So how important are splits to contextual gunfighting where decisions and problem solving to hit the grapefruit rear their heads? Spoiler alert: not very.(re about a handful of good threads over the last year/ 18 mos)
Now economics and less than serious pistoleros is a big deal.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
I have both M&P 40 and M&P 9mm platforms. I have run them both on bill drills back to back. I find that accuracy and speed increase by about 10% with the 9mm on bill drills @ 10 yards, both using 147/180 HST duty ammo.
Interestingly I ran them back to back on the IDPA (yeah yeah yeah) classifier a few times as well and found that my scores were no different, even scoring slightly better a few times with the .40. In that game it isn't unheard of for the grease ring of the wider bullet to give you a 5 point swing. I am an average to poor competitive shooter (expert IDPA CCP because I have practiced the classifier 100x, probably D class USPSA though if I ever shot enough classifiers to actually find out).
Anyhow, if terminal ballistics are truly equivalent now, I guess there is no reason not to use 9mm and get a few extra rounds in the mag while saving a few bucks in the process. I am presently debating whether to carry .40 again pending a move to Alaska where heavy winter clothing and moose confrontations are common though. I read through the previous pages discussing this and realize I could just stick wit the 9mm. I can't even give away my .40 cal pistols these days. Nobody wants them.
Last edited by LSW; 10-23-2018 at 07:52 PM.
Many .40's run great with a 9 mm conversion barrel....
Facts matter...Feelings Can Lie
True, but you’ll usually be running quite a bit above major, especially with the reduction of major from 175 power factor to 165 power factor.Originally Posted by Nephrology
The popularity of .40 in USPSA is dictated by the rules. It gives you the highest capacity in a limited gun, while still making major power factor. If they ever lift the minimum .40 diameter rule in Limited, I’m sure you’ll see a huge rush to 9mm just to get those 2 extra rounds. Of course, it’ll be difficult finding factory ammo for that need.
Back on target, pun intended, I’m a big fan of the .40, but 9mm is certainly the better choice as a general issue round. I carried a USPc .40 for a decent stretch. I moved away from it when my wife shot it and HATED it. My wife is a pretty decent shooter, but it hurt too much for her to be any good with it. Since I see my wife use of the gun a real scenario, my carry gun choice needs to take her usage into consideration
Bucky, FWIW, I find the HK VP40 exceptionally pleasant to shoot, due to the combination of its exceptional ergonomics and heavy slide. Nice triggerpull too. I throw that out as a consideration if you'd like a .40 HK that I think your wife also might be amenable to.
Best, Jon
Thank you for the suggestion. I have a VP9 that I'm luke warm about, so no desire to get a .40. I also think the VP full size pistol is a little to big for CCW, for me. I like the "compact class" size (G19 / USPc / 92 Compact) guns for concealed carry.
If I were looking towards another polymer .40, I'd probably consider the APX series (love my full size APX 9mm, much more than my VP9). That said, I've been smitten with my EDC X9 since I've got it, so not really looking for a new CCW at the moment.
Thanks,
~Bucky
I think it would be a great idea if you started a thread about shooting the EDC X9. While there's been some reviews of members, it's proportionally rather little.
Whaddya say? 😉
Or add to thread in a necropost?
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
I did do the size comparison thread, maybe expand it to a shooting comparison.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ze-comparisons
Shooting would be sweet candy!I did do the size comparison thread, maybe expand it to a shooting comparison.
https://pistol-forum.com/showthread....ze-comparisons
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Guess again. S&W J-frames are hugely popular. Kimber & Colt didn’t decide to start producing small-frame .38/.357s just to see if they could. I believe RIA introduced a carry revolver recently as well.
The difference in ammo availability is due to auto loaders being shot a whole lot more. People who buy small frame carry revolvers generally don’t shoot them much. Folks like myself and some other forum members I’ve met shoot our revolvers a LOT. But while I’m at the local indoor range completing a revolver super drill (18 rounds), there are probably ten times that many 9mm rounds (plus the same amount of .223s) sent down range.
I can’t speak much to cost since 95% of my shooting is handloads.
During the great ammo drought that followed the Newtown shooting, I noticed .40 S&W was about the only CF pistol ammo that was regularly in stock (I was on the lookout for .22 lr.)
To me, this indicates it is not a popular civilian round.
Maybe it will get popular, at least for a while, with all the cheap LE trade ins. I just bought a little-used G35 to try in USPSA limited.
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