MachIVshooter
Member
As said, .40 is THE LE round, but has not gained as much acceptance in the civilian market, and has even been dying out a bit in more recent years.
No doubt part of it was the expiration of the AWB. .40 was introduced just 5 years before the ban, and when you could only have 10 rounds, might as well make them bigger. But once the ban sunsetted, the appeal of the 9mm became much stronger. On the other end, widespread CCW has made the micro gun market very strong, but technical and practical limitations of tiny guns make the 9mm the top end of power in a true pocket piece. Kel Tec discontinued the P40 because excessive recoil was causing a lot of user-induced malfunctions. The little Kahr .40s are a handful, and remain unpopular compared to the 9mm models.
Additionally, the parent of the .40 S&W, the 10mm auto, has been enjoying a resurgence the last few years. I think much of the thought process there is that if you're going to have a full sized gun, might as well pack the most punch. As well, the 10mm is more flexible.
The .40 isn't a bad round, but it's sacrificed capacity and increased recoil over 9mm hurts it on that end, the sharper recoil impulse for marginal capacity increase versus .45 hurts it on the other end, and offering less performance than 10mm in a gun of equal capacity doesn't help it gain popularity with people who want capacity and power.
No doubt part of it was the expiration of the AWB. .40 was introduced just 5 years before the ban, and when you could only have 10 rounds, might as well make them bigger. But once the ban sunsetted, the appeal of the 9mm became much stronger. On the other end, widespread CCW has made the micro gun market very strong, but technical and practical limitations of tiny guns make the 9mm the top end of power in a true pocket piece. Kel Tec discontinued the P40 because excessive recoil was causing a lot of user-induced malfunctions. The little Kahr .40s are a handful, and remain unpopular compared to the 9mm models.
Additionally, the parent of the .40 S&W, the 10mm auto, has been enjoying a resurgence the last few years. I think much of the thought process there is that if you're going to have a full sized gun, might as well pack the most punch. As well, the 10mm is more flexible.
The .40 isn't a bad round, but it's sacrificed capacity and increased recoil over 9mm hurts it on that end, the sharper recoil impulse for marginal capacity increase versus .45 hurts it on the other end, and offering less performance than 10mm in a gun of equal capacity doesn't help it gain popularity with people who want capacity and power.