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

[DJDave]

How the .40 S&W came to be.
lessons from the Miami shootout.

A look at the 1986 FBI Miami shootout 27 years later

Personally, I do not subscribe to the Magic New 9mm bullet Theory.

 

[marinedoc69]

Availability seems to be the big issue

I was in Cabelas this weekend and noticed that there was no scarcity of top of the line defensive ammunition in .38 special, .45 acp and .380. However, the selection was not nearly as good in 9mm. Federal HST in 9mm is difficult to find on line but appears to be available in other calibers. So the 9mm is emerging as the defensive ammo of choice. All it takes is for some government agency to announce they are switching from .40 to 9mm and the rush is on. According to most ballistic studies, WELL PLACED rounds from all of the above (the exception being .380) will give pretty much equal results as to stopping the assailant in an armed confrontation. Practice rounds in all calibers are pretty available but not in the prices we were used to a few years ago.

 

[MarkAlt]

Funny how history repeats.

I bought several 9 trade-ins dirt cheap when everyone had to have a 40.

Just bought an unissued 40 M&P for pocket change.

Frankly, I'm liking all of them.

 

[TTSH]

Funny how history repeats.

I bought several 9 trade-ins dirt cheap when everyone had to have a 40.

Just bought an unissued 40 M&P for pocket change.

Frankly, I'm liking all of them.

I, too, am enjoying the break we are getting on .40's right now.

Sounds like if we hold onto them long enough, they will re-emerge as the preferred caliber.

 

[Kframerbluvr]

I own three each of the standard Glock 9mm and .40 models. My work changed to .40 from 9mm in the late '90s because we got brand new guns at no cost due to trading in the pre ban 17 round mags.
Retirement is looming on the horizon and I may buy conversion barrels for the three .40 guns and use them for practice, reserving the original 9mm guns for carry. Those and my .38s will take care of most of my needs.

 

[Arik]

I have not come to that conclusion but I have noticed that I generally shoot 9 better in any gun whereas in 40 some guns in my hands are like lasers and others are like buckshot from a 100 yards.

I order ammo online and the price of 40s&w range ammo is only a few dollars more. I was paying $13.50 for Geco 40s&w where as the 9 is $11

 

[APS]

For some reason shooting my .40 226 and 229 would induce a shake in my hands after a couple of boxes. Not sure why, 45acp didn't and 38+P in sub-15oz revolvers didn't. Sold them and have stuck with primarily 9mm in semi autos with a couple of 45acp that I rarely shoot.

 

[Smitty357]

I just recently started shooting 40 again. Because the availability of ammo has improved along with the cost (because ALOT are ditching 40 and going back to 9mm)

You sir are a very smart man. We all know what happened during the last ammo shortage. And u can bet its coming again in November. Atleast having .40 will give u a little more time to stock up. Because 9mm,.223/5.56 and .22lr will be gone in the blink of an eye. This is why i've always enjoyed habing the shield .40 with a 9mm barrel. This way i can get either caliber if they have both Or i can just get the 1 caliber they still have left. Although they all will disappear over time.

Another good reason to have the ole 1911 tucked away also. .45 acp never dried up over here. It was always sitting on the shelves.

 

[Blackshirt]

I'm not a big fan of 9mm. The old-timers that I used to work with referred to it as a "stun-gun cartridge". It's okay...'bout like a .38+P. .40S&W is better, but .357 Sig is better, still. All three fit in the same sized package. I use .357 Sig...

 

[Groo01]

Groo here
I have/had 5 40 Short & Weak pistols.
only 1 was accurate [EAA Witness Gold team] got rid of another [Kahr]
and converted the others to 357sig [Glock]
The gun and bullet are a system- if I need a slim gun for ccw
the 9 mm goes, if I can take something bigger so will be the
hole in the barrel.

 

[Whitwabit]

How the .40 S&W came to be.
lessons from the Miami shootout.

A look at the 1986 FBI Miami shootout 27 years later | Examiner.com

Personally, I do not subscribe to the Magic New 9mm bullet Theory.

Either do I .. If the 9mm has improved so much it can only be the new jacketed hollow point bullets .. nothing else has changed .. the velocity is the same nothing in the pistols or the casing has changed and these same designs and changes were incorporated into all other calibers also ..

So if the 9mm improved so much so did all other calibers and that would continue to make the 40S&W superior to the 9mm ..

 

[Nevada Ed]

Ah......
a little while after I bought the 40 to replace......

the 10 MM !!

 

[GUNMIKE]

bushmaster1313, where are you able to buy 9mm for half the price of 40sw. In my area the 9mm is cheaper than the 40sw by only 2-4 dollars a box.

 

[bushmaster1313]

In the context of self defense terrorists are using body armor and I wouldnt surprised if we start seeing some street thugs using it also. This is a game changer in terms of training, caliber, and bullet type. I dont have the answer but a 9mm isnt very effective against body armor. The 40 may not be as well and the 357 magnum may be an even better choice. I believe we have to rethink everything now including training for shot placement.

I believe we should be thinking maximizing the neutralization of the threat while minimizing collateral damage.

 

[bushmaster1313]

bushmaster1313, where are you able to buy 9mm for half the price of 40sw. In my area the 9mm is cheaper than the 40sw by only 2-4 dollars a box.

In Cental New Jersey I can see 9 for $14.99 and 40 for $29.00

 

[TexasRaider]

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

By becoming a bleating sheep that lets the FBI's pseudo-science do the thinking for me?

Just kidding. I don't carry either. I use the .357 Sig pretty much exclusively and sleep very well at night.

 

[shouldazagged]

I've owned both and like both, especially the G22 and G19 and a Smith 469.

Went back to .38 Special years ago. If I were choosing between 9mm and .40 S&W now, with increasingly arthritic hands, it would be the 9mm, but that's nothing against the .40.

 

[Whitwabit]

In the context of self defense terrorists are using body armor and I wouldnt surprised if we start seeing some street thugs using it also. This is a game changer in terms of training, caliber, and bullet type. I dont have the answer but a 9mm isnt very effective against body armor. The 40 may not be as well and the 357 magnum may be an even better choice. I believe we have to rethink everything now including training for shot placement.

I agree the 357 Sig round might be better with what is going on in the world today .. I just bought a Sig P229 in 40 instead of 9mm for the capability of dropping in the 357 sig barrel and the 2 caliber capability !in one pistol incase of an ammo shortage !

I also carry a 40c most of the time over my 9mm Beretta PX4 .. and find myself practicing head shots at the range more these days !! Have a Storm Lake 357 Sig Barrel for my 40c and may start carrying that caliber !!

 

[MMT]

I shoot 9mm exclusively now. I used to have some 40s a while ago but never shot them much since ammo was more than 9mm and I always ended up buying 9mm instead because it was so much cheaper.

Practically 40 doesn't have any advantages over 9mm unless you get free 40 ammo. Beyond cost and capacity you can always shoot a 9mm faster than a 40, since 9mm has less recoil it is better to shoot SHO and especially WHO. Also if you do research into terminal ballistics data you will find that all service pistols perform pretty much the same. The biggest advantage of 9mm is that you will shoot it more, and the more you shoot the better you get at shooting.

 

[woodsltc]

"What made you realize you should have gotten a 9mm instead of a .40 S&W?"---------Hmm, this seems like a trick question, kinda like: When did you stop beating your wife??

Personally I like both and have guns chambered for both. But, it's a .40 that rests next to the bed and a .40 that rides in my truck & car where it's easy to reach.

Don