20 or more years ago I had my first experiences with center fire pistol's, namely the .45 ACP and the 9mm. The .45 I first shot was a Star 1911 type gun, basic fixed sight/parkerized no frills gun. It belonged to a friend, and being a big bore pistol virgin I found I couldn't hit much of anything with it. It would be years before I tried another .45 ACP, back then you had to spend a lot on the gun and then spend a lot more- sometimes more than the original cost of the gun-getting it all tight and smooth and accurate. The idea didn't do much for me. To this day I still find the .45 ACP a bit akward for my mind, even though I own a Glock 21 which I can shoot fairly well.
Then the trend in M&P sidearms became the semi auto pistol, and the 9mm was ruled the King. This I didn't quite get-the previous King was the L frame .357 platform, within just a few years it seemed that most Police agencies switched first from the older K and N frames to the new 686 or 586 or their fixed sight versions, and then within just a few more years they began to adopt the semi auto pistol in 9mm. Lighter bullet, travelling slower and hitting with less energy, no comprende! I held tight to my .357 and it would be years before I even tried a 9mm. Today I own a couple of them, and I have fun with them, but its never been in serious contention for me as a life protector or any other sort of first choice item.
Enter the .40 S&W. Groan, another one of those pistols? is what I thought? Only with the slightest of glimpse did I pay attention to the 10mm hype and the introduction of the .40 soon after.
I don't recall where I first began to read about the velocities of factory ammo, or the muzzle energy the HPs delivered (on paper). But when I did, it struck me that something that actually started resembling the .357 in performance was at hand. That and the cops I knew began telling me how great a caliber it was, fun and accurate as they come. Then I was given the occasional opportunity to try one out for myself. And for the first time this die hard revolver nut was hooked on a semi auto combat pistol and cartridge. A few years ago I actually bought my own-my first ever semi auto center fire pistol-a CZ40P. I still have it, but it turns out there are issues with those guns, feed problems/jams. They are very finicky with anything besides ball ammo as it turns out. I was never able to make mine a gun I'd bet my life on, and today it sits in the vault mostly. But the caliber, wow! According to the FBI it is just behind the .357 in the best 1 shot stop contest. I believe it is in a close 2nd place, if I am not mistaken.
Now, my biggest complaint about semi auto pistols is the triggers. In short, I think they are terrible, full of creep and hard to get smoothed out. Unless you're talking more expensive guns, which I am not. I am talking about basic service M&P type guns. Even some of the more expensive guns I have tried have terrible triggers.
Then, this new plastic thing came out, called a Glock. Hahaha, I thought, a 2/3rds plastic gun? I don't think so. I stubbornly hung on to that for a few years, and then the inevitable happened, someone I know handed me his 17 and a full box of 50 one day at the range. WOW! And I've been hooked since. A trigger I can do, a gun I can shoot well. Today I own 2 of them, a 21 and a 22. As for the .40 S&W, I think it is the best pistol cartridge there is, and though its still 3 shots or less for us civillians, I am now using a Glock as my main self defense gun. I like to think of it as my small contribution to homeland security. I often hear the .40 S&W ridiculed and I don't get why. I hear the 10mm is better, but everything I ever heard about them ended up talking about the problems they have. The .40 in general doesn't seem to have many, though I acknowledge that a few Glock .40s were KaBooming because of chamber problems. But I don't think too many, and all runs contain defective guns no matter what factory they came out of.
Anyhow, if you knew me, you'd understand how amazing it is for me to say this. That I like a semi auto pistol, AND the cartridge it shoots, I mean. I am actually surprised to see the 45 ACP surge (by LEOs) of today, because the .40 S&W is ballistically a better cartridge IMO. I guess the moral is you can even teach a stubborn 'ol dog new tricks.
Then the trend in M&P sidearms became the semi auto pistol, and the 9mm was ruled the King. This I didn't quite get-the previous King was the L frame .357 platform, within just a few years it seemed that most Police agencies switched first from the older K and N frames to the new 686 or 586 or their fixed sight versions, and then within just a few more years they began to adopt the semi auto pistol in 9mm. Lighter bullet, travelling slower and hitting with less energy, no comprende! I held tight to my .357 and it would be years before I even tried a 9mm. Today I own a couple of them, and I have fun with them, but its never been in serious contention for me as a life protector or any other sort of first choice item.
Enter the .40 S&W. Groan, another one of those pistols? is what I thought? Only with the slightest of glimpse did I pay attention to the 10mm hype and the introduction of the .40 soon after.
I don't recall where I first began to read about the velocities of factory ammo, or the muzzle energy the HPs delivered (on paper). But when I did, it struck me that something that actually started resembling the .357 in performance was at hand. That and the cops I knew began telling me how great a caliber it was, fun and accurate as they come. Then I was given the occasional opportunity to try one out for myself. And for the first time this die hard revolver nut was hooked on a semi auto combat pistol and cartridge. A few years ago I actually bought my own-my first ever semi auto center fire pistol-a CZ40P. I still have it, but it turns out there are issues with those guns, feed problems/jams. They are very finicky with anything besides ball ammo as it turns out. I was never able to make mine a gun I'd bet my life on, and today it sits in the vault mostly. But the caliber, wow! According to the FBI it is just behind the .357 in the best 1 shot stop contest. I believe it is in a close 2nd place, if I am not mistaken.
Now, my biggest complaint about semi auto pistols is the triggers. In short, I think they are terrible, full of creep and hard to get smoothed out. Unless you're talking more expensive guns, which I am not. I am talking about basic service M&P type guns. Even some of the more expensive guns I have tried have terrible triggers.
Then, this new plastic thing came out, called a Glock. Hahaha, I thought, a 2/3rds plastic gun? I don't think so. I stubbornly hung on to that for a few years, and then the inevitable happened, someone I know handed me his 17 and a full box of 50 one day at the range. WOW! And I've been hooked since. A trigger I can do, a gun I can shoot well. Today I own 2 of them, a 21 and a 22. As for the .40 S&W, I think it is the best pistol cartridge there is, and though its still 3 shots or less for us civillians, I am now using a Glock as my main self defense gun. I like to think of it as my small contribution to homeland security. I often hear the .40 S&W ridiculed and I don't get why. I hear the 10mm is better, but everything I ever heard about them ended up talking about the problems they have. The .40 in general doesn't seem to have many, though I acknowledge that a few Glock .40s were KaBooming because of chamber problems. But I don't think too many, and all runs contain defective guns no matter what factory they came out of.
Anyhow, if you knew me, you'd understand how amazing it is for me to say this. That I like a semi auto pistol, AND the cartridge it shoots, I mean. I am actually surprised to see the 45 ACP surge (by LEOs) of today, because the .40 S&W is ballistically a better cartridge IMO. I guess the moral is you can even teach a stubborn 'ol dog new tricks.
