A little clarification on the events of Miami 1986 seems due here, if I may.....this is from memory, so bear with me please.
Ben Grogan ran the FBI team that attempted to take down Platt and Matix via felony car-stop. The ensuing collision threw up a lot of dust, discombobulated several agents, and confusion reigned. Most of the FBI guys had 9mm's, which was the round eventually blamed for the "Failure" to kill the bad guys even though two "non-survivable" hits were scored on Michael Platt. The bigger problem was tactics, as Platt outmaneuvered the agents and killed Ben Grogan, who was nearly blind without the glasses he lost in the collision, Dove was killed after his gun was hit by a 223 slug and disabled, and Platt shot him to the ground, then blew his head off at close range. Ron Risner fired from across the street with little effect, and Mundo Mireles was nearly taken out by a 223 round that basically blew his forearm inside-out. Platt was the aggressor and used the stolen Mini-14 (full-auto) to take out
seven agents. Few of the shotguns the FBI agents had ever came into play. It was the most thoroughly investigated shootout in history, surpassing the OK Corral mess, with many more tools used to explain how and why things went the way they did. (More info can be found here;
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_FBI_Miami_shootout )
As earlier stated, the 9mm pistols were blamed, as the Feds claimed they were outgunned. The 10mm was suggested as a replacement, and several years and millions of dollars were expended in the quest for the ultimate handgun and round. The Ten was picked, but the guns were large and heavy and kicked like hell, and the smaller statured/female agents didn't like them, and couldn't shoot them well enough to qualify with them. There were also problem with the guns themselves, especially the 1076, as I recall.
While all that was going on, other factions decided to experiment with a shorter version of the 10mm case, and it was quickly realized that a 40-caliber round the same length as the 9mm could be adapted to existing guns quickly, as the feed geometry didn't have to be altered much. The new .40S&W round was announced in early 1990, and guns were available a scant few months later, most notably Glock and S&W. Every pistol-maker on the planet scrambled to chamber the new
wunderkind, and before another year had passed you could get the 40 Smith & Wesson (or 40 Short & Weak, depending on who you listened to) in just about any semi-auto ever made.
The Ten Millimeter was popularized by one Lt Col. John "Jeff" Cooper, whose input led to the design of the Bren Ten, a somewhat modified version of the CZ-75, a pistol that Cooper liked in spite of its chambering in 9mm. Cooper was not fond of the "Crunchentickers" as he called the DA Autos of the day, but in a strengthened gun he championed it. He also had some input into the design of the 10mm round, and claimed it had as much energy at 200 yards as his beloved 45ACP had at the muzzle. Upon reading that, back in the 80's, I marveled at the mind that could conceive it, the gun that could contain it, and the men who could shoot it "properly". I vowed to become one. :embarassed:
Fast forward to present day: The 40S&W, once the perfect "Compromise" caliber with good ballistics that split the difference between the mag capacity of the 9mm and the more effective ballistics of the 45ACP, is now on the downslide as police agencies continue to seek the perfect balance between training costs and effectiveness. Even the FBI, which once championed bigger calibers, has now decided the 9mm is "good enough", while other agencies have gone to the 10mm (rarely) and sometimes the 45ACP in guns that hold a lot of bullets. The 9mm, ballistically, has gotten better, and costs a lot less to train with. When money is tight, the first thing that police agencies cut is training (stupid, but still true!) and the 9mm is now finding a home in a lot of jurisdictions that eagerly glommed onto the 40S&W when it came out. Times change, yet administrative thinking never does.
The Ten Millimeter still has a following, some would give it Cult Status but it's become more than that.....hunters and outdoorsmen use and love it, but there is also a strong contingent of people who believe that if something is worth shooting, it's worth shooting it HARD, and the 10 does that. When penetration is needed, I can't think of a round that does it better. 200, even 220 grain bullets will push through an awful lot of
anything when fired from a 5-6 inch barrel, and new 10mm models are being introduced regularly.
As for the 40, I chose it over the 9mm, because those are my only two choices for on-duty carry, and I would much rather have
Better bullets than
More bullets. If I ever have to shoot someone, on or off duty, I want them to give up the fight after one solid hit, rather than half a dozen. The 9mm might be better than it use to be, but the 40 and the 10 have ALWAYS been better at ending things faster.
And just to be clear, when I get off duty and take off my 40.........I put on a 45. :bandit: