Handguns: Is it time to retire the 40 S&W?, 1911 Fans,

Is it?

I came to the same conclusion as the writer of the article linked above that the recoil for me and most people I know is too much in a handgun to control it well.  As for a carbine, yes it works fine but so does the 9mm at much less cost.  I don't think the .40 will disappear but it is instructive that many agencies are going back to the 9mm with the advent of high performance ammunition that negates the difference in effectiveness of the .40.  As for payload, it is simply easier to send more rounds to the target within a period of time with the 9 versus the .40 S&W.

I was never a big fan of the .40 for the recoil reasons described above and the cost to practice.

If you are choosing a handgun now and want a pistol the 9mm is the best way to go for most, and for concealment even a .380 will do the job.

1911 - Should everyone own one?

I agree that they are nice to own and practice with but for every day carry I think they are too big and heavy, simple as that.  I have a friend who was a 1911 fanatic and even he said it wore him out to the point where he stepped down to a Makarov, and don't laugh because the Mak is reliable and accurate.  The Mak is still too heavy for the round in my opinion but he at least decided that the 1911 was too much.

As it goes the .45 is a good round but it is expensive to shoot unless you reload.  You would do better to look at a more compact and lower recoiling 9mm.