing and evaluation.

This is the reality, aside from all feelings and subjective speculations: The SR9c and SR40c are essentially the same gun, weighing nearly the same in an empty gun. Recoil is directly related to the ejecta weight (powder+bullet x powder) and is modified by the weight of the gun, and increases exponentially with higher bullet weights and powder charges. So-called "flip" is a factor that bears directly on the geometric shape of the gun, and the height of the barrel; both being the exact same. To imply that two guns of identical shape and conformation, shooting distinctly different weights of bullet and powder favor the heavier in terms of recoil or "flip" are akin to saying that a .22 Long rifle feels less powerful than a .22 Short from the same rifle. You may like the bigger boomier push and recoil, but neither can be less, no way, no how. Filling the magazines full can dampen the recoil marginally, but they are otherwise subject to inescapable laws imposed of physics; that the greater the ejecta, the greater the mass, and the greater the recoil on the same body. It is precisely because of greater powder charges that Power Pistol and Accurate #7 booms with greater recoil than other powders in the same cartridge, and for no other.

Nick0410

Well .40 seems to be the big trend with PD's around this area so thats got to mean something