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*cracks knuckles* https://twitter.com/jsalama5/status/1357002417724928001
You see, there was this FBI shootout in Miami, FL on April 11th 1986. On that day one suspect was shot with a 9mm round in the shoulder coming less than an inch from his heart a fatal wound but not a incapacitating one. He was able to fight on a few more minutes.
The FBI had .357 Magnum revolvers, 12Ga shotguns and 9mm issued weapons. Almost all rounds missing the suspects entirely. The after action report instead of focusing on the absolutely abysmal marksmanship under fire they focused on the one loan round to actually his a suspect.
Rather than order increased training for FBI or elevating standards for field agents they decided they needed a round with more stopping power despite agents having .357 Magnums and 12Ga shotguns at the time of the shootout.
So after the usual govt trials in 1989 the FBI selected the 10mm for field agents. Now we have agents that can’t hit the broad side of the barn with a hand cannon. So what little standards and qualifications they had couldn’t be met by FBI agents.
NOW in steps Smith & Wesson seeing an opportunity. They go to the FBI and say “Hay we can pud load that 10mm round and neuter it enough for your limp dick agents to qualify”.
And here comes the .40S&W into the world. A round no one wanted, needed or asked for but met a contact demand. And as the FBI goes the rest of law enforcement goes. So police forces around the country adopted the .40S&W
All the while saying “HAY ITS THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS! We get the best of .45ACP and 9mm in one caliber!!!”
But they didn’t. It didn’t provide the stopping power of 10mm or .45ACP but gave you all the downside of less capacity.
But they didn’t. It didn’t provide the stopping power of 10mm or .45ACP but gave you all the downside of less capacity.
It wasn’t the best of both worlds, it was a comprise of both. It didn’t have 2 benefits. It had 2 minuses.
BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER!!!!!
BUT WAIT IT GETS BETTER!!!!!
The 10mm was a fantastic round designed by a genius Jeff Cooper in 1983. He build a whole new gun around the 10mm cartage. Think of 10mm as a Magnum round specifically designed for a semi-auto pistol. So it worked well in a gun designed for it.
Now let’s look at what Smith & Wesson did for the .40S&W... they went the cheapest route possible and just crammed the .40S&W into the frame of a 9mm handgun. Bing bang boom you have the .40S&W handgun.
What happens when you cram a high pressure round into a frame that was in no way designed for it?
So let’s catch all that up... you now have a round that no one really wanted or needed made strictly to met a govt contract. Met by a company who had no interest in making a good gun with a quality caliber. Just looking to push product.
And like a sober morning after the beer goggles come off tome ticked on and law enforcement saw the .40S&W for what it was. Not a double plus, but a double negative. And their guns were falling apart and rattling in their hands.
After less than 20 years of existence police agencies including the FBI started dumping the .40S&W and went back to the 9mm. The market for the last 10 years has been flooded with cheap surplus .40S&W from police agencies.
So in conclusion, you have 3 mainstream calibers. 9mm, .45ACP & .40S&W
Two of those have stood the test of time lasting 100+ years and were created to fill a need.
The other is .40S&W
Two of those have stood the test of time lasting 100+ years and were created to fill a need.
The other is .40S&W
