"40 is a dead caliber"

Well, the 9mm was dead a few years ago. Remember, what goes around, comes around.

I get so tired of hearing that silliness at the stores. Is .40 getting eclipsed by the 9mm due to bullet technology? Sure, to a degree. However does that mean that .40 is all of a sudden an ineffective caliber? Of course not.

In a world where I can feed guns 7.62x25, 7.62 Nagant, .327, .41, etc, I don't see the .40 being a difficult caliber to find over the next half century.

Heck, look at the .45 GAP. It's still limping along due to a handful of police pistols in the market. Does anyone really think ammo is going to dry up and blow away for the most popular law enforcement caliber over the last decade+?

Will the .40 be as popular in 5 years? Who knows. Everyone called the 9mm marginal 5 years ago. However, calling the .40 "dead" is hyperbole.

If there is a more mainstream caliber that seems to be nearly out of steam I would think its the 25 ACP.

It will die if the ammo companies wish it to and that wouldn't surprise me, if standardization is better for their bottom line.

Fiv3r said:

I get so tired of hearing that silliness at the stores. Is .40 getting eclipsed by the 9mm due to bullet technology? Sure, to a degree. However does that mean that .40 is all of a sudden an ineffective caliber? Of course not.

In a world where I can feed guns 7.62x25, 7.62 Nagant, .327, .41, etc, I don't see the .40 being a difficult caliber to find over the next half century.

Heck, look at the .45 GAP. It's still limping along due to a handful of police pistols in the market. Does anyone really think ammo is going to dry up and blow away for the most popular law enforcement caliber over the last decade+?

Will the .40 be as popular in 5 years? Who knows. Everyone called the 9mm marginal 5 years ago. However, calling the .40 "dead" is hyperbole.

Click to expand...

Hard to believe....
But, the FBI has deserted the 10MM light in favor of the lower recoiling 9MM so their politically correct assortment of smaller agents can handle it.
The 40 S&W can't be far behind.
LOL

Steve

Reports of .40's death are greatly exaggerated.

Yes, people said the same about .41 mag, .32-20, 7.65 X 25. Even the venerable .38 Special was supposed to have been eclipsed and made obsolete by the .357 magnum yet they just keep selling more of them.

Calibers and cartridges ebb and flow, are rediscovered and carry on.

The 40 S&W is and will remain one of the most popular calibers in the country. Not every shooter needs 9mm level recoil to function. I am sure whatever bullet technology makes the 9mm so potent all of the sudden can work for the 40.

I would expect the 10mm, 357 Sig, 38 Super and maybe even the 357 Magnum to end up a dead cartridge before the 40.

40 is alive and well, many if not most LE agency's carry it, the FBI field teams do not carry 9mm only the desk flyer's, Dept Homeland Security carry 40,
ICE, Border Patrol,U.S.Coast Guard all issue 40 s&w and so on, if I understand it correctly the FBI and some LE agency's offer the 9mm as a choice after
the shooter fails to qualify with a 40, in my area its the opposite 9mm is a ccw / back up and duty guns are 40 or 45 , Heck even the U.S Army want a larger
caliber, didn't the Marines go back to the 45 ?
I really think the 9 vs 40 is just a past time debate pick one you like and don't give the gun counter guy much thought, 9 / 40 / 45 / they will be here many years to come it comes down to WHAT YOU LIKE not what a gun counter guy likes !!

Calibers fit into perceived niches. .40 used to be "the high cap caliber that works, 'cause 9mm does not." Now it is the 2 less rounds caliber that is harder to shoot and beats up guns. A bit less sexy.

A better comparison would be to something like .30 Luger. You could chamber every 9mm pistol made for .30 Luger, but no one has since the Ruger kit in the '80s. It is just not perceived to do anything better than any other common caliber, so it is relegated to relic category.

.40 is going to be popular for awhile, in part due to the price of all those police guns that are going to be on the market. 20 years from now, it might be less popular than 10mm, which has perceived benefits that are arguably different than 9 or .45.


What surprises me is that the ammo companies haven't responded by making effective low recoil .40 ammo more common. This would address the problems with .40 while keeping a premium 9mm level of effectiveness. Little different than what happened to .38 Special.

You never know when a cartridge may re-appear. .44-40 and .38-40 were just about gone when cowboy shooting brought them back strong. Who knows, maybe in the future people will dress up like pretend cops and .40 will stage a dramatic comeback. lol

Fidel Castro is dead,

40 S&W ? Ehhhhh, not so much...

I personally gave it up years ago as 9mm worked (and still works) fine for me. You, can use whatever you like and we all can enjoy our sport/hobby in peace. Some guys like some calibers more than others and that is no problem. Just guessing, like what has already been said, that .40 will continue to be available for a long time. Hell, you can still find 16 gauge shogun shells some places.

I doubt if the .40 S&W is going away anytime soon. Too many law enforcement and government agencies use it and while the 9mm. is extremely popular it still isn't the be all/end all in terms of caliber choices. And there's still lots of other low sales volume cartridges (like the .357 SIG, .45 Gap, and my favorite, the .38 Super), that seem to hang on year in and year out despite their limited popularity.

I guess it comes down to what is dead, unavailable I doubt it. But limited selection at a significant price increase could cause me to switch the G-23 to 9mm.

Elkins45 said:

That's what I was told by the guy behind the counter at Kentucky's largest gun shop.

Click to expand...

Just one of myriad stupid claims made in gun shops across the country.

Probably said by a guy who doesn't own a .40.
I don't own one, either, but I definitely don't think it's dead.

I have found that some of the worst weapon advise you can get is from the self proclaimed gun expert at the gun counter, most of these folks have very
little experience with firearms its a job that they have for a payday, I would bet that they do not make much over minimum wage and their firearm training is
you-tube/internet related.
Its just one persons opinion on a very large topic shoot/buy what you like !

Hopefully it sticks around, as I will have (4) 40 caliber pistols with this HK I just bought.

I reload my ammo, so availability won't affect me much.

Its not dead but it's heyday is certainly over. Law enforcement agencies are moving away from them in droves. You can find .40 S&W pistols for some real steals, particularly LEO trade in guns. I own a .40 just to have something chambered for that cartridge and because I got a very good deal. I honestly cannot come up with a compelling reason to own a 40 over a 9x19.

While its popularity is dwindling, Gun companies are still making new guns in .40 S&W. There are still agencies using them. There are a lot of 40s out there. It won't die out, after all neither 10 MM or even 357 sig have and neither ever had the following 40 did. So while I'd personally rather have a 9x19 I wouldn't fear 40 being unavailable.

I agree about the knowledge level of most employees of gun shops. We had a very knowledgeable guy here but he died last year and is sorely missed. If you reload you will have no problem..............even store-bought ammo will most likely be available for decades. Like the guy said: "shoot/buy what you like."

"40 is alive and well, many if not most LE agency's carry it, the FBI field teams do not carry 9mm only the desk flyer's, Dept Homeland Security carry 40, ICE, Border Patrol,U.S.Coast Guard all issue 40 s&w and so on, if I understand it correctly the FBI and some LE agency's offer the 9mm as a choice after the shooter fails to qualify with a 40, in my area its the opposite 9mm is a ccw / back up and duty guns are 40 or 45,"

Just because Law Enforcement Agencies are using the .40 it doesn’t mean it is the caliber of choice. In a large nearby city of 400+ officers the issue sidearm is the Glock Model 23 chambered in 40 S&W. The training department has recommended switching to Glock Model 19’s chambered in 9mm as it is easier for Officers to qualify and it is less expensive due to 9mm being cheaper and guns last longer than the .40’s.


However the Administration are not “gun guys” and they have choose buying body cameras for their officers. The Chiefs of the smaller bedroom communities are mostly retired high ranking P.D. Officers so it is largely a matter of “Monkey see, Monkey do.”


Heck even the U.S Army want a larger caliber, didn't the Marines go back to the 45?

Er, no. The Marines are dropping the 45 and adopting Glock 9mm’s.

I really think the 9 vs 40 is just a past time debate pick one you like and don't give the gun counter guy much thought, 9 / 40 / 45 / they will be here many years to come it comes down to WHAT YOU LIKE not what a gun counter guy likes !!

Sales of 9mm handguns will continue to increase while the 40 will languish.

edited to clarify that the Glocks I am writing about are the Glock Model 19 chambered in 9mm and Glock Model 23 chambered in 40 S&W.

When you can't find the ammo in such as Wal-Mart, then it will be dead.

.40 S&W ain't dead at all from what all I see for sale in that cartridge.

Deaf

If I was guessing (and I am) I'd bet the only cenrerfire handgun ammo that out sells .40 is 9mm.