.40 S&W Prediction

How many here have more than one handgun caliber? I think there are enough multiple gun collectors to keep pretty much all the current calibers viable for a long long time. I love ten but I shoot mostly 9. When I get my ten, later this year or early next, I will most likely get a .40 just like it for throwing practice rounds down range. Also planning on a smaller .40 for a car gun.

I like .32 acp, .380, and 9x18 too. They all have a purpose even if just being fun to shoot is the purpose. I don't think the .45 is going anywhere either. Big slow bullet is great for a nightstand gun. Hell, I might even get a 9x23 Winchester, just because!:)
 
I think the .40 S&W is a flash in the pan, like the .45 Colt.
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You wish.

40sw is basically 45acp in a smaller package. If anything's going, it's the 45acp.

You guys don't realize that most gun owners don't have a favorite caliber, are not on forums and are not part of the whole "gun thing". They just see firearms as tools and treat them as such. That's why 9mm is the cheapest of them all. To think that the more economical 40sw is some how going to disappear as opposed to the 45acp is just silly. Most gun owners don't care about calibers and stuff like that.

If they want a pistol it's 9mm. If it's a rifle then it's 223.
 
I also think the .40 round will decline in popularity, in the past few years it already has, the allure of it is starting to wear off to many. I know more and more people trading or selling their .40's for the exact same gun in 9mm, the same goes for many PD's as well as the FBI which has already been mentioned. Just look at the used handgun market, it's flooded with .40's, at least around here. Shops are loaded with Glock 22's and 23's, but you will seldom see a used Glock 19 or 17 in the used case. Studies have shown the 9mm is just as effective at stopping threat's as the .40, all while allowing a higher capacity, and lower recoil for faster and more accurate followup shots. To me I see absolutely no use for the .40.

Bob Wright said:
I think the .40 S&W is a flash in the pan, like the .45 Colt.
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Right on, agree 100%. At one point the .45 Colt was the flavor of the month. It was widely used by military, law enforcement, and civilians for decades. Now look at the .45 Colt, its a niche cartridge being kept alive mostly by cowboy action shooting, and in most applications has been dropped in favor of more practical rounds. With that said the .45 Colt is one of my absolute favorite rounds.

Evil Monkey said:
You wish.

40sw is basically 45acp in a smaller package. If anything's going, it's the 45acp.
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You wish.

.45acp will be around long after anyone on this forum will be. It's as American as Budweiser and Apple Pie. Cant say the same for the .40, such a meh cartridge.
 
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The 40 delivers a heavier larger bullet at the same velocity as the smaller lighter 9mm. Plenty of people will choose more performance in a similar size package. Did the 30-06 disappear when the 308 came to be? The 40 is here to stay as are other cartridges, 38spl, 380, 45acp. Any of these could be replaced by the 9mm but they won't.
 
.40 s&w is my favorite round for a semi auto. Even though it hasn't been around as long as 9mm and .45acp, as long as law enforcement keep carrying it, it'll be with the big 3. I just wish more people learned how to shoot properly/trained more before dismissing the .40s&w as "too snappy". Compared to my 3.75in .44 mag, its a kitten.
 
The liberalization of concealed carry laws for civilians has boosted the 9mm more than anything else. Most every day citizens don't want or need a full sized carry gun. They want something for self defense against an armed robber, carjacker or rapist and the realities of everyday life for most CCW'ers, with the minefields that have to be negotiated, require stealth in carry.

Gun manufacturers have responded with a proliferation of little micro sub-compact semi-autos that can be easily concealed, even in a pocket or on an ankle. The 9mm is the sweet spot for these sub-compacts. You get a more controllable lower recoil mainstream round that's still very effective in a gun that's very easy to conceal. Most guns are comparable in size and capacity to a 380 semi-auto.

There are similarly designed sub-compact guns in .40 and.45 but they recoil more and/or are a little larger and heavier, therefore not as desirable for most carriers.

I don't understand the animosity that .40 S&W aficionados have for the .45 ACP as it's actually the resurgent interest in the 9mm that's more of a threat to the .40. It's still not nearly enough of an interest to kill off the .40.
 
never understood why the .357 sig didn't catch on more.
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Not sure either. If you're going to go to something 9-ish, but not 9 mm, it seems like the overall winner in most categories over 38 special, 357 magnum, 9 mm, and 40. Fun to shoot too, big flash/bang, which to me is important since 99% of the fun of a handgun is actually shooting it. Around here it's popular with some LE, and in fact when I buy ammo at a store they tend to think I'm an off-duty sheriff, but not much selection. I buy ammo online.
 
I've seen beginners in handgun class have problems with the 357 Sig. They bought it from hype and since we can't demonstrate real advantages based on anything scientific - why bother?
 
The advantages are well-documented and "scientific", one just has to look. Superior ballistics in a cartridge that is very unlikely to ever have a feed failure, without a significant increase in felt recoil. If a beginner has a problem with the loud bang, well, that can be trained out and turned into a plus.
 
there were statements made about the army giving up 9mm because it is not doing the job. The only reason for that is the fact that they can only use FMJ.
The 9mm 40 and 45 acp will always be. However the I do and have seen the use of 40 S&W and 45 acp decline in usage and the 9mm increase, in civilian use and professional use. The main reason is the ammo technology has improved much more with the 9mm then it has in the other calibers.

And the 40 S&W is by no means a toned down 45 acp as was stated earlier it's reallt a toned down 10mm rd because back when this caliber was first produced it was only because full power 10mm was to much to handle for the FBI. So they needed something more agent friendly thus the 40S&W.

Now sense the ammo is much better now days the 9mm is and will be coming back to the FBI and many others.

Wether you are a new shooter or a veteran shooter 9mm offers faster shots and more accurate. The 40S&W has a slower shot placement as does the 45 acp. And a higher miss rate for most officers.I do believe that really may not have anything do with the shooter unless you are a new shooter.
if you do some cking around you will find some very experienced accomplished shooters and trainers switching to 9mm.
And they are very fast and accurate with the 40 and 45 but a little faster and as or more accurate with the 9mm. And you can carry more on board and less weight with most guns.

I've been an avid shooter and carrier of 45 ACP for many many yrs and Iam contemplating the 9mm. I see no reason at this time to feel under gunned with a 9mm with a mag in my gun holding 20+1 rds and I can shoot three to one and land them where I want. Considering I have been shooting 45 acp for 40+ yrs and 9mm for just over a yr. I am no professional but hey thats hard to argue with. I have trained people for 30 + yrs before retiring and a lot of them have recently made the switch also.

I mean think about it Cheaper, faster with better or the same accuracy alot less recoil as 40 or 45.

OH And the NAVY SEALS use 9mm by choice. LOL I had to say that some time during my rant.:D
 
There is not ONE study that indicates a significant advantage for the 357 Sig in real life as compared to speculation based on shooting frozen custard or whatever.

Also, having seen folks have problem with the recoil - there is a difference in perceived recoil as there is with the 40. Last, feeding problems are very low in modern quality semis.

Some 40 SW guns get beat up faster than 9s - according to agency armorers. Repairing even small parts on thousands of guns is expensive for no discernible difference.
 
Do "40 Guns" get beat up and recoil any more than +p or +p+ 9mm, I don't see how. All this talk about how the new improved 9mm ammo has bridged the gap between it and the 40 surely centers around higher pressure 9mm ammo.
 
Is there a reason to own a 9mm, when the better 40 comes in the same guns?

Yes. Recoil. So, if you want performance, go 40. If you need lower recoil, go 9mm.
 
There is not ONE study that indicates a significant advantage for the 357 Sig in real life as compared to speculation based on shooting frozen custard or whatever.
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Well if you mean ballistics gelatin, those tests show excellent performance compared with both 9 and 40. More importantly that's all we have, other than anecdotes. If you look at real-life situations, you have to consider who is doing the shooting, what the scenario is, target (armor? heavy clothes?), one shot or several (almost all defense situations involve one shot), etc. There aren't that many incidents with many calibers to make a conclusion. If there was an obvious conclusion, we would not have so many different varieties of ammo, or so many passionate defenders of each of them, all LE would use the same kind, all military would use the same kind, etc.

Personally I'm more comfortable with 45 and .357 Sig for HD, .357 Sig is the most fun to shoot at the range, 9 mm is better for long-range accuracy and faster multiple shots. I don't have a 40 but I've shot several, doesn't do much for me personally but there are plenty of defenders of 40, so whatever works. Different strokes and different needs.
 
Some 40 SW guns get beat up faster than 9s - according to agency armorers. Repairing even small parts on thousands of guns is expensive for no discernible difference.
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Do we have any hard data on that?

If it is in fact true that .40 guns get beat up faster, I'd be interested to see if guns designed for .40 lasted better than guns originally designed for 9 and reworked for .40.
 
Do we have any hard data on that?
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hell no. Just more non sense.

maybe if you're using 9mm recoil springs in 40sw pistols, yeah you might tear the pistol up sooner.

But a properly built 40sw pistol will have no such problem.
 
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