Is the 40 S&W dieing?

[joe44va]

Went to trade my M&P 40, with CT laser, in on a 686+ pro with 5" bbl. LGS that I've delt with for years would only give my $325 (275+50 for the CT) saying that the 40 is dead and they have a ton of them they can't get rid of. They wouldn't budge on the list price of the 686 either, but that's another issue. Is the 40 dead? PS. I was trading the M&P because I can't hit with it. I have two 40 S&W XDMs that I like. Some guns just don't fit well. Functioning was always great.

 

[40s&w]

No it isn't dying. I'll be glad I have a .40 s&w when there is another ammo shortage (and there will be ammo shortage) and no other caliber ammo left on the shelves and online, except the 40 s&w

 

[DWalt]

I think it's far from dead, at least for LE use. But personally I have never been able to warm up to it, and don't own anything chambered for it. And probably never will. Even at a really great price, I'd probably walk away from anything chambered in .40 S&W, as I have no use for one. There may well be many others like me.

 

[Arik]

This stuff comes in waves. 40 has lost some popularity as people move on to other things. But as far as dead it is not

Sent from my XT1650 using Tapatalk

 

[Tom Beavert]

40 s&w

Not dead at my house, I have a bunch, from Shield-M&P-1911 (single & double stack). Some folks like chocolate, some vanilla, I'm glad they make both.
tb

 

[kwselke]

I always saw the .40 S&W as a compromise caliber between a 9 mm Para, .45 ACP, and the 10 mm. Personally I prefer each of those three calibers for their unique qualities over the .40 S&W. That said, there are a bunch of .40s out there, it is far from dead, and if all I had available in a fight was a .40 I'd use it and feel well armed.

 

[cmort666]

It's a hard round to warm up to, especially if your experience is only with the first generation of guns.

I got an early 2nd Gen Glock 22. The recoil system really wasn't well adapted to the .40 S&W and the slide velocity on an unmodified gun is astonishing. This leads to nasty muzzle whip and poor controllability.

I only recently revisited mine, replacing the stock plastic guide rod and 18(?)lb. recoil spring with a stainless rod and a 22lb. spring. It's an entirely different gun now, feeling much more like a hot .45acp than the monster it was before.

The .40 really needs a steel gun, a very low bore axis, or preferably both.

 

[Farmer17]

I always liked the .40 and don't currently own a 9m/m or .45 Acp. I would feel comfortable with the 9m/m for defense with expensive plus P ammo, and I love GI 1911s in 45 acp but other wise the round doesn't appeal to me. The .40 seems to have the perfect balance of velocity, capacity, bore size, and bullet weight to suit my taste. Sometimes driving home from the range my gun is loaded with cheap, full metal jacket, flat-point target ammo and I still have pretty good confidence that it would perform well in a fight. I don't have the same level of confidence in the 9m/m with FMJ ammo. I also heard recently that even though many police agencies have switched to the 9/mm there are still more law enforcement carrying the .40.

 

[okiegtrider]

I think we are definitely seeing the beginning of some decline the .40's popularity. Love em or hate em, the FBI adopting the .40 was a huge factor in its rise to prominence. And now the latest FBI adoption of the new improved wonder 9 is contributing to that decline and resurgence of love for the 9mm.

Just yesterday I attended a sales pitch, thinly disguised as a, "balistics workshop" extolling the virtues of the new G2 load. Full blown gelatin demo on the range and a chance to shoot the latest and greatest offerings from Glock.

Not saying I drank any Kool-aid, but it was kindof a fun day out there.

]

 

[DWalt]

Keep in mind that all gun manufacturers love to extol the beauty of Caliber A, then when it is well-established, they switch back and promote their guns in Caliber B, or maybe Caliber C, as being better. Obviously, this generates a lot of additional replacement gun sales in the LE market, as they switch from Caliber A to Caliber B or Caliber C, and by extension, also increase sales to the civilian market. That's called smart marketing.

 

[gman51]

I think the 40 will always be around just like the 38 spl. is still around. The 38 spl is considered by many to be a poor round for CC but it still is showing up in new revolvers.

I also noticed the 40s were on the shelves when a 9 or 45 couldn't be found during the great shortage.

Personally I like the 40 and the one gun I have in 40 is one of my favorites. It was my CC for quite awhile before I went to revolvers for CC.

IMO the 40 isn't going by the wayside anytime soon.

 

[SAFireman]

The 40 was never alive.....The 10mm is alive, the 40 is but a weak shadow of a once great loading

 

[Malpasowildlifer]

Not really, but it is not as popular. During the past couple of rushes, I noticed .40 on the shelves, when most everything else was gone. I learned that average shooters own way more 9mms and 45s than .40, which surprised me due to the popularity of Glocks.

It is a good round on paper; the recoil is just too snappy for my taste, except for an HK USP .40 Expert or P7M10.

If you think you need a .40, get a 10mm!

 

[Faulkner]

It's worth recalling that the .40 S&W was very popular during the Clinton Assault Weapons ban with it's 10 round magazine limit. That is due in part because with a 10 round limit you could design a handgun that would put 10 rounds of .40 in a 9mm sized frame whereas 10 rounds of .45 ACP was still a handful.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Don't dealers always try to "bad mouth" what ever you have on trades? It's just a normal business practice with some. What ever you have is not what they want. Take it with a grain of salt. I don't think the .40 cal is decreasing or going anywhere.

I could be wrong, but I think I did read that the US Army, who's evaluating new handguns for a large purchase right at this moment, did eliminate the .40 S&W (and all S&W handguns, in general) from contention. That surprised me.

Seems to me the .40 cal would be ideal for 21st century Military service, for the same reasons it's been selected by so many LEO's.

 

[DWalt]

As far as I know the U. S. Coast Guard is the only military service presently using the .40 S&W (If you consider the USCG as being military).

 

[okiegtrider]

Keep in mind that all gun manufacturers love to extol the beauty of Caliber A, then when it is well-established, they switch back and promote their guns in Caliber B, or maybe Caliber C, as being better. Obviously, this generates a lot of additional replacement gun sales in the LE market, as they switch from Caliber A to Caliber B or Caliber C, and by extension, also increase sales to the civilian market. That's called smart marketing.

Right on target DWalt. Exactly what was going on with the little dog and pony show I attended yesterday.

It was smart marketing indeed. They even bought lunch!

I'm not their target audience, but I was glad to get to tag along. Just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

 

[Darkstar888]

Never had a use for 40 and never will. No need for more recoil, louder bang, more flash, and less capacity for barely any of at all ballistic advantage. If I want to make a bigger hole I'll get a 45.

 

[Zipdog]

Went to trade my M&P 40, with CT laser, in on a 686+ pro with 5" bbl. LGS that I've delt with for years would only give my $325 (275+50 for the CT) saying that the 40 is dead and they have a ton of them they can't get rid of. They wouldn't budge on the list price of the 686 either, but that's another issue. Is the 40 dead? PS. I was trading the M&P because I can't hit with it. I have two 40 S&W XDMs that I like. Some guns just don't fit well. Functioning was always great.

Ask enough gun shops and you will find he is telling you the truth. In 5 years you won't be able to find any new ones for sale. Oh wait some new Edsals sat on the lots unsold well after they dropped out. Kind of like the 40 ammo on the shelf when everything else was gone. Opinions of liking it isn't the same as sales numbers. Yes it is quickly dying out. Better dump them while you can.

 

[JayFramer]

The .40 has better stopping power over 9mm, but kicks more and holds less shots in the clip.