Should I Get A 40 S&W?

[roostershooter]

I've never owned nor fired a pistol in 40 S&W, but have noticed that they have quite a following.

At the gun show today I noticed several M&P 40Cs that I liked, but didn't buy them because I just don't know.

How does the 40 handle compared to a 45 ACP? Some people have told me that they recoil almost straight back into your palm, and others have said they recoil like a light 45 ACP.

What's your opinion?

[Caffeinated]

What are you going to use the pistol for? That will be a big factor in answering your question.

.40 vs .45 recoil is different, but nothing that you won't get used to pretty quickly.

[Poppa Bear]

I've got 38's, 9's, 40's and 45's. I am set up to shoot everything but Open. Without a doubt the 9 is the softest shooting at 130 PF, everything else is around 170 PF. The major PF from softest to stoutest would be my STI, Glock 35, Springfield 1911, and the Ruger Rev. From largest overall size to smallest it would be the same order.

It really comes down to what are you going to use it for, and how much are you willing to spend to get it tuned to your style?

[JakeMartens]

From your post a 40c is compact, so I assume carry gun.

40 recoil is Sharp and start back while 45 is more of a slow push with more up and to the right recoil. In a small gun for carry hard to beat a 9mm with the modern bullet technology.

The 45 is a bigger bullet harder to control, the 40 is the mid ground more capacity but Sharp recoil, the 9mm is manageable, and most capacity

[michael1778]

I think the M&P 40 compact is a fine carry gun for a thick slide form-factor. If I want thinner, I use my M&P Shield in .40

I did a nifty tactical pistol course with my 40c. I found it very handy and accurate. In cooler weather, I sometimes carry in a shoulder holster with the full-size 15 round magazine in place. That makes for an easier grab under stress. It's a versatile form factor in either 40 or 9mm. I happened to choose .40 S&W after having 9mm carry guns and haven't looked back.

I have four M&Ps and a PPS from 9mm to .45 ACP. If you like the form-factor, I say get it and enjoy. I don't find .40 recoil as snappy as some. But I shoot 147 grain 9mm and 180 grain .40 S&W for all my carry rounds.

Maybe this is just rambling, but I hope it helps you.

[roostershooter]

Just to clarify. This will be a carry gun, and not a comp gun.

I'm just wanting something that's not as heavy as my Kimbers that will do the job.

[Poppa Bear]

Size wise it is comparable to the Glock 23 which I carried for quite a while and is only about 2 oz lighter than the Glock 22 I carry now. The biggest factor that determines comfort for shooting is the overall weight. Full power 357 magnum loads out of my 6" Ruger (about 36 oz) are not bad. Out of my 2 3/4" Ruger snubby (about 30 oz) are still not bad. Out of a S&W 340PD at 11 oz, That is brutal.

The same works for semi-autos. The more weight they have the better they feel when shooting. At about 22 oz the M&P 40 is quite controllable.