Expert: Dean Speir - 11/18/2008

Question
QUESTION: I recently purchased a Tauras PT140PRO 40 cal.  I find that the magazine is just a little short for my hand/grip.  Is there a "longer" magazine for this handgun?  The mag I have now has a plastic molded bottom that the "pinky" finger fits.  My pinky finger extends beyond this about 1/4 inch and makes holding it unsafe, just in my opinioun.  I have fired it, about 100 rounds w/out problems, just wish I could get a longer mag for comfort.  If so...where would I find one?
I went for the tauras model because I have owned several of this make and find them less expensive and very reliable.

Thanks for your help.

PS, I'm an expert here in the optical area so don't rush a reply, I know your busy.

Thanks

ANSWER: Hi, James...

Not a problem to help out a "fellow AllExpert" even though this is not a Second Amendment question.

Unless you have a uniquely configured hand, it would appear that the root of your difficulty is more of a software problem than one of the hardware involved... which is fortunate for you since I know of no "gray market" magazines which would help you.

The Taurus PT140 is a tad short in the gripframe, but I think an an adjustment in your own grip... the way you fit the pistol in your hand... is worth pursuing.

The reason I suggest this is your sense that what you are doing at present "makes holding it unsafe." That should never happen. You should be fully confident in your control of any firearm.

It seems that when you assume your grip and go into your technique, you should work on "wedging" the upper surface of your strong hand as high up on the grip-frame and under the rear of the trigger guard. You would then use the support hand to further reinforce that "wedge."

Also, make certain that the web of your strong hand is as high up on the rear of the gripframe as possible.

If you do that and still sense that your grip/grasp of the PT140 is inadequate to fully managing the snappy recoil of the .40 S&W cartridge in that 3.25-inch barrel, then perhaps you selected the wrong handgun.

One other thing I might suggest is that you look closely at your cartridge selection, and stay with the 165-grain rounds, a markedly superior choice over the 180-grainers or the whiz-bang 135-grainers.

The .40 S&W is a cartridge with which I'm very familiar since its joint introduction by S&W and Winchester/Olin in early 1990, and it took the industry almost 10 years to tweak it 'til it was "right."

The 165-grain cartridge offers better accuracy in the 1:16" barrels, and reduced felt recoil... think Newton's Third Law.

If you'd like to toss around this matter with "the pros from Dover," try here: http://www.eotacforum.com/viewforum.php?f=19&sid=641355f42cf6e165a44ca8312eca51c.





---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hey, thanks for REALLy fast reply, I didn't know here else to turn for advice.  I'll try the tech you suggested at my next target shoot.
Why The "and stay with the 165-grain rounds, a markedly superior choice over the 180-grainers"?

I use 165s for target, but use 180s hollow point for home protection.  Good choice, bad choice?

Not 2nd admen, I know, but your so knowledgable I figure your the guy to ask.

Answer
It's not a "good choice, bad choice" issue, James... it's simply that the 165-grainers are a BETTER choice for a variety of reasons.

The original cartridge was constructed around a flawed design criteria. Glock having made significant in-roads into the law enforcement market once dominated by Smith & Wesson, the latter needed to somehow put a large feather in its cap.

The FBI in the wake of the terrible April 1986 shooting event in South Florida (http://www.thegunzone.com/11april86.html), had just adopted the 10mm cartridge in a 180-grain JHP configuration and a proprietary version of the S&W Models 1976. That wasn't enough to satisfy S&W's corporate ego, so a handgun/cartridge combination was conceived.

The pistol would have the size and near-capacity of the increasingly popular 9 X 19mm semi-autos then being adopted in wholesale quantities by law enforcement agencies everywhere.

The cartridge specifications needed to replicate the "down-loaded" 180-grain JHP 10mm Federal issued by the FBI with exterior ballistics of 950 fps. (The original Bren Ten 10mm JHP was a 170-grain JHP with a nominal muzzle velocity of 1300 fps.)

What Winchester/Olin developed in something of a rush for S&W, was the shortened 10mm round introduced at the 1990 SHOT Show; it was 180-grain JHP at 990 fps, quickly reduced to 950 fps, and intended to be fired from the Third Generation Models 4006, identical in size to the 5900 series of 9 X 19mm pistols but with two-rounds less capacity.

Withstanding dire predictions to the contrary, the .40 S&W chambering quickly caught on with both law enforcement and the civilian shooting market, despite problematic accuracy. The 180-grain projectiles just didn't provide consistent accuracy with the S&W engineered 1:16½ barrels, and caused major delays with other ammunition manufacturers trying to chase Winchester/Olin into the marketplace.

That's the historical part... as Casey Stengel used to say, "And you can look it up." Charlie Petty and I have been writing about it for years as we were both at "ground zero" when the cartridge was launched.

Now, you seem to inherently know this since, by your words, you "use 165s for target, but use 180s hollow point for home protection."

Target use usually implies a focus on accuracy, and like 99-44/100% of handgun owners, most of your trigger time is on the target range rather than firing at miscreants invading your home.

So let me point out one little fact for you... the FBI which inspired the .40 S&W round's R&D, issues it in the 165-grain loading, and they're far more likely to be using it as an anti-personnel round then you are.

G'luck to you with your Taurus.