Is The .40 S&W dead?

[SATRP]

The XDS Mod.2 in .45 is small and thin enough to be concealable, but just big enough to provide adequate control. I'd recommend checking it out to see if it meets your standards.

Hi wmg1299,

If it's a .45 ACP, it exceeds my standards.

I'll cop to never firing a striker-fired .45 ACP. However, light target loads are a blast to shoot out of a 1911-A1. I have no clue whether ammo manufacturers still market light .45 ACP target loads of 185 grains.

While nothing has diverted me from my belief that the .357 Mag is our most versatile cartridge, likewise I continue to believe that the .45 ACP is our best cartridge. It is inherently accurate. At one time, it was the handgun competitors' handgun. With light loads, its weight causes recoil to become a nonissue, which is an important issue for kids. The more kids enjoy shooting sports, the more likely our sport and hobby will grow.

Light target loads = less stress on handguns, not that stress is an issue with Springfield Armory's forged steel 1911-A1s.

In all honesty, I haven't seen .45 ACP target loads in a long time. Are they still marketed?

I have no clue why shooters buy cases of +P self-defense ammo. A box of fifty will last generations. 99.9% of shooters who stockpile +P (excluding law enforcement) wind up shooting them at targets.

I will agree that every so often it is a good idea to put a box of self-defense ammo through a self-defense handgun. It's better to ID a possible problem long before confronted with a potential tragedy.

 

[SATRP]

Hi unpatriot,

I believe an unloaded EMP 3 9MM weighs somewhere darn close to 25 oz. The weight difference between an EMP 3 and a Chief Special is negligible. The performance difference between the two is wider than the Pacific Ocean.

The weight of the EMP 3 is desirable. It mitigates recoil, let it's light enough to forget you're carrying it.

On a recent ATV trip with my college freshmen daughter, I stopped to unload her ATV. I looked around and thought I should have my EMP 3 on me. Because I was in process of getting her ATV off of a trailer, I grabbed my EMP 3 and put it in my front pant pocket with the intention of holstering it after she had hit the trail. I sat in my car to relax. After I awoke from an unintended nap, I realized my EMP 3 was still secure in my front pant pocket. BTW, it was completely concealed inside of my pocket.

The way I see it, and I know that we all have varying visions, the Springfield Armory EMP 3 9MM is the magnum opus of concealed carry handguns for locations where bears don't live. I know that other survivors choose handguns that are perfect for them. I like the EMP 3 because it functions identically to its big brother: Springfield Armory TRP .45 ACP, which is what I carry in bear country.

 

[SATRP]

Hi wmg1299,

Recoil becomes a substantial issue when cartridge is too much for handgun. The FBI load ain't fun to shoot out of a Chief Special. I couldn't imagine shooting a .357 Mag round out of a "J" Frame.

The only handgun cartridge I hand load for is the .38 Special. From memory alone, a 3 grains of Titegroup pushing a 158 grain LSWC has insignificant recoil. I believe it's minimum or below minimum load. Out of an "L" Frame revolver, kids can shoot it for days without complaint.

Fire a 180 grain .357 Mag hunting round out of the same handgun, and recoil will raise the dead.

 

[adam sr]

Hi kruchnik,

Springfield Armory's EMP line are phenomenally gorgeous handgun. But they're not too pretty to shot.

An EMP 3 9MM is the same length of an S&W 2" Chief Special, smaller, holds more rounds, easier to control, and more reliable.

I've tried carrying a 4" 586 off-duty. It was like lugging a 90lb bag of cement.

I love my EMP CCC in 40 S&W.

 

[wmg1299]

Hi wmg1299,

Recoil becomes a substantial issue when cartridge is too much for handgun. The FBI load ain't fun to shoot out of a Chief Special. I couldn't imagine shooting a .357 Mag round out of a "J" Frame.

The only handgun cartridge I hand load for is the .38 Special. From memory alone, a 3 grains of Titegroup pushing a 158 grain LSWC has insignificant recoil. I believe it's minimum or below minimum load. Out of an "L" Frame revolver, kids can shoot it for days without complaint.

Fire a 180 grain .357 Mag hunting round out of the same handgun, and recoil will raise the dead.

I actually have a very obscure handicap that makes recoil affect me differently than most people. Years of football and wrestling, along with a brief professional MMA career and several automotive mishaps, have left permanent damage in my neck. The damage has essentially killed my radial nerve, which leaves me with limited use of the bottom three fingers on my right hand, as well as the bottom of my right forearm. I'm too old to learn to do things left-handed, so I still shoot right handed.

Due to the never damage, traditional recoil is not nearly as big a factor as the weight of the slide on a semi-automatic pistol. I still have a decent grip, but I cannot stabilize the weight of a large slide moving backwards when shooting one-handed with my right/dominant hand. I can handle most compact and subcompact pistols without issue, but a full-sized slide will throw my wrist out of alignment, making rapid follow-up shots very difficult. Revolvers, because they have no slide and the weight stays consistently in one place, do not really affect me as much during recoil. For this reason, I can fire a .357 Magnum, or even a .44 Magnum, revolver faster and more accurately that a 9mm with a 5" barrel in certain situations. I think this makes me the only person who prefers revolvers at times for physical reasons, rather than aesthetic or technological ones.

 

[SATRP]

Hi wmg1299,

I was deeply saddened to have learned about your orthopedic and neurological injuries. Believe me, I have the most sincere and deepest empathy for you. I literally feel your pain. I've had eleven orthopedic surgeries, I need my right shoulder replaced, which will never happen, and my lumbar region has been condemned.

I agree with you one million percent: for people with physical impairments, a revolver might be the only option.

This info might be of help to you: as you're aware, not all that long ago, the FBI Load was the definitive law enforcement .38 Special duty ammo. About a year ago, armorers at my former agency told me that 135 grain .38 Special +P Speer Gold Dot was the new definitive law enforcement .38 Special duty ammunition. Both of my former agency's armorers are retired cops. My former agency approves nothing related to firearms without extensive testing. You might want to look at Speer's .38 Special ammo. If I were to carry a .357 Mag, for bipedal vermin self-defense I'd use the load my former agency's armorers' recommended.

I've never carried .357 Mag ammo for bipedal vermin defense. However, I would carry 180 grain hard cast (Buffalo Bore) .357 Mag ammo for mean critter defense.

 

[wmg1299]

I worry that I may have explained my condition in such a was as to lead to misconceptions about my ability level. While I'm not anywhere near as strong as I was in my 20's (but who is?), I am still able to train BJJ a couple days a week, serve as a boxing and wrestling coach, and even serve as an occasional sparring partner for up and coming heavyweights. For generations, fighters have accepted that after age 35 you no longer suffer "injuries", you just get minor permanent disabilities. My impairment only significantly affects one-handed shooting with full-sized semi autos, and keeps me from doing things like waving and shaking hands. I got lucky that handshakes are now considered dangerous, and I have a B.A. from Texas Tech University, so people who don't know any better just assume I am giving them a "Guns Up!" instead of a wave.

My condition has less of an effect when shooting with the traditional 2-handed method. I still carry semi-autos as my primary EDC, just not full-sized semi-autos. While everyone else seems to shoot full-sized guns more accurately than compacts, I have the opposite results.

As a backup gun, I carry either a Ruger LCP II or a revolver. The slide on the LCP II is so light that I can fire it accurately and quickly with my bad hand. I can also fire a revolver quickly and accurately with the bad hand, just don't expect me to reload it with anything remotely resembling any speed. My favorite revolver to carry as a backup is actually the S&W 351C, not because of the mild recoil of a .22 Magnum, but because it has a 7-round cylinder.