Guns guns & more guns - reviews & news from USMB members' sage wisdom & time tested experiences...

[Sahba]

The P320 really seems to have a phenomenal trigger (per the video) with a predictable back wall / sear break, especially as a DA only, with a mere 5 #. I'm definitely going to have to test out this striker fire gun...

 

[fncceo]

Towards this end of positive feedback, advice & tips, I'm creating this thread.

The Smith & Wesson Shield has been a market hit with millions sold. A friend of mine has owned three. He prefers the 9mm after trying the .40 and finding it a bit too snappy.

I've always been a 1911 guy but that huge chunk of steel is too much to carry. I've become very interested in the CC market and especially pocket carry over the last few years. In that light, I have two pistols for you:

When S&W came out with the Shield in .45, I got one. Single stack .45. It's a handful to shoot but pleasant as all .45s are. They push more than snap. It's my Winter/Fall heavy clothing CC and glove compartment pistol.

For warm weather light clothing, I have the Colt Mustang XSP in .380. It's single action trigger is crisp and I can print an impressive (for me) pattern with it. It fits in my pocket and is well hidden by my Desantis pocket holster.

I haven't been impressed with the micro carry .380s out there that are double action only. If you're only firing a .380, you bloody well need to hit what your aiming at. Single action allows for far better accuracy.

My duty weapon is a MP40 ... my backup and off duty carry is a Shield. The combination of punch and portability make it an ideal concealed carry.

 

[Sahba]

My boxes of Hornady 10mm also say .400" in small font. Am I correct in assuming that I can reload .40 S&W brass with them and run them through my .40's? Not sure about it cus 10mm is about .393" (rounded to the thousandths) by my calculation... Well actually I know that I 'can' run them but is it advisable to do so being .007" under?

 

[SavannahMann]

My boxes of Hornady 10mm also say .400" in small font. Am I correct in assuming that I can reload .40 S&W brass with them and run them through my .40's? Not sure about it cus 10mm is about .393" (rounded to the thousandths) by my calculation... Well actually I know that I 'can' run them but is it advisable to do so being .007" under?

The .40 S&W has a history to it. When the FBI was looking for a new issue weapon they fired several looking for power, reliability, and durability. One round was a HRT guy who was shooting his own mix of 10MM. He loaded them light, and the FBI asked Smith and Wesson to develop that cartridge. Smith And Wesson said they could, or they could cut the brass down and chamber an existing weapon for it. Thus the .40 S&W was invented as a cut down light version of the 10 MM which was itself intended to be a magnum version of a 9MM.

.40 S&W - Wikipedia

History has shown the .40 did not perform as well as hoped. That is part of the reason the FBI has gone back to 9MM. The studies showed that most shots missed and thus more ammo was preferred to bigger. More ammo meant more chances for a hit. This shooting technique is called spray and pray.

In the question of firepower. You want a Cannon that fits in a change pocket. Since that doesn’t exist it is a balancing act of power versus portability. A Desert Eagle chambered for the .50 AE May be powerful, but it weighs a ton and is concealable with a backpack, and little else.

As my Father said. It is a good gun if you have a fence post to rest it on.

I don’t own a handgun larger than 9MM or .357. All the power in the world is useless if it requires a little red wagon to tote it around with. In Georgia I can’t imagine any threat, man or beast, that can not be stopped by a .357. If I lived in Alaska I might reconsider that and look for a good .44. But in Georgia we don’t have animals large enough to warrant that kind of power.

 

[boedicca]

"Shoot them with the pointy end."

 

[Sahba]

Tks, that's definitely some info that I didn't have. With my latest post on my mind I actually ran through a few drills a few hr's ago with my subcompact & full size PX4's in both .40 & 9mm. It was just sort of anecdotal / perceived testing as I didn't have someone to time me. I've always been sort of partial to the subcompact & compact PX4's as they're still chunky sizeable pistols (despite their size designations). I've really always liked the .40's for some reason, especially when I'm moving & acquiring a new target every shot. I'm more of an instinctive shooter & don't really aim to the extent that many on the range do. I'ts almost like the sharp snap of the .40 jolts my brain into the reflex acquisition of the next target (kind of hard to describe). The only time I feel that my particular 9's have the edge is when I'm returning to the same target for successive shots in a fixed position.

The PX4's do have that rotating barrel (counter to the spiraling) dissipating felt recoil so that could be a significant factor. I do know that my CC 9's (single stacks) buck a hell of a lot more & are significantly harder to bring back on target (obviously). If I could CC my PX4 subcompacts in athletic wear I would but they're just too chunky & heavy to be tolerated on a run etc. Tks, for the reloading advice on my current supply of 10mm I'll try loading some up & give them a go...

 

[longknife]

 

[Pilot1]

Any tips on shooting heavy recoiling revolvers more accurately & overcoming that inevitable flinch factor? I've got a .44 mag that I'm determined to master, lol.

Start reloading. Work up .44 Special light loads which are fine in the .44 mag. Put a snap cap in with the live loads to show you when you flinch. All will be revealed.