.40 Cal get ya anything?

For bad 2 footers, probably wouldn't bother changing.
My main concerns are more of the 1000lb brown bear variety of which we have here aplenty.
I just bought this gun the other day as an upgrade to my 44 magnum for bear defense. It is a beast! Can't wait to try it out (on a unsuspecting beer can).
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ive always been a big fan of .45 and the 1911. i actually carry an xds 45 but i primarily shoot my 1911's. i use my wifes 9mm at the range sometimes. i think anything above a .22 gets the point across just fine.

IMG_0708[1].JPG IMG_0939[1].JPG IMG_0683[1].JPG

i also have this guy that shoots .45acp. pretty fun slugging .45 through a long gun

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I own both a 9mm and .45 GMC and like the 9mm better for accuracy. Use 147 grain FMJ in the 9mm and 230 in the .45 IIRC. Never seen the need to go to another caliber. Just an officers model or combat commander.



Barney
 
For bad 2 footers, probably wouldn't bother changing.
My main concerns are more of the 1000lb brown bear variety of which we have here aplenty.
I just bought this gun the other day as an upgrade to my 44 magnum for bear defense. It is a beast! Can't wait to try it out (on a unsuspecting beer can).
wm_3303768.jpg

i bet that thing kicks like a mule!
 
With full house 454 Casull 355gr @ 1200fps I am expecting nothing but violence although from reports the factory grips absorb tons of recoil..
Still this picture makes me wonder.. Are his eyes closed? Is that an expression of pain? Should be interesting..
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I think Jeff Quinn is quite familiar with recoil :)
I would wear a pair of cycling gloves (string back, padded palms) for shooting that little bruiser !
 
I prefer 1911s, BHPs and CZ75s but I've had three 40s. A Glock 23, a SIG P229 and a SIG Pro 2340.

Mostly bought the SIGs because I got insane deals on each of them. Insane deals.

Bought the Glock when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to carry. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.
 
DSC_0001 (7).JPG 2 handguns only here. The rest are longarms. 44 mag is more than enough for our purpose.
 
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Sounds to me like for every 250,000 rounds fired, including those used in training exercises etc.

“The Department of Defense’s increased requirements for small- and medium-calibre ammunitions have largely been driven by increased weapons training requirements, dictated by the army’s transformation to a more self-sustaining and lethal force – which was accelerated after the attacks of 11 September, 2001 – and by the deployment of forces to conduct recent US military actions in Afghanistan and Iraq.”


Not it takes "250,000 rounds to find it's target and kill it."

Just saying.

By the way I'm a 9mm believer and hope I never need to use it in self defense.

Thanks

Eric
 
I've always been a 9MM Luger guy, specifically in the Browning High Power. They have been offering it in .40 for sometime now, I'm just so used to 9mm. I'm looking at a new semi auto pistol for a new motorcycle. I was looking at the Bass Pro flyer and they had a S&W .40 that looked like it would work, but then I have another type of ammo to buy. I have tons of 9mm already, so is the .40 such a superior round as to justify the ammo expense, or just stick with the good old 9mm?

The .40 is much more effective at stopping the hopped up drug addict that break in or confront you. I've seen video's of meth addicts taking 9 mil rounds and still progressing, 40 has way superior stopping power, plus the grip size difference is nearly the same.
 
I prefer 1911s, BHPs and CZ75s but I've had three 40s. A Glock 23, a SIG P229 and a SIG Pro 2340.

Mostly bought the SIGs because I got insane deals on each of them. Insane deals.

Bought the Glock when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to carry. Didn't love it, didn't hate it.

1911 is the best pistol ever made, but it's super heavy and requires grip change because most people don't have yeti hands to grip with confidence.
 
The .40 is much more effective at stopping the hopped up drug addict that break in or confront you. I've seen video's of meth addicts taking 9 mil rounds and still progressing, 40 has way superior stopping power, plus the grip size difference is nearly the same.

The FBI seems to disagree based on current info, but this can be as bad as a cable debate. :)

If I want to make a real shock wave it'll be the trusty .357 with a full pressure load, blazing fast midweight bullet. Hell, even if you miss the muzzle blast just might stop 'em. LOL.
 
The .40 is much more effective at stopping the hopped up drug addict that break in or confront you. I've seen video's of meth addicts taking 9 mil rounds and still progressing, 40 has way superior stopping power, plus the grip size difference is nearly the same.

Another good thing to have is a tactical weapons light mounted on a firearm.
If an intruder would break in when the lights are turned off one defending themself would be at an advantage.

I have a Streamlight TLR-1 mounted on my Remington 870.
It has come in pretty handy shooting deer for crop damage after sundown.
 
Back to the OP, I have both a Glock 26 (9 mm) and 27 (40). I have much more confidence in carrying the 26, as the 27 has noticeably more recoil and therefore less accuracy, in my hands anyway. The 40's "penetration advantages" are negligible IME.
Its the same deal as the audio world, though...guys are always after just a few more watts, even though they wouldn't even hear the 1/2 dB "gain".
 
I’ve been thinking about this one for a couple days.

Muzzle energy for common rounds are as follows - 9 mm Luger is 350 ft/lbs, .45 ACP is 400 ft/lbs, S&W .40 425 ft/lbs and .357 Mag 550 ft/lbs.. The .40 nicely splits the difference between NATO compliant 9 mm and the all-time 1 shot stopper .357 mag while slightly surpassing my personal favorite .45 ACP. It’s essentially perfect for a service pistol. This side of Hollywood the effective working range for handguns is 7 yds. Any off these will do the job depending on the rules – hard ball to incapacitate without maiming, hollow-points to kill and frangible to protect those in the next room. This step backwards has nothing to do with stopping power.

From wiki – “The.40 S&W (10×22mm Smith & Wesson in unofficial metric notation) is arimlesspistolcartridgedeveloped jointly by major AmericanfirearmsmanufacturersSmith & WessonandWinchester.[3]The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of theFederal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) reduced-velocity10mm Autocartridge which could be retrofitted into medium-frame (9mm size) semi-automatic handguns. It uses 0.40-inch (10 mm) diameter bullets ranging in weight from 105 to 200 grains (6.8 to 13.0 g).[4]

It’s curious why the FBI would drop a round they commissioned 30 years ago for a round that was developed 115 years ago and cite over-penetration of ballistic gelatin in the justification. Byoungman1 probably hit on a big part of the reason – control. The .40 was developed for heavy steel guns which handle recoil more easily. Now the standard service pistol is lightweight polymer and the additional recoil from that extra 75 ft/lbs of muzzle energy is much more significant for following shots. There’s been many developments since 1986. The LAPD “Battle of North Hollywood” on Feb 28, 1997 was a real game changer. Suicide by Cop by nut-jobs with vests, grenades and AR’s wasn’t a thing back then. Everybody carries around a video camera linked to the internet – LA enforcement on essentially live global TV. Not only are you not going to win those fire fights with handgun’s, they put more lives at risk and you’re going to look like anything other than an elite Federal law enforcement entity in the process. So the rules of engagement had to be changed – for a military equipped adversary you don’t use desk-jockies with 21 ft range pistols, you bring in the para-military SWAT teams. So in the light of using the right tool for the right job it makes good sense to go back to the 9 mm, enhances public safety and is better for PR (which is as far as I’ll go into politics).
 
I’ve been thinking about this one for a couple days.

Muzzle energy for common rounds are as follows - 9 mm Luger is 350 ft/lbs, .45 ACP is 400 ft/lbs, S&W .40 425 ft/lbs and .357 Mag 550 ft/lbs.. The .40 nicely splits the difference between NATO compliant 9 mm and the all-time 1 shot stopper .357 mag while slightly surpassing my personal favorite .45 ACP. It’s essentially perfect for a service pistol. This side of Hollywood the effective working range for handguns is 7 yds. Any off these will do the job depending on the rules – hard ball to incapacitate without maiming, hollow-points to kill and frangible to protect those in the next room. This step backwards has nothing to do with stopping power.

From wiki – “The.40 S&W (10×22mm Smith & Wesson in unofficial metric notation) is arimlesspistolcartridgedeveloped jointly by major AmericanfirearmsmanufacturersSmith & WessonandWinchester.[3]The .40 S&W was developed from the ground up as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of theFederal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) reduced-velocity10mm Autocartridge which could be retrofitted into medium-frame (9mm size) semi-automatic handguns. It uses 0.40-inch (10 mm) diameter bullets ranging in weight from 105 to 200 grains (6.8 to 13.0 g).[4]

It’s curious why the FBI would drop a round they commissioned 30 years ago for a round that was developed 115 years ago and cite over-penetration of ballistic gelatin in the justification. Byoungman1 probably hit on a big part of the reason – control. The .40 was developed for heavy steel guns which handle recoil more easily. Now the standard service pistol is lightweight polymer and the additional recoil from that extra 75 ft/lbs of muzzle energy is much more significant for following shots. There’s been many developments since 1986. The LAPD “Battle of North Hollywood” on Feb 28, 1997 was a real game changer. Suicide by Cop by nut-jobs with vests, grenades and AR’s wasn’t a thing back then. Everybody carries around a video camera linked to the internet – LA enforcement on essentially live global TV. Not only are you not going to win those fire fights with handgun’s, they put more lives at risk and you’re going to look like anything other than an elite Federal law enforcement entity in the process. So the rules of engagement had to be changed – for a military equipped adversary you don’t use desk-jockies with 21 ft range pistols, you bring in the para-military SWAT teams. So in the light of using the right tool for the right job it makes good sense to go back to the 9 mm, enhances public safety and is better for PR (which is as far as I’ll go into politics).
You know, I read an article in the NRA magazine many years ago that claimed for plain good old "stopping" power, the .44 Spl. (not mag.), has about the best of any common handgun? Something about the slower than mag. muzzle velocity being more effective than the magnum? I keep a sawed off double barrel 12 gauge with the magnum Winch. shell with 3 00. buck followed by a one ounce slug in each barrel. I had an intruder one night that my good dog Nipper had cornered up in the downstairs bathroom. It sure got his attention when I laid it on his nose. I had fingers on both the triggers and it went through my mind what a terrible mess it would make in my driveway if I pulled them any harder. It really did. I thought about never being able to match the Cedar wood on the walls. Funny, but that may have been what saved his life. When I was showing him the door, I saw my wife in the kitchen with Her Lady Smith .357 backing me up. What a Gal I got eh?;)
 
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