Compact Auto Loader and Cartridge Design: A discrepancy in the 40sw and 9mm
My understanding was that the .40 SW was designed to function in 9mm size framed pistols, offering superior firepower in a high capacity autoloader. But why does the 9mm have a max COL of 1.169" while the .40 sw has only a 1.135" max COL?
I always wondered why the .40 sw was always loaded with TMJ, and flat points and what not, and I could never find "ball", or round nosed bullets - your typically 9mm parabellum shape or .45 ACP ball shaped rounds. It was explained to me that because the shape of the bullet would then exceed the COL, and since the 40 was designed for 9mm size framed autoloaders, probably would not fit into the magazines of such pistols. Well, why is it that the 9mm has a longer COL than the .40? Why couldn't the .40 have the same max COL of the 9mm (and still fit into the same guns) while then utilizing more cartridge capacity?
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