.40, why/why not?

[Gadgetsrfun]

The key there is "Heart and lung damage".

Well placed shot.. Not always the case with a defensive situation..

 

[protective measures]

Off topic sort of, I have been a handgun deer hunter for 20 years or more..

The terminal effect of a 357 with 158 grain JHP at 50 yards and under is nothing short of devastating on a whitetail deer.. In my experience.. DRT (Dead Right There) Heart and lung damage is scary in fact.. 44 mag even more so..

As long as the bullet placement is proper.

Well placed shot.. Not always the case with a defensive situation..

Which is why it often takes more than one☺.

 

[Corn Pop Was a Bad Dude]

The key there is "Heart and lung damage".

I try to shoot my doe in the head; no meat wasted what so ever.

 

[Gadgetsrfun]

My wife bought my first pistol after we got married, a Smith and wesson 4013 .40. I have always loved the gun and have become extremely accurate with it. Since this was my first pistol I didn't want to buy others in various calibers, simply to just consolidate calibers. So I'm curious for those either love .40, or hate it (I know there are quite a few), why? Thanks for your time!

SO.. OP.. After all this information and opining what is your assessment / conclusion and what is your decision??

 

[cmshoot]

Well placed shot.. Not always the case with a defensive situation..

Exactly!

 

[medium187mph]

I love the bandwagon! 5 years ago this thread would have been complete opposite....

 

[biker_bill]

I love the bandwagon! 5 years ago this thread would have been complete opposite....

I think you're right!

 

[Gadgetsrfun]

I think you're right!

1911.. Awesome for the past 100 years..

 

[spencer60]

One of the more interesting studies done on 'stopping power'... i.e. how many shots a particular caliber takes to stop an attacker.

The full article is here:
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/alternate-look-handgun-stopping-power

But when it comes to 9 vs. 40, here's a few relevant findings...

9mm Luger
=========
% of hits that were fatal - 24%
Average number of rounds until incapacitation - 2.45
% of people who were not incapacitated - 13%
One-shot-stop % - 34%


.40 S&W
=======
% of hits that were fatal - 25%
Average number of rounds until incapacitation - 2.36
% of people who were not incapacitated - 13%
One-shot-stop % - 45%

There's a lot more in the article, and the study it's about, but as you can see there really isn't much difference between the results you get with 9mm and 40 S&W.

 

[medium187mph]

^ I would assume threats were 5 yards at most... A .380 could do that but that's for another thread (380 vs 9mm)