How dead is 40?

[Hatman1793]

40 S&W is far from dead, or obsolete. Many LEOrganizations still carry Glock 22's. Where the .40 shines is with lighter bullets.
I employ a very nice 155 grain bullet, but the 140's & 135's at supersonic speeds, in factory loadings are something to be contended with.

40 S&W is probably the easiest to reload too.

 

[etrain16]

Dead? Hardly. Plenty of ammo options out there. I've got 4 guns chambered in it myself. I like the round, even if some don't.

My bedside gun is a .40, and darn glad to have it.

 

[wired]

Dead? Hardly. Plenty of ammo options out there. I've got 4 guns chambered in it myself. I like the round, even if some don't.

My bedside gun is a .40, and darn glad to have it.

Same here. P226 in 40 with a mag full of Underwoods ouch inducing rounds and a 12 gauge Benelli M2 under the bed

 

[sobo]

Agree with many here; not dead. Just got the email letting me know that another case of 180gr RNFPs is on it's way to me as we speak.

And it's my bedside gun, too. P320 Compact, complete with Surefire X300 Ultra phaser banks. That light is like a particle beam weapon...

 

[FortRock]

About 2 years ago I loaded 100 rounds of 135 gr. Forties. They were fast and accurate.....and bent my friend's steel target. They were easy to shoot. I was pretty surprised at the results. I didn't ever shoot over a chrono. I usually just load 180's. I can use the 180's for both my .40 and my 10mm's. Powders used are Unique and Blue Dot. For us....the .40 is NOT dead. But I still like the .45 acp.

 

[GWS]

Here's my tin foil version of the future for 40 cal.
Gun sales people live in the land of New and Improved. Guns don't wear out, So they can only sell New and Improved. When they could convince enough police purchasing agents that the 6 round revolvers were not enough, Along came the Wonder 9's, New and improved!
Then 9mm wasn't enough to handle a dedicated BG. We needed the 10mm! New and Improved!
When it was found that non gun people had a hard time passing the Quals, Along came 40 cal! It held more ammo than a 45 but packed more punch than a 9mm. Again New and Improved!

So cops have been carrying 40 cal for 15 or 20 years now, The Gun sales people need a New Improvement to sell new guns. So they put bullet designers to work on 9mm ammo. So the new improvement is that I can deliver the Incapacitation power of a 40 cal in a 9mm package! New and Improved again. Notice I didn't say Stopping power. This is in a high capacity package that any cop can carry and be trained to shoot well.

Now for the tinfoil part!
Once I have sold all the departments on new 9mm guns and saturated the market, I'm just waiting for the next Miami FBI incident where the 9mm doesn't stop the BG's fast enough. Then Stopping power will be the new buzz word, and I will have improved the 40 cal's bullet selection to maximize Stopping Power! and I will have my next New and Improved!

Every cop shop in the country will again have to convert to the New and Improved 40 cal!

Now you ask Why did they not improve the 40 cal bullets with the 9mm improvements? That would prevent future sales of the New and Improved 40 cal bullets!

Any way thats my best tin foil guess! DR

Tin foil??
LOL
You've described the actual process to a T

 

[bbbass]

1911 in 9mm? I guess I'm going to hell too because I WANT ONE!

All the kool kids are shooting them. If'n ah coulld still reach the manual safety, it's what Ah'd be shootin in a 2011 double stack!!!

I've read that one reason for the decline of popularity of the .40 with police departments is this. It's too much cartridge for some officers ( read "female") in modern departments.

The FBI says:

· 9mm Luger offers higher magazine capacities, less recoil, lower cost (both in ammunition and wear on the weapons) and higher functional reliability rates (in FBI weapons)


· The majority of FBI shooters are both FASTER in shot strings fired and more ACCURATE with shooting a 9mm Luger vs shooting a .40 S&W (similar sized weapons)


· There is little to no noticeable difference in the wound tracks between premium line law Auto enforcement projectiles from 9mm Luger through the .45 Auto


· Given contemporary bullet construction, LEO's can field (with proper bullet selection) 9mm Lugers with all of the terminal performance potential of any other law enforcement pistol caliber with none of the disadvantages present with the "larger" calibers

The Reasons Why FBI Went to Back to 9mm | SOFREP

 

[aflineman]

40 S&W and 38 Special are still on the shelf at Bimart, most every other self defense round is gone. Might just say something about 40.

 

[sobo]

40 S&W and 38 Special are still on the shelf at Bimart, most every other self defense round is gone. Might just say something about 40.

Says more about people: Not enough diversification in their "portfolios"...

 

[aflineman]

[QUOTE+]40 S&W and 38 Special are still on the shelf at Bimart, most every other self defense round is gone. Might just say something about 40. [/QUOTE]

Says more about people: Not enough diversification in their "portfolios"...

I love .38 Special. Carry one, and shoot/reload it more than most any other round I have. 40 works well, I jsut don't shoot mine as often.

 

[Goosebrown]

.40 caliber has been around for a long time...
I even have one...
Its a mix of old and new parts...the lock , barrel and inlays are old...as in from the 1500's...
The stock is a new made replacement.

Wait , this may not be the .40 you were asking about...
Andy
View attachment 671798

That's a .40 Smythe & Wessex...

 

[Ownerus]

40 only looks dead when you're 20. Haven't you heard? 40 is the new 30. I've even heard 60 is the new 50. But I'm starting to suspect that 66 is the new 70.


Apologies for the low caliber humor

 

[SGW Gunsmith]

Well, I'm certainly not arranging any "funeral plans", and burial, for my Glock 23 any time soon. Shooting some stiff 170 grain reloads did indeed put some "hurt" on my shooting hand, but that was cured with the Pachmayr grip sleeve, for very little cost and I do like the feel much better now:

Muzzle flip, and therefore recovery time, is a bit better once the barrel and slide got back from Mag-na-Port:

It's still not a "flat-line" shooter, but I'd do it again for the results I received.
I can say that the .40 S&W does a good job as a coup de gras round to finish a whitetail deer that was not hit real well by one of our youngin's who didn't place a bullet very well 'cause he was shaking a bit when he fired. I have NEVER used my .40 Glock on human flesh, and God willing, I hope I'll never need to do that, but for inanimate targets and pumpkins left over from fall..........those are what need a funeral.

 

[GunSmoke]

During the last panic (08-09):
12g and 40s&w could always be found.

That is an excellent point

 

[Tony617]

Palmetto State Armory has some .40 LE trades ins. That way you can shoot the .40 for practice.

https://palmettostatearmory.com/s-w...aign=Daily+Deal+Email&utm_content=12:00+Email

 

[User 1234]

.40 caliber has been around for a long time...
I even have one...
Its a mix of old and new parts...the lock , barrel and inlays are old...as in from the 1500's...
The stock is a new made replacement.

Wait , this may not be the .40 you were asking about...
Andy
View attachment 671798

When does it get stippling and a red dot?

 

[waglockfan]

During the last panic (08-09):
12g and 40s&w could always be found.

Same with the SandyHook BS. No issues buying .40 FMJ and defensive loads. 9mm was pretty bad, before that is was around $9 to $10 a box, then jumped to $15 to $18 a box for AE FMJ if you could find it.

I was buying .40 for $12 to $14 a box because no one shot .40 because .40 was......icky and gross.

 

[nammac]

I don't think it's dead. But it's not gonna win any popularity contests either.

Kinda like the ugly girl at the prom, not a first choice to want to dance with...

 

[Kruel J]

Kinda like the ugly girl at the prom, not a first choice to want to dance with...

But at 2am it's better than nothing.

 

[sobo]

Rosie Palmer might disagree...