.40s&w pistol longevity and reliability

USP’s / HKs in general handle the round well.

I have a Smith 40VE I bought in 2004. I’ve shot the snot out of it. Still going. No exact round count but over 10,000 rounds

IMO the cartridge hasn’t been around long enough for truly valuable longevity data.

my unfounded opinion is either a USP or some overbuilt steel framed EAA or similar.

This is an unscientific guess but I would think a Sig P-229, S&W M&P or a 4th generation Glock. My logic is that the S&W M&P & the Sig P-229 were designed for .40. The 4th Generation Glocks had changes made to correct problems they were having with .40. Probably better suited to the round than other pistols that are just converted 9mm's.

I am a lightweight. The most rounds I have ever put through any of my .40's was around 3,000. I don't get to shoot as much as many here & usually after a time I get curious about another platform & wind up switching.

Glock .40 Cal would probably be still running strong after 50,000 rounds .
At around 7,000 round per year...that would be seven years for me to reach round count of 50,000. I would then sell the gun and buy a new gen.

The buyer of said gun would probably brag about buying a like new Glock for steal.

I have an XD-40 with a shade over 30,000 rds through it.

Guys who plan to shoot 20/30/40 thousand rounds of ammo, be it in an AR, hunting rifle, or a handgun, and worry about the cost to replace the gun, barrel, etc., it makes me chuckle, no insult intended.

The simple fact is if you buy commercial ammo, 20K rounds at a bargain price of $0.22 per round, you’d spend $4,400 on the ammo alone. I have no idea how much reloading would save.

If you are really worried about the gun lasting, buy a Glock and don’t worry. If you ever wear the gun out, send it back to Glock, and they will very likely repair or replace the gun at no cost. I’ve heard of them replacing rental guns with many thousands of rounds....I’m sure they will do the same for you.

My Walther P99 is a first gen .40 S&W. Its approaching twenty years old and still going strong. Lost track of the round count years ago. For a polymer of its age, I'm impressed. 7 or 8 years ago I was cleaning it after a range session when I thought it had developed a small hair line crack just above the grip that I've never noticed before. I called Walthers and they asked me to send it in at their cost. They sent me a label and I shipped it off to them. 10 day later they sent it back to me with a letter stating that they tested it and that it wasn't a crack, it was a flaw in the mold that they were aware of. They said that they wanted to test it, just to make sure. They also test fired it five rounds. They paid shipping both ways and to my surprise, they included two free mags in the package. Couldn't ask for anything more, just great customer service.

I believe Glock Inc rates the G-22 service life with regular maintenance at 40,000 rounds.

M

I have a ex-police Gen 2 G23 that is doing fine.

I have quite a few 40 caliber pistols and I don't worry about it.

Like the other poster wrote, I will have spent thousands of dollars for ammo before one of my several hundred dollar pistols wears out. I only bought one of them (a 1911) new. The rest were mostly police trade-ins.

Buzznrose said:

Guys who plan to shoot 20/30/40 thousand rounds of ammo, be it in an AR, hunting rifle, or a handgun, and worry about the cost to replace the gun, barrel, etc., it makes me chuckle, no insult intended.

The simple fact is if you buy commercial ammo, 20K rounds at a bargain price of $0.22 per round, you’d spend $4,400 on the ammo alone. I have no idea how much reloading would save.

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After initial investment, reloading on average is a 2+ to 1 savings on ammo cost. I can load 100 rounds of .45 acp cheaper than buying a box of 50 + tax at my local big box retailer.

Bill

i would think a gun that was built around the cartridge from the get go.

one example.... pretty sure the steyr m40 was built for the .40 originally and existed before a 9mm version came along.

If i were to guess. i would say, a USP or a P226. I have a beat to crap glock 22 gen 3 from 1996. that sees a ton of rounds. exact round count is unknown. but enough where i got my moneys worth and after you reach $2,000-$2,500 in ammo, the price of the weapon is minor. Specially how 40's are price now a days.

I still think you will wear 1 or 2 barrels before the frame rails will be pooched. (if maintained correctly)

In January my G23 will be 25 years old, hasn’t disintegrated yet.

Not original owner so can’t speak to round count except for the rounds I put thru it, over 1k

Glock is proven.

The GLOCK G23.4's shoot softer with the dual spring RSA than the G23.2 does, and have untold thousands of rounds through it.

Shooting 180 gr. helps a lot.




GR

huntsman said:

In January my G23 will be 25 years old, hasn’t disintegrated yet.

Not original owner so can’t speak to round count except for the rounds I put thru it, over 1k

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That's a box of ammo a year. I'd suspect it will last a lifetime at that rate..

tercel89 said:

what are the most reliable and longest lasting pistols that are chambered in the .40s&w cartridge in you guys opinion ? I keep hearing people saying that this cartridge will eventually destroy a pistol very early. I've had a few .40s&w pistols by Glock , S&W , and Ruger and all worked great but I never put more than 20,000 rounds through them . Any thoughts ?

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The .40 Cal operates at the same chamber pressure as the 9mm (35k), so it should not beat the gun any worse than other guns. The 1911 and BHP should handle it w/o problems. I carry a BHP in that caliber and have had no problems. I can't speak for Tupperware guns.

My duty H&K USP Compact had over 20k rounds through it when I turned it in. It looked brand new in every way except some of the finish from the holster. I wish I had been able to purchase that one but I went out and bought one just like it. I'm sure it would wear out at some point but I certainly won't see it.

tarosean said:

That's a box of ammo a year. I'd suspect it will last a lifetime at that rate..

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Well I’m on my 3rd year of ownership and it’s more like a box a month but yeah even at that rate I expect it’ll last my lifetime

Kevin Rohrer said:

The .40 Cal operates at the same chamber pressure as the 9mm (35k), so it should not beauty the gun any worse than other guns. The 1911 and BHP should handle it w/o problems. I carry a BHP in that caliber and have had no problems. I can't speak for Tupperware guns.

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That's not the right analysis. Pressure isn't what wears out pistols. Pressure blows up guns. Pressure can contribute to barrel/rifling/throat wear.... but primarily at rifle pressures and gas volumes and bullet velocities, not pistols.

Recoil is what wears out pistols. And the .40 certainly generates more recoil than a 9mm. Newton's 3rd law is still in effect. If you're throwing a heavier bullet at the same speed, you're putting correspondingly greater loads on the gun.

Plenty of guns are able to tolerate .40 levels of recoil for a very long life... more than most people ever shoot their guns.

huntsman said:

Well I’m on my 3rd year of ownership and it’s more like a box a month but yeah even at that rate I expect it’ll last my lifetime

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The way you wrote your post I assumed you owned it for 25yrs.


Anyhow..

Very few people do in fact wear a gun out of any caliber.

I agree Tarosean. Let alone even wear out a barrel, which will wear out first.