is .40 dead?

[easyrider604]

With the renewed interest of Law Enforcement in the 9mm, .40 popularity will surely come down but will not go extinct. Just see how the .38 special has survived and thrived after the .38 spl revolver lost favor with LEO and their agencies.

I'm glad many shooters have been influenced by the same, and have been dumping their 40s on the EE. Got my FNS 40L x 2 at great prices. Waiting for the same to happen to Glock 22s.

IMO, the .40 is destined to become one of the great pistol calibers.

In the Canadian situation where maximum pistol capacity is 10 rds, .40 is my favorite. Its got serious power and accuracy. My most accurate pistols are the Ruger P91 and FNH FNS40L, both easily capable of 2-inch 5 shot groups at 15 meters, standing off hand, shooting my own reloads and home cast bullets.

I also have the 9mm versions of my .40 pistols, just because they are easier on the hands, to practice with. I cast and reload, so ammo cost is not a concern. I do notice much less .40 brass at our range, but that's fine. That's enough for me.

 

[elnady]

40 SW still going strong at IPSC matches!

 

[veebooster]

+.40 I don't think it'll disappear any time soon!

 

[Breaker61]

I love my 40's, but I reload. If I had to buy factory ammo to feed them I would probably shoot more 9mm.

 

[Arco_6]

Still my go to round. Never really considered it dying. Less popular sure but not dying

 

[blaxsun]

I love .40SW magazines. It's the only way to run 11-12 rounds of 9mm.

 

[easyrider604]

I love .40SW magazines. It's the only way to run 11-12 rounds of 9mm.

Legally....

Shhh...we don't want the cat out of the bag;-)

What do you mean only 12?

 

[blaxsun]

Legally....
Shhh...we don't want the cat out of the bag;-)
What do you mean only 12?

I'm rounding down.

 

[Canuck44]

Use my 40 cal M&P Pro in local steel matches. The 180 gr LSWC Lyman bullet is light recoiling at 130ishPF. Much less muzzle rise than my 9MM at the same PF. Helps a bit. LOL. From what I see at gun stores in the US the 40cal is lost a lot of shine to the nine. One of our guys uses his Beretta 96 in IDPA with excellent results running around 135PF. The round will be around for a very long time I suspect.

It should not be to long before the gun rags start doing stories on how effective the 40 is over the 9MM to gain readership for the next generation of shooters. This sets up another round of how the 9MM is superior then how the 40......

Take Care

Bob

 

[caramel]

13 rounds of 9 mm in my Beretta mag 40 for my CX4, just great... JP.

 

[trebor2880]

Happy to disagree.....40 and 10mm are where it's at...lol

If you have a 40 or 10mm, no need for a 9mm and a 45ACP.

 

[Canuck44]

13 rounds of 9 mm in my Beretta mag 40 for my CX4, just great... JP.

I can do you one round more in my Beretta 40 mags, 14+1 either in pistol or CX 4. Going to pick up a couple more 10 rd 40 cal mags when down in the US later this year. Makes for less reloads when practicing.

Take Care

Bob

 

[easyrider604]

I can do you one round more in my Beretta 40 mags, 14+1 either in pistol or CX 4. Going to pick up a couple more 10 rd 40 cal mags when down in the US later this year. Makes for less reloads when practicing.

Take Care

Bob

For fear of driving up prices on used FNS9 and 40 pistols, I won't say that I can do better than that in my FNS9L with 40 mags. Wait, did I just say that?

Import said: Happy to disagree.....40 and 10mm are where it's at...lol
Trebor2880 said: If you have a 40 or 10mm, no need for a 9mm and a 45ACP.

So true. If it weren't for the 1911s nostalgia factor (it's a personal thing) and the fact that 9mm brass is so plentiful and 40 brass is getting scarcer at the range as well as lead is getting harder to find (124 grain 9mm heads instead of 180 grain 40s make my lead stash go farther), I might be convinced to concentrate on 40cal.

 

[rkm456]

Here's the list of caliber deaths I can think of in chronological order. (Keeping it to semi autos for simplicity)

.45ACP to 9mm, 9mm to 10mm, 10mm to .40SW, 40SW to .357 SIG, .357 SIG to .40SW, .40SW to 9mm.

As far as I'm aware they're all still around and doing as well now as they ever did.

 

[blaxsun]

.40SW is dead (expensive)... 10mm is dead (uber expensive, difficult to find)...
.45ACP is still popular (despite being more than 9mm)... 9mm is King.

This isn't to say that people don't still shoot .40SW or 10mm, but given a choice between 9mm, .40SW or 10mm for a new handgun - which do you think the vast majority will go with?

 

[Kidd X]

.40SW is dead (expensive)... 10mm is dead (uber expensive, difficult to find)...
.45ACP is still popular (despite being more than 9mm)... 9mm is King.

This isn't to say that people don't still shoot .40SW or 10mm, but given a choice between 9mm, .40SW or 10mm for a new handgun - which do you think the vast majority will go with?

Absolutely!

 

[Boomer686]

Love the .40. It's not going anywhere. That being said 9mm is seeing a big push as a result of the ballistic improvements in it the last two - three years.

 

[easyrider604]

.40SW is dead (expensive)... 10mm is dead (uber expensive, difficult to find)...
.45ACP is still popular (despite being more than 9mm)... 9mm is King.

This isn't to say that people don't still shoot .40SW or 10mm, but given a choice between 9mm, .40SW or 10mm for a new handgun - which do you think the vast majority will go with?

No argument, the 9mm is currently the most popular handgun caliber, hands down. That is why the OP asked and we had to respond....yes, the 40 is alive and well.

I'm thinking when LEOs discover that the new 9mm wunder rounds are not as effective in actual long term use, the 40 may have a resurgence in the future, who knows?

 

[blaxsun]

No argument, the 9mm is the most popular handgun caliber, hands down. That is why the OP asked and we had to respond. The 40 is alive and well. It may have a resurgence in the future, who knows?

Cost and availability are probably the two largest factors.

 

[Scotty454]

Um... No?