My first center-fire auto-loader was a G22. I liked that pistol but could never shoot it well. It got traded-in, along with my Ruger LCR, for my first 1911 a couple years ago.

I still have the first generation Sig P239 SAS my wife gifted me one Christmas. I'll never get right of that pistol I still shoot and carry it occasionally.

quote:

Originally posted by Ironmike57:
Yep. It's not snappy until you have to shoot it weak hand only!

quote:

Originally posted by Nipper:

After shooting his P239, I decided the so-called "snappy" recoil was not a problem and bought one.

Been there...done that. Shooters have different recoil tolerances and perceptions.

Also, as previously mentioned, some pistols handle recoil better (or worse) than others.

I'm not trying to do a "macho man", just sayin I personally have never had recoil or control issues with any of my Sig .40's.

I do have limits though. Years ago, a gun writer friend had some guns he brought to our LGC defensive shooting group. He would regularly get T&E (test & evaluation) guns lent by the manufacturers for his upcoming gun mag articles. Those were the days...new guns with lots of free ammo!

Handed me a 12oz Scandium S&W 2" .357 Mag J-frame. I fired TWO rounds of full-house 158 gr .357's. Said thank you, unloaded the cylinder and handed him the gun back.

I sold all my .40's off. I have a .40 barrel for my Glock 31 .357 Sig pistol if I ever want to shoot .40 again, but its been 5-10 years since I shot anything .40 at this point. I think 9mm is faster, back on target easier, and almost as good.

I did the same with the same gun. The guys were snickering as I stepped to the line. I fired the full cylinder and said no more.

quote:

Originally posted by Nipper:

Handed me a 12oz Scandium S&W 2" .357 Mag J-frame. I fired TWO rounds of full-house 158 gr .357's. Said thank you, unloaded the cylinder and handed him the gun back.

I have a P2000sk V3 also chambered in .40 S&W. A little snappy I guess but it is all relative. I own Walther PPQ M2s chambered in 9mm and 40 S&W. I carry whichever one it is easier to find ammo for at the time. I’ve never really bought into the FBI’s arguments behind their switch to the 9mm. But a lot do and everyone seems to jump on their bandwagon every time they change guns/ammo. In contrast, there is a local sheriff’s department near me that carries Kimber 1911s. They’ve carried 1911s for around 25-30 years and about 7 years ago upgraded from the Kimber Series 1 to the Kimber Series 2. I’ve talked with both their sheriff and department armorer and they have no plan to change. The Kimbers last and last and are very reliable and do what they need. IMO, if they are fine with 8 rounds, I’m sure a CCW holder will be fine with 9-12 rounds of 40 S&W.

My first 40 was a Glock 27, eleven years ago. I still have it and it is the pistol I carry the most often. It has never failed and I shoot it very well. I never thought about it having strong recoil or snappiness until people told me it did.

Second choices for me are a S&W 642 or P220 in 45. In fact I picked up a P220 DAK LE trade in which I'm redressing to put in the carry line up.

My first Sig was a .40 229 when they introduced it in 92. LOVED it day one. Very accurate. Even when I'm just "messing around" out in the desert. ALWAYS very accurate for me. Since then I've purchased two p239s because I'm all in on the 239, both in .40, one SAS and a Scorpion.

Today, have a .357 barrel for the 229, 9mm and .357 sig barrels for the 239s. So nothing to let go of. Big regret is selling a .50 cal can full of .40 when I moved. Not like it would've taken up too much room. Enjoyed .40 being one of the last calibers to become unavailable. Having to accommodate these economic and other trends stinks when matching them to what I like--strictly a fun thing, not carry/defense, which my 220 plays a regular role.

I'v3 got a 226 in .40 and my carry gun is a XD Subcompact .40. I personally like the .40 cal round.

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Thanks for replies. The same shop had a full size USP in .40 (along with a couple models of .45). I may go back and pick up the full size .40 to go with the SK.

The USP full size is a good gun but it's magazines are not compatible with the USP Compact/P2000/P200SK.

I'd rather have a full sized pistol in .40 than a sub compact.

quote:

Originally posted by longjohn:
Went to all 9mm a while ago but yesterday i run into a HK P2000SK in .40 at my local shop. It was unfired for $500. I had to grab it along with several hundred rounds of .40 which they had in abundance. My first .40 cal pistol purchase in about 15 years.
Shot it, was accurate and snappy but not at all unpleasant. You definitely knew you were not shooting 9mm.
I kind of lost track of .40 over the last decade. Is anyone still shooting it ?? Is it favored/disfavored for any particular reason ??

.40 works but with modern duty ammo it is a less efficient way to get to the same destination. If you're buying the ammo it's a more expensive way to get to the same place as well.

I've seen OIS with both 9mm and .40, based on that I agree with Village Idiot's post - shot placement is the most important factor in handgun effectiveness.

Cheaper ammo means you get to shoot more. While real skill is mostly developed in dry practice, shooting more is never a bad thing.

9mm normally hold more rounds than a .40 in a comparable size gun. You never know what your fight is going to be and in a fight, bullets are opportunities.

I kept my .40's though many have been shot as 9mm conversions. At one point we were all .40 at work/. The 180 grain we shoot now is not bad but our old 155 grain ammo was very hard on the hands and wrists if shot in real volume.

Speaking of volume, 40 is harder on guns than 9mm and requires shorter maintenance intervals.

I still shoot .40 because we have switched to 9mm at work, making .40 available to shoot. At least for a while.

In real world use, the measure of efficiency what ever gets you the best and fastest hits.

That "snappiness" you mentioned translates into time lost vs a 9mm to make the same hits, particularly in smaller guns.

IME our switch from 9mm to 40 has resulted in higher scores though there has been a post "new gun honeymoon" slump in scores, but the "new normal" with 9mm is still about 15% better than the ".40 normal." In fairness, some of that is the caliber and some is the switch from DAK guns to P320s.

The P2000SK is great gun in 9mm. If I had a bunch of .40 available I'd trade the SK .40 for the full size USP (or even a USP Compact) and not look back.

One project I'd like to try is a comped P320 in .40 with a compact slide, optic and full size grip. I'd just need to convince KKM or PMM to make me a comp and/or barrel. 9mm comps require hotter (+P or Nato) ammo to get the most out of the comp so a .40 should make even more efficient use of the comp. This could work with a P30 or, if Glock ever released them, the G23X they produced for the MHS trials.

I have a half dozen .45's, more than half a dozen 9mm's, several .22's, a .357 magnum.....and only ONE .40 caliber (BHP). I like shooting .40 once in a blue moon, but favor other calibers and shoot them more often.

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3

I bought a Red Box P229 in .40 because it was a great deal. I'd never owned or shot a .40 before.
I love the 229 and love the .40 round. I shoot it all the time. No regrets.

I have owned and shot several .40 pistols over the years. I currently own just one, a full size Beretta PX4 Storm that has a LTT TJIB along with other factory Beretta upgrades. This is my nightstand gun. It is BY FAR the best .40 I have ever owned or shot. I love the PX4 and think it is very much overlooked & under appreciated by a lot of people.

quote:

Originally posted by Rubec:
I love the PX4 and think it is very much overlooked & under appreciated by a lot of people.

Me too! The PX4 handles the .40 S&W recoil very well, I think.

The .40 is a little more expensive, so I shoot 9mm more frequently.

I have no problem with .40S&W, just isn't on my list of top 3 auto cartridges. It no doubt is a very effective pistol cartridge in terms of terminal effects and barrier penetration, but I have experienced 2 problems with it over the years. One, the recoil impulse tends to throw me off target more than a .45acp pistol of the same configuration(S&W M&P or Sig P320FS). This effects my follow-up shot speed and accuracy. Two, reloading for it can be more finicky than the other service calibers due to how it spikes in pressure early. This makes for a lot of accuracy headaches when trying to adapt the right powder for the right bullet type and bullet weight for a given barrel length. Most 9mm and .45acp loads are very easy to load to exceptional accuracy levels with a wide range of powders and bullet types. Brass also doesn't last as long in .40S&W.

I stopped carrying .40S&W in the mid 2000s once I had given it a thorough run for about a decade during the age of .40 duty guns. It just wasn't ideal in either a subcompact pistol(off duty), or a full sized pistol(duty gun) when I could find very ideal options in 9mm for my subcompact and .45acp for my full sized. I don't see another .40S&W gun in my future.

My first Sig was a P229 in .40 I still have it and still shoot it occasionally. Very smooth shooting pistol.

Love the 40 S&W most of mine are 40. took my CCP class with a shield, the instructor was impressed and wanted to shoot it. I handed it to him and a loaded mag. He ran the mag and said his next buy would be a Shield in 40 S&W!
Never had an issue with it being snappy. My first Sig was a Sig Pro 2340 now I have many and a few in 45 ACP

My first Sig was a 40S&W purchased in 1994. Purchased a 357Sig barrel as soon as they were available. Years later added a Bar-Sto 9mm conversion barrel. I like shooting all three calibers and have the same set-up for my Browning HP in 40S&W, my Beretta FS 96 and HP USP 40.

For me the .40 S&W is still going strong

Ironic that the original posting was on July 4th; I bought my G23 2nd generation from a Federal Agent's personal collection on July 4th in the mid-2000's.

Kept the green fiber optic sights on it until earlier this year when during a range session it finally flew off somewhere probably due to becoming brittle.

Switched out the sights to Big Dot Express which I find easy to acquire with my aging eyes.



The .40 G23 is my preferred CCW during the hotter months as it withstands the humidity/sweat etc. + it goes bang each time without fail; here is a result of my most recent practice load development at 16 yards... the flyer was all me



I previously added a 9mm conversion barrel/mags for caliber versatility.

Enjoy your .40!

The one and only 40 I have is a SIG P229 all-stainless steel(marked "frame made in Germany). That pistol is a real tank and soaks up the recoil nicely. My first 40 was a Glock 23 but I could never get warm to it and the way it felt when shooting it. I can't imagine what it like firing this stout cartridge out of something along the lines of a HK P2000SK or Kahr's Micro Kahr.