.40 S&W question

[paulg]

My father in law made a recent trip to visit us and brought his Walther P99 chambered in .40. I took him to the range to shoot it and some other handguns. Anyway that Walther had a horrible trigger. It broke clean but a long mushy take up and gave a really good pinch to the trigger finger upon recoil. BUT even with all that if the sights were lined up correctly and the trigger was manipulated properly those .40 bullets made ragged holes anywhere from 10 yards out to 20 yards standing and shooting unsupported. This is the first time I'd shot a .40 caliber so I just want to know if the .40 is an inherently accurate round, was it the Walther, a good day at the range or a combination? Sorry I put this in the reloading sub forum. I didn't know where else to put it.

[medicdave]

Paul I've had good luck with the 40 in a few different brands. Glock was good, sig was outstanding as was a smith 646. Sames held true with 10mm in glock and smith autos good to excellent accuracy.

[contender]

Well,,, I held off of the 40 S&W for a long time. I didn't see any "need" as I had calibers all around it. But,,, if you get into USPSA,,, you'll find a LOT of 40 cal shooters. And,, as a RO,,, working matches,,, I get a lot of free brass. Well, I eventually got a 40 S&W in a S&W revolver. It has been an experience,,, in that the gun itself gave me a few problems to start with. (Misfires.) But I've got that cured & now I'm enjoying shooting it in USPSA.

As for the caliber itself being inherently accurate,,, I'd say it's no better or any worse than any other caliber. It can be quite accurate,,, and has a place in shooting. A lot depends upon the gun AND the ammo. But,, that's true with any of them.

[bulasteve]

Had one some years back. Got my CCW with it. It was my first more modern designed pistol, lots of plastic. It fit my hands better than the Glocks or XD's and was accurate even with the funky trigger.

[ezekiel38]

I shoot and carry a S&W M&P 40c. 3.5" barrel 10 round magazine plus one in the pipe. Weighs less loaded than a K frame Smith. It has received a USB and Hard Sear from Apex Tactical and the trigger is 5lbs or a little less. Long take up but smooth and the sear breaks very clean. Ameriglo night sights and 155 Hornadys at 1100fps. It shoots really well and with the S&W my practice load is a 155 grain SWC. Groups are concentric circles at POA.

Not crazy about plastic but this system works for me. Bought a S&W M&Pc 9mm barrel and magazines and they fit and shoot fine in the 40c. Can't go the other way, only 40 to 9.

[eskimo36]

I have two Rugers in 40 S&W. One is a flattop mid frame and one is a vaquero. The flattop is extremely accurate with all the factory loads I have shot through it. The vaquero I haven't shot yet because it is a very rare gun. I'm not saying I won't shoot it, but I haven't yet.

[375supermag]

Hi...

I resisted the idea of the .40S&W round for quite a while.
A couple of years ago, I was looking to try something new and different. I kind of jumped in with both feet and bought my first polymer handgun(S&W M&P) in .40S&W just to try a new caliber and get some experience with a polymer-framed handgun.

I have been pleasantly surprised by the dependability and accuracy of the handgun, particularly with 180gr factory JHPs.

I like the round better than 9mm but still carry my 1911s in .45ACP. I do prefer the M&P better than my son's Glocks, but he seems to prefer the Glocks he owns. But then, he prefers his Beretta in 9mm as a carry gun but also carries a .45ACp at times(I think it is an FNH). He doesn't seem to have much use for the .40S&W...of all the handguns he owns he hasn't bought one in that caliber yet.

Of course, despite my best efforts to teach him about the merits of SA and DA revolvers, he has never bought a single revolver(as of yet). Then again, since he shoots all of mine every time we go to the range, he may just feel he doesn't need to buy any. He is well aware that all of my firearms will one day be his, so he may just be saving himself some money.

[hughree]

I think it is the pistol more than the caliber.

My experiences with several Walther P99's left good impressions. All were accurate, including a Generation 1 P99AS QPQ in .40. The 9mm's were more accurate in my hands, but the pistols shot well in both calibers within 25 yards. Practical accuracy beyond that was affected by the wide notch combat sights.

[bradshaw]

The 10mm Auto, parent of the .40 Smith & Wesson, is an auto pistol round of high intrinsic accuracy. I haven’t pursued the question of inherent accuracy with the .40 S&W. I suspect that to answer questions of .40 S&W accuracy would have to measure the chambers of many pistols. My SIG P229 .357 SIG came with a second barrel in .40 S&W. (Unlike Glock, SIG is not loathe to stamp “S&W” on a barrel.) Off the bag, the 3.8-inch barrel .357 SIG printed 5x5 Federal 125 JHPs into 6-incjes @ 100 yards. The same pistol with .40 S&W averages 9-inches @ 100 yards. The .357 SIG is more accurate.

The tightest group from my Glock 27 .40 S&W, also off the bag, printed 5x5-shots into 4.2-inches @ 100 yards. That exceptional group was under perfect conditions, well attended. It is easier to shoot the SIG tight than the little Glock, yet the SIG .40 hasn’t come close to that group from the Glack. In practical terms the Glock wouldn’t stand much chance against the SIG @ 100 yards. And the SIG .40 S&W wouldn't stand much chance against the SIG P229 .357 SIG on a silhouette range. Memory doesn’t serve up the factory ammo used for the .40 S&W comparison; without doubt Federal factored.

The .40 S&W is a high pressure round, much more high-strung than the “don’t bug me” .45 ACP. The .40 was developed to fit the shorter magazine----and action----of a 9mm Luger. (Luger as in 9x19mm.) Before American shooters showed a growing interest in the 9mm Luger during the 1970's, and before Uncle Sugar jumped on the 9mm in the early 80’s, 9mm Luger ammo was made to all sorts of specifications. Guns and chambers likewise. It took a concerted effort from SAAMI to reign in the anarchy. The wild array of guns and loads made accuracy an adventure. Something similar may have been true of the .40 S&W, although the .40 was a joint development of Winchester and S&W. Despite hermetic development, it seems all sorts of theories were thrown at the caper.
David Bradshaw