.40 cal

[Cheesesteak]

Why is this caliber not popular? I've never had a handgun but have noticed it is more available than 9 or 45. Also read the "guns you don't want thread" and it was bashed a few times (?).

[BoJackUSMC]

Not too popular because of sharp recoil, but I do not mind the recoil at all. Also, 40cal cost just much as 45acp so people tend to shoot 45 instead.

[stormvet]

It's a terrible terrible round, you and all other new handgun shooters should stay far far away from it.

[blakdawg]

Magazine capacity and price not quite as good as 9mm - bullet weight/size not quite as good as .45 ACP.

I don't think it's a bad round - I have been moving away from .40 to 9mm because of lower cost per round and more manageable recoil, but I certainly don't think there's anything wrong with .40. If I got my ammo for free, I'd probably still be using it.

[Anti-Hero]

I love the .40 s&w. good ballistics, easy to reload, relatively cheap.

The whole "snappy, sharp recoil" argument is completely subjective. I don't notice it at all.

[beretta929mm]

Not a big .40 fan myself, not because of the caliber, but because of the platforms.

A lot of guns shooting .40 are originally designed to shoot 9mm.
The exceptions being USP and Sig 229

[12ga]

I think .40 is an excellent round. It has excellent ballistics, is very common, and not that expensive (relatively). The down side is the high pressure, which for the user means more felt recoil, and for the pistol means more wear and tear (relatively).

I am a huge fan of .40s&w

[AGGRO]

I get free .40 ammo so me like Compared to my mag rounds it's tame.

[voiceofreason]

If you believe that most handgun rounds differ very little in effect, 9mm gives you less recoil, lower price, and possibly more capacity.

If you believe in big, heavy bullets, then .45 is the ticket. More of a push than a sharp recoil.

.40 is a great round. You can get better capacity, smaller grip frame, larger bullet diameter.

Some people say the pressure can get too high, etc.

It's a proven round. It's been around long enough that any real issues have been hashed out.

Go with what you like, regardless of what anyone else says. No lower than 9mm/.38 in power level.

115 grain 9mm vs 230 grain .45 - no real difference?

but then... they both just poke holes in the human body

.40 just bridges the difference

[ElDub1950]

I like .40 and that's what I carry. When I started there was only 3-4 cents difference between 9mm & .40 cal. Even before the panic the price difference went up to about 10 cents a rnd and I bought a bunch of 9mm before the panic started. Glad I did .. I'm almost out of .40 and don't want to buy any until the prices come back to reality.

[-G-]

Shot .40 for the first time today to see what this "snappy" recoil was all about. Mind you, I'm relatively new to shooting regularly.

I shot 2 different .40's:
- Glock 23
- H&K USP Compact

I fell in love with both firearms today. I like the .40 round a lot. Less recoil than the 45, and wasn't a huge change from my 9mm that I'm accustomed to.

If I had money growing out of every orifice, I'd purchase the H&K in a heartbeat. The trigger pull on it is amazing.

I loved the Glock (especially the sights) - had tight patterns when shooting with it - and will be looking at purchasing it in the near future.

I don't get why people complain about .40. Then again, people find something to complain about all the time. Right now, with ammo supplies being what they are, I'm tempted to get a .40 just so I can have the ammo for it right now. If I were to buy a 9mm it'd be a giant paperweight right now!

[Agent 0range]

.40 is a terrible round. Everyone just stay away from it and let me properly dispose all this horrendous ammo for you.

[voiceofreason]

.40s tend to be harder on guns. If the gun was originally designed around the 9mm, they tend not to hold up as well as guns designed from the ground up around .40.

[Raider888]

I like the .40s&w in the Glock 23, and to have an additional .357sig barrel to go with it. it's like having two guns.

[rockman]

Just a little snappy for me. I reload and have several 45's some 9mm and a few 40's. I load as low as possible(just enough powder to cycle my guns and still be accurate, also less wear and tear on my guns). That said I find I can shoot my 45's a lot more accurate. Just my 2 cents.