Is it really true that the .40 S&W is dead?

[rwsmith]

Might as well put in my two cents....

No it's not dead or dying. It shows some improvement over the 9mm in not requiring follow up shots. It's a PD round and whatever they come up with next won't totally replace it. I think most people that have them like them. The popularity DID fade some back in favor of the 9mm but that doesn't say it's not being used, a lot. I've noticed that when I collect range brass, there isn't QUITE as much .40 Cal. in there. It's a little less popular than the .45 ACP.

I agree that the "Is the .40 dying out" sounds like a title for a magazine article. Next month another article will read, "The .40 is here to stay!"

 

[one eye joe]

Doesn't seek to be the case here in Montana...but then we are usually a few years late to the party.
I am not aware of gunshops and pawnshops refusing to pawn or buy a .40 S&W. Again, that is life in Montana................

Randy

DESPITE THE FACT THAT IT APPEARS TO BE REGRESSIVE, COULD IT BE THAT .40 S&W SHOOTERS ARE REVERTING BACK TO THE 9MM, DUE TO CHEAPER, AND MORE READILY AVAILABLE AMMO ? ? ?

A FRIEND OF MINE RECENTLY PURCHASED A CONVERSION KIT FOR HIS .40 CAL, GLOCK 23 TO SHOOT 9MM. IT SEEMS THAT THE VAST MAJORITY OF YOUNG SHOOTERS ON THE RANGE, ARE USING SOME BRAND OF HI-CAP, 9MM, SEMI AUTOS..........

SOOO, WHAT YOU ARE ALLUDING TO, MAY VERY WELL BE WHAT IS OPERANT IN THE WOFLD, OUTSIDE OF MONTANA...........

 

[S&WsRsweet]

Manufacturers of firearms and ammunition have to make a buck so do the guys running gun shops and pawn shops .The 38 was dead killed by the 9mm . The 9 was killed by the 40 .Now the 40 is dead? Me I'm waiting and holding on to my 32/20 and the hoard of ammo I have waiting for its resurgence .Am I sure ? Just hide and watch.

 

[BAM-BAM]

No....it's just lost it's "Magic Bullet" status!!!!!!

When it was introduced in the early 1990s I was already invested in the 9mm and .45 auto cartridges.........so I didn't see the need for the .40 as a civilian concealed carrier.........

I was good to go with a 9mm 3913 in the Spring, Summer and Fall ....... and a Sig 245 in the "Winter" months.

I do own a Sig 229 (bought "used" but anib for $500 ) with both .40 S&W and .357Sig barrels and a half dozen magazines........ just in case!

 

[rwt1405]

When the .40 Short & Weak "came to be" I was already well into .22, .38/.357, 9mm, and .45 for handguns.

I do admit to getting a couple of .40's, for those periods of time when it (.40 ammo) might be easier to obtain, so I got a Glock 23 and 35.

Oh, and I also picked up a HiPower in .40, just because I found one, and it was a great buy!

 

[stansdds]

The 40 S&W is slightly more dead than the 45 ACP and 9x19mm. Just because the military decided to stick with the 9mm and the FBI has gone back to the 9mm does not mean that every law enforcement agency in the U.S. is going to trade in their 40 S&W pistols for 9mm pistols. The round is a good defensive round and will be around for many, many years to come.

 

[Muss Muggins]

The 40 S&W is slightly more dead than the 45 ACP and 9x19mm. Just because the military decided to stick with the 9mm and the FBI has gone back to the 9mm does not mean that every law enforcement agency in the U.S. is going to trade in their 40 S&W pistols for 9mm pistols. The round is a good defensive round and will be around for many, many years to come.

Every LEO agency around here is doing just that when they can afford it. The only thing that kept a couple agencies I know of from switching to the Glock 19X was the coyote color, and the Glock 45 that just came out fixes that . . .

 

[ColbyBruce]

rwsmith I was in your area when I was offered the Steyr.

 

[gdogs]

Hmmm dead... not for me. Beretta 96, HK USP, Sig P229 & P239, Walther M2 & PPS, and a Steyr M40 all reside in my house and aren't going anywhere. Oh and I almost forgot, just picked up a 40 barrel for my RIA 2011 10mm. Only thing I'm really missing at this point is a High Power in 40.

 

[murphydog]

“Less popular than before” is not the same as “dead”.

My prediction is there is a trend away from .40 and to 9 mm, of unsure duration and numbers. Then at some point in the future there will be reports of “failures to stop” with 9 mm, which may lead back to .40s or even .45s being reissued. Just like in the early 1900s...history has a way of repeating itself.

 

[jim lock]

I think our gun writer articles have a lot to do with it. When we read articles like " New 9mm ammo out does 40 cal." "Recoil in 40 cal. to much to handle" " 9mm just as good as 40cal." and it goes on and on. it just sways our thinking.
Just My Opinion.

 

[moosedog]

Quote, "Right from the beginning the .40 seemed to me to be troublesome " Where do you come up with this troublesome stuff?
It's proven very effective in LE work and is popular here in the Midwest.
It's a good choice between the 9mm and 45acp for those officers that do not have large enough hands for the 45acp and don't want the 9mm.

 

[URIT]

The .40 S&W is not dead in my family. I know many agencies have switched to 9mm ammo to cut costs but that doesn't make the 9mm a better personal protection round.

I recently watched this 10:27m YouTube video on 9mm vs .40 S&W vs 45 ACP shooting at a stack of paper plates...

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g8VeXwj4aWQ[/ame]

You can skip to the 9:00m mark to view the test results. The presenter seems to think the number of plates is more important than the bullet expansion after digging through the stack to retrieve the fired bullets. I do not. I'll take the nice mushroomed .40 S&W round for my PD choice.

 

[Seven High]

I predict that sometime in the future a large law enforcement agency will have a failure to stop while using the 9mm. It will be widely publicized. The 40 SW will be touted as the answer. The circle will then be complete.

 

[typetwelve]

All I can say is what I've observed, and here it is:

I see a ton of 40 ammo sitting on store shelves nearly everywhere I go. Back during the last ammo "scare", 40 was the only ammo readily available around where I live.

I see a ton of used 40 semi auto pistols filling up gun store shelves.

Does this mean anything? Who knows, it's just what I've seen.


Now...personally, I have zero interest in 40. I've shot them, I do like the round. There's zero reason for me to list my "reasons", I just personally don't have a need for one.

 

[serger]

The 40 is dead if you're an FBI wannabe police department. They
follow the latest fashion trends and the cool kids on the runway
don't like 40's.

But for folks like me, I'll buy them all day.

 

[Dump1567]

The nice thing with Glock .40's, is you can easily buy a replacement barrel in 9mm or .357 sig. And when .40 is "all the rage" again in 10 years, you can put your .40 barrel back in.

Cheapest way to keep up on the latest trends.

 

[typetwelve]

The nice thing with Glock .40's, is you can easily buy a replacement barrel in 9mm or .357 sig. And when .40 is "all the rage" again in 10 years, you can put your .40 barrel back in.

Cheapest way to keep up on the latest trends.

That's one really nice thing about conversion barrels in a 40 semi auto. I've always had some goofy crush on .357 SIG, but I won't drop the $$ to buy one. If I could have dropped in a conv barrel, I'd do that for sure.

 

[mrchuck]

I like the 40sw caliber. Sure,it's a little "snappier" in recoil than a 9mm, but it's knockdown power and car body penetration is worth it.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Wow! 59 threads proving and disproving a cartridge that's been effective for over 26 years!