Is 40 S&W dead or not?

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Yep... 40S&W is dead...
After having a lock on LEO firearms for only 15 years...
I see those worthless police trade in guns flooding the market, but who would want them because they are obsolete. I bet no one buys them at all...
It is so hard to find 40S&W ammo in the store. There are only about 8 choices at my local WM, 15 choices at most sporting goods stores, and only thousands of choices online...
In fact, you would think it would have way fewer choices than 81 at Midway. It is so unpopular there that it is 4th in the number of offerings behind the best cartridges ever: 9mm Luger, 38 Special, and 45 ACP.
Most handgun manufacturers only chamber their fullsize, compact, and some subcompact handguns in the caliber...
Some of those foolish manufacturers even chamber PCC's in the caliber. Who in the world buys those?...
Nobody likes it anymore... that is for sure. In fact, any day now, Smith and Wesson will probably make an announcement apologizing that they even thought about shortening a 10mm to make it easier to shoot...
They will probably also apologize for fitting the caliber in a frame size that should be only reserved for the blessed 9mm...
I also heard that someone is buying back all the 40S&W handguns to de-mil so that no one will ever remember it ever again...
I'm so glad that I never jumped on this flash in the pan caliber. Come on! Can you believe that it's a modern pressure caliber where it heaviest bullets still have an expansion threshhold greater than 10 yards! Some of those bullets with the snappy recoil probably expand at 50 yards also. Who would want that?
I'm so glad that I don't get confused with all the ammo choices that provide expansion and penetration between 12-18"....
As for me, I shoot 147gr 9mm and it's the best ever. My gun is going to last so much longer than a comparable 40S&W because the laws of physics do not apply to my opinions or the strength of my recoil spring.



I get it. Headlines grab attention, but this rhetoric is tiring. It's the monthly hate on 40 thread!

It is kind of funny that no one asks if these calibers are dead:

357 Maximum
455 Webley
9x23 Largo
45 Win Mag
22 Jet

Seriously...Try to find any sort of significant handguns by a major manufacturer or ammo listings more than one page on your computer screen.
 
Well because of you guys and this thread I just bid on a S&W SW49VE and so far I have it for $130. I have one of these in 9mm and like it a lot.

I also have a Ruger SR-40 on my watch list with no bidders so far. From what I have read here you guys seem to like those guns. And I found a few Glock 22s for less than the $299 at Aim Surplus I posted earlier. What I like about the S&W and SR is you can safely shoot lead bullets from them unlike the Glock. If I get one of these you can bet I will buy dies and brass and a bullet mold. Shooting will be cheap. I like cheap. I have all the powder and primers I will need and once fired 40 S&W brass can be had really cheap.

Since I blame you guys for leading me into a new gun I may set up a Patreon account and all the guilty posters can send a little money to ease your consience. If you have one.:p
 
PSA: In order to ensure your continued safety we have created IHOPFS (Not associated with IHOP)

The International Home Of Pistols in Forty Smith & Wesson (IHOPFS) will accept any .40 S&W pistols, holster or ammo you have.

We are doing this to ensure your safety as the .40 S&W round is now obsolete and will no longer harm anyone you shoot in self defense.

It is also too expensive to shoot for target and, of course, will no longer kill any game.

Just DM me for shipping arrangements.

Note, due to increased demand we can no longer cover shipping and handling so that will be at your expense.

Just ask yourself, what is your safety worth ?

NOTE: IHOPFS especially appreciates pancake holsters :)
 
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Ratshooter said:
Well because of you guys and this thread I just bid on a S&W SW49VE and so far I have it for $130. I have one of these in 9mm and like it a lot.

I also have a Ruger SR-40 on my watch list with no bidders so far. From what I have read here you guys seem to like those guns. And I found a few Glock 22s for less than the $299 at Aim Surplus I posted earlier. What I like about the S&W and SR is you can safely shoot lead bullets from them unlike the Glock. If I get one of these you can bet I will buy dies and brass and a bullet mold. Shooting will be cheap. I like cheap. I have all the powder and primers I will need and once fired 40 S&W brass can be had really cheap.

Since I blame you guys for leading me into a new gun I may set up a Patreon account and all the guilty posters can send a little money to ease your consience. If you have one.:p
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Wow, because of this post, I might bid on a S&W SW49VE too.:)
 
Styx said:
Wow, because of this post, I might bid on a S&W SW49VE too.:)
Click to expand...

Well thats fine. Just don't bid one the one I bid on.:fire:

SharpDog said:
NOTE: IHOPFS especially appreciates pancake holsters :)
Click to expand...

I never knew you could get a pancake in a holster. Is that sans syrup?:evil:

Is that like a "Slim Jim" holster were you carry your beef sticks?:rofl:
 
Ratshooter said:
Well thats fine. Just don't bid one the one I bid on.:fire:



I never knew you could get a pancake in a holster. Is that sans syrup?:evil:

Is that like a "Slim Jim" holster were you carry your beef sticks?:rofl:
Click to expand...

I'm not commenting on the holster where I carry my beef stick, but it's really big :what:
 
I thought that statement was so obviously absurd and nonsensical that everyone would get the point immediately.

But I did make in the context of someone asking if .40 is "dead," so maybe that was a foolish assumption.
 
IMHO, it's not dead, but it is unpopular with the general public and is increasingly becoming even less popular. Sure, on gun boards there's a concentration of gun owners who still love the round, but that isn't a real representation of the gun owning public.

No one really wanted the ammo 8 years ago during the ammo shortage no less. Today, IMHO, 40s&w is even LESS popular then it was 8 years prior. The only reason many, not all, handguns chambered in that round are selling is because the deep, deep discounts on trade-ins (even L.E. are transitioning away) as well as NIB handguns. I'm seeing the exact same make/model of handguns chambered in 9mm and 45acp literally selling for $100 +/- or so more than the same gun in 40. Some manufacturers have even discontinued making particular models of handguns chambered in 40, and others never did to begim with... I doubt they ever will.

Even many people who own handguns chambered in 40, including myself, don't shoot it as much because of the cost of ammo. My EDC was in 40, but even I'm transitioning back to 9mm. I've come the conclusion performance difference between the two calibers is very minimal; however, the price difference for ammo is very significant.

Like I said, no, the caliber isn't dead. I would say that it's living with cancer so to speak.
 
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ATLDave said:
Yeah, let's pour one out for the .38 special, a round that no longer exists and cannot be used by those who like it. Truly it is dead.
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I know you're being sarcastic, but I don't get the correlation with 40s&w. 38 Special is arguably the most popular revolvers round.
 
Styx said:
I know you're being sarcastic, but I don't get the correlation with 40s&w. 38 Special is arguably the most popular revolvers round.
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Of course it is. It remains very popular and readily available despite the fact that virtually every military or law enforcement agency has dropped it as a service cartridge. If agencies shifting away from a formerly-ubiquitous cartridge was enough to kill those cartridges, the .38 special would have gone away. But it did not go away and it is not "dead." Even if all the agencies drop .40 completely, it will similarly not be "dead."

I hate explaining jokes.
 
ATLDave said:
Of course it is. It remains very popular and readily available despite the fact that virtually every military or law enforcement agency has dropped it as a service cartridge. If agencies shifting away from a formerly-ubiquitous cartridge was enough to kill those cartridges, the .38 special would have gone away. But it did not go away and it is not "dead." Even if all the agencies drop .40 completely, it will similarly not be "dead."

I hate explaining jokes.
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Ahh okay. I get it now. :)
 
ATLDave said:
... Even if all the agencies drop .40 completely, it will similarly not be "dead."

I hate explaining jokes.
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Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get to all the excellent discounted 40 S&W pistols that are floating around nowadays. And to the ammo that seems to be dropping in price. And to the after market 357 Sig barrels that can be switched out so you can have something else to play with.

Well that is if the chicken ain't working 2-3 jobs to pay the bills and has time for shooting.

In other words if you have the time and the money now's a good time to play with the 40 S&W.

DSC06169_zpsj7htubft.jpg

tipoc
 
I think the cheap police surplus guns may lead to a resurgence amongst civilians.
I had no interest in the .40 until I saw that I could get a like new Gen4 G22 for $300, with night sights.
I like shooting it, and I believe it would make a great woods cartridge, as well as a self defense round.
If today's midget female and beta male police cadets can't handle it, too bad.
 
If they have five kinds of 40 caliber ammo at the local Wally World and ten kinds at the local big box sporting goods store, it's not dead.

I can't find 327 magnum ammo at either place.

I would say that 327 may be slowly dying (unfortunately), but 40 caliber is still going strong.
 
I've dropped it... now exclusively shooting 9mm in pistols, .38 Spec/.357 in revolvers. In my dotage, I prefer guns with less recoil, so I prefer 9mm in heavier pistols.

But the .40 still fills that gap between 9mm and .45, with more bullets than .45 in a given gun and more impact than 9mm. The reason it first became popular is still there, and improvements in 9mm bullets don't obviate that. If the "new" 9mm JHP bullets - those that are "bonded" and don't fragment - are now much better, then the "new" .40 bullets of similar design must be even more better.

The gray area is -- how good are the "new" generation of 9mm bullets out of small (short barrel - less than 3.5 inches or so) pistols. What I am reading these days is that some of them may not expand at slower muzzle velocities, and they are still vulnerable to being filled with barrier material and not opening at any speed. Maybe the Lehigh Defense/Underwood/Black Hills Honeybadger solid copper rounds are a better answer. Even those who love 9mm should watch the speeds and read up on their favorite "new" unitary JHP rounds. What works in summer might not work as well in winter.

Anyways, .40 is going to be around for a long time, and offers a nice option for those who ponder these questions -- even though 9mm is currently far more popular.
 
I converted the two Glock 40 S&W, to 9mm years ago but still have the .40 barrels. Then in the last year I built an HK USP 40 from parts and then purchased a USP compact and a Sig P229 in 40.

I'm just gonna buy dies and bullets to reload it.
 
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