On another thread, the accuracy of the .40S&W has been questioned.
We just went out a few weeks ago and pushed a G35 out to 500 yards. 500 yards?! Yeah and it's not really as hard as one might think. No sandbags or machine rests, just leaning over the toolbox of the truck, I was able to put 7 of 14 shots in 39", on target. Which, if you figure that out, boils down to less than 2" at 25 yards which is not bad in itself. Actually, it may be a little better than that considering the breeze.
The pic below is the actual range. A measured 500 yds. The target is a 4x8 sheet of wafer board
The 7 hits with the heavy circles around them are the G35 hits. The 5 hits with the circles and the little arrows under them are, believe it or not, a .22 rifle. We were relaying information by radio and when Jason told me that I had 3 consecutive hits with the .22, I quit. The other hits are from a .40 caliber Kel-Tec Sub 2000.
This video clip is a standing, unsupported shot with a different G35 at 200 yds.
And here's a G27 at 200 yards...
The point of all this is not to demonstrate MY shooting ability but rather to show that extreme long distance accuracy with a service-style handgun is attainable. The guns were nothing special and have stock barrels in them. Damn inaccurate Glocks!
We conduct Long-Range Handgun classes here from time-to-time and routinely have students making first-round hits at 200 by the second day.
Does the .40 S&W still have any ass left by the time it has traveled 500 yards? I don't think I would care anything about trying to catch one of them! All the bullets went through the wafer board and went 7-9" deep into a loose sand bank behind the target. 2 of the .40's went through the wafer board, the 2x4 frame and still buried themselves 5-7" into the sand.
The first time we tried this, we used 55-gallon drums for targets. The .40 bullets went through both sides with no problem at all.
