there's a whole bunch of nicely built, and well known brands of pistols chambered in 40 S&W, similar in size to the popular 9mm handguns,
the 40 S&W is an effective defensive cartridge, having more potential power than your typical 9MM with only a slight reduction in magazine capacity
and some 10mm ammo is loaded down to nearly similar ballistics,
after the FBI lost a couple agents in a shootout where the handguns they used failed to rapidly stop a couple bank robbers , the FBI decided they needed a more effective handgun, they swapped for a brief time to the 10mm but found agents who were not all that skilled were intimidated ,
by the louder muzzle blast and increased recoil so they ask the ammo company's to reduce the cartridge power a bit, the handgun manufacturers
developed the 40 S&W (many agents called it the (40 SHORT AND WEAK) that could be used in what was basically the same frame size as the 9mm para cartridge.
but the 40 S&W was only marginally more powerful than the hotter 9mm ammo, as a result.
1986 FBI Miami shootout - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
An Official Journal Of The NRA | A History Of FBI Handguns
The FBI has issued a wide variety of handguns to its agents over the years.
www.americanrifleman.org
The Reasons Why FBI Went Back to 9mm
The FBI has selected Glock Gen 5 handguns in 9mm as their service weapon. There has been much speculation about the reasons for their caliber change.
sofrep.com
keep in mind its shot placement and the projectile design that matters more than the cartridge power level,
but having a bit more muzzle energy certainly never hurts.
U.S. Government Handguns: Who Carries What?
- FBI: Glock 17 & Glock 19. ...
- CIA: Glock 19 & SIG Sauer P226. ...
- U.S. Secret Service: SIG Sauer P229 DAK and Glock 19. ...
- U.S. Army: Beretta M9 and SIG Sauer M17. ...
- U.S. Navy: Beretta M9, SIG Sauer M11, and M18. ...
- U.S. Air Force: Beretta M9, SIG P226, and M18. ...
- U.S. Marine Corps: Sig M18.
Handgun Self-Defense Ammunition - Ballistic Testing Data
Lucky Gunner tests more than 110 different 9mm, 45 ACP, 40 S&W and 380 ACP handgun self-defense ammunition loads in ballistic gel with analysis and video.
www.luckygunner.com
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