Is the .40 dead?

[BigBill]

It can die I could care less. I was never interested in the 40cal. But I'm a die hard 1911a1/45acp guy. But I prefer Magnum revolvers.

Anyway what's the life expectancy of the plastic 40's in the department? How often to they retire them?

 

[Ammo First]

Yes, it's Pushing up Daisies.

 

[gunny4053]

Fads come and go, what's popular today will get shelved down the road until it's popular again. Is the .40 dead.....I seriously doubt it. It's been the mainstay of LE for years. With that many .40's out there, I don't see it going quietly into that good night. Either way, I've got the fad covered, Glock 30 for my .45 needs, Beretta PX4 for the .40, a Beretta 92 FS for 9mm, and the wife's original Colt Mustang Plus II for .380.

 

[CTYankee]

I am a new shooter. The entire caliber war seems a little silly to me when one thinks about it. The goal in shooting from what I have gleamed is to put multiple shots on the center mass. Granted, if anyone had a choice, a M1A1 tank or even a JDAM strike would be prefered the prefered choice, but in a squeeze a pistol will do.

The goals I have for myself is shoot accurately, not to over penetrate and hit the neighbor, and show good judgement when to use lethal force. With those requirements in mind, the 9mm suits my purpose. For me, the 9mm is not to snappy for a novice like myself, relatively an inexpensive round, tons of different type of gun frames that it is chambered to, and is a dependable round.

Now the wife wanted .40's (she is 6'3" and not a wilting flower) because she has had experience in firearms (Dad was a 20+ Chief Petty Officer in the Navy). I explained to her that I have shot .40 in the past and had problem dealing with the recoil and control (yeah, I am a limp wristed sissy, live with it), and I really had very little experience (.22 rifle at summer camp and shot a friend .40 Glock once). She is now happy with another 9mm gun whose name shall said on this forum ((cough) Ruger) because she is left handed.

I do not think .40 is anymore deadlier than 9mm. Both will ruin your day if you are hit by one. Both are dependable rounds for pistol (Or else we all have .22 and be driving better cars because the cost of ammo). Both have a fan base behind it.

As for LE and FBI, economics and politics will always have influence. I still think the old Model 10 .38 specials are good gun for rural LE and that ammo capacity dose not make the job safer. Training and knowing what your are walking make the difference. If size was the soul factor, the local sheriff would be zipping around in a Bradley and look like he came off the street of a Iraq city.

In the end, the .40 is not going away though I think it is a redundant compromised round between the 9mm and .45. It is all up to shooter.

 

[Granite Stater]

As others have said, shoot with a caliber your comfortable with. New bullet technology has made the field closer together but they are not equal. No one is saying the 9mm is more deadly but it may be easier to shoot and quicker follow up shots. Look at 380 rounds, they are expanding as good or better than some 9mm but they lack penetration. The 9mm comes close in expansion to 40S&W but what happens when it hits bone or dense muscle. If I'm standing between my family and an attacker I want the best bang for my buck, something that will stop the aggression sooner than later. I like the 40S&W. BTW have you seen the size of some of these guys getting out of prison, they are jacked up.

When I first started as a Police Officer we were issued 357 magnums but only allowed to carry 38 spl. Some Officers couldn't handle the recoil. What bothered me about that was the fact than many officers only fired their handguns at Dept. range time when they had to, they never practiced on their own. Should they have been given the option of carrying a .22lr? I feel that I should have been given the option to carry 357 mag ammo if I could qualify with it. Probably the same can be said for the current group who suffer poor scores with 40S&W, lack of training/practice.

 

[alleycat7002]

Seen a 22 short end someone day

 

[Smoke]

I shoot better with my M&P9 but this


is my favorite gun

 

[pyro]

I have search the internet high and low to find data to support the 9mm, as a defense load, being equal to larger caliber loads such as the .40cal and 45cal. I could come up with nothing but data from ballistics gel and barrier penetration. This is meaningful to an extent, but is not proof one way or the other.

 

[McE]

I have search the internet high and low to find data to support the 9mm, as a defense load, being equal to larger caliber loads such as the .40cal and 45cal. I could come up with nothing but data from ballistics gel and barrier penetration. This is meaningful to an extent, but is not proof one way or the other.

There's a report floating around somewhere about Federal finding their 9mm HST performed identically to their 45acp HST, iirc.

 

[papersniper]

Since the FBI switched to 9mm......................

Like many here I could care less what the FBI or any other agency carries. I have to pay for my guns and ammo, so other factors are important to me. I believe that the 9mm is an adequate tool for my needs, which are 75% carry, and 25% shoot at the range. The price of 9mm is a LOT less than for 40 S&W, and almost compares to 22 LR. I own 40s, 45s, 9mm, 380s, 38 Special and 32 acp. I shoot the 9mms probably 90% of the time. I carry 9mm 95% of the time, and 380 the rest. My one 40 cal is my H&P USP I carried when I was an LEO. It's a fine handgun and the 40 is probably a better performing round than the 9 - BUT, in my situation, I'll stick with the 9mm.

 

[Stephanie B]

My understanding is the reason that the FBI went back to the 9mm as some people were having a hard time qualing with the 40 which means they were not shooting them very well in the field. Hard gun for office staff to shoot well once a year.

Maybe they ought to issue the office drones Walther P22s.

 

[Pilot172P]

@pyro, thanks for posting this thread.

The many responses about the .40 being alive and well have helped offset some of the doubts I have recently had, after having purchased my new Shield 40 a few weeks ago.

For the record, the Shield 40 has performed very well in target practice, and I've had no problems whatsoever with it. I scored 241/250 in the Texas Concealed Handgun License class, and that included several 5-shot rapid-fire rounds.

So, contrary to some reports, I have not found any issues with the recoil, nor with rapid fire.

I agree on the Shield 40. I shoot it better than any of my 9mm's.

 

[prairieviper]

40's own the law enforcement market in my area, including the state police. Some agencies went from the 9mm to the 40 but none, that I'm aware of, have gone back to the 9mm.

 

[model70hunter]

Own and shoot 45 acp. Love it. 357s and 44 mag, love them. Have a little lcp 380 In my pocket now.

I also have one of those Sig Saurs the FBI wanted and ditched in 40. And for some silly reason I bought tons of the Win LE loads under 15 bucks a box over the next 5 or 6 years. It xhoots well, rather have it than any 9mm, I sold 2 9mms after I bought the Sig.

Dead, ha.

it would be hard to chose between it and my Kimber custom target or my 1966 COLT National Match.

But then I do remember when the 1911 and 45 acp died as the 9 became popular.

 

[alleycat7002]

Going back to 9 here after glocks starting falling apart

 

[sheepdawg]

I brought this very topic up with a very nice female Olive Branch, Mississippi LEO the other day and she said there was no way she was giving up her 40 in lieu of a 9mm.


40 dead, not hardly.

 

[jtcarm]

Did revolver rounds die after the near-total migration to auto pistols?

 

[joe44va]

I'm thinking that the FBI took the liberal stance of catering to the least common denominator to maintain consistency. If I get shot I hope its' with a 9 not a 40, I'll have a better chance of survival. It is true, however, that shooting when you are being shot at is a whole different ball game.

 

[Geo. T.]

No it is not! I am not a fan but I'm sure it will be around for a long time.
I would remind you that when the 9 MM was adopted by the Military many of these same things were said about the 45 ACP and the 1911's!

 

[Watchdog]

Since the FBI switched to 9mm, the gun community as a whole has been dumping on the .40cal, many with great delight.

I've never dumped on it, but have never actually seen the need for it, and certainly never had the desire for a pistol chambered for it. Matter of fact, I don't think I've ever even commented on the .40 before until just this minute.

With the .357, 9mm, and .45 acp, the .40 seemed like just another "in between" caliber to me, just like the 10mm.