Has the 40 S@W disappeared?

[CT8]

Sorting through brass today had me wondering does any one shoot 40 S@W any more?

 

[Astro14]

All the time.

I've got an H&K USP Compact in that caliber.

Ammo in that, and other, calibers has really dropped in price. So, I've been stocking up...

 

[umungus1122]

It's popularity is waning. You'll notice the police trade-in .40s are cheaper than their 9 counterparts. Cheaper to shoot, less recoil, and bullet technology has advanced where there's not much difference between them. Those that want a bigger round go to the .45 or 10mm.

 

[Astro14]

All true.

9mm has improved in performance since the .40 was developed. Cheaper ammo, less recoil, good performance, why not pick 9mm?

That said, I'm a big 10mm fan, but really like the .40 in my H&K.

Then again, I like my .45ACP, .38 Super, and 9mm pistols, too...

 

[Nyogtha]

I still use .40 S&W as well as .22 LR, .380 ACP, 9mm, .38 Super, .357 Magnum & .44 Magnum in handguns.

My carry ammo choice in .40 S&W is 155 grain Speer Gold Dots. My carry ammo choice in 9mm is 147 grain Winchester Ranger T-Series. Local county law enforcement carries Speer Gold Dot and local city law enforcement carries Winchester.

The FBI has come full circle from 9mm to 10mm to .40 S&W to 9mm.

 

[skyactiv]

There is a Youtube channel with a guy that has mental issues with his hatred of the .40 S&W round.
A very busy gun store close in my county is dwindling down .40 S&W pistols because the calibers popularity
nosedived from what I was told.

Kahr Arms CW40 is $269.99 at Vances while the 9MM version is $399.99 on 12/23/2018 I as post this.

https://www.vanceoutdoors.com/products2.cfm/ID/28016

https://www.vanceoutdoors.com/products2.cfm/ID/28018

 

[skyactiv]

Columbus, OH pricing for 9MM ammo and .40 S&W ammo as of 12/23/2018

https://www.vanceoutdoors.com/category.cfm/outdoors/9mm-luger/order_by/min_price

https://www.vanceoutdoors.com/category.cfm/outdoors/40-smith-and-wesson/order_by/min_price

 

[bdcardinal]

I have tons of .40, my first handgun was a Glock 22RTF2 so I went nuts buying ammo before I bought other firearms. My friends in law enforcement have been saying they are starting to transition from .40 and .45 to 9mm. One of my friends that is a detective still insists on carrying .357 SIG which his department allows.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by Nyogtha
My carry ammo choice in .40 S&W is 155 grain Speer Gold Dots.
My carry ammo choice in 9mm is 147 grain Winchester Ranger T-Series.


You and I must order our ammo from the same place.

Actually, some of my .40 S&W Speer Gold Dots come from a friend of mine who is a Federal Flight Deck officer.
The Feds are pretty generous with their supply of this ammo to the armed pilots.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by bdcardinal
One of my friends that is a detective still insists on carrying .357 SIG which his department allows.


That caliber deserves to be more popular than it actually is.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

(Civilians)..... something like 97% of licensed handgun owners.

Hence, popular are pistols, not revolvers. Thin has become increasingly popular with large demand of concealed carry licenses in the past five years. Front pocket-carry small, thin.380s are the craze now.

40s are tough to handle in crime situations. Our lives depend on how accurate we can shoot that handgun, more-so than the caliber size.

 

[hatt]

The .40 will be around forever. We won't need a weekly " is the .40 dead" thread.

 

[Jmoney7269]

I carry a 2nd gen g22 every day, that or a p226. Unless I'm wearing shorts then I switch to a g43 or a p365

 

[DONWATERS]

FBI is switching back to 9mm again, so most police departments are doing the same. And 9mm is cheaper with less recoil.

 

[Propflux01]

Guess you can use that bullet to turn a few screws as well!

 

[anndel]

I still do with my Glock 22. I buy brass from Starline Brass. Bullets, primers, powder I buy locally. I'd rather shoot my Colt .45 ACP any day.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted by Jmoney7269
I carry a 2nd gen g22 every day



That's got the little finger notches on the front of the grips, so it must be 3rd gen

 

[billt460]

The .40 is being kept alive by tons of police trade in's being dumped on the market for cheap. Along with people who already have and shoot them. New sales are languishing. Most new .40's out there are heavily discounted compared to the same guns in 9 MM, and still aren't selling. Much like all the short fat Magnum rifle cartridges aren't. I've seen both new and used .40 S&W's on the shelf at Cabela's sit for months. While the exact same pistol in 9 MM is gone in days. Same with a lot of Gun Broker, Guns America, and most other Internet gun sale websites that list them.

They'll be around for a time to come. Much like a party guest that no one really hates, but who won't leave. The only reason to invest in that caliber now, is if you can get it cheap enough to make it worth it. There is certainly no reason to choose it ballistically over any other comparable auto pistol cartridge in the same gun. And most people today who want to throw .40 caliber bullets downrange, are going with the 10 MM over the .40 S&W. It's a much better choice, and is making a big comeback because of it. There are new guns being introduced in that caliber on an almost weekly basis.

 

[hatt]

The .40 fits in smaller guns than 10mm. It's apples and oranges.

 

[billt460]

Originally Posted by hatt
The .40 fits in smaller guns than 10mm. It's apples and oranges.


Not really. Today you can get the 10 MM in Commander size 1911's, and even in the Mini Glock models, (Glock 29).