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Cherokee
04-10-2005, 09:26 PM
I have owned 9mm, .357 and .44. No idea the impact/power of any other calibers. Where would you place the .40s&w inline with those 3?

Thanx

Brian
04-10-2005, 10:48 PM
Between the 9mm and the .357 and I would choose it over the 9mm, if I didn't carry a .45 that is.

ZIPGRAVER
04-11-2005, 03:39 PM
.40 is a downsized 10mm which was developed for the FBI after they got thier asses shot off in FL using those wonder-9s. Seems the 10mm was a little much so it got downsized to the .40 S&W

Look----

History
It evolved from the 10 mm Auto pistol ammunition which had been adopted by the FBI, but turned out to be too powerful. The FBI started using a lowered charge version of the 10 mm Auto ammunition, a subsonic load often referred to as the "FBI load". Smith & Wesson redesigned the cartridge to make it shorter while maintaining the performance of the FBI load. With the .40 S&W being shorter than the 10 mm Auto, many existing 9 mm Luger pistols could be adapted by their respective manufacturers to fire the new cartridge.

IMI attempted a similar cartridge in the 1980s, called the .41 Action Express (or .41 AE) for the Jericho 941 pistol. This cartridge was based on the .41 Magnum case, cut down to fit in a 9mm frame, and using a rebated rim the same diameter as the 9mm Luger. The .41 AE is ballistically similar to the .40 S&W, to the point that many reloading manuals suggest using .40 S&W load data in the .41 AE. The .41 AE is a more attractive cartridge in many ways, as the rebated rim allows a simple barrel and magazine change to allow most 9mm guns to be converted to .41 AE. The .41 AE uses .410 inch bullets, whereas the .40 S&W uses .400 inch bullets. However, as it lacks the backing of ammunition manufacturers in making .410 caliber bullets suited to semiautomatic pistols, the .41 AE hasn't achieved widespread popularity.

Initial acceptance of the .40 S&W was slow, since the round was very underpowered compared to the 10mm Auto it was based on. This lead to derogatory names such as ".40 Short and Wimpy" or ".40 Short and Weak". It was, however, a ballistically better choice than the 9mm for police and defensive use, and it quickly gained popularity once pistol manufacturers began to modify their 9mm pistol designs to chamber the .40 S&W.


Performance
The new .40 S&W cartridge has become a huge success in the United States, because its much more capable than the 9 mm Luger, without the overkill of the 10mm Auto cartridge. In the rest of the world it has become a popular combat shooting sports cartridge.

The .40 S&W is the considered by some the best cartridge for law enforcement use available today, combining superior stopping power when used with expanding ammunition and manageable recoil into a package that remains compact.

Muzzle velocity
8.7 g (135 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 400 m/s (1310 ft/s)
11.6 g (180 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 290 m/s (950 ft/s)
[edit]
Synonyms
.40
.40 S&W
.40 Auto
.40 Short & Wimpy
.40 Liberty
10mm Kurz

RSF
04-11-2005, 03:58 PM
there is nothing wrong with the 9mm with proper loadings!

Dead is dead no if and or butts 2-3 rounds placed in the chest between the shirt pockets

Meta4
04-15-2005, 01:34 PM
2-3 rounds placed in the chest between the shirt pockets

What if they only have one shirt pocket? :P

-James

RSF
04-15-2005, 04:45 PM
lol then make them a second one

jmoser
04-20-2005, 08:46 AM
Hey Deputy - I agree with the capabilities of the 9mm, never going to sell my G17.

BUT - in compact carry guns with short barrels the 9mm does lose some of its velocity. It is the 1150-1250 fps that allows the 9mm to excel, at lower velocities the smaller bullets are at a disadvantage.

Here is where I feel the .40 excels, 165 gr bullets at over 1000 fps from a 'shorty' barrel like the G23 or Sig 239.

Remember folks - in many parts of the world [think Europe] the .380 ACP was considered 'high powered' and was a standard LEO/military service round for many many years.

Personally I would not want to be hit with any of them!

Jim Simmons
04-20-2005, 12:37 PM
What if they only have one shirt pocket? :P

That'll be a left pocket, right over the heart. That's your target.

RSF
04-20-2005, 12:54 PM
some of the newer loads out like speers bug loading are designed for short barreled carry guns and are improving there tract record.

jmoser
04-20-2005, 02:03 PM
[That'll be a left pocket, right over the heart. That's your target.[/quote]

Practicing medicine without a license, are we Jim? :wink:
The heart is pretty much dead center from what I remember.

[Could make for a much smaller target in attorneys though . . . .] :lol:

Divegeek
04-20-2005, 03:24 PM
The heart is pretty much dead center, but leans to the left, and the Aorta is routed on the left side. So if your not going to hit dead center you would rather hit the left side.

USA Patriot
04-20-2005, 05:25 PM
I personally fall in to the .40 small/short and weak (S&W).

If I want light, high capacity then 9mm (personally, 17+1 round Beretta)

If I want anything that starts with a '4', then .45. (personally, 13+1 G21 but looking seriously at the new Taurus 24/7 .45)

It is a politically driven round. Nothing 'wrong' with a .40 SW, but nothing really 'right' with it either.

My 2 cents...

Jim Simmons
04-20-2005, 08:11 PM
This is why Star Trek's Vulcans practice IDIC.

Infinite Diversity in Infinite Calibers. :wink:

M1911A1
04-25-2005, 07:28 PM
Hey fourty, fourty-one, whatever it takes.

Rolex Dr.
04-25-2005, 10:01 PM
Nice work ZIP

i personally do no own a .40 (nothing wrong in my eyes) just dont want another caliber around the house same reason i dont own a 20 ga. never want any grabbing the wrong ammo

Now i have and do shoot the .40 quite a bit outta glock they tend to have some snap (recoil wise)compared to the .45

but in the sigs (tad more weight to the gun they are easy to shoot)

IMHO the .45 recoil is like a punch slow and deliberate the .40 is like a snappy jab

the 9mm is a softer snap jab if that makes any sense

I like the .40 is a sub gun its tons of automatic fun

but like the 10mm better

lots of LEOs carry and like the .40

shoot as many different .40s as you can



JD