Is the .40 S&W dead ?

[48J]

I don't know if the round is dead, fading, or simply unpopular with the writers of magazine articles. Many organizations use the round. As was mentioned, trade-ins will keep the platform available for years to come.

I personally like the round and have more than one BHP chambered in that caliber. After the recent troubles began, I switched my EDC to the .40 from the .45 simply due to higher round count in my daily load. Granted, I could maximize the that by shifting to 9mm and will if I feel the need.

Improvements in metallurgy have improved terminal performance to the point that the JHP in 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP don't seem greatly different. I am content to have any of these three as my daily and believe that they will get the job done.

If you are looking for the ultimate answer, there really isn't one. FWIT, the round with the most one shot kills is the .38 special.

[DirectTo]

I carry a 9mm. I don't see any ballistic advantage using modern JHP ammo to using anything but 9mm which allows more capacity and faster follow up shots plus cheaper range practice.

I keep a .40S&W solely because I remember the last shortage when 9mm was nowhere to be found and .40 could be found at least in limited quantity. I'd rather shoot .40 I bought off the shelf than dig into my stash of 9mm to enable me to continue shooting regularly.

[mig1nc]

.40S&W has become very popular in gun games that use power factor scoring because you can load them pretty light and still make the cut for a scoring advantage.

[m4brian]

It is losing popularity for multiple reasons already stated- some valid, some not. But, because of this, you can get good deals on guns, and as stated already, it's the last round to "go out" in the ubiquitous panic environment we live in.

[SpecWired]

As long as .40 remains economically questionable for agency level purchases and casual shooting I would expect a continued decline in popularity.

Though it's a damn great time to score a holster wear only police trade in Glock or M&P.

[sevenhelmet]

I discovered the Jeff Cooper stuff later than most, and really wanted to like the .40, but I just don't. Fortunately, I tried before I bought. That said, I don't think it'll ever completely go away as it's a fairly panic-proof round. Damn near everyone has at least one 9mm locked away somewhere, but .40 is usually one of the last rounds to sell out. Another advantage for guys that favor .40 is that firearms and accessories are likely to remain economically priced as everything else becomes more expensive.

I think we'll see fewer manufacturer offerings in future, but it will still be around for a long time (relatively speaking- in this horrible political climate, who knows how long anything of our favorite companies will be around?)

[JC5188]

I have a couple in .40. One I carry regularly. It may be falling out of favor, but I've never understood why the argument of 9mm advancements in bullets seems to assume that there are no such advancements for .40?

Yes, the two rounds are different for many reasons, but lack of effectiveness vs 9mm isn't one.


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[MegademiC]

I have a couple in .40. One I carry regularly. It may be falling out of favor, but I've never understood why the argument of 9mm advancements in bullets seems to assume that there are no such advancements for .40?

Yes, the two rounds are different for many reasons, but lack of effectiveness vs 9mm isn't one.


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The advancements improved reliability of terminal performance. 40 and 45 were already reliable so they couldn't benefit as much.

With modern, good loads, they all perform about the same making caliber pretty much irrelevant from a terminal ballistics pov.

I have a 40 with a 9 conversion barrel for options. I reload 40. It's not dead, but I don't recommend it unless someone wants to get into competitions or shoot enough to want the availability during panics.

[arbninftry]

It will become a round that is a niche type round, suitable for some applications. It will remain big in IPSC/USPSA for those looking to make Major in the class they shoot. It will be a continued LE round, taking decades to phase out.

[JC5188]

The advancements improved reliability of terminal performance. 40 and 45 were already reliable so they couldn't benefit as much.

With modern, good loads, they all perform about the same making caliber pretty much irrelevant from a terminal ballistics pov.

I have a 40 with a 9 conversion barrel for options. I reload 40. It's not dead, but I don't recommend it unless someone wants to get into competitions or shoot enough to want the availability during panics.

Yes, and I'm not arguing that. My point is that some like to say that ".40 short and weak" is somehow ballistically inferior to the "modern" 9mm. Which is horse shit. 9mm pistol hold more rounds? Yep. Effective? Yep. Cheaper? Yep yep. Under gunned with a .40 sub? Newp. It's a preference/trade off.


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