Do any of the popular 40 S&W semi autos out there have a chamber which fully supports the case head? Also I plan on shooting mostly lead bullet reloads so polygonal rifling should be avoided. Thanks for any info you care to share......

HI there Rickster,
I have a Beretta 96 in 40 S&W and this pistol does support the case head except for a tiny bit at the feed ramp, but for all practical purposes it covers it completely. I shoot mainly cast bullets (150gr LRN) and have had good accuracy with the right load. I've only had this gun jam once on me and it was because I put too much of a taper crimp on the case....ooops. Some dont like this pistol, but it has served me well. Thats my 2 cents worth. Good luck.

HI there Rickster,
I have a Beretta 96 in 40 S&W and this pistol does support the case head except for a tiny bit at the feed ramp, but for all practical purposes it covers it completely. I shoot mainly cast bullets (150gr LRN) and have had good accuracy with the right load. I've only had this gun jam once on me and it was because I put too much of a taper crimp on the case....ooops. Some dont like this pistol, but it has served me well. Thats my 2 cents worth. Good luck.



Thanks for the info JR454. Absolutely nothing wrong with Berettas that I'm aware of.... Rickster

Do any of the popular 40 S&W semi autos out there have a chamber which fully supports the case head? Also I plan on shooting mostly lead bullet reloads so polygonal rifling should be avoided. Thanks for any info you care to share......
The HK USP and USPC are fully supported and both were designed around the .40 cartridge from the get-go, not a re-designed and beefed up 9mm frame. If you are shooting lead then you would need an aftermarket barrel with conventional rifling such as Jarvis or CCF. Not only would you have one of the strongest and best .40 caliber semi-automatic pistols in the world but you would have one capable of shooting both lead and jacketed to boot. The cost of a Jarvis or CCF barrel (both match grade and can be had with the o-ring to assure consistant and repeatable lock up) run about $200 +-.

As long as its not a Glock, you are okay.

I also have a Beretta 96... I love it... I've had better luck shooting jacketed bullets in my gun though...

The beretta isn't a redesigned and beefed up 9mm frame... it was strong enough for a 40 in the first place.... :D