Game over for the 40 S&W. Say it ain't so!

I'm OK with the caliber of 40 s&w. It is doing more or less the same as the others. But I do like the pistols chambered for this caliber, because of the flexibility they often offer. My Glock 23 can be easily converted to 9mm or 357 sig. It would be much harder to convert the other ways around.

Not that I would do that if I don't absolutely have to, I can shoot 9mm rounds straight out of a 40 s&w pistol. Accuracy is bad and the ejected brass would be split, but the projectiles will still be rather lethal. I simply can't shoot a 40 s&w round out of a 9mm pistol.

Bottom line; it won't die if you keep talking about it. You may have better chance killing it if redirect your breath on something else; say the 41 long colt.

-TL
 
The Ruger American is one of the newer service pistols on the market, and it is only available in 9mm or .45ACP. So is that a confirmation of the declining popularity of the .40S&W?
 
The Ruger American is one of the newer service pistols on the market, and it is only available in 9mm or .45ACP. So is that a confirmation of the declining popularity of the .40S&W?
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I wouldn't think that was the reasoning. Maybe they felt the market was flooded with 40's, which it is. Lot's of surplus police guns out there in 40 can be had pretty reasonably.

And.......... I could be wrong, but..............

I'm thinking Ruger initially intended to get into the Gov't trials with that gun, and the only calibers they would have run military trials on would have been 9 and 45. They since abandoned that intention, but that may have had something to do with the lack of a 40 flavor as well.
 
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I think it is safe to say that .40 S&W has seen a recent decline in popularity, especially since the FBI announced its intention to move back to 9mm Luger, but that sure doesn't mean it is going away.

I have pistols chambered in 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, 357 SIG, and .45 ACP and enjoy shooting them all. They are all potentially effective and potentially ineffective when it comes to self-defense. I do tend to favor .40 S&W in mid-sized carry guns like my SIG P229R or Beretta mini-Cougar 8040F. I tend to favor 9mm in compact and subcompact pistols where magazine capacity becomes an issue, and recoil management is more problematical. And I like .45 ACP in full-sized handguns for home defense, especially all metal ones.

I agree with DHart that there seems to be animosity directed towards the .40 S&W that does not seem entirely rational to me. I see this mostly coming from fans of 9mm Luger, but also from fans of .45 ACP, 357 SIG, and especially 10 mm.

I understand that some people do not like its recoil characteristics, and fortunately those folks have other options. I do not entirely understand the argument that .40 S&W was never "needed". My response is "so what?" It exists and is a viable choice in SD handgun caliber IMO. We probably have many more models and styles of motorcars and trucks than we NEED, but choice is good.
 
OP said:
I always favored the .40 S&W round and carried a Glock 22 on duty. I live in the West now and our local gun shops DO NOT STOCK .40 cal weapons and stock a minimum of the ammo on the shelves. I carry a Springfield XDS 9mm during the warm weather months, but would like to step up the size and caliber of my EDC during cold weather months. Too much local talk about the 'dying .40 cal' for my tastes. I would love a recommendation or two for a concealable .40 to meet my needs. Also, should I consider the .45 over the .40? What would you recommend then?
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I too favor the 40 above all others, a couple of thoughts/questions regarding above...

Is there a Walmart, Bass Pro, Cabela's or whatever around somewhere?
If the locals tend to shy away from 40, then the LGS probably won't have much of it sitting on the shelf collecting dust waiting for you to move into town.

Let "local talk" go in one ear and out the the other.. except for farming, road work/closures, or the best places to fish, of course.

Concealable 40 you ask? Glock 27. Awesome little gun and your already familiar with it.

Should you consider the 45? Sure, who am I to discourage. But they tend to either be a) thicker, b)heavier, c) both thicker and heavier, d)usually less capacity.
If I had to carry a concealable 45 it would likely be the G36.

I'm also one of those folks to thinks the 40 gives up little to the 45, and makes up for any slight advantage with capacity, generally smaller frames/slides, and ammo costs.

With the Glock 27 you always have the option of adding aftermarket barrels to run 9mm, 40, 357sig, and others.
Plus, the mags from the G23 and G22 will fit the G27.
 
OP... Have a good look at the Sig P320 Compact or Sub Compact in 40.

P320 Compact


The M&P40C is another good, compact 40 that handles the caliber well and comfortably.
 
Hello there o4l. I 2nd the 357sig. I IMO think its the best s/d caliber out there. It's got better stopping power then the 9mm,40s&w & the 45acp. Now you can try to say that the 10mm is king but it does not have the round count that the 357sig has & needs a much bigger gun also. We are talking semi-auto handguns. I really think that if the 357sig came out before or at the same time as the 40s&w the 357sig would be used by most of the L/E today & c/c as well.
 
To the OP. If you like the 40SW then its not game over. It doesn't matter what some military, police force or government agency uses. If you like it that all that matters.

Just remember what is new will be old and what is old will be new again. If the FBI goes back to the 9mm then someday they will have a failure to stop and agents will be killed and the search for a new round will start all over again. And then the 45acp, 10mm and 40S&W will be considered all over again.

Then a new testing program will begin and new bullets will be designed to reach some magic depth and expansion and the world will be safe again. Until the next failure to stop.

Stock up on ammo and reloading componants and know your round of choice is safe. It only has to make one person happy. And thats you.
 
Stock up on ammo and reloading componants and know your round of choice is safe. It only has to make one person happy. And thats you.
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Sound advice. The corollary of choosing a service round that makes you happy is that choice will offend others. The older I get the less I care what others think...
 
Heck, a sharp knife can easily puncture car steel these days.
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I'm going to assert that a reasonably sharpened pencil in the hands of a 5-year-old will puncture most areas of a car body these days. :)
 
I'm going to assert that a reasonably sharpened pencil in the hands of a 5-year-old will puncture most areas of a car body these days.
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Hahaha! Yes, indeed. Cars these days are virtually shrouded with thick tin-foil. Some of them look beefy, but they are sheep in wolf's clothing.

Most pistol rounds can fly through car doors with ease, and keep going and going.
 
Was at one of the LGSs yesterday ...

Dealer's "pre-owned" shelves don't lie. Evidence of massive .40-dumpage observed. :eek:

Folks stampeding over to the 9-minimeter?
 
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