Let me offer a couple thoughts here: A) Those stories about Tactical Tupperware exploding? Those are .40s, frequently. B) There seems to be some belief that many .40s are overgrown nines, rather than designed from the ground-up .40s, which leads to things like poorly-supported chambers.
How well those views are supported by reality is something I'm not really qualified to comment on, but those perceptions seem pretty well entrenched. Personally, I can produce .40s that have never had that factory crap fired through them, just like most of the other calibers I fool with.
The curiousity about your friends is killing me. How many Aggies
does it take to load some .40?
Steve