Is the .40 dead ? Let's see some !

[cherrypointmarine]

I enjoy shooting my .40's , always will . At least until Arthur visits and I can no longer rack their slides , but that goes for other calibers also . I know there's all sorts of arguments saying the .40 is leaving us , but I don't see it . Look at the 10mm , that was the same way . Let's see those pictures , then at least we can put it to rest , at least here on the best forum around . I only included my PC .40's , but include any you would like .

 

[ColbyBruce]

I also like .40 S&W

My first was a BHP, which I later gave to my son. I also gave him an Sig SP2022 and an armload of magazines and a Walther PPS.

I have owned Glock 22, 23, 27's. S&W Shields. A Star. Sig P239, SP250 compact and subcompact, SP2340. Sig P226 and Ruger.

 

[ColbyBruce]

Couldn't locate photos of the Glock 23/27 guns, but you get the idea.

 

[Erich]

I was managing a gun store in '90 when Smith & Wesson announced the caliber and their guns . . . and when Glock beat them to the market with what they identified as merely ".40" on the side of the slide. Me, I was a big 10mm fan so I couldn't understand why anyone would want the "Short & Weak" variant.

Comparisons to the .38-40 and so much good data followed. I changed my mind.

Like friend Colby Bruce, my first was also a BHP; a fine gun. Later a 239 SIG-Sauer. I avoided the caliber (for simplicity) for many years, but later found myself buying an unissued San Jose Police surplus Beretta PX4 Compact for $329. It's a fine gun and the rotary barrel mechanism is a terrific mate with the .40 S&W cartridge. It's gotten some carry over the years, but now is mostly used bedside at nighttime with an underbarrel light mounted.

 

[4T5GUY]

Almost 5 years ago I didn't have ANY .40's at all. Why would I?

June of 2019 that changed with me getting a Shorty 40 locally enough, for $460.00. I just wanted it to go with my Shorty .45 MK2. 6 months later an excellent w/everything 4040PD showed up locally and for $427.00 I took it home. I found out I was actually appreciating 3rd Gen S&W .40's. They are the only .40's I'm interested in. (Still not enough to reload for them though.)

Except for the Recon, I think I got the others for reasonable if not excellent prices. That's the benefit in acquiring the "dead .40 cal." examples.

Oh, Happy Belated Birthday Mike

Jim

 

[ColbyBruce]

I found a photo of the Star. It was quite heavy, so it went away.

 

[Well Armed]

I hope in the future everyone will hate 357 magnum or another great caliber so that I can get more firearms for the cheap. I've gotten some NIB $600 +/- pistols in the $300 range in the past. I also have a Sig P239 that's in mint condition for cheap, but I don't have photos.

NIB Kahr K40 purchased online from BudsGunShop in 2019 for $300.

K40 purchased from a LGS used for $330ish

Kahr MK40 purchased from Gun Broker for $329.99.

NIB Beretta PX4 Inox purchased online from Sportsmans Outdoors $319.99.

 

[BKLooney]

 

[Hair Trigger]

.40S&W is alive and well at my house. I started with a Ruger SR40c around 2012 or so, sold it when I started getting rid of all my plastic guns. then bought a Springfield EMP4 chambered for it, and then found a BHP chambered in .40. The EMP4 is a daily carry now.

I kind of wish I'd kept the Ruger, didn't need to worry about beating it up and it was a great carry piece. That's okay, though, I live with the small wear marks on the SA.

 

[cherrypointmarine]

Found pictures of a couple more . The 2 S&W's are both CHP's , I got them both from Summit . He had got a handful of the 4013TSW's from CHP and I jumped on one of them .

The other is one you don't see too often . I think they are more known for their cars than their guns , but it is a well made piece . If you want a laugh , look at the picture of the frame and you'll see who imported them . I bet they would like for that moment in time to be erased .

 

[Sevens]

I am a mostly somewhat reformed .40 S&W hater. This is the .40cal I shoot most.

 

[Lonestar57]

Got a few 40's. I personally like the round.

.

 

[Well Armed]

I am a mostly somewhat reformed .40 S&W hater.

Congratulations! How long have you been clean?

 

[madmikeb]

I've always like .40's, but then again I like 10mm too!

I have a Springfield EMP and a 4013 TSW. Both are reliable as all get out!

 

[hoytx10]

It's a great round, I love shooting my SD-40!

 

[Sevens]

Congratulations! How long have you been clean?

Doubt I have ever been clean. My first .40 was a KKM barrel for my Glock 29… maybe 2012 or so…?

It was very easy to hate .40cal when I was an early big fan of the 10mm and my S&W 1006. I have detailed my journey in other discussions where it's more appropriate. It's a lengthy post.

 

[jughed440]

Love that round, and Honestly, I'm ok with people dumping the .40 for whatever reason and selling off the guns and ammo cheap. Spotted a few 3rd Gens for sale at gun shows recently, and ended up buying a pair of them (4043, and PC SD-40). I often carry a G27 (w. G23 mag and X-grip).

Also have a 4053 that's fun to shoot.

 

[SGT ROCK 11B]

... so I couldn't understand why anyone would want the "Short & Weak" variant.

Same here. My Police Department had just approved 45 ACP for on duty carry. It had been approved for several years as an approved off duty pistol.

So why go "Short & Weak" when the legendary .45 Automatic was approved?

 

[sigp220.45]

I have a Glock 27 and a Glock 22 FBI Commemorative, but this one gets the most use. The rarely-seen Model 646, 4" L frame, full lug, titanium-cylindered, round butt, no-lock (but frame mounted firing pin) .40 caliber unicorn that turned up in a pawnshop just outside the Jicarilla Apache reservation. I love this thing.

My .40-hating buddy shot it and pronounced it the only .40 he could grow to like. Not love.

 

[Sevens]

I had a 646 and I couldn't fall in love with it. It was finicky with what brass it liked to jive with the moon clips. Also, while it does not actually have the lock, it is not a pre-lock era revolver and it was THE example that proved the theory I had long held — it isn't the lock itself that makes the double action on lock guns lousy, it's the MIM parts.

You could easily see that my 646 had the MIM hammer and the double action was just what I expected from a lock gun… which is to say that you squeeze the long trigger and the weight stacks as expected but then when you expect it to release, it dead-stops against a wall, a very firm wall, and you have to break through that wall to discharge the shot.

And I hated it.

Many folks hate the ILS S&W revolvers and I'm in that group but reason is solely based on the wrecked double action trigger and unfortunately, the 646 has it.

 

[dsf]

Well, keeping in mind that this is a "40 cal thread" and not a 40 S&W ....



Nor a semi pistol thread ...



The CZ is a 41AE. A LGS changed hands a few times +20 years back and the gun never moved. I made fun of that and the new owner said "make me a deal" and I said $99.00 and he said "sold!". My boss had a case of Israeli ammo but just to play it safe I bought a 9mm barrel from Numrich. Kind of started my Tanfoglio buying streak of uppers and conversion kits.

 

[Well Armed]

Same here. My Police Department had just approved 45 ACP for on duty carry. It had been approved for several years as an approved off duty pistol.

So why go "Short & Weak" when the legendary .45 Automatic was approved?

More capacity, better barrier penetration, smaller and lighter platform, the ability to shoot 9mm and 357 sig out of the same gun, will perform better and more reliablely out of smaller barrels, etc.... There isn't really anything "legendary" about 45acp. It's just endeared by some because history and popularity of 1911s.

 

[CH4]

My favorite 40 is my P229. I carried it most of my LE career. I am looking for a 4053.

 

[oink]

My favorite 40 is my P229. I carried it most of my LE career. I am looking for a 4053.

You must have had it refinished. All of my duty guns look like used duty guns.

 

[Alk8944]

Well, keeping in mind that this is a "40 cal thread" and not a 40 S&W ....

View attachment 676577

Nor a semi pistol thread ...

View attachment 676582

The CZ is a 41AE. A LGS changed hands a few times +20 years back and the gun never moved. I made fun of that and the new owner said "make me a deal" and I said $99.00 and he said "sold!". .

Your gun is a Tanfoglio, from F.I.E, not a CZ. Tanfoglio is one of several companies making copies of the basic CZ design.

Mine cost $125 and had apparently been in an evidence room for years! The blued parts were all rusty. I wire brushed the rusted parts and cold blued them and it is acceptable. My SN is only 17 numbers away from yours!

All my brass is .41 Magnum converted on my lathe so I have no ammunition worries! I had a barrel failure one day but was able to find a man named Carleton in Greeley, Colorado that is a fan and had a source of replacement barrels from both Tanfoglio and IWI, probably intended for a Jerico 941. I bought one of each! The Tanfoglio has conventional rifling and the IWI is polygonal.

It wasn't the load, but a pure structural failure of the barrel! It did damage the slide and frame slightly by spreading them, but those were easy to repair.

Just to keep this legitimate to the original .40 thread, I have owned four, a full size Witness, Springfield P9C. an Astra A-75, and a Shorty Forty. The Shorty Forty is the only one I have now.

 

[Mike0251]

Dan Wesson SSC and a CZ 75 Tactical Sport

 

[chief38]

As I see it, new calibers and guns come out in "good gun times" when ammo is relatively affordable, plentiful and easy to procure. Even if a specific caliber will not do anything all that much better than a long time established one, as long as there isn't a hassle getting ammo to feed it, it could hang on. Manufacturers and ammo company's are always looking to market a "better mouse trap" and it is just easier to do it in "good times".

The S&W 40 (as I see it) was probably the best "new comer" to the firearms world over the last 3 decades and one of the very few that was /is a really great round. The 10mm suffered from a bunch of "flaws" such as recoil, muzzle flash, ammo cost & availability and of course not a whole lot of shooters could shoot well, accurate and consistently with it. The efficiency of the 10mm was very high, however in order for it to be effective it must hit said target which it did not do many times! So.... yes the 40 S&W was over all a much better practical round - hence the reason it is still somewhat popular.

In "bad"gun times such as we are now in because of Government gun control agendas, ammo laws and restrictions being introduced every day, sky high prices, etc. gun owners are trying to stick to the smallest amount of caliber variations and pistol configurations and unless the specific "new" caliber is just so so much better, they opt to stick with what they have, what is easily available and of course affordable.

The tried and true century old 9mm is just hard to beat!! It is low cost, readily available, easy to shoot for almost anyone, the guns are all over the world in pretty much any size, shape and configuration and the new crop of 9mm rounds like the Federal HST, Speer GD, etc. are excellent!!

Bottom line here is, yes the 40 is still hanging on, but it is my opinion that most of the guns chambered in 40 are already out here and owned by veteran gun guys. The 10mm is slowly falling by the wayside for many reasons and ammo is not only hard t find it is very expensive when you you find it. Many police agency's and Federal agency's have switched back to the 9mm and now that the prices have skyrocketed I think new calibers will be very slow to come out now. The 9mm will be the King of the Hill for the foreseeable future IMO. So that is my take.

 

[BLUEDOT37]

I like some .40 caliber too!

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4013TSW pre-rail, CHP turn-in
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[cherrypointmarine]

Thanks Bluedot for reminding me . Here's my 2 tone CS40 I got a while back . I sent it off to BMCM right away to have him convert it to 10mm . Then I got to thinking , do I buy another CS40 so I have one of those ? I decided to but another slide and barrel , I had everything else . So I had it sent to Guzzitaco and he cleaned it up , put an LPA on it and did his PC cuts .

 

[CH4]

You must have had it refinished. All of my duty guns look like used duty guns.

lol
Truth be told, just before I retired one of my armorers swapped out the blue slide and small parts for the nickel and factory grips with wood Hogues. It's good to be eljefe. There's still wear on the front strap and trigger guard. I probably have put 10,000+ flawless rounds through her.