Deep Dive Podcast on .40 with Erik Gelhaus

[DocGKR]

"With duty ammo .40 actually does better through vehicles. TX DPS, one of the largest .357 SIG users, found with proper ammo selection 9mm +P loads could do as well as .357 SIG at lower cost and without the downsides of the .357 SIG."

HCM is utterly accurate!

[AMC]

.40 is an excellent performing cartridge that is abusive to guns. The whole ".45 performance out of 9mm guns" thing came at a cost of reduced service life for most manufacturers .40s. Beretta did the same thing....taking the 9mm 92 series, boring out the barrel/chamber to .40, and putting a stronger recoil spring in the gun. Beretta already had a relatively thinner chamber wall, with that modified Walther falling block lockup. We had HUNDREDS of guns experience chamber expansion as a result....and a couple of guns blew up in officers' hands....thankfully on the range.

We replaced the 96Gs with Sig 226R/229Rs in .40. Eventually started noticing cracked frames. A lot of them. Over 100 at this point....all cracked in exactly the same place: right side just beneath the tang on the back strap. Sig had made a decision to make ALL the classic line guns cut to accommodate the DAK trigger bar, which was a little thicker, and required the frame to be relieved in exactly that spot. Doesn't seem to have been a huge issue for the 9mm guns, but the .40s definitely suffered for this. Since Sig discontinued the DAK line, the frames are now all the original design. Just another data point proving that just because it's okay in a 9mm, doesn't make it okay in a .40.

[Thy.Will.Be.Done]

.40 is an excellent performing cartridge that is abusive to guns. The whole ".45 performance out of 9mm guns" thing came at a cost of reduced service life for most manufacturers .40s. Beretta did the same thing....taking the 9mm 92 series, boring out the barrel/chamber to .40, and putting a stronger recoil spring in the gun. Beretta already had a relatively thinner chamber wall, with that modified Walther falling block lockup. We had HUNDREDS of guns experience chamber expansion as a result....and a couple of guns blew up in officers' hands....thankfully on the range.

We replaced the 96Gs with Sig 226R/229Rs in .40. Eventually started noticing cracked frames. A lot of them. Over 100 at this point....all cracked in exactly the same place: right side just beneath the tang on the back strap. Sig had made a decision to make ALL the classic line guns cut to accommodate the DAK trigger bar, which was a little thicker, and required the frame to be relieved in exactly that spot. Doesn't seem to have been a huge issue for the 9mm guns, but the .40s definitely suffered for this. Since Sig discontinued the DAK line, the frames are now all the original design. Just another data point proving that just because it's okay in a 9mm, doesn't make it okay in a .40.

Hold my beer, I'm gonna go full SIG...

[AMC]

Hold my beer, I'm gonna go full SIG...

I love classic line Sigs. I have a few. Even a .40 (239). As long as you don't have a .40 226 from the DAK years, you'll be fine.

Got a few 320s and 365XLs too. Which I'm positive is gonna get me kilt.

[SecondHandSmoke]

That podcast was very good... led me down the road to the Daryl Bolke episode on revolvers. Bolke is one of my favorites to listen to along with Claude Werner. Both of those guys are just so incredibly practical.

[Glenn E. Meyer]

Very informative info. I stopped in at the local Cabela's on the way home and the shelves were loaded all kinds of range 40. The only 9mm was Herter's. Little 45 ACP.