.40 S&W "Too much recoil" embellished statement..

[roostersgt]

Did your Dept. go from .40 Sigs to Glock 9mm. If so saying the improved scores are only because of the round is highly debatable.
My old Dept. SWAT teams went from H&K 9mm to Glock 35's and the scores went up also. We credited the platform not the ammo.
I agree a novice will most of the time benefit from 9mm over .40 or .45, but beyond that it's really a wash and more of a shooting games/competition benefit then anything else and of course the cheaper ammo, the real driving force in the civilian market.

Yes, we switched entire platforms. Probably more a combination of both platform and round, but the results clearly favor the Glock 9mm over the Sig 40. While "we're" not amateurs in shooting and receive regular instruction, "we're" not competitors in any sense of the word.

Our SWAT teams, however are, and win many competitions within the state and nationwide. I believe, not certain, that they switched from Sig 45's to the Glock 9mm, but who knows, they get what they want and I haven't asked my friends who are presently assigned there.

Having carried 357's, 45's, 40's and 9mm's on duty, I really prefer the 9mm now, and have owned Glocks and Sigs in all calibers except the 357 mag, which was a issued SW Mdl 13.

[roostersgt]

I wonder what these guys were using 83 out of 84 misses.

Let's hope it was several Glock 18c's,,,,,with bent barrels.

[ifilef]

Remember 'The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight'?

I wonder what these guys were using 83 out of 84 misses.

Little doubt they were shooting Glocks with that heavy 12 lb. NY trigger pull, but I had read the perp positioned himself behind a parked car during the incident.

[BajaJames83]

never had an issue shooting .40, I actually prefer it over 9mm.
I also find it easier to load as the puny 9mm bullet is a little small for my hands.

[Ninjaflip11]

I am not denying that the .40 has more recoil. I just don't feel it's way significant in my experience, sure that can depend on the pistol being used and bullet specs.

Both the .40 and the 9mm ammo was that particular gun ranges reload ammo that she had used. I just didn't pay attention to the grain.

All in all it comes down to what we all become more familiar with and become acclaimated to. I currently only own one handgun and have fired many yet the one I have the most experience with I like to stick to. We all know that .40, 9mm and .45 can all be extremely effective at whatever it is used for. I am not the type of person to bad mouth firearms or caliber sizes that I don't own.
I also hear a lot of people ( while it goes in trends) smack talk the 5.56 nato round vs 7.62 One would call it a varmint round both have strengths and weekesses and all that changes with barrel twist, length and velocity of course. One of my friends that doesn't own or have much experience with a smaller round like the 5.56 but he told me he wouldn't be caught dead firing one in comparison to a larger caliber... I laugh , It's all silly to me though sure an AK -47 can be nasty but I have seen some extremely disturbing photos from military folks that I know -showing photos of almost seemingly unreal damage that a .223 or 5.56 round can do. All in all just because I own a larger caliber slinging gun then let's say a 9 mm I would not bash the round by any means. Law enforcement military or just an avid marksman can be effective with whatever arm the chose to embrace. I am sure some of you roll your eyes when you hear this gun or that gun is more accurate .. There is shooters out there that seem to pick up any pistol and smack targets with them left and right.

[pauloween]

Did your Dept. go from .40 Sigs to Glock 9mm. If so saying the improved scores are only because of the round is highly debatable.
My old Dept. SWAT teams went from H&K 9mm to Glock 35's and the scores went up also. We credited the platform not the ammo.
I agree a novice will most of the time benefit from 9mm over .40 or .45, but beyond that it's really a wash and more of a shooting games/competition benefit then anything else and of course the cheaper ammo, the real driving force in the civilian market.

i agree.

[JTROKS]

Actually the smaller the projectile, the more felt recoil you will have. A 155 gran 40 round will kick more then a 180 gran round(type of ammo being equal). The larger round will be at roughly 950 ft per sec, while the smaller round will be moving along at around 1250. Makes a difference in felt recoil.
When I train with my carry ammo, 9mm 124+P or 147 gran, 40 165 or 180 gran. The difference in recoil between the two calibers are minimal, practice ammo there is more of a difference. The performance drop off of 9mm practice ammo is large, not nearly as much with .40 ammo.

What?

It depends on the pressure of the cartridge and volume of the case. Which round will have more felt recoil 357 Magnum or 41 Magnum? Just a comparison

COLT 1911 FACTORY RECOIL SPRING NOTES
1. Factory rating for super .38 & 9mm is 14 Lbs.
2. Factory rating in .40 S&W is 19 Lbs.
3. Factory rating for 45 ACP is 16 lbs.

There must be a very good reason with the 40S&W having a heavier recoil spring?

[cindynles]

I thought 13 lbs was the standard weight for 1911 chambered in 40?

http://www.dawsonprecision.com/ProductDetail.jsp?LISTID=8000191F-1391097312

[JTROKS]

I thought 13 lbs was the standard weight for 1911 chambered in 40?



http://www.dawsonprecision.com/Produ...91F-1391097312

You're going by USPSA power factor suggested recoil spring rating. USPSA is where you shoot tuned loads to make baseline minor or just above major for insurance. I'm referring to factory out of the box guns shooting a myriad of full power factory loaded ammo.

[teflondog]

I only notice the difference between 9mm and .40s&w when I'm shooting practice loads. The difference is less noticeable when I compare defense ammo since the only 9mm JHP I trust is 124gr+P or 147gr+P.

[Creampuff]

I only notice the difference between 9mm and .40s&w when I'm shooting practice loads. The difference is less noticeable when I compare defense ammo since the only 9mm JHP I trust is 124gr+P or 147gr+P.

I agree in that the felt recoil issue becomes less of issue when using +P or any of the hotter defense type of rounds. But I do feel that the "flip" is greater with the 0.40. With practice I get use to the flip, but it is the flip that causes me to spend just a little bit more time getting my sights back on target.

[bruss01]

Most of the complaints about .40 being snappy or too much recoil have the following in common:

155gr or lighter bullets
polymer frame pistol
high bore axis
shooter with *ahem* artists wrists not laborer's wrists

I have three pistols in .40 - two are steel frame CZ's and one is a Ruger SR40c. I can shoot all of them without any issue. Of course I always shoot 180 grain bullets (slower) and I worked hard labor during my formative years so I am fairly solidly built.

Other friends have commented on how much less perceived recoil the SR40c has - I can't explain it, but this is a common comment for the Ruger SR40 series.

[Creampuff]

Most of the complaints about .40 being snappy or too much recoil have the following in common:

155gr or lighter bullets
polymer frame pistol
high bore axis
shooter with *ahem* artists wrists not laborer's wrists

.

Good point.. it was the snap on my sig 229 non Railed that annoyed me. The sig's are great but they do have that high bore axis.
And I tried it on a 0.40 in a HK USP platform, and I hated the flip compared to my HK USP9. The HK has the high bore axis and the polymer frame disadvantage.