Help with CCW .40


I would highly recommend that you fire a subcompact .40 before you buy one

Granted a sub-compact .40 has some attitude, but that is why my XD40sc is my favorite range gun. It is my CC choice in cooler weather when it is easier to cnceal.
 
This is one of those write a book or say nothing topics.

"Attitude" doesn't win gun fights shot placement does.

It's been said but handgun "stopping power" is largely a myth. Yes there are outliers but as a general rule handguns are piss poor manstoppers. It will take multiple shots to stop an attacker and a .40 isn't going to hit all that much harder than a .38 it will carry more rounds though.

500+ bucks is a lot of money to spend on a gun and then find out you don't like it because the recoil sucks. So again I'm suggesting you shoot all three before making a choice and I suggest you try all 3 in 9mm before you make your final decision.

I own a .40 (S&W 4006) and it's one of my favorite range guns but I carry a 9mm(S&W Shield/ M&P full size) because bottom line, I can put more rounds on target faster with a 9 than I can with a .40.
 
"Attitude" doesn't win gun fights shot placement does.

It's been said but handgun "stopping power" is largely a myth. Yes there are outliers but as a general rule handguns are piss poor manstoppers. It will take multiple shots to stop an attacker and a .40 isn't going to hit all that much harder than a .38 it will carry more rounds though.

500+ bucks is a lot of money to spend on a gun and then find out you don't like it because the recoil sucks. So again I'm suggesting you shoot all three before making a choice and I suggest you try all 3 in 9mm before you make your final decision.

I own a .40 (S&W 4006) and it's one of my favorite range guns but I carry a 9mm(S&W Shield/ M&P full size) because bottom line, I can put more rounds on target faster with a 9 than I can with a .40.

No it doesn't, but my .40 is one of the guns I shoot the best in addition to being my most used range guns. Didn't say they were for everyone, but I like mine, I shoot it well, and my second round is as quick and accurate as anything else in my carry rotation, which includes 9mm and .380.

Want to piss, go piss on a tree, not someone else's choice or preference in handguns.

OBTW, short of a .50 Desert Eagle, no handgun is a "man stopper" for handguns don't deliver the energy to immediately render someone incapable of continuing to attack, and I don't pretend that my .40 does, an affliction often heard from the .45ACP crowd.
 
My EDC is a Glock 23, I'm 6'0 and about 165lbs, no trouble concealing with the right holster. OP, you mentioned a Glock 19.... exact same size as a Glock 23.... 19 is a 9mm, 23 is a .40.

If you can CC a 19, you can CC a 23. If you need something smaller I would go with the 26 over the 27, but that's just an opinion and personal preference from finding myself shooting a little better with the 9.

I'm a Glock guy, but the M&P series are great guns also. The big question is, what are you more comfortable and accurate shooting with? And ask yourself how small your gun needs to be to fit your needs? There is no perfect gun, but there is a perfect gun for you.
 
Howdy,

The best advice I can offer is to disregard the notion of "stopping power". There really is no such thing, like "assault weapon". What matters is shot placement, not bullet caliber or terminal ballistics (self defense shootings happen well before terminal ballistics come into play anyway).

It sounds to me like you're looking for a gun with a touch more teddy-bear-security feeling, that a bigger caliber will make the bad man go away. Now don't get me wrong, so long as you're responsible with your gun I say go ahead and get all the security-blanket comfort you want, I certainly do with magazine capacity. Let's just be careful we don't start believing things like caliber actually make a difference. Unless we're comparing extremes like a .22LR with a 44Mag, all self-defense calibers are practically the same even-though they're not technically identical. The difference between your current 38cal and a 40cal is practically non existent. In fact you'll likely notice a difference in your maintenance bill before you notice a difference in performance.

So, drop the whole notion of "stopping power". Pay attention to shot placement instead. When looking for your new concealed carry gun, get what you enjoy shooting so that you practice often and can put the shot on target when it counts. As for which specific gun, the only way to figure that out is to go handle all of them and decide for yourself.

My concealed carry is the Sig p320c. Everything is a trade-off, and for me the larger grip, larger magazine and longer barrel is worth the slight printing. I chose 9mm over 40cal for the extra round in the mag and 9mm costs a touch less than 40cal. "Stopping power" had no part to play in my decision and I strongly advise that it have no part to play in yours.

Very pisspoor advice as far as "stopping power" is concerned.

Just out of idle curiosity.............

How many people have you shot as a means of your "opinion"?

It's funny how the 9mm crowd always says their "Wonder 9" is just as good as a .40S&W or .45acp but you NEVER hear of the .40S&W or .45acp crowd trying to build up themselves into believing their caliber was just as good as a "Wonder 9".

One of my "associates" was a HUGE "Wonder 9" fan until he had to use it in a self defense shooting. Nowadays he carries a .40S&W.

Shot placement? Sure, it's very important but it cannot be depended on happening during a high stress situation like a SD shooting.

Heck, go to YouTube and look at the various cop shootings and only about 25% of their rounds hit their intended target.

In most of these "incidents" the intended target is unarmed.

These "incidents" involve men and women that carry a gun for a living and have received many hours of firearms training and how to shot during a high stress situation.

Many, many years I go I was at a local Game & Fish range shooting a Bill Wilson LE Accu-Comp .45acp bowling pin gun and an old guy said "Pretty good shooting."

Me "Thanks!"

Old guy "Yeah, I can shoot that good."

Me "Really?"

Old guy "Hell, I can shoot that good with someone shootin' back at me!"

Turns out the old guy was my future wife's uncle and he did 4 tours in 'Nam as a 18B with the 5th Special Forces Group.

Myself, I prefer a bigger more powerful cartridge to compensate for the lack of shot placement in a high stress situation.

Eventhough handgun cartridges do NOT have massive stopping power there is a HUGE difference between the stopping power of a 9mm, even +P loads, and that of 40S&W, .45acp ( especially with +P loads ) and full power 10mm Auto loads.

Just my $.02 and your mileage MAY vary.

Paul
 
Hi :)
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There is practically no difference between a 9mm and a .40cal except your maintenance bill and ammo price.

Please note that I did not say anything remotely close to '9mm is the best round'. I stated why I chose it. Your millage may very. What I promoted was "get what you enjoy shooting so that you practice often and can put the shot on target when it counts". If you enjoy shooting .40cal, great, get it and please practice often. If you proffer the .45cal, awesome, get that and please practice often. If you like the .22LR or .22Mag best, that's good too, please take advantage of that super cheap ammo price point and practice often.
 
Hi :)

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There is practically no difference between a 9mm and a .40cal except your maintenance bill and ammo price.

Please note that I did not say anything remotely close to '9mm is the best round'. I stated why I chose it. Your millage may very. What I promoted was "get what you enjoy shooting so that you practice often and can put the shot on target when it counts". If you enjoy shooting .40cal, great, get it and please practice often. If you proffer the .45cal, awesome, get that and please practice often. If you like the .22LR or .22Mag best, that's good too, please take advantage of that super cheap ammo price point and practice often.

Damn, that 10mm is crazy. Looks like a tactical nuke has gone off.
 
Howdy,



Very pisspoor advice as far as "stopping power" is concerned.

Just out of idle curiosity.............

How many people have you shot as a means of your "opinion"?

It's funny how the 9mm crowd always says their "Wonder 9" is just as good as a .40S&W or .45acp but you NEVER hear of the .40S&W or .45acp crowd trying to build up themselves into believing their caliber was just as good as a "Wonder 9".

One of my "associates" was a HUGE "Wonder 9" fan until he had to use it in a self defense shooting. Nowadays he carries a .40S&W.

Shot placement? Sure, it's very important but it cannot be depended on happening during a high stress situation like a SD shooting.

Heck, go to YouTube and look at the various cop shootings and only about 25% of their rounds hit their intended target.

In most of these "incidents" the intended target is unarmed.

These "incidents" involve men and women that carry a gun for a living and have received many hours of firearms training and how to shot during a high stress situation.

Many, many years I go I was at a local Game & Fish range shooting a Bill Wilson LE Accu-Comp .45acp bowling pin gun and an old guy said "Pretty good shooting."

Me "Thanks!"

Old guy "Yeah, I can shoot that good."

Me "Really?"

Old guy "Hell, I can shoot that good with someone shootin' back at me!"

Turns out the old guy was my future wife's uncle and he did 4 tours in 'Nam as a 18B with the 5th Special Forces Group.

Myself, I prefer a bigger more powerful cartridge to compensate for the lack of shot placement in a high stress situation.

Eventhough handgun cartridges do NOT have massive stopping power there is a HUGE difference between the stopping power of a 9mm, even +P loads, and that of 40S&W, .45acp ( especially with +P loads ) and full power 10mm Auto loads.

Just my $.02 and your mileage MAY vary.

Paul

I've been a couple of bullet trading contests, albeit with a rifle not a handgun. There is an element of stress but it can be overcome and if you've mastered the basics (sight alignment, breathing control and trigger squeeze) then that is what you will default to under pressure.

Since my caliber choice isn't a reflection of my ***** size I go with the caliber I shoot better
 
Howdy Eidolon,

I've been a couple of bullet trading contests, albeit with a rifle not a handgun. There is an element of stress but it can be overcome and if you've mastered the basics (sight alignment, breathing control and trigger squeeze) then that is what you will default to under pressure.

Since my caliber choice isn't a reflection of my ***** size I go with the caliber I shoot better

I too have been in several bullet trading contest, with a rifle, a handgun and SMG and that's why I do NOT carry a 9mm.

I shoot a Glock 20 10mm with full power loads just as fast and just as accurate as I can any 9mm pistol/ammo combo on the market that a person would carry for SD.

My EDC is a Glock 23 .40S&W. I have a Lone Wolf 40-9mm conversion barrel for my G23.

I also own a CE Pocket Pro II timer ( like they use in IDPA, USPSA, etc.).

I've done numerous drills with the G23 using both the .40S&W barrel and the 9mm barrel and there isn't any difference between the time it takes to draw the G23 and place 2 rounds into the "0" ring in an IDPA target regardless of the distance with comparable ammo. ( CCI Brass Blazers 9mm 115gr FMJ vs CCI Brass Blazers .40S&W 180gr FMJ or Win Ranger 9mm 127gr +P+ vs Fed HST 155gr JHP ).

I'm not at a physical disadvantage or at a skill level disadvantage to where I have to use a smaller, less powerful caliber so I chose a larger, more powerful cartridge.

Paul
 
Caliber discussions are always fun. I personally think that there is a psychological effect. The more recoil a particular caliber has, the better it must be. It doesn't matter what the test data says, anecdotal evidence about a certain caliber not stopping a threat seems to be more valuable, despite the fact that such anecdotal evidence is not a comparative study.

For the record, I carry 9mm on the street and 10mm in the woods. I do shoot both very well, but I do shoot 9mm better.

I challenge those that claim that they shoot 10mm as good as 9mm to do a full-day 350-550 round training class with practice ammo that is equivalent to their carry ammo. Remember, such training classes include one-handed (strong and weak) shooting and moving targets.

As far as .40 S&W goes, you are simply trading off round count for better single-round performance and higher recoil in the same package in comparison to 9mm. In my personal opinion, the single-round performance improvement is not significant enough to warrant the loss of 2 rounds per magazine (Glock 19 vs. 23) and the higher recoil. .40 S&W is also wearing your gun out faster and is slightly more expensive to shoot. Your choice.

Whatever you carry, train with it extensively. Most deficiencies in defensive shooting proficiency are due to the operator having an inadequate level of training and practice. Underperforming and malfunctioning equipment can be identified during training and practice as well.
 
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Handgun calibers depends on permanent wound cavities...there is not enough tissue displacement from hydrostatic shock to cause incapacitating effects. You either drill a hole through the cns or break an important bone, or you drill a hole through a major vessel to cause bleeding. Either way, it depends entirely on shot placement, as the only wound channel that matters is the permanent one. The body will quickly recover and adapt to the small hydrostatic changes.

So, is there an advantage between a .66" hole and .75" hole? Yes, that's why one should always carry the most firepower they can shoot most accurately.

5x .66" holes will bleed faster and have a higher potential to hit a vital spot, than 2x .75" holes.

Sent from my D6616 using USA Carry mobile app
 
I've got a Glock 22 and am lukewarm on it. With the right loads, it's very accurate, but I find the muzzle whip unpleasant and hard to control. I've never shot a 3-3.5" .45acp M1911 that wasn't easier to control, including the Citadel I just bought.

Paradoxically, some people say the Glock 23 is a more pleasant gun to shoot. Perhaps the shorter top end is has less of a tendency to want to rotate up and back.
 
I don't know that anyone but James Yeager said .40s suck or that 9mm was the superior round. What was said was the OP might want to test drive the sub compacts he's considering before buying them. .40s have more recoil than similar sized 9, straight physics.

You might find that a sub compact .40 is great for you you might decide it sucks. I'd rather find that out before I drop 500 bucks.

I also said that handgun "stopping power" is a myth and I've not seen that claim refuted
 

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