Pro & Cons of the .40 S&W

["DoubleAction"]

I've heard many who are concerned over the thin walls of the case, and how over pressured cases presents the potential for ruptured cases and possible personnal injury from " KaBooms"?.
One thing I do not practice with any cartridge is clear and reload the same cartridge everyday, as some in Law Enforcement or Security, might unknowingly practice. With a cartridge like the .40 S&W, combined with the unsupported chambers found in some duty pistols, all it would take to contribute to a potential mishap would be for the bullet to set back into the case to increase the pressure to an unsafe condition. Some manufacturers uses a crimp at the base of where the bullet seats into the case to prevent the bullet from seating deeper.

[Mikolev]

For me, the pro's of the .40 S&W are numerous with virtually no cons.

It allows me to carry 10 rds. while providing a power level that I feel meets any situation I might encounter, short of a Grizzly Bear. I'm not concerned in the least bit about Kb's, mostly because I only buy ammo that I trust. I don't shoot reloads, and I don't shoot it out of a Glock (which would be the only time I would even the thought of a Kb drift through my mind, and even then, I would feel completly safe under almost all conditions. )

In my opinion, the .40 S&W and the .357 SIG are the two most practical / tactical choices for personal security and other unforseen needs.

["DoubleAction"]

I just stocked up on 2,000 rds of the .40, at a good price, so I guess I'll remain confident with the cartridge for awhile longer. I haven't noticed any case malformations for any of the .40 S&W cartridges I've fired during the last 5 years. I did have one spent 357 sig case that had the mouth tore open, kinda jagged, but no big deal.

[Ricochet]

One of the reasons I picked the Springfield XD 40 Cal is because the cartridge is fully supported in the chamber. I don't use reloads either.

["DoubleAction"]

I would suspect that while many in Law Enforcement carry the unsupported chambers found in alot of duty pistols, adds to a situation caused from loading the same round they ejected the day before, and days prior, resulting in the bullet seating deeper into the case, which will cause the case to become over pressured. With the .40 S&W, Pistols of unsupported chambers, and so many of these pistols used by so many LE, there is bound to be a few case ruptures and chamber failures. In the world of Law Enforcement, word gets around real fast, and before you know it, everyone who remained loyal to the 9mm is calling foul on the .40 S&W.
And you always have the amateur reloader who wants to get that extra amount of energy from the .40 S&W.