We see a lot of GLOCKs used for EDC but not many GLOCK 23s. The G23 is chambered in .40 S&W and has a 13 +1 capacity and remains concealable. Some may think .40 S&W is a dying cartridge, but it still has its followers – and it’s still a good cartridge.

Argue as much as you like, but the .40 S&W does have a ballistic edge over 9mm. Is it as broad a gap as, say, 9mm versus 10mm? No, but it still exists.

 

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49 COMMENTS

  2. I sometimes carry my Glock 23. I like the .40. I like 13 + 1. I had a Shield .40, traded it for the Glock for the extra 6 or 7 rounds.

  3. I’ve carried the 22 & 23 as EDC, with no reservations. They both hold 13 or more rounds & I don’t have to question the 40 S&W stopping power. Now & then, I’ll rotate them with the XD-40. If you can handle a 40 , give it a try.

    • Hmmm, Michael in AK…but it took almost every other developed country in the world, together, to stop them.

      FWIW, I carry a 23 for EDC. Love it.

    • Also 9mm can be found any/every where; gas station, hard ware, police station, and from the bad guy maybe. Also almost any where in the world. Shot .44 and .45. Maybe find someone w/a .40 and try it? BTW how you doin’ Tom in ore.

  5. Gee I can handle 40 even being 64. Still got some powerlifting muscle too…got some 40 ammo left over from a Taurus 140 I sold. And I’d get a Glock 22/23 po-leece trade in a heartbeat…

  7. “Only 9mm snobs with there weak hands consider the .40 snappy”
    I’ve Fired Both, was issued S&W M&P .40 For Duty as a State Correctional Officer and I own 2 9mm, a S&W Shield 2.0 and a Springfield Armory XD(M) 3.8, I prefer the 9mm for 2 reasons – They generally holds more capacity vs. the .40 and I don’t have to worry about feeding the wrong ammo into my pistols since they are both the same caliber…
    p.s. I didn’t think/feel that the .40 is too “snappy”…

  11. Someone should do a test on the wrist straps these guys are using for their pocket watches. Two articles without a pocket watch complete with wrist straps for attaching to your wrist. Evidently the straps are failing

    • There is no debate, Sir. It is Generally Regarded As Fact (GRAF for short) that 9mm Parabellum is the equivalent of 6.5mm Creedmoor.
      Observe: They both have a small number, followed by ‘mm.’ They both have a catchy name understood only by those on the ‘Inside.’ They are both alleged to be the Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread and Ultra Modern, although one dates to 1908 and the other to 1896 when the Swedes designed it (they just called it something else, which makes the NEW one completely different).
      No, there’s no argument. A cartridge firing a smaller-diameter bullet of lighter weight with less energy is CLEARLY better than. . . well, you know.
      Because ‘snappy,’ apparently.

      • Ohhhhhhh. And here I thought it was because of all the “folks” with their pants sagging down below their ass packing “9s”
        I’m waiting for the FBI to get in another shootout and suddenly decide they made a mistake in switching back to 9mm.
        Suddenly all the “9s are it!” folks will be on the ground praying and chanting about the virtues of the .40 and how they were onboard with the .40 the whole time….REALLY!

        • 10mm is the new trend now, although it is not a new round either. Personally, 9mm, .357mag, .40sw, .45acp, and 10mm, I am good with all of them. 9mm is cheaper for range time. They’ll all get the job done for what a handgun is designed for, assuming the shooter does his/her part. I have shot the G23 and the difference in felt recoil vs a G19 or 17 was not obvious from my experience. I have also seen people at the range who had zero consistency in their shot placements with a bigger caliber, maybe more time with a 9mm or .38sp would help them. If the 10mm keeps growing in popularity, expect to see more of those. Oh well if I can’t hit my target maybe it would at least scare the bad guy?

  13. Gotta love the 23. I bought a G32 and a 9mm conversion barrel for mine, so it’s practically three guns in one. Was my only Glock for years, until a friend gave me an excellent deal on his 43.

  14. What Hillary said just yesterday in ‘USA Today’ :

    “You cannot be civil with a political party that wants to destroy what you stand for, what you care about,” Clinton told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour.”

    I agree, Hillary.

    Shall the split of America be peaceable, or like the ‘French Revolution’, guillotines and all?

    It’s your call…

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/10/09/hillary-clinton-cnn-interview/1578636002/

  15. Snappy? Try an airweight j frame with +p loads. That’s snappy.

    Caliber wars are absolute nonsense. 9mm. 10mm. 11mm. You do the math. It ain’t worth arguing about.

    • The size of the wound channel is proportional to pi-r-squared. 9/10/11mm would be proportional to 81/100/121, respectively. Creating a larger wound channel is more likely to end the threat by nicking something vital.

      Cheaper Than Dirt has extensive ballistic-gel tests on their site. The heavier calibers create larger wound channels.

  17. Whenever I see someone claiming to carry two spare double-stack mags, I always wonder a few things “How big are these guys?” “How often do they carry, really?” “What profession are they in that allows them to regularly wear something baggy enough to conceal all that, even in the summer?

    • I often carry two Glock 19 mags with nothing more than a button down shirt for concealment, I carry them weak side with Glock brand mag holsters that I found in a bargain bin at lgs.

      • Tucked or untucked button-down shirt? I find iwb holsters and mag carriers just too uncomfortable to have digging into my waist 12-14 hours a day every day. More power to guys that can do it.

        If I’m going to carry a double-stack gun and mag, I want them to be OWB, so typically at least a light jacket. That’s why I usually stick with with either an LCR or a small caliber single-stack for carry in warmer weather.

  18. .40 is fine. If you have a .40, good for you. I have some .40 as well, and I sometimes carry one.

    But 9mm capacity trumps any edge .40 may have for me. The slight edge isn’t worth the noticeably diminished capacity.

  19. OMG people, enough with this cartridge is dead and that cartridge is dead, sooner or later we’re all going to be dead so it doesn’t matter. And as long as there is reloading, nothing will ever be dead.

    • Ever notice that .40S&W is nearly ALWAYS on the shelf at Walmart? Good thing to remember when the next ammo shortage hits.

  21. I still have about 2000 bullets and a 5 gallon bucket of of 40 cal brass so I won’t be dumping any of my ,40 S&Ws anytime soon. I’ll occasionally carry my .40 Shield and once in a while my old Detonics .45 as well though EDC for the past 2 years has been a Glock 43 because I shoot it a lot to stay in touch with it. As for “dying” cartridges- Hell, shooting is also fun, and don’t forget it. I may not have much use for my .458 Win Mag, my .375 H&H or my old Savage 99 in .300 Savage with all the other choices I have in my safes but they’re still affective rounds/firearms, they go bang and they’d sure as hell hurt whatever got touched by them. Plus I have a lot of ammo to shoot through them…

    Have fun with your guns- shoot them. Quit talking about them.

  22. I have a police G22 – heavier and not too “snappy”. My EDC is a G27. If the situation requires more than 10 rounds, perhaps one should consider more range time.

    Gun control is a firm grip, good sight picture, and a smooth trigger pull.

  23. The .40 cal. vs. 9mm controversy is over!

    Tests have proven beyond a doubt that 9×19 is the perfect cartridge for the elderly, the infirm and cops who need ten mag dumps to put a single round into a target the size of a rhinoceros.

    It’s a scientific fact!

  24. I pick brass at our local range after I’m through shooting. Even on days when I’m not shooting a .40 I find almost as much .40 brass as I do 9mm, on some days I find even more.
    I have a P226 in 40 and it shoots like my MK25, I guess because of the weight.
    I also am grateful to have found a Sig P220 in 10mm. Its heavier than a regular Sig because the lower is all steel, not aluminum. It shoots steel like a dream because there is very little movement of the gun in your hand. Don’t shoot my Glock 40 much anymore as it does the muzzle flip thing, and like all Glocks it feels like holding a 2×4 to me… I shoot them well but I really don’t like the way they feel and point.

  25. These are strange times. There are tons of great deals on .40 S&W pistols right now. There are so many police turn ins on the market that a top quality handgun can be had for $400—like SIGs and Glocks. I’ve seen HKs at that price point occasionally.

    But the ammo is more expensive. I like to shoot a lot, and I shoot what I carry. I carry a 9mm because I can afford to run 400 rounds a month through it, and I keep my skills up.

    If I bought a .40 to carry, I’d be spending more money to shoot, and that eventually negates the savings on the handgun.

    That’s why I don’t have a .357 carry revolver, just a 4″ 686. If I carried a .357 snubby, I’d have to shoot alot. That’s expensive. And painful. Kind of like shooting a small .40.

  26. i jave nothing agai st as 40 S&W if hadto puck betwer the 9mm or 40,i would puck the .40 hands down but i like my 10.. i 20sf and 29 more

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