When speaking about the 40 S&W Auto cartridge these days, we’re reminded of that famous Samuel Clemens quote: “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” While you may think the 40 S&W is dead, it is very much alive. Albeit, it is not as popular as the 9mm is today. The irony is the 40 S&W became law enforcement’s darling when it debuted in early 1990 and nearly eclipsed the 9mm in popularity. The 9mm back then was considered an underpowered cartridge. The FBI geared up with the 40, and other law-enforcement agencies followed.

Smith & Wesson and Winchester designed the 40 S&W, which is basically a shortened 10mm Auto cartridge. As you will recall, the FBI was keen on the 10mm Auto until it was discovered the round had too much recoil, and agents found it difficult to control. So, the FBI had a reduced-velocity 10mm Auto round produced, and that was better until Smith & Wesson and Winchester suggested the same velocity and energy could be had in a medium-frame pistol instead of a large-frame pistol. Hence, the 40 S&W Auto was developed, and the S&W Model 4056 and the Glock G22 and G23 were the first pistols chambered in 40 S&W. By 2007, the pendulum was swinging back as the FBI changed from the 40 S&W to the 9mm due to advances in ballistic technology. So long 40 S&W, hello 9mm.

There still are a number of LE departments that use the 40 S&W, and what improved the 9mm also improved the 40 S&W, as well as other cartridges. Regardless, gone are the days of 9mm pistol introductions followed by the same pistol chambered in 40 S&W. In fact, there are fewer 40 S&W-chambered pistols these days. Still, we think the 40 S&W has a lot to recommend it for self defense, and three manufacturers apparently agree because we found three new pistols in 40 S&W: the Glock G23 Gen5, S&W M&P40 M2.0 Compact, and H&K P30. We also picked up a police trade-in SIG P239 to complete this quartet. We last evaluated the 40 S&W-chambered P239 in the November 2003 issue, in which it earned a “buy it” recommendation.

All of these 40-caliber pistols are similar in dimensions and barrel length. The P30 and P239 are hammer fired, and the G23 and M&P40 are striker fired. All feed off a double-stack magazine except for the P239, which uses a single-stack magazine. In general, the hammer-fired pistols were a bit more complicated to operate due to the additional controls. The decocking button on the SIG was initially confused with the slide stop, and that is due to user error and lack of training. Across the board, we feel the Glock and the S&W were simpler to handle and operate. What can we say, we like simple.

We chose these particular pistols since they represent a good variety of proven, reliable pistol designs. Our test checklist included reliability, accuracy, concealed carry, and ease of use. It had been a while since some of our testers fired a 40 S&W, but the snappy recoil of the round brought back memories. Yes, the 40 S&W is still alive, and kicking. A thin-grip pistol can produce more felt recoil in the palm of your hand, and we anticipated that as well as lots of muzzle flip.

How We Tested

Ammunition consisted of training and defense loads. For defense loads, we used Hornady Critical Defense with a 165-grain FTX bullet. For training, we used MagTechs loaded with a 180-grain FMJ-FLAT and a handload with a 155-grain JHP. These bullet weights are the sweet spot for the snappy 40 S&W.

With these rounds, we saw the wider-grip pistols transfer less felt recoil. We anticipated getting rapped in the palm with the P239, which wasn’t the case, but we do have other gripes about this pistol. The G23 offered a totally new 40-caliber shooting experience in the Gen5 variant. The P30 is a good hammer-fired pistol, but it’s more complicated to operate. The M2.0 variant of the M&P40 was a stellar shooter with good accuracy and good recoil management.

We fired the pistols for accuracy using a rest and cardboard targets at 25 yards. For speed work, we moved the targets in to 7 yards and fired many Bill Drills. We started with our gun at low ready and fired six rounds. We found with these guns that following the front sight was easy, so follow-up shots were quick. The average five-shot group for these pistols averaged 1.7 to 2.9 inches, good accuracy for a defense pistol. In the speed test, we found the H&K was a bit snappy with muzzle flip, while the SIG had flip but was more controllable. The S&W and Glock were the clear winners in the speed shooting, with much softer recoil.

We carried the Glock, H&K, and S&W in a Safariland GLS 575 IWB Pro Fit Compact holster ($68; Safariland.com), which is a multi-fit holster, meaning it can be used with a litany of guns. That said, because of the very nature of being multi-fit, it is slightly oversized. Fine by us. The holster shell is nylon and has a bit of flex and does not scratch the pistol’s finish. We like the Grip Locking System (GLS), which is a retention device. When drawing, your middle finger deactivates the lock. We found the retention device did not impede the draw, and we were able to draw quickly and smoothly. The 575 comes with two clips: an over-the-belt and under-the-belt. We thought the under-the-belt design could be thinner to reduce bulk. Other than that, this is a nice holster with the added value of a retention device. We plan on adding this holster to our EDC routine.

Here’s why we think the 40 S&W will be around for the foreseeable future and is better chambered in striker-fire designs.

Gun Tests Grade: A-

$859

The P30S-V3 has been in production since 2006 and has a reputation for reliability and accuracy. Many foreign militaries and law-enforcement agencies use a variation of the P30. Some U.S. law-enforcement agencies are also equipped with the P30. The P30 is available in a variety of configurations. The “S” in P30S means the pistol is equipped with an optional ambidextrous thumb safety. The “V3” in the model name means the pistol has a conventional DA/SA trigger and decocker. There are seven trigger variants available on this pistol. So, the P30S-V3 can be carried cocked and locked or in DA/SA mode.

In hand, the P30 feels sublime. It feels that good and is a natural pointer, with a polymer frame and steel slide weighing in at 26 ounces unloaded. Like many other polymer-frame pistols, the P30 has a modular backstrap with three different-size backstraps to choose from. Unique to the P30 are the three modular side panels of different sizes. It is quite easy to customize the P30 to fit your hand. All you need is a punch to swap out grip modules. The texture was comfortable and effective, especially with the snappy 40 S&W. Also in the hard plastic box were two magazines and a magazine reloader.

Other welcome features are the controls, which are large — super-sized in fact — and ambidextrous, allowing the user to operate them easier, with or without gloves. The slide stop, magazine release, and thumb safety are very easy to operate. The thumb safety is like a 1911 thumb safety; up is Safe and down is Fire. The thumb safety blocks the hammer but allows the slide to be cycled. Our sample also included a decocking button at the back of the slide, which can be operated by the shooting-hand thumb of a right-handed shooter or the thumb of the support hand. We liked the decocker at the back of the slide. (See the SIG P239 section for a different take on the decocker button.) The decocker is the only control not ambidextrous. The magazine catch was a bit foreign to some testers because it is part of the back and bottom section of the trigger guard. Press the paddle down with the trigger finger or the thumb of the support hand, and the P30 spits out the magazine at your feet. This feature was the most difficult to master at first, but by the end of our test session, we became acclimated to the process.

The sights are three-dot style and large, so they are easy to use. The slide wears serrations forward and aft, and the slide and dust cover are tapered, making the P30 easier to holster. A Picatinny rail is built into the dust cover.

Going hot, we found there was a bit of take up on the trigger, and it was smooth and progressive. It wasn’t crisp, but we still liked the consistency of this trigger. Our best group was with the 155-grain JHP handload, with a best five-shot group that measured 1.48 inches. With factory ammo, we shot 2.37-inch and 2.54-inch best groups with the Hornady and MagTech rounds, respectively. On average, the P30 shot 1.6- to 2.8-inch groups. We think this is very acceptable. We did note that there was a bit of muzzle flip, though in our opinion, this is a very easy pistol to control, even in rapid fire. Slide retraction took 15 pounds of effort, which was similar to the striker-fire pistols.

Our Team Said: The P30S worked flawlessly and had excellent accuracy. We think this pistol is the epitome of a hammer-fired pistol design. Its controls were well thought out and large for manipulation with or without gloves. We liked the modular-frame backstraps and panels. It was also the most expensive pistol tested. If you want a hammer-fired 40-caliber pistol, opt for this one.

40 S&W Range Data

Value Guide: 40 S&W & 10MM Handgun Rankings