glock 20 vs glock 40

[G_man]

Is that a 7" barrel on the G40 Ridgerunner?? I'm contemplating an aftermarket bbl for mine, for shooting heavy hardcast. The thought has crossed my mind to go a bit longer, if for no other reason than to be able to tell at a glance which one is in the gun.

Back to the topic at hand, I got the G40 for solo hiking in black bear country. 5-1/2" is minimum barrel length legal for hunting where I live, so it only made sense. While I might hunt with it just because, I have handguns that are better suited to that task....

[Ridgerunner665]

Yes it is...KKM... Money well spent.

200 grain bullets at 1,300 fps, using book data... And 100 yard accurate too, on an 8" target.

150-155 grain bullets at 1,500+ with well below max, easy on the brass, loads.

[G_man]

Thank you for all the load info. What was the reason for the longer tube (not that any of us need one), state hunting regs? Off the shelf barrel?

[Ridgerunner665]

I wanted all the power I could safely get (strictly published data for me)... Without getting too long and cumbersome to carry (LW offers a 9").

The G40 is purely a hunting pistol for me, mostly deer.

4" barrels are legal here in TN, I started out thinking I'd get a 41 mag, but then the 40 came out and I decided that was close enough for deer, then I stumbled across KKM's 7" barrels... And got a little closer to the 41 mag... I can get 750-800 ft. lbs. pretty easy.

I'm just not a revolver guy, never have been... The powerful ones get pretty heavy to carry.

The factory barrel shoots just fine, not quite as accurate as the KKM, but plenty enough for most uses.... Its a little harder to hit that 100 yard steel with, but it will hit it... I'm probably going to sell the factory barrel though, don't see me ever needing it.

I've had more fun with this pistol than any I've ever owned, the looks I get at the range when I start banging on the 100 and 150 yard steel are priceless.

[G_man]

Thanks again! Agreed, revolvers (single action Ruger Bisleys in my case) are too heavy for hiking. I don't put on too many miles hunting, so it's not much of an issue for me.

[my_old_glock]

Obvious facts:

1) The G40 has a longer slide/barrel and will give higher velocity and more power from a given cartridge.

2) The G40 has a longer sight radius unless you use a red-dot sight.

3) The G40 is heavier than the G20.

Possibilities

1) A G20, because it is lighter and has a shorter barrel and slide, may be able to be drawn faster than a G40. The faster you can draw the quicker you can end the threat.

2) A heavier G40 may give you a quicker second shot.

Other thoughts.

If a specific bullet requires (X) amount of energy/power to completely pass through a bear, there is little reason to shoot a bullet that gives you (X + some extra power). If a 200-grain solid bullet needs 600ft/lbs of energy to pass through a bear and that can be achieved with a G20, there is no reason to get the longer barreled G40 to increase the energy.

I did some tests in water with 210-grain bullets shot from my G20. (see post #43) http://10mm-firearms.com/reloading-10mm-ammo/41-magnum-bullets-in-a-10mm/30/

I shot a hollow point and a solid bullet of the same weight from a G20 @ ~1100 fps. The hollow point penetrated two twelve inch boxes and was found in the third. That means the bullets penetrated between 2 and 3 feet. The solid went through 5 feet of water and was lost. A rough comparison shows that the solid penetrated 2x the distance of a hollow point.

The average length of a Grizzly bear is 6.5 feet.  Skin, bones, and muscles are not the same as water, but there is a good chance the solid bullet I tried would also penetrate 5 feet in a bear.

I don't have to worry about grizzly bears in California. I carry a G20.


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[rattinox]

Points taken.

With my G20, I was shooting Hornady 200g FMJFP, with VV N105 powder. My 10mm handload equivalent to military ball ammo.

The backdrop was a low area of swamp muck. Those Hornady's plowed a huge furrow, so it was easy to find the slugs.

90% weren't even deformed, unless they hit a random rock. I mic'd them, and except for rifling engraving, they were still to spec.

I see Hornady discontinued the FMJFP.  Booger-eating Management 

[G_man]

If a specific bullet requires (X) amount of energy/power to completely pass through a bear, there is little reason to shoot a bullet that gives you (X + some extra power). If a 200-grain solid bullet needs 600ft/lbs of energy to pass through a bear and that can be achieved with a G20, there is no reason to get the longer barreled G40 to increase the energy.

In a perfect world on a relaxed critter I'd say this is true. In the real world we all know stuff happens, so the X amount of energy required theory doesn't work. Hunters, as one example, everywhere have stories of the "perfect shot" that failed to achieve the desired result. Again stuff happens. To say I only need X amount of energy is silly, in my opinion. Most definitely, in many cases this theory is sound. I think it's fairly safe to say though, that most of us aren't armed because of the normal situations in every day life. We're armed for the, admittedly few (hopefully never!), occasions when things go south in a hurry. In those instances I bet there are very few who didn't wish for the biggest, baddest gun/load available. More, short of total overkill, IS better.

[rattinox]

In the early 70's, I saw pix in Guns & Ammo of a .45 longslide built from a standard Series 70 Colt; it was the coolest, sexiest pistol I'd ever seen.

Decades later I bought an AMT Hardballer Longslide in stainless, which was cool. The AMT just didn't have the level of quality I wanted, though, certainly not up to Colt's standards.

When the Glock 20 Gen One's hit the market, I grabbed one immediately. It was the kind of "Dark Horse" cartridge that suited my personality 100%. (I think it was Gary James of G&A who first quoted the "Dark Horse" phrase for the Ten).

So, when the G40 entered my field of vision, it was only a natural progression to buy one.......

[Gman45]

with the 10mm being a good woods defense option im wondering what are your opinions  on the g20 and g40 as far as woods defense. will the longer barrel of the g40 give you more noticable penetetration and velocity that would make a difference in a situation where you may have to shoot a large animal such as a grizzly? using the same ammo in the g20 as the g40 what are your opinions?
thanks

Got rid of the 20 for the 40 I like the MOS , Shoots smoother, better sight radius, more velocity. Have the 29 for EDC


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