I have compared and I'll confirm the statement. I carry the 180s when I'm carrying a 40. My G23 Glock loves Gold Dots while the G27 is super accurate with the Federal HSTs. And surprisingly I've clocked the HSTs at an average of 1,010fps out of the little 27. That's what Federal advertises with a 5" test barrel so the stuff is a little hotter than specd.I prefer the 40. It has 2 more rounds, is slightly smaller and weighs 7 to 8 oz less than the 45. The 45 does offer less recoil but I don't have a problem with the .40. I've heard that the 180gr .40 ammo recoils less than the 165gr but I have not compared the two back to back.