40 S&w?

[dk17hmr]

Looking around in the loading room today and come to find out we have alot, I mean alot of 40 S&W brass but we dont have a gun to load the brass for.
So.....
Who makes the best 40 semi auto?

Glock and the Springfield XD come to mind, I havent shot an XD but I have fired a
Glock and that would take some getting use to for me, but there was a thread one AR15.com about the crap a guy put a Glock through without cleaning and it was amazing. Salt water baths, covering in sand, actually shooting it with a 22lr. Ill have to look for a link to it. But seems to me a 40 would be useful around the "ranch" here.

DK

[broomhandle]

Hi DK,

I would recomend a IMI Baby Eagle in 40 cal. I have one & am well pleased.
It is a all Steel pistol it holds 12 + 1 The parts are made in Italy by Tafragno & finished in Israel

I understand the EAA & Tafrango are VERY GOOD pistols for the price, & there seems to be more add ons & grips for them.
If you buy a 10 mm pistol with the large frame, you can get a extra top end or just a barrel for the 40. Go to the CZ clone website.

I have been told most slides & barrels interchange with in the line.

I just cannot get myself to buy a Glock I guess I'm just old school.
I don't like the BIG bulge you get in the brass when you shoot a Glock 40 with a unsupported case.
Please remember you may have a problem shooting lead bullets in a Glock.

Be well & safe,
broomhandle

[9.3X62AL]

I've decided on a CZ-75 for my next 40 S&W. All steel, great classic platform, and 1-16" twist rate instead of the usual 1-10" twist found in most 40 S&W's. Much more lead friendly (potentially). $300 less than a SIG-Sauer, too.

[DanWalker]

I second the suggestion of the baby eagle. A real good friend of mine has one in 45 ACP and it's a gem. His boss has one as well, and they both love them. His digests just about anything you feed it, and shoots nice tight groups with boring regularity.
If I was hankering a semi auto to tote around,(instead of my beloved sixguns) that's what I'd get.
I shot the baby glock in 40 S&W also. Nice rig, but I'm not a huge glock fan either.

[versifier]

I like my .40S&W Glock 23. However, if you want to reload for one and/or shoot cast, the factory barrel needs to be replaced. They are designed to feed and fire anything, but that comes with a price, an overly large chamber. Also the case head is not well supported which produces bulged and weakened brass that is dangerous to reload. That said, the pistol is accurate for a carry gun (3-4" for a 13rd mag @ 25') and reliable (never a jam or a failure to feed or fire). The trigger took two range sessions to get used to, now I don't think about it. It is not a particularly fun pistol to shoot - it is very loud and the recoil produces an abrupt muzzle rise that gives your little finger a workout to compensate for. I like it because it is very easy to carry and conceal, and with no controls on the slide there is nothing to flip or push that would distract you at a critical moment. They are also virtually indestructable and stand up well under heavy use in all kinds of climates and weather conditions.

[Johnch]

I own a S&W Sigma and a Sig 229 .
I used to own a Glock 22 and a Beretta 96 .

STAY AWAY from the Beretta 96 !
I had nothing but problems and they were a SOB to get them to fix it , so I sold it as soon as it came back .

The Sigma shoots good and seems to durable .
I have put 3 -4000 rnds thru it with no problems .
But it is a Glock knock off and you have the Looong trigger pull .

The Glock shot well , I had a normaly rifled barrel and shot a lot of cast thru it .
But just before the hicap magazine band went off I sold it and the 6 extra Hicap mags I had for some good $$ ( $80 a extra hicap mag).
Sort of miss it .

The Sig 229 is my favorit 40 to enjoy shooting .
It shoots everything I stick in it , good to great

I picked it up from CDNN as a police trade in .
I also picked up 10 extra 10 rnd mags for $6.99 each ( normaly is 12 rnds )

I just got done loading 1/2 a 5 gallon bucket of Cast bullet ammo for it .

Johnch

[ANeat]

I have an XD in 40S&W and really like it. I had a Glock and the grip and reach to the trigger never felt just right. I was shooting a little USPSA at the time and when I switched to the XD my scores improved right away.

The XD does have more chamber support and a conventional rifled barrel that can shoot cast.

The Witness/Baby Eagle are nice guns as well but I havent shot one enough to say much more. If I came across one I would sure get it.

[JRR]

I have owned the Glock 22/Jarvis barrel, Glock 23/Barstow barrel, HK 40, and CZ75B SA(single action only). The CZ is the best I have owned in 40 S&W. Better ergonomics and the most accurate with both jacketed and cast bullets (especially cast).
JEFF

[obssd1958]

I have 2 of the Tanfoglio witness pistols, imported by EAA. I did a lot of research before I bought them. I was looking for a 10mm - not a lot of choices - without the grip safety. I ended up buying a brand new full size, steel fame, Wonder finish (kind of looks like a matte stainless and VERY hard) 10mm for $340, tax and all. I then purchased a .40 cal barrel for it from Alex at savvysurvivor.com - $85 shipped.
Both work very well. I also ran across a guy that had a compact steel framed witness in .45 ACP. I bought it for $200 and picked up a 4 1/2 inch ported barrel for $40. Great combination in the .45!!
I like the fact that you can carry the Witness "cocked and locked" and both of mine are SA/DA. The double action trigger pull is long, but not heavy, and the single action is light and crisp.
I have shot 450-500 TC 170gr lead from the 10mm and it will keep a 10 round magazine in a pie plate offhand at 50 yards. It shoots 180gr j-words about the same.
The .45 does even better with 230gr RN. :Fire:

I also owned a Glock model 22 in .40 cal. I definitely like the Witness better.

Just my experiences. YMMV!

Don

[Hi-Performance Bullet Coatings]

I have a S&W M&P in 40 cal that just loves cast bullets.
Conventional rifling and a good chamber support (no "Glock" case bulge).

[dk17hmr]

Those Witness are they a double stack mag?
Looks alot like a CZ to me.

DK

[obssd1958]

The Witness is a CZ copy, and yes the mags are double stack.
One thing that I forgot to mention in the previous post - they make the Witness in at least 2 different frame sizes. That means not all parts are interchangeable.
The best resource that I have found for these is at:

http://www.savvysurvivor.com/gearrevewtangfoglio_witness_series_pistol.htm

That page should answer most of the configuration questions about these fine handguns!

Don