Today I would like to talk about one of my favorite calibers that is out right now, which is the 40 Smith and Wesson. As many people may know, the 40 Smith and Wesson or 40S&W was developed primarily because of the aftermath of the FBI shootout in Miami in 1986 in which two assailants wounded numerous times with 9mm and 38 special rounds continued their assault on several FBI agents until being shot over 10 times each. It is important to keep in mind that there were 12 gauge shotguns that the agents had, but only one was able to procure it and with one arm, was only able to hit the assailant in the feet which was not very effective. For this reason the 10mm round was developed, however it was considered to large for most FBI agents to carry, while the 9mm was considered too weak, and so it came to be that the 40 S&W was born and changed handguns forever.
At the present time, 3 of the most popular calibers for handguns are the 9mm, 40 S&W and the 45 ACP. I would have to say that the 40 S&W is my personal favorite of these rounds. The great thing about 40 S&W is that several companies make several models of handguns in the 40 S&W, some of these models include the Beretta 96, Beretta PX Storm, the Ruger SR40, the Glock 22, Glock 27, Glock 34, Smith and Wesson M&P, Smith and Wesson Sigma, Springfield XD, HK USP, SIG 226, and many more. The 40 S&W round is so popular that numerous law enforcement agencies around the United States use them. The Border Patrol for example, had used the Beretta 96 for years, before changing to HK P2000 in 40 S&W. The Glock 22 is carried by he local Sheriff's department where I live and on a previous visit to an Indian Reservation, I had noticed that their police department also carried this gun as well. My personal experience with the 40 S&W is that I had owned at one point in time a Ruger P94, a Smith and Wesson Sigma as well as the Glock 22 which I still own today.
Now for the reasons why I love the 40 S&W over most other handgun calibers out there. First of all, the 40 S&W is a powerful round, it is actually more powerful than a 9mm, being that a typical 40 S&W with a 180 grain bullet has a velocity of about 950-1000 Feet per second while a 155 grain bullet has a velocity of about 1100-1150 feet per second. Just a comparison of this will give you an idea of what this means, a 115 grain 9mm typically travels at about 1200 feet per second, while a 158 grain 357 Magnum will travel at about 1250 feet per second, and a 230 grain 45 ACP will travel about 830 feet per second. Keep in mind that most 40 caliber handguns have a magazine capacity larger than 10 rounds while a 357 magnum revolver carries about 6-8 rounds in the cylinder and a 1911 in 45 ACP carries between 7 and 8 rounds. Two popular 40 S&W handguns such as the Glock 22 has a capacity of 15 rounds of 40 S&W and the Beretta 96 has a 12-13 round capacity, which equals a lot of firepower. So while the 40 S&W may not be as powerful as a 357 or 45 it makes up for that in terms of magazine capacity. Accuracy on a 40 S&W is good as well, although not as accurate as a 9mm, it makes up for that with stopping power. With a little bit of practice, you can shoot a 40 S&W very accurately and with personal protection rounds, this is a perfect weapon for self-defense, or just target practice at the range since the ammo can be found everywhere and for a decent price, around $12.00 a box where I live. So if you are looking for the perfect all around center-fire caliber for whatever your needs, you cant go wrong with the 40 S&W.
*The above photo was found via Google search*