Is .40S&W a bad beginner round?

[ChrisJM981 924]

Hey guys,

First off to all rangers fans AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Ok now that that is out of my system,

Is a .40 S&W a bad round to learn how to shoot with? I have been planning on a 9mm the whole time but I see the .40 ammo-wise isnt THAT much more expensive yet offers a better chance at stopping somebody should it (God forbid) ever come to that. The thing is I have heard that .40 kicks harder than a .45 in some cases and also have read that its not recommended to go higher than 9mm for anything your planning to use at the range a bunch for cost reasons. I dont plan on reloading ammo right now or anytime in the near future as I dont have the money to drop on all the cash because of a child on the way. Just curious how everyone feels ... 9mm ... or .40S&W given my circumstances. Thanks guys!

 

Check the meetup section here Events & Meetups Look for a range that's close to your location and go to a meetup. Buy a few boxes of 9mm and .40 S&W so you can try each. Most members will be more than happy to let you try their guns. By doing this you can see how different models have different amounts of recoil. This in my opinion is the best way to find out which gun you like to shoot and which caliber will be right for you.

[Genewarper111 18]

When I first started shooting a pistol it was on my own and then with the help of an "NRA certified" instructor. That ended up with me tossing the damn thing in the back of the closet and forgetting about it for about 12 years. That handgun was a Glock-19 in 9mm. And it was not until I started shooting USPSA and getting tips from guys like Vlad, raz-0, BrianB and others that are not on this forum, that I actually learned how to shoot a handgun somewhat effectively. Getting the right instruction IMHO is a lot more important than picking the "right" caliber. And when I say proper instruction, I do not mean "NRA certified". Because no offence to anyone who is "NRA certified" but that certification does not mean a whole of a lot in terms of the ability to teach someone how to shoot a pistol well.

 

I may have met you at OldBRidge "Action Shooting", where I'm new. I'm learning a lot there from watching and listening.

 

The NRA courses are primarily about safety and basic skills. They're not primarily about marksmanship, nor are they about defensive shooting, competitive shooting, three-gunning, rapid-fire steel, or many of the other things people use their pistols for, for fun and to develop and maintain their skills in whatever direction they want to consider "effective". Consequently, the instructors are not marksmanship instructors.

 

The NRA DOES offer a marksmanship program - the Winchester/NRA program - that is designed to improve marksmanship across a wide range of disciplines (rifle, shotgun, pistol etc etc) and it's pretty exacting, but ought to be within the capabilities of most shooters if they're willing to put in the practice and invest the time in the number of shots - especially for rifle and shotgun. For pistol, it does include accurate rapid fire, single and double handed, and with one's "weak" hand only. However, even this is only designed to INTRODUCE skills needed for things like IPSC and USPSA, which are whole skill-sets in themselves.

 

It's true that a good teacher is a very valuable thing and that there are some bad NRA instructors out there. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with an NRA instructor. That doesn't mean we're all bad; far from it. As a training system for new shooters, overall it is very good. Our objective at ShootNJ is to introduce the "Knowledge, Skills and Attitude" that new shooters need to go forward confidently and safely, and able to learn to the extent that they want to. We also have very experienced shooters who I believe can hone the skills of all but the very best shooters, should they want that coaching.

 

It's easy for very experienced people to forget how difficult shooting can be for some people despite their desire to be good at it, their perceived need or the fact that they may carry a firearm as part of their job. We see all of these people on a regular basis and trust me, it's a small number who go away feeling they've learned nothing from us.

 

We, and other NRA instructors bring a lot of new shooters into the sport here in NJ. Don't bash us too hard please.

 

 

Good luck and happy shooting!

 

Grant

[SSlav 14]

The NRA courses are primarily about safety and basic skills. They're not primarily about marksmanship, nor are they about defensive shooting, competitive shooting, three-gunning, rapid-fire steel, or many of the other things people use their pistols for, for fun and to develop and maintain their skills in whatever direction they want to consider "effective". Consequently, the instructors are not marksmanship instructors.

 

That was exactly my experience. The instructor spent a lot of time on safety and some time on sight alignment and trigger pull. Which is fine as far as it goes. As I recall the stance that he taught was weaver, which I have no complaints about since isosceles was perhaps 10 years old at most at that time. I did not expect to become an IPSC Grandmaster (I did not even know what IPSC was or even that it existed). All I wanted was to produce decent groups on a 7 yard target. Nor did I assume that I would be able to do it overnight. What the course left me with though was a lot of good info on safe gun handling and some theory In retrospect one thing that could have improved the course 1000% would have been just a couple of simple dry fire drills to turn the theory into technique.

 

 

It's true that a good teacher is a very valuable thing and that there are some bad NRA instructors out there. I'm sorry you had a bad experience with an NRA instructor. That doesn't mean we're all bad; far from it.

 

I did not mean to imply that the NRA instructors are bad or that the program is bad. However within the context of the question asked - whether .40 S&W is a good round for a beginner - I feel that NRA Basic Pistol will not provide adequate instruction for recoil management of any caliber starting with .3XX or higher - or rather any cartridge that actually has recoil.

 

It's easy for very experienced people to forget how difficult shooting can be for some people despite their desire to be good at it, their perceived need or the fact that they may carry a firearm as part of their job. We see all of these people on a regular basis and trust me, it's a small number who go away feeling they've learned nothing from us.

 

Actually I am not forgetting how difficult shooting is. In fact quite the opposite. I remember exactly how difficult and frustrating it was. Frustrating enough that I gave up on pistols for over a decade.

 

We, and other NRA instructors bring a lot of new shooters into the sport here in NJ. Don't bash us too hard please.

 

It was not my intention to bash NRA instructors. If it was perceived as such I need to clarify exactly what I meant to say. And its the following:

 

In my professional life (IT) I frequently come up across various "certified" professionals - "Microsoft Certified", "Oracle Certified", "JAVA Certified", "Web 3.0 certified" etc..etc..etc.. I have never found any of these certifications to be even slightly indicative of the professionalism and skill level of the individuals bearing them. To the point where I now choose to completely disregard these certifications when selecting a candidate for a job. IMHO "NRA certified" is no different. Just because someone is "NRA certified" does not identify them as a good or a bad instructor. So when I said something like "When I say proper instruction I do not mean 'NRA certified'." I did not mean - "Avoid NRA certified instructors". I meant - Do not base your instructor selection on the fact that someone is "NRA certified".

 

Sorry about any misunderstanding.

 

Slav

[bry@n 195]

In my professional life (IT) I frequently come up across various "certified" professionals - "Microsoft Certified", "Oracle Certified", "JAVA Certified", "Web 3.0 certified" etc..etc..etc.. I have never found any of these certifications to be even slightly indicative of the professionalism and skill level of the individuals bearing them. To the point where I now choose to completely disregard these certifications when selecting a candidate for a job. IMHO "NRA certified" is no different. Just because someone is "NRA certified" does not identify them as a good or a bad instructor. So when I said something like "When I say proper instruction I do not mean 'NRA certified'." I did not mean - "Avoid NRA certified instructors". I meant - Do not base your instructor selection on the fact that someone is "NRA certified".

 

Sorry about any misunderstanding.

 

Slav

 

I agree with this. I have met people who are Certified and have no clue what they are doing. I have met people who can't pass a test to save their life but knew the product in and out.

 

Shoot, I am certified on stuff I have never worked on, ever.

[tommy3rd 132]

wow, we are still doing this thread? Grab a gun and shoot it. If it hurts grab a different gun. Recoil, like pain is subjective. Find what you are comfortable with and have at it.

+1. Although choosing a gun is also very subjective. LOL

[Genewarper111 18]

.......It was not my intention to bash NRA instructors. If it was perceived as such I need to clarify exactly what I meant to say. And its the following:

 

In my professional life (IT) I frequently come up across various "certified" professionals - "Microsoft Certified", "Oracle Certified", "JAVA Certified", "Web 3.0 certified" etc..etc..etc.. I have never found any of these certifications to be even slightly indicative of the professionalism and skill level of the individuals bearing them. To the point where I now choose to completely disregard these certifications when selecting a candidate for a job. IMHO "NRA certified" is no different. Just because someone is "NRA certified" does not identify them as a good or a bad instructor. So when I said something like "When I say proper instruction I do not mean 'NRA certified'." I did not mean - "Avoid NRA certified instructors". I meant - Do not base your instructor selection on the fact that someone is "NRA certified".

 

Sorry about any misunderstanding.

 

Slav

 

Oh - no offense at all! My comment on "bashing" was meant to be "tongue-in-cheek", so it's me who has inserted ambiguity.

 

G

[aguilar64 9]

My son shoots USPSA at Shongum whenever he has a chance and uses an STI 40, he likes it better than his 1911 9mm. I guess is a matter of taste. By the way he is 16.

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

I started with .40 S&W in a Glock 23, and was able to get a feel for it fairly quickly with no prior experience. On the other hand, I just picked up a Glock 19 yesterday and definitely found the 9mm a little easier to handle.

[Rifleman1 32]

I started with .40 S&W in a Glock 23, and was able to get a feel for it fairly quickly with no prior experience. On the other hand, I just picked up a Glock 19 yesterday and definitely found the 9mm a little easier to handle.

 

All of my research on this and other forums over the past 4 months has helped me define my path to start with a G19 9MM, then add the home defense shotgun - 12 GA, and then pick up a G21 .45ACP. Thanks for all of your input. Now it's practice, practice, practice.

[Shawnmoore81 623]

I went with a .40 as my first pistol. I have shot other rounds before though.