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mr surveyor wrote:I love my 40.... and my 45...my 9....38 spl.....and the 32.....the 22's...the 25....oh heck, I love em all!

I don't see anything at all wrong with the 40S&W, and actually appreciate the increase in fps over the 45...but, given a choice of only one (and sufficient ammo availability) I would take the 45 hands down, particularly in a 1911 frame.

surv

Here's the thing... I don't really see anything wrong with the .40, it's just that it seems kind of limited compared to the .45. You can't load the .40 up any hotter than it already is, and there's no good reason to load it down. It may have a more brisk velocity than a .45, but then it's also only a 180 grain bullet, so the energy on target is comparable. OTH, I've got some 185 grain +P .45 ammo from Corbon with a muzzle velocity of 1150 fps - definitely faster and a just a tad heavier than the .40 cal load. And when you match the 200 grain .40 to a 200 grain +P .45, there is no doubt as to which is the superior cartridge in terms of energy delivered. It's not that the .40 is a bad cartridge. It's not. It just doesn't seem as versatile to me, that's all.

The XD is a great pistol (and also the newer variant, the XD-m). You could do worse than an XD.

Regarding .40 cal... I also own an H&K USP Compact in .40 cal - a pistol with which I was very frustrated for a very long time before the addition of a lighter hammer spring, new sights, and an ambidextrous safety made it livable for me. It is a good gun, but If Kimbers are outside your price range, then H&K's are probably too expensive also. But, whether or not the gun was expensive or needed so much customization, there is one thing I do regret about it, and that is that I bought in .40 cal. instead of .45 ACP. Knowing what I know today, I would have asked for it in .45.

My reasons have nothing to do with my confidence in the .40 caliber round. It's a perfectly capable round, and I have no doubt that anyone I shot with it would wish that I hadn't. It's just that it kind of falls into a bland middle ground between the 9mm and the .45, and it answers a question that's not really being asked (any more). There's never really been any question of the effectiveness of the .45 ACP round, and modern advances in 9mm bullet design have rendered the .40 cal. almost superfluous. Add to that the fact that the .40 cal, in its commercial offerings, is already operating at maximum pressure for the cartridge, you can't really improve on it, or safely shoot a "+P" load. I already own pistols in .22 LR, .380, .38 Special, 9mm, .45, and .44 magnum, and the .40 is just one more caliber I have to buy now, which doesn't really distinguish itself so much that it is any kind of huge improvement on carrying either a 9mm or a .45.

But that's just me, and to each his own. Now that I've got the H&K configured to where I actually like the gun and enjoy shooting it, I don't want to sell it. But my life would be simpler if I didn't have to buy a separate caliber for it. That's all. Maybe I'm being too picky, and if .40 cal is what floats your boat, by all means get one.

A 3" Kimber - pick your flavor.

Compact, lightweight, the best trigger of the bunch mentioned here, AND it is accurate.