Everyone jettisoning .40 S&W?

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I think the 357 Sig will disappear long before the 40 ever will. I know of several LE agencies that have left the caliber because of the high price of ammo. -NMSP

I had a few pistols in 357 but gave up on it myself because it's a little more tedious to reload compared to straight walled pistol cases.

I also ditched all my nines during the ammo shortage (I wasn't reloading nine because it used to be cheap). So now now it's forty all day everyday. I even got my daughter into competition shooting with me by downloading 40's to a 130 power factor that she enjoys shooting from her new M&P40.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've clocked 135gr Nosler JHP's at over 1500fps from my 5.3" Glock 35 at well under reloading book max with Longshot powder! So who needs a 357 Sig anyways. (That was kinda snappy)

Nothing a nine can do that a 40 can't do mo' betta'.
 
Like I said, I'm not saying the .40 is going to disappear. In fact, if history is any indicator, even the most obscure rounds will be around for quite a while before the long descent into oblivion.
 
Case in point - I can find S&W .32 long without much trouble.

I'm thinking that no one has manufactured handguns in that caliber recently.
 
I've never found a use for the .40 and never wanted one. However, if the .40 is going to go the way of the 9mm pricewise, I could see starting to buy a new caliber purely on frugality.
 
Posted by RustyShackelford:
The elite HRT or Hostage Rescue Team, documented in the great books; Cold Zero & No Heroes used the Browning Hi-Power 9x19mm sidearm for many years.
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The Hi-Power choice was an SAS influence than anything else.

Events Whitcomb describes were a looong time ago.

They now use S-A 1911 pistols in .45acp but Id be 100% sure they could get the job done with a 9x19mm if needed.
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Also, a lot of then transitioned to Glock. No, not 9mm Glock. 40S&W Glock. The Delta of the U.S. Army also went to Glock in 40S&W caliber.

All of them could have went to 9mm if that is what they honestly believed is the best choice for them. But, why don't they?

40S&W is not even a general issue caliber for the army.

They COULD do the job with a 9mm. The CHOOSE not to. Would you care to explain why they CHOOSE not to?
 
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Not worried at all about 40S&W going away.

So many people want a pistol more powerful than 9mm without the 45ACP grip size.
 
I have not seen an uptick of used .40 S&W pistols in my area. There are usually about as many 9mm trade-ins as .40s, excepting occasions when law enforcement agencies are trading their old .40s for new .40s. Of course, things may be different in other areas, and it's possible to see anomalies that don't really represent a trend.

Whatever the case, I expect the .40 S&W to be around for a long time. I personally prefer 9mm pistols in most platforms, since they are generally easier to shoot. This is especially true for compact-size pistols. However, in a full-size service pistol with a metal frame, I do like the .40 S&W. I've owned a few .40s over the years, but the only one I've kept is a Sig Sauer P226. For me, it's the only one I've owned with sufficient heft to take the extra bite out of the .40 S&W cartridge. My .40 Sig is just as controllable as my smaller 9mm pistols.
 
Larger agencies will usually evolve into decisions made regarding the least common denominators: recoil sensitive shooters needing to qualify, costs of ammo, wear on firearms, etc. Some other factor can always be blamed when terminal performance is poor, and the better 9mm loads just are not that far behind the better .40 S&W loads.
 
Nawww... we got ones made by Ruger, Glock and FN. They're just guns and don't require a lot of feeding and care so we keep them. Bring them out about once a month I guess; when we feel the need for something with a little more "hand slap". And since my G23 is my constant companion it gets shot pretty much every weekly trip to the range. Sometimes more often.
 
Bullet Bob said:
Moonclip .40's don't bother me, I like 'em:

standard.jpg
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Now that's a right pretty wheel gun. Not a "moon clip" type revolver, but at first I thought it was a 629. I just bought a 6" 629 and like Mr. Campbell sings it, it's gentle on my mind right now and your gun reminded me of it.
 
The "Delta" of the Army.....

The "Delta Force" is no longer the formal title. :cool:
SECDEF Donald Rumsfeld disbanded the unit in the mid 2000s & put it under the command of the SECDEF, www.DoD.gov .
The title now is ACE or Army Combative Elements, ;) .
The unit was also called the CAG or Combat Applications Group.
Dalton Fury(a CAG/Airborne Ranger Major) the author of the non fiction; Killing Bin Laden wrote the "D Boys" & spec ops in OEF/Jawbreaker often used 1911a1 .45acp & Glock 21 .45acp pistols while "down range".
I've heard of a few spec ops using the Glock .40S&W but not as much as the SIG M11 in 9x19mm & the 1911a1 .45acp.
 
I think the .40 is a great caliber for LE provided they train with it using full power loads. But, for every cop that is a gun nut, you'll meet guys who pull their firearm out once a year a week before qualifying. Those guys should not be shooting .40's.

And I'm sure plenty of us bought the .40 because it's what LE choses.But for most civilian carry and self defense applications, I believe .9 and .45 are better choices. The .9 for it's lower priced ammo, and ease of second shot placement. And the .45 for it's lack of over penetration and knock down edge even while it's a softer shooter than the .40. I look at it this way, If I'm a cop I may have to shoot at a bad guy hiding behind a car door, as a civilian it's pretty hard to justify shooting thru a car door at a bad guy. In a vast majority of the confrontations what a police officer demands out of firearm (lot's of capacity, maximum power and penetration for it's size) are not the same things most civilian carriers demand (a few rounds to cover their escape).

As far as the question, the .40 is around to stay, the .357 sig is going the way of the .45 gap. But, there is no doubt that the 9 is gaining market share and even during the "crisis" 9's were still outselling .40's about 4 to 1. Keep in mind one of the biggest reasons 9 was hard to find is because it's so much more popular. .45 is my main carry, but I practice with my .9's.
 
I bought my first .40, M&P, late last year mainly because I could find ammo for it everywhere I went while 9mm and 380 were OOS. I may have 250 rounds through it and it is okay. I shoot the 9mm cartridge much more in several different guns and will probably keep on doing that. I have about 500 rounds that I will hold on to and maybe supplement if I find a deal.
 
Also, looks like the US Army is looking to "jettison" the 9mm. Wonder what will replace it...
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Hague prevents them from firing anything but ball ammo. Different game altogether.
 
I have seen dozens of 40 cal Sig police trade ins at my local Cabelas for $450. The 40 really has no particular advantage over 9 mm for your average flat foot or soldier. There are 3 cartridges that have no reason to live except to give ammo and gun mfg's something new to sell. Those would be the 40, the 10 and the 357 Sig.

Why does everyone watch what the FBI is buying? They don't really shoot that many people anymore. The real action is with metro police and state cops. What do they want?
 
I think the reason people watch the FBI isn't so much because of how many shootings they are involved in, but rather because they are the gold standard in ammo testing. I'm not saying their methods are fool proof, nor am I saying I think they are always right, but they have set the standard if for no other reason than no one else has come up with a better system yet.
 
If the Feds are dumping the .40 it won't make the .40 suddenly less effective. I keep a polymer model in my truck.
 
I never bought into the .40 S&W hype, as I saw most of it as a marketing ploy, and it worked to sell a lot of new guns to police, and civilians. I stuck with 9MM, and .45 ACP, and am glad I did. Modern 9MM SD ammo in even more effective now than it used to be.
 
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