Has the the quality of today's 9mm bullets made the .40 cal obsolete?

[beatledog7]

I bought my Glock 22 before I bought any other pistol because for me the .40 S&W is a good compromise between 9mm Luger and .45 ACP. That Glock is powerful and easy to shoot. I can load it 22+1 if need be, so capacity is a non issue. And for about $125 I can turn it into a .357 Sig or a 9mm if I want to.

Now I own 9mm pistols. They are powerful and easy to shoot.

I have fired a few .45s. They are powerful and easy to shoot. I have ordered one to add to my battery.

Recognizing that "post-apocolyptic" banter is frowned upon here, on the day when you guys who poo-poo the .40 S&W find that acquiring any pistol ammo is problematic, being able to shoot whatever one can find will be a huge advantage. If the most readily available ammo is .40 S&W, I'll be even more glad that I have a pistol chambered in .40 S&W.

 

[Redneck with a 40]

I think the advancement in bullets has made the 9mm a credible self defense caliber, when it used to be considered marginal. However, I still the 40 cal has the edge.

A 180 grain Federal HST hollowpoint will penetrate 16" and expand to 75 caliber in tnoutdoors9 test's on YouTube. He uses milk jugs packed with wet newspaper.

The 147 grain 9mm HST couldn't match that with 12" of penetration and not quite as much expansion.

Having said that, the 9mm is easier to shoot in my opinion, much quicker follow up shots from the softer recoil.

 

[ohwell]

I have all 3 calibers myself and 9mm is the easiest to shoot accurately with fast follow up shots. Look at tnoutdoors9 tests with Hornady Critical Duty ammo the 9mm 135+p ammo thats designed for barriers and to pass all the FBI protocols gets between 16 and 17 inches of penetration in the same tests. I think ammo technology has made the 9mm more than adequate to get the job done.

 

[carbonyl]

After 8 years of .40 my brother in laws police department is going back to 9mm when they replace their handguns this summer.

 

[Three Man]

I think the 40 will be used for a long time.
I believe this because it comes down to money vs stopping power; or at least the perception of it.
40 ball is larger than 9mm ball and when on a budget most will carry the larger ball ammo for a better piece of mind.
What is the saying that people who shoot the 45 acp, the 9mm may expand but the 45 will never shrink. The same goes for the 40 vs 9.

 

[miles1]

The 40 isnt obsolete.Its just not as easy to shoot as the 9 is.It has more more recoil,alittle more power,and usually carry less ammo then a 9.With that said IMHO the 9 does everything 40 can in a HD situation better.The 9 does have better recoil,more ammo you can carry,and more than enough power to take care of buisness.

 

[Okiegunner]

.40 or 9mm

I own a couple of .40s both of which I shoot and like. I am a fairly good sized guy, 6'3" around 270lbs., and to be honest, the .40 is still a little snappy for me. Having said this, I prefer the 9mm.

My shot placement is better, certainly my follow up shots, and I like the additional capacity of the 9mm.

I believe the .40 to be a fine round, both bigger and stronger than the 9mm. For myself, given the choice, I just prefer the 9.

Gunner