What are the best platforms for the .40

[ToddG]

Do you have any good poop on the service life of the M&P .40?

Not from personal experience. I know that Smith, in controlled tests, has plenty of guns well over 20k ... but whether that means 25k or 40k I couldn't tell you.

[JAXM4]

Thanks for all the info, I am going to start looking for a deal on a M&P and give it a go I do believe. What is a good concealment holster for one of theese?

[John_Wayne777]

Raven Concealment Systems is the carry gear I use daily.

[DANGER CLOSE]

of the various popular .40s out there that i have tried, i settled on the m&p 40 which works for me. in the other hand i would not discount the glock, and i am no big fan of glock, but it works. a local sheriff's office here uses the glock 23 compensated with light mount and using subsonic defensive loads with flawless reports. could it just be the combination?

[gtmtnbiker98]

of the various popular .40s out there that i have tried, i settled on the m&p 40 which works for me. in the other hand i would not discount the glock, and i am no big fan of glock, but it works. a local sheriff's office here uses the glock 23 compensated with light mount and using subsonic defensive loads with flawless reports. could it just be the combination?

+1. I own both the M&P 40 FS and the M&P 40c and the M&P 40c is my EDC. Love it!!

[sigmundsauer]

All pistols have their positive and negative attributes. None are perfect. That said I think either a SIG P226/9 or an HK P2000 in .40 are sound choices. Both platforms performed very well in the homeland security test protocol, which was pretty demanding. Tests of this nature tend to separate the wheat from the chaff....or the professional grade weapons from the commercial.

I tend to favor accuracy, reliability, and durability over more subjective shooting qualities often found in lesser pistols, as adequate training and practice can cut the distance between designs considerably but it's hard to make up for mechanical/design shortcomings.

Sure will be nice when you can get world-class reliability, accuracy, durability in a pistol that also forfeits nothing in shootability. Still looking, although I find [small] size an increasingly more meaningful characteristic to my lifestyle.

My personal choice in .40 is an HK P2000 with LEM. I have been tremendously pleased with this pistol. Size, accuracy, reliability, and simplicity of manual of arms are exceptional. It does sacrifice some level of speed, though, but only what could be measured by a tenth of a second or so.

Tim

[RojasTKD]

OK this may sound a bit odd, of all my gun the 40 that has impressed me most is a FN Hi-Power (in .40 of course). I've only had a few range sessions with it and come away amazed with the tight group it shoots.

The sad part is that is such a nice looking satin blue finish that I hate to take it out. It's a real beaut! I do get hammer bite from time to time when shooting, aside from that it's sweet. I even considered as a carry gun because I can shoot it so well, but it just too beautiful for that.

juat thought I'd share.

Oh, and to answer the question... just like most things, there is not single "best" for everyone. It will depend on what you want to use it for (carry, range, competition... etc.), and you personal taste.

[Jack_Stroker]

I've only ever owned or fired one .40S&W hand gun. (Not a huge fan of the caliber.) It was a Springfield Armory XD-40. Great gun. I rather enjoyed shooting it. I sold it because there was something else I wanted at the time and sacrificed it for funds. Additionally, by dropping the XD-40 I consolidated my semi-auto handgun calibers down to two. 9mm and .45ACP. I later missed having an XD, so I bought an XD-45. I now own two of them but that's another story.

I've been thinking about getting another .40S&W handgun just for the hell of it. Here is what I've been looking at:

Beretta 96 -Classic weapon. The Beretta 92FS is a favorite of mine, so the same gun in .40S&W is appealing.
XD-40 -While I liked my XD-40, it has a really low round count compared to newer .40S&W pistols. This is also a problem with the Beretta 96, but it isn't a deal breaker.
Baby Eagle -I've fired this gun in 9mm and my girlfriend LOVED this gun in .40S&W. If I buy one of these it will be for her, and I'll fire it occasionally.
Beretta Vertec 96 -Same Beretta with an improved grip and accessory rail. The largest con here is the price.
Beretta 90-Two -Improved version of the Beretta 96 with a higher capacity magazine.
XD-M -This is probably my leading choice. I love the XD and this is an improved version of that. 16 rounds in a .40S&W magazine is pretty impressive.

Weapons I've looked at and eliminated:

H&K USP .40 -Eliminated due to the magazine release being in an awkward location when operating the weapon one handed.