While both are plenty powerful enough for their intended role, subtle differences such as weight, recoil, and cost will likely factor into your personal decision to go with one or the other.
Table of contents
Introduction
You're looking to buy a handgun. Maybe it's your first time buying one, or maybe you just need something you don't currently have in your arsenal.
As if choosing from the sheer variety of handguns available wasn't potentially daunting enough (especially given how many clones of famous brands like Glock exist), maybe you also aren't sure of what ammunition you'll need your pistol to shoot given your personal situation and needs.
Maybe you have people in your corner insisting you buy something on the larger side- .45 ACP commonly pops up, but another contender and reliable favorite of the "bigger is better" crowd- particularly in the context of self-defense- is the .40 Smith and Wesson cartridge.
Or, alternatively, you (somewhat) more likely have been told 9mm Luger- the most common cartridge in the world- is a better choice.
Either way, you're probably a little confused and possibly overwhelmed, and will only walk out having chosen a weapon chambered in one caliber as the winner.
This is actually a surprisingly common dilemma, as all three of the calibers I just mentioned are so popular and widespread that they each have legions or ardent followers who insist their cartridge is the best- because they each do something better than the other, they like the feel of one over the other, or really a number of different reasons.
We've done comparisons between many cartridges here before, and this week, we will be comparing two of the aforementioned cartridges- the 9mm Luger and the .40 Smith and Wesson.
We've already compared the 9mm to the .45 ACP in an earlier post, but given that the .40 S&W is a good middle ground between the two in terms of size, power and cost, could it be the best of both worlds? Or is that just a misconception and does the 9mm Luger still reign supreme?
Read on to find out!
A brief history of the two cartridges
9mm Luger
The 9mm Luger has its origins back to 1901, when an Austrian firearm designer named Georg Luger modified one of his then-existing cartridges designs to work properly with a toggle locking mechanism for a new handgun design that would eventually become the fabled Luger P08 pistol. The idea behind his new round was the same as the core idea behind all cartridges- the round needed to be controllable enough to use and dangerous enough to be easily able to kill. Additionally, it needed to function in a semi-automatic pistol and its associated magazine- a new and revolutionary contraption at the time.
In 1902, after some tweaking of his original designs, the new 9mm ammunition Luger had modified was tested and very well-received in the German Empire- both the German Army and Navy adopted it by 1908, around the same time Luger's pistol was also nearing official adoption. The round was also applauded in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The P08 was so successful, in fact, it ended up serving Germany in the millions through both WW1 and WW2 and beyond, and the cartridge it fired (known as the 9mm Luger- although it also goes by 9mm Parabellum and 9x19mm Parabellum) had a legacy far beyond the life of its maker- it became the main pistol cartridge of most modern militaries by the late 20th century and it continues to be the main sidearm and submachinegun ammunition of choice for police, security personnel as well as private citizens.
The round's popularity shows no signs of abating, and the 9mm Luger is, by most metrics, the most popular (namely being the most widely used) handgun cartridge in the world today.
.40 Smith and Wesson
In 1986, agents working for the United States' Federal Bearu of Investigations (F.B.I) where involved in a shootout in Miami, Florida, in which 2 were killed and 5 others seriously wounded. The shootout was a disaster for the agency, who were armed at the time with revolvers in an age where semi-automatic pistols (that often held more than twice as much ammunition) where the expected norm.
Clearly, one of the most esteemed law enforcement agencies in the world desperately needed to catch up.
At the same time, the .38 Special round F.B.I agents used at the time where perfectly adequate for tackling violent suspects. Again, the problem was just the fact that revolvers have very limited capacities and take a long time to reload, so they decided to make a new round that had roughly the same amount of power yet was small enough and controllable enough to work in a semi-automatic pistol.
They started by testing the 9mm alongside the .45 ACP initially, although later 10mm Auto was also included. The ammunition tests involved various simulated scenarios similar to what F.B.I agents had historically most often encountered, such as shooting ammunition through heavy clothing, wooden barriers, windshields and light sheet metal and into blocks of ballistic gelatin meant to simulate human flesh in order to study the wounding capacities of these rounds.
The end results where that the 10mm Auto performed the best, but it's heavy recoil and large size precluded it from widespread issue at the time. So, ultimately, the cartridge was slightly modified by Smith and Wesson on the agency's request, being shortened slightly to 22mm, which gave it dimensions comparable to the 9mm Luger, yet also gave it more power. This meant that the new .40 S&W cartridge could fit inside existing 9mm framed pistols with minimal modifications and only a slight loss in overall capacity.
It was adopted immediately, with many other domestic law enforcement agencies following suite, and eventually, it became popular with civilians too- even after the F.B.I switched back to 9mm pistols in 2015 (citing improved bullet technology and decreased cost), .40 S&W remains extremely popular.
Things to consider when choosing
When it comes to comparing two cartridges objectively and evaluating the two for your personal use, there are a handful of things you would need to consider.
Energy and wounding potential
In terms of each round's physical ability to damage a human (or animal) target, the first measure that comes up is kinetic energy (i.e., the physical power of the speeding bullet).
By this measure, in most instances, the .40 S&W will be more energetic and therefore potentially more lethal... but wait!
Does this mean it is, in fact, objectively more dangerous?
let's look at some hard data, comparing the physical energy (and muzzle velocity) of several 9mm Luger and .40 S&W loads... but let's also add 2 other factors- bullet expansion and target penetration in ballistic gelatin. A larger bullet diameter means a larger and more destructive wound cavity, and deeper penetration means the bullet is more likely to reach and damage vital organs as well as get through heavy clothing, bone or other obstacles.
All data is based on a study done in 2015 by Luckygunner.
Note that all ammo selected by the author for this dataset had to have had average penetration depths of ~12-18 inches in ballistic gelatin as is recommended by the F.B.I. Please also note that entries in this data sample where handpicked and is not necessarily a comprehensive or accurate comparison.
9mm Luger:
Load details | 5 shot average velocity | Energy (calculated independently) | 5 shot average penetration depth | 5 shot average expanded bullet diameter |
115 gr Cor-Bon JHP +P | 1221 ft/s (372 m/s) | 380 ft-Ibs (515 J) | 13.6" (34.54 cm) | 0.56" (1.42 cm) |
Federal 124 gr HST | 1135 ft/s (346 m/s) | 354 ft-Ibs (480 J) | 18.3" (46.48 cm) | 0.61" (1.55 cm) |
Federal 147 gr HST | 973 ft/s (296.5 m/s) | 309 ft-Ibs (419 J) | 15.2" (38.6 cm) | 0.61" (1.55 cm) |
Barnes 115 gr TAC-XPD +P | 1043 ft/s (318 m/s) | 278 ft-Ibs (377 J) | 13.4" (34 cm) | 0.70" (1.78 cm) |
Speer 147 gr Gold Dot | 953 ft/s (290.5 m/s) | 296 ft-Ibs (401 J) | 16.1" (40.9 cm) | 0.42" (1.06 cm) |
And now the same data for select .40 S&W loads, again meeting the F.B.I penetration criteria:
Load details | 5 shot average velocity | Energy (calculated independently) | 5 shot average penetration depth | 5 shot average expanded bullet diameter |
Barnes 140 gr TAC-XPD | 1037 ft/s (316 m/s) | 334 ft/Ibs (453 J) | 12.4" (31.49 cm) | 0.76" (1.93 cm) |
Federal 155 gr Hydra-Shok | 1072 ft/s (327 m/s) | 395.5 ft/Ibs (536 J) | 18.4" (46.73 cm) | 0.63" (1.6 cm) |
Federal 165 gr Tactical Bonded | 978 ft/s (298 m/s) | 350.5 ft/Ibs (475 J) | 14" (35.56 cm) | 0.73" (1.85 cm) |
Federal 180 gr Hydra-Shok | 932 ft/s (284 m/s) | 347 ft/Ibs (470.5 J) | 16.4" (41.65 cm) | 0.60" (1.52 cm) |
Remington 180 gr Golden Saber | 924 ft/s (281.5 m/s) | 341 ft/Ibs (462 J) | 13.8" (35.05 cm) | 0.82" (2.08 cm) |
So, what does this all mean?
Well, for starters, as a general rule based on the data provided above, the .40 S&W will expand more and therefore leave a larger wound cavity than the 9mm loads will. It also appears to have on average, slightly more energy than the 9mm.
Secondly, as a very rough comparison, there appears to be no significant difference in the depth of overall penetration between .40 S&W loads and 9mm loads, and therefore, both are perfectly capable of providing adequate penetration if needed.
Ultimately, I'd say the winner based on raw wounding capacity alone will generally more often be the .40 S&W due to its increased size and power, but as you can see in the chart, some 9mm bullets actually expand more than some competing .40 S&W loads, and some also have comparable energy to an average .40 S&W load as well.
So, I'd say the overall ability to put down a target varies less by caliber and more by specific load.
Recoil
Here is another thing a lot of people may not readily get about these two cartridges- just because they have similar size, does not mean they have similar recoil.
By no means is either uncontrollable (even during rapid strings of fire), but the .40 S&W definitely has snappier recoil that's more uncomfortable and notably harsh on first-time shooters. Oddly, it also seems to have a bit of torque to it, in that .40 S&W handguns tend to recoil sideways a bit in addition to just flipping up, making it feel somewhat uncomfortable to shoot with more powerful loads- especially in polymer framed handguns.
The 9mm Luger, on the other hand, has a similar "snap" associated with it, but it's less noticeable and even first-time shooters don't seem to have a problem with it. The aforementioned "torque" is also minimal.
However, the recoil from the two rounds is usually fast enough that regardless of the exact sensation the shooter experiences, the gun will settle back on target very quickly and the time to get off follow-up shots will more likely be determined by the handgun itself rather than just the ammunition.
Conclusion? While the .40 S&W has noticeably more punishing recoil, it doesn't have much effect on a weapons ability to hit targets downrange compared to the 9mm. Therefore, 9mm will probably be a better option for first time shooters only if recoil is a primary concern.
Cost and availability
This point of comparison is much more straightforward than either of our previous two, but it's still not always clear cut.
Generally, however, 9mm will be cheaper (usually between 0.25$ and 1.50$, although some rounds may cost more than twice as much), and will almost certainly be more plentiful and widespread, but .40 S&W will usually be quite cheap as well, and it's also basically everywhere.
Additionally, the variety of loads available in either caliber is as diverse as humanity itself, so in that regard, it's probably a draw.
Note however than not all loads cost the same- for example .40 S&W loads can cost as little as 0.35$ a round, or as much as 3 or 4 dollars per round on the high end. Also note that these high-performance loads may be much harder to find in .40 S&W compared to 9mm.
Other things to consider
People looking to buy one or the other may also want to consider the stress .40 S&W imparts on firearms compared to 9mm Luger.
While any .40 S&W pistol will undoubtably last tens of thousands of rounds before needing any sort of maintenance, the higher powder load of the round means it may wear out critical parts faster than a 9mm pistol, but the difference isn't usually significant enough to decide based on this alone, and it usually hard to directly measure, anyways.
Additionally, aftermarket parts for various pistols such as dual recoil springs and polymer guide rods available in some pistol models can not only reduce recoil but reduce wear on the moving parts of the gun as well.
One major positive about the .40 S&W we mentioned earlier in passing was the ability to convert a .40 S&W pistol to a 9mm pistol with just a barrel change- this is due to the fact that because the two rounds are so similarly sized, the .40 S&W was designed to fit into and be shot out of handguns that had the same frame and magazine size as most common 9mm framed pistols such as Glocks, Berettas and Sig Sauers. Indeed, the .40 S&W versions of popular pistols from these companies are virtually identical in size to their 9mm counterparts.
Although magazine capacity slightly decreases (usually by only 2 or 3 rounds), this ability to swap calibers is considered a major advantage by some.
Also, for those of you who want to suppress your pistols, subsonic 9mm Luger ammo will likely be more quiet than subsonic .40 S&W.
Pros and cons of each
Compared to each other, what do they do better or worse? In this section, we seek to sum is up as simply and briefly as possible.
9mm pros:
Lower recoil and faster shot-to-shot recovery time compared to .40 S&W
Slightly higher magazine capacity
Slightly cheaper
Still has excellent wounding potential and can compete with .40 S&W
9mm cons:
However, in general, most 9mm loads still have less wounding potential than .40 S&W
9mm guns cannot be converted to fire .40 S&W due to the smaller bore diameter
.40 S&W pros:
Greater overall wounding capacity (on average) compared to 9mm
Weapons chambered in .40 S&W often can be converted to fire 9mm easily
.40 S&W is also a good compromise between larger handgun calibers (e.g .45 ACP) and 9mm, offering stopping power approaching that of the former while allowing the large magazine capacities of the latter
.40 S&W cons:
Recoil is jerky, violent and ultimately more off-putting than 9mm (although loss of overall accuracy is usually negligible)
Most 9mm rounds are still quite effective and some specific loads approach or even exceed the wounding potential of the .40 S&W, yet cost less and are more common overall, in addition to being more comfortable to shoot
Conclusions and final thoughts
As with so many other arguments, the winner is quite subjective.
While 9mm and .40 S&W are both clearly excellent rounds for their intended purpose, it seems that the exact factors that will determine which is right for you will be based on personal preferences and needs.
Need more power? The .40 S&W might be a better choice. Need more accuracy and cheaper ammo? The 9mm will probably have you covered.
Either way, both these rounds perform similarly enough that choosing between the two might be hard, but hopefully, we've made the differences between the two clear enough that you may now find it a little easier to make that choice.
Which do you think is right for you? Let us know in the comments and be sure to subscribe and share our article!
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