SPORTS STARS: THE FEISTY FORTIES

Created on 14th May 2009

LAURIE HOLLAND on the .40 S&W, which remains popular despite the criticism of some

Most western military and police forces had adopted high-capacity 9mm Parabellum semi-auto pistols by the last quarter of the 20th century. While the soldiers have stuck with 9mm in deference to the need for equipment standardisation, American police forces and law enforcement agencies had second thoughts about these good-handling and cheap-to-feed weapons. Effectiveness, in the form of stopping power, proved inferior to .357 Magnum wheelguns even with over twice as many shots in the locker. The FBI was particularly concerned after agents died in a 1986 gunfight with cornered bank robbers, one cause being a perfectly placed 9mm expanding bullet that failed.

Bren Ten

Such events had been prophesied by big-bore pistol enthusiasts. In response, Weaver stance inventor Col. Jeff Cooper and ballistician Whit Collins designed their ideal semi-auto pistol cartridge. This was a 10mm that would give 180-200gn 0.400" diameter bullets 1,000fps for an accurate pistol-cartridge combination that would do more damage to the target than the 9mm, while being more shooter-friendly than .45ACP+P. Norma adopted it as the 10mm Auto around 1983, but it was initially only chambered in the Bren Ten, an upsized and strengthened stainless steel CZ75. This pistol quickly achieved celebrity status through on-screen use by fictional detective Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice. It also gained notoriety for the inability of makers Dornaus & Dixon Enterprises to deliver examples - even more so reliable magazines. Despite the manufacturer's demise in 1986, the 10mm Auto survived thanks to Colt Industries' 10mm Delta Elite, a beefed-up M1911, subsequently reinforced by S&W with its Model 1076 which was adopted by the FBI in 1990.

Into production

They say you can't have too much of a good thing, but it's not true. Norma's 10mm approached .357 or even .41 Magnum ballistics, giving a 200gn bullet 1,200fps or a 170 1,300. These loadings produced rapid gun wear, heavy recoil and substantial muzzle blast. Large-frame pistols were needed to hold deep (single-stack) magazines for the 1.260" COAL cartridge, so were larger and heavier than equivalent ‘nines', had less magazine capacity and used grip sizes that caused problems for officers with small hands, particularly in the ‘weak-hand' hold. In response, FBI staff handloaded 180gn bullets at 980fps and Federal put this load into production (actually at 950fps), reducing blast and recoil.

.40 S&W

Smith & Wesson looked at this FBI-load (popularly called ‘10mm-Lite') and decided the reduced powder charge didn't need a near inch-long case. A reduction of 0.15" brought COAL to 1.135", close to the 9mmP, and allowed it to be used in modified (small-frame) 9mm pistol designs - enter the .40 S&W in 1990 alongside the S&W Model 4006 pistol. There was more to things than trimming: the magnum strength 10mm Auto case was redrawn with a thinner case-head and walls; the primer size changed from large to small. Not only did this version solve the grip size problem, but the 4006 and the many competitors that appeared employed double-stack magazines, increasing capacity. The US SAAMI institute lists three loadings: a 155gn STHP at 1,195fps an FMJ of the same weight at 1,115fps and a 180gn JHP at 985fps, all loaded to an MAP of 35,000psi. And what are the downsides? You don't increase the 9mm's ME by 40% without getting sharper recoil, but it's manageable. Also, some pistols that are modified 9mm designs see the feed ramp intrude into the chamber to get the fatter .40 to feed well at the expense of case-head support. There are reports of blow-outs wrecking pistols, invariably with handloads or commercially reloaded ammo with the case on its second or subsequent use.

Politically correct?

US law enforcement sidearm procurement in police forces is currently dominated by 40 S&W pistols at all levels as well as Federal agencies, the Navy's NCIS investigation branch being the latest adopter. Civilians have gone for it in a big way. Sales of pistols, ammunition and handloading tools put it in the American ‘big three' alongside 9mm and .45ACP. Over a dozen companies produce ammo loaded with 135gn, 140gn, 145gn, 155gn, 160gn, 165gn, 170gn and 180gn bullets in various configurations as well as a 115gn Glaser ‘Safety Slug' load. The 155gn and 165gn versions are the most popular, some of the former bettering 1,200fps for 500ft/lbs ME. It is popular in action-shooting sports, often handloaded to lower MVs that just meet the ‘power-factors'.

Not everybody is delighted - Cooper's disciples quip that S&W is an abbreviation of ‘Short and Weak'. Some critics complain its adoption was driven by political correctness, in particular policies that put women in ‘inappropriate' law enforcement roles - but such chauvinists' views notwithstanding, the cartridge is what the market wants. While 10mm Auto popularity declined after the .40 S&W's introduction, American civilian shooter interest has now resurfaced as an alternative to the .45ACP for self-defence. Many more pistols are being chambered for the cartridge, and the smaller US ammunition companies have developed some very hot loads.

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