What made you realize you should have gotten a 9mm instead of a .40 S&W?

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My 9mm was one of the last pistols that I purchased! My first was a 45, followed by a 357, then a 22, followed by a few 38s, then my 41. Post accident, I purchased another 45 then a 380. I have never felt the need for a 40!
 
I never got into the 'Shoulda' category, since I never got sucked into the hype of .40 caliber.

  • Current day ballistics .40's never been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, to be better than 9mm.
  • I don't reload, to the price of reloading .40 has never been a factor.
  • The price of (store bought) 9mm is always less than .40.
  • I enjoy shooting 9mm more than .40.
  • and since I don't really care for .40, I've never had the need to buy conversion barrels. :D
 
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I never came to that conclusion. Though I never bought any 40s.

357SIG is another story.

Virtually identical costs of a 9MM to load but considerably superior Terminal Ballistics. Same primer, same projectile family and just a tad more powder. :)

BTW, if you are truly paying double for 40 over 9MM I can suggest many, many on-line places to shop that will significantly narrow that price gap.
 
No one wants to admit they made a mistake with a purchase of a gun. Just like cars and boats and riding lawn mowers. We will go to all lengths to justify and convince everyone we had the better idea, even if we have to make stuff up. There are no rules. It’s a man thing.
 
I never came to that conclusion. I have handguns in eleven different calibers. My primary carry handguns include .40 S&W, .45 ACP, 10mm, and .357 magnum. My pocket BUG is a 9mm.
 
I haven't come to that conclusion either. Around here the price difference is insignificant and so far, I like the 40. I do intend at some point to buy a 9mm SL barrel. Maybe at that point I'll have an epiphany, but I happen to like the 40, so I'm in no rush.
 
Just keeping it simple. 12GA, .357/.38SP, 9mm, .380, .22LR. If I knew then what I know now, I wouldn't have gotten the .380.

If I was a re-loader or less constrained financially, then .45 would be added.
 
When I retired from LE, I quit carrying .40s. Technological advances in ammo, cost, and its availability in stores caused me to switch to 9mm for cc and home defense. I still have .22, .38 Special, .357 magnum, and .45 ACP handguns for variety. That's enough for me.
 
The worst thing about .40 is that the brass looks too much like .45 when I'm scavenging at the range.

The best thing about .40 is that was consistently available in stores during the last panic.

Because of advances in bullet technology I no longer believe that there are dramatic differences in terminal performance in commonly available defensive calibers.

With simple barrel switches and a .22LR conversion unit for its top end, my SIG P229 does .22, 9mm, .40 and .357. There is no compelling reason to give up .40, but will never bother to reload for it, or 9mm for that matter. Availability drives my choices.

My carry guns are .45 ACP, but only because I shoot it well, and I will always reload for that to keep practice costs as low as possible.
 
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