What's Happened to the .40 S&W

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RickN

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LOL, you've got to be kidding. you compare +p 9 to watered down 40 & 10mm loads. the full power original loads for both 40 & 10 burp and fart 9mm. my only use for 9's is cheap plinking. i'd love to see something like the coonan in 357 mag stay in business and build some semi autos.

Got to disagree, and I am not a big fan of the 9mm. I have them because I do not have the time to stay proficient with a 45 and my 357s are just to big to carry.
 

Cowcatcher

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LOL, you've got to be kidding. you compare +p 9 to watered down 40 & 10mm loads. the full power original loads for both 40 & 10 burp and fart 9mm. my only use for 9's is cheap plinking. i'd love to see something like the coonan in 357 mag stay in business and build some semi autos.
Yes I been wanting a Coonan 357 for some time! Now you've jogged my memory and I shall go watch the videos....Again.
 

dennishoddy

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In this instance, the 40 is the better choice but not simply because it is a bigger bullet. The 180 grain 40 has a higher sectional density (SD) than the 115 9mm and therefore has a higher penetration potential. If you had 155 grain bullets in your 40 and 147 grainers in the 9mm, one might be tempted to think "hey, it's still a bigger, heavier bullet; it must be better" Here's the SD numbers
9mm 115 grain 0.130
9mm 147 grain 0.167
.40 155 grain 0.138
.40 180 grain 0.161
Of course SD isn't everything and bullet style, construction and velocity all have a say in this.

If I had to choose between only 9mm and 40 for bear defense, I'd carry this 9mm load from Buffalo Bore https://www.buffalobore.com/index.php?l=product_detail&p=388

Thank you for agreeing with me on the caliber choice.
Regarding sectional density, that comes with the bullet choice one chooses thto carry.
As a reloader I have that choice to pick a bullet for the caliber and purpose I have in mind.
We are blessed with a huge variety of bullets now that are designed for max penetration or max expansion.
In bear country, penetration is king.
 

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