.40 S&W
The .40 S&W is a 10 mm pistol rimless cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson a famous American firearms manufacturer.
History
It evolved from the 10 mm Auto pistol ammunition which had been adopted by the FBI, but turned out to be too powerful. When the FBI started using a lowered charge version of the 10 mm Auto ammunition, Smith & Wesson redesigned the cartridge to make it shorter while maintaining the performance of the 10 mm Auto lowered charge FBI load. The .40 S&W being shorter then the 10 mm Auto, many existing 9 mm Luger pistols could be adapted by their respective manufacturers to fire the new cartridge.
Performance
The new .40 S&W cartridge has become a huge success in the United States, because its much more capable then the 9 mm Luger, without the overkill of the 10mm Auto cartridge. In the rest of the world it has become a popular combat shooting sports cartridge.
The .40 S&W is the considered by some the best cartridge for law enforcement use available today, combining superior stopping power when used with expanding ammunition and manageable recoil into a package that remains compact.
Muzzle velocity
- 8.7 g (135 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 400 m/s : 1310 ft/s
- 11.6 g (180 Gr) Full Metal Jacket: 290 m/s : 950 ft/s
Synonyms
- .40
- .40 S&W
- .40 Auto
- .40 Short & Wimpy
- .40 Liberty
- 10mm Kurz
See Also