.40 cal accuracy

[tennjed]

For me the stopping power questions between the .40 the 9mm and the .45 ACP is accademic. I don't carry as I am a resident of Illinois. I have chosen to go with the advise of Daryl Gates and have sellected the 12 guage shotgun (endorsement given in My Life in the L.A PD) as my home defense choice.

Over the years I have owned Glock, HK, S&W, Berreta, Witness pistols chambered in .40 S&W. In all cases I have had pretty bad luck with accuracy. It has always been good enough for hitting a reasonable target but never good enough to get that one ragged hole at 15 yards. I have never had trouble getting the ragged hole with 9mm or .45 ACP pistols as long as I worked with the load for awhile.

I have decided to settle down and buy one auto loader and stick with it. I would like to buy a Glock in .40 S&W because I like the convertability between different calibers and the availability of a .22 LR kit. However, another major use of the pistol will be to participate in local PCP matches so accuracy is a major consideration.

Have any of you folks found the .40 to be inferior in the area of accuracy or have I just not tried hard enough to develope a round.

Wayne

[DannyR]

I have found the Glock 40's to be as accurate as the 9's and 45's. For PPC, GSSF and IPSC "Production" competition, I suggest the following, competition proven load:

180-gr Remington FMJ
4.0-gr Winchester WST
Federal Primer
OAL of 1.135 inches
Lee Factory Crimp Die

If it is to be strictly a PPC pistol, I would further suggest a fitted Bar-Sto barrel, substituting Laser-Cast 170-gr LWSC bullets in place of the Remingtons, and a trigger job by Custom Glock Racing.

I also suggest the G35 for a PPC/IPSC pistol, carried for competition in a Sidearmor OWB vertical holster. I don't have my PPC rulebook handy, so you may wish to check for any barrel length restrictions in semi-autos.

[tastymeat]

My .40 glock is extremely accurate.

the .40 can have more recoil than the .45 or the 9mm. If you reload, you can make ammo with less powder that kicks less and is easier to shoot.

I prefer round nose flat point designs, they work more reliably. I like 180 gr bullets because they require less powder to get the gun to cycle, less powder = less recoil.

Use a seating die that has a totally flat, 90 degrees perpendicular to the centerline of the cartridge, wadcutter type, seating plug. I have seen several brands of .40 cal dies with a seating plug that have odd shapes that were made for round nose, ball ammo. Bullets get seated crooked with the wrong shape of seating plug, crooked seated bullets fly funny. A totally flat seating plug is always the right shape for hollowpoint or flatpoint bullets. Almost every bullet design for the .40 has a flat point.

get a lee factory crimp die.

[mini-marine]

the gun is responsible for being reliabe and functioning, the shooter is responsible for being accurate.......

[noway]

and to add;


Just like what my military instructor stated ; "95% shooter and 5% gun ".


The 40S&W is very much accurate for self-defensive purpose and don't believe the hype that Pat and others states on the "40S&W being so much in-accurate." My 40s are very much accurate and easy to shoot. I do shoot most of my 9s better than my 40s and the same for the 10mm. But this has nothing todo with the caliber and more of the shooter and gun selection.

[TheActor]

Since my sw40v will hole a soda bottle cap at 10 yds I'd call the round plenty accurate. Can't say I'm accurate enough to do it on a regular basis.;)

[tennjed]

Thanks for the responses.

I agree with the comments on the shooter being the largest factor in accuracy.

While I do not profess to be an outstanding shooter I have had good results with identical pistols chambered for rounds other than the .40.

As it stands right now, all things considered, especially the endorsements of the .40 here, I will probably go ahead and get the .40 and work on it a bit harder.

Thanks again for the comments.

Wayne

[Wolv314]

My Glock and Beretta .40's are very accurate. I would have no problem recommending them for such a competition. Good luck.:cool:

[thin blue line]

I am not into target, just personal defense.

Two to CM, one controlled to the head at 30 - 45 feet is accurate enough for me.

My glock 27 is a small package that does this better than my 38 snubbie revolvers.

Of course I am more accurate with my full size 9 and 45 but concealment is also an issue in the SW desert heat.

To answer your question, heck yeah my sub compact .40 is accurate!

[badbilly429]

my 27 is more accurate than me i know that much, i put it in the hands of the owner of the range/shop where i shoot, he shoots competition and is very good, he toasted the ten ring out of the target at 20 yards with my 27 and 9 rounds, so therefore i know when i miss....its not the gun!

[BrokenArrow]

Some 40s are very accurate:

Handguns, Mar 01, p36:

CZ75 SA 40S&W, 5 shots/25 yds, Port-A-Rest, lg/sm/avg groups:

Proload 135 1.1/1.6/1.3
CB 150 1.1/1.6/1.3
Horny 155 0.8/1.5/1.2
Speer 155 GD 1.0/1.5/1.2
Win 155 ST 1.3/1.6/1.5
Blazer 180 PHP 1.0/1.5/1.2
Fed 180 JHP 1.4/1.9/1.7

What a dog? The 9mm was even better! Wonder what a 357SIG would do? It's on the way according to CZ-USA... <g>

[noway]

{Just like what my military instructor stated ; "95% shooter and
5% gun ". }

here is what I can do when I put in 95% shooter and 4.9% gun and .1% ammo @ 25yrds.

And yes this is straight off the shelf ammo.

I love when somebody tells me the 40S7W is a in accurate round. This 5 shoot group was done off-hand and even with the "oddball" sights that the steyr has I can place a 5shot grop in a groupinginder 4" @ 25yrds slow fire. Yes I do belive with the right shooter controls and gun & ammo the 40S&W is right up their with being accurate and I don't need no stinking Pat to tell me otherwise.

[Elmstreet]

My 23 is very accurate. I'm finally getting some control over it. When new, I was lucky to keep most of my rounds on paper at 25 yards. With constant and frequent practice, today I was actually able to put a 'smiley face' on a profile at 20 yards (nose and eyes a little off center and smile looked like a jack-o-lantern, not up to Mel What'shisnames performance in 'Lethal Weapon" yet). Also, out of a magazine of 5 rounds, put 3 rounds touching vertically and two about an inch off of the main group at the same yardage. I'm gradually working back to 25 yards.

Starting to knock down steel plates pretty fair at 25 yards, seven or eight out of 10 shots. I'm able to nail 9 or 10 of 10 with my Ruger P944, been shooting it steady for about 3 years now (G23 about 2 months).

[GlockM23]

Yeah, the more you shoot that 23 the more accurate "it" becomes. :)

Sometimes I wish I had a 9mm for easier shooting, but I know if I got one I'd wish I had the 40 for more power. Go figure. Anyhow, I can hit em all in a man size target, it's a good start at least, another couple hundred rounds won't hurt anything, thats for sure.

[Elmstreet]

I was shooting mostly 9mm before I bought my first forty. When I started shooting the forty I was pretty disappointed, couldn't control it. Blamed my problems on the gun. I *****ed quite a bit about the forty until one day I inventoried expended brass. Found that I was shooting more of the forty cal than the 9mm. Figured I had to like it. Started concentrating on it. Developed a real fondness for it. Pretty much overcame my lack of control with continued practice. Now, I occaisionally shoot the 9mm, but carry the forties as a general rule. Wouldn't trade either the Ruger or the Glock for anything.