Best 40S&W pistol….

[Noble Sniper]

Just as the title says…. What is your favorite or preferred handgun chambered in 40S&W. I don’t want to hear how much better 9mm is etc…. Nothin but love for the FOTAY!!!

 

[Squid556]

I usually stay away from “best” debates but you clickbaited me pretty good. I’ll bite.

With my experience…. I’m going to say the Glock model 22. Mine shoots great. Lots of officers have trusted and carried the 22 for many years. The 27 is too rowdy. 40 needs a full size for my hands anyway.

Shot the Shield in a 40 cal and honestly never again. Too hot n heavy of a round for something that small and light.

But I’m willing to bet that the consensus of others is going to be something along the lines of the Sig 229.

 

[foszoe]

Beretta 9000

 

[Dean C.]

The original 229

 

[Steve]

I don't have a dog in this fight, but my son swears by his Beretta 96F. High capacity mags and can be converted to 9mm very easily if desired.

 

[1775usmarine]

S&W CHP 4006

 

[Peacekeeper3073]

In 40 I prefer the Glock 23

 

[Expat]

The original 229

This or the H&K USP40

 

[VERT]

Let’s start with what not to buy. That is a compact pistol in .40S&W. They are to light and can be a bit of handful. 40 was developed as a service cartridge so leave it in a service pistol. A Glock 23 is as small as I would recommend.

From there simply pick a service pistol. Sig 226, Glock 22, Beretta 96. All good choices.

My vote is for the HiPoint. It is big and is basically a cheap Glock ForTay

 

[1nderbeard]

Glock 22 is good.
I made the mistake of buying a 27 for my second handgun purchase ever. I eventually learned to shoot it, but it's pretty hard to manage without a full size magazine and grip sleeve. That's how I carry it. With that, it's a nice carry gun.

 

[mcapo]

CZ SP01 in 40 followed by a SW4006.

 

[Amishman44]

In .40 S&W...lotta good recommendations listed above - Beretta, Glock, H&K, Sig Sauer, S&W, etc.
All good guns that have gotten the job done for many, many years...
I grew up on SA revolvers, so I tend to favor the Glock grip angle due to muscle-memory.
That doesn't mean other pistols are not good, it just means that I'm most comfortable with the Glock platform from a grip-angle with a 'natural point-of-aim' approach.
I do concur with the 'it was designed as a service round, keep it in a service sized pistol'...and for many, (if one doesn't like a heavier felt-recoil) that leans towards keeping it in something a bit larger for better recoil management.
I concur that the .40 S&W does handle better in a service-sized pistol, which I will include the Glock 23, but I've carried and shot .40 S&W in the Glock 27 subcompact-sized pistol for years and have had no issues with it. While it does have a bit more felt-recoil than a 9mm, with practice, that can be managed. But, I also like heavier calibers, such as .454 Casull, so maybe I'm a bit more used to handling a heavier recoil which is why the .40 S&W in a subcompact-sized pistol doesn't bother me as much???
I will say this, if you get something in Glock - and the new Gen 5 Glock 22 and 23, with the heavier (or more 'robust' slide) designed to handle the heavier recoil - felt recoil is mitigated a bit due to the heavier slide.
If you get a Gen 2-4 Glock 22 or 23, you would have the option to add a .357 SIG barrel and/or a 9mm conversion barrel to it and then shoot multiple calibers through one handgun!
A lot of it is what you're going to feel comfortable with...so if you can get to a range where you can rent a few different .40 S&W pistols, and shoot them, you might have a better idea of what is more comfortable for you and help take you in a direction you want to go with it?

 

[88E30M50]

I’ve collected .40 pistols for a while now and of all of them, it’s the Sig P229 that is my favorite. The Sig P226 would be a very close second and on some days, would push the P229 out of first.

This is based on experience with shooting and carrying multiple Glock 23s, 27s, CZ P07s, P09s, 75Bs, a 40P, an SP01 and a S&W 4006 CHP. All of those were in .40 and all were carried and shot regularly when carried. The SP01 and 4006 only made it into the holster one or two times before I decided that they were not a good fit for my EDC routine.

For a long time, I considered the G23 to be the epitome of an EDC handgun. It’s really good, but then I found the P229 and P226 and now the G23 feels awkward and odd to me. A plus with the P229 and P226 is that it’s just a barrel swap from shooting .357 Sig. The Glock is as well, but while the .357 Sig is a sweet round through the Sigs, it feels sharp to me in a Glock. I hesitate to say snappy because it’s different than snappy.

Right now, I have a P229 Legion that was bought in .40, but is carried with a .357 Sig barrel on my hip as I type this. Love this setup

 

[Lost Californian]

Started with a P226, then went to the 1911 platform. My favorite right now is my Springfield EMP. Just got an M&P Compact in .40, and that is doing well, also.

 

[88E30M50]

In .40 S&W...lotta good recommendations listed above - Beretta, Glock, H&K, Sig Sauer, etc.
All good guns that have gotten the job done for many years...
I do concur with the 'it was designed as a service round...keep it in a service-sized pistol'...
It does handle better in a service-sized pistol, including the Glock 23, but I've carried and shot .40 S&W in the Glock 27 subcompact-sized pistol for years and have had no issues with it. It does have a bit more felt-recoil than a 9mm, but with practice, that can be managed. I also like heavier calibers, such as .454 Casull, so maybe I'm a bit more used to handling a heavier recoil which is why the .40 S&W in a subcompact-sized pistol doesn't bother me as much???
I will say this, if you get something in Glock - and the new Gen 5 Glock 22 and 23, with the heavier (or more 'robust' slide) designed to handle the heavier recoil - felt recoil is mitigated a bit just because of the heavier slide.
If you get a Gen 2-4 Glock 22 or 23, you would have the option to add a .357 SIG barrel and/or a 9mm conversion barrel to it and then shoot multiple calibers through one handgun!
A lot of it is what you're going to feel comfortable with...so if you can get to a range where you can rent a few different .40 S&W pistols, and shoot them, you might have a better idea of what is more comfortable for you and help take you in a direction you want to go with it?

Slide weight makes a big difference in .40. Early CZ compacts in .40 used a 9mm weight slide and compensated for the additional power by cutting the spring house down to allow more slide travel, then added a heavier recoil spring. Those can be tough to get to run well with that light slide. The increased travel can cause spring bind on the weight of springs that the gun likes, drastically reducing recoil spring life down to about 250 rounds. I’ve tried recoiled reduction systems and the gun ate them in under 50 rounds.

What I found that works was to source a heavier 40P slide and have it modified (thanks to AllenM) to work with a safety equipped 75B Compact frame. The gun now runs like a top and does not need extra power hammer and recoil springs to be reliable.

 

[JohnP82]

Love the .40
If I could only have one it would be a Glock 23. But I really like the G22 and G27 as well.

Have shot many by; Beretta, Sig, and HK that are very nice too.

 

[Amishman44]

For a long time, I considered the G23 to be the epitome of an EDC handgun. It’s really good, but then I found the P229 and P226 and now the G23 feels awkward and odd to me. A plus with the P229 and P226 is that it’s just a barrel swap from shooting .357 Sig. The Glock is as well, but while the .357 Sig is a sweet round through the Sigs, it feels sharp to me in a Glock. I hesitate to say snappy because it’s different than snappy.

Right now, I have a P229 Legion that was bought in .40, but is carried with a .357 Sig barrel on my hip as I type this. Love this setup

I'm with you on this...I got out of .357 SIG back after the '09 economic meltdown and had to sell off a bunch of stuff to pay bills. I was a teacher, who had just switched school districts, and got caught in the economic downturn crunch!
Recently, bought a .357 SIG barrel for a Glock 35 and started shooting .357 SIG again...what a smooth + accurate shooter it is in .357 SIG! You are correct, the .357 SIG has a different felt-recoil than 9mm or .40 S&W...and tough to describe (verbally), but it's a very flat shooting round, and the felt-recoil is definitely distinct, as compared to other calibers.

 

[63PGP]

Another vote for the HK USP

 

[Expat]

I do like the 357 Sig. I have barrels for my Sig P229 and P239. Then also for the H&K USPc 40.

 

[223 Gunner]

MY EDC is an HK VP40 LE.
I also own a very nice Lipsey's Glock 23.
I have owned and fired many .40's over the years. Owned and carried a USP 40 for a few years.
Those are my picks for the best .40 caliber pistols.