Why "Not" 40 Caliber?

[V-Tach]

This thread is supposed to be about why not shoot a 40 instead of a 9? Not an argument.

lol.....

 

[DyeF9]

I've never had a problem with the .40S&W. During the first great ammo shortage, it was readily available while the other calibers disappeared.

That was actually why I bought a .40 over a 9mm. I've since sold my .40, because of the cost over a 9mm. I do actually enjoy shooting .40 just fine. It's a fine shooting round, I just use 9mm because it's cheaper, which means I can plant more of them into a burm more frequently.

 

[easy rider]

https://www.range365.com/40-sw/

 

[Charlie]

All should be comfortable with whatever they shoot.

 

[satx78247]

Ammunition cost is not a factor for me (I handload, but even if I didn't, the difference is extremely minimal). If I wasn't shooting a 45, I'd shoot a 40, and if I couldn't get a 40, I'd get a 9, and so on.

Charlie,

During the so-called "ammunition shortage" when .22LR, 9x19mm & other "popular calibers" were often scarce, I know of nobody who could not find .38 Super, .357. SIG & .40 S&W.
(The prices of those calibers were, of course, INFLATED.)

Fyi, I went to the Wal Mart on Austin HWY during the "shortage" one afternoon to buy some fishing line & saw LARGE stacks of .38 Super & .357 SIG on the shelves.
Otoh, there was not even one box of 9mm or .45ACP available on that day.

yours, satx

 

[MTA]

9mm is cheap

 

[satx78247]

If my .44 magnum wasn't so big, that would probably be my back up.

easy rider,

Back in my youth, when I was a young LEO & worked in a place where we not only bought our own uniforms, vehicles & firearms but also carried any weapon that we chose, my CHOICE was a Model 29 FOUR-inch revolver.

I bought it CHEAP secondhand, from a "ersatz gun shop" in an Arkansas truck stop, circa 1966.
(I loaded it with LEAD SWC in .44SPL cases.)

yours, satx

 

[Charlie]

Nice! My kinda' gun!

 

[cycleguy2300]

40S&W is hard on guns. Had a number of guys at work have parts on their M&P40 break, while I don't know of any part failures on the M&P9s we use now.

Also, all things equal, the 40 is a "better" round, but in real world, for pistols, the single most critical factor in whether a target was stopped is the number of hits in vital areas and the 9mm lets a lot of OK shooters get more accurate shots off compared to the 40. I have zero problems with 40s, but my rapid fire shots are a little better with the 9mm

Sent from my SM-G965U1 using Tapatalk

 

[satx78247]

9mm is cheap

MTA89,

9x19mm is sometimes REALLY cheap if bought from an individual.
(Last Spring, I bought 8 boxes of 9mm Ball from a retired USN veteran for 25 bucks at a garage sale.)

yours, satx

 

[m5215]

40S&W is hard on guns. Had a number of guys at work have parts on their M&P40 break, while I don't know of any part failures on the M&P9s we use now.

Yes, .40 S&W is definitely harder on guns than 9mm. That is why all my .40 S&W pistols have a steel frame and slide and all metal parts. Maximum durability and some extra weight to absorb some of the recoil. This is the arrangement I prefer for my .40 S&W pistols.

 

[zackmars]

I still can't wrap my head around the fact that bullet improvements have equalized the calibers.
If one caliber was better before bullet improvements, wouldn't it still be better?
I mean, all the calibers should have improved equally, no?

No, because you can't get as many .40 cal bullets into the same size space as 9mm

Also, pistol rounds are at their limit ballistics wise. All you get out of a .40 is a slightly bigger hole. You aren't stepping up to a rifle caliber after all.

 

[zackmars]

.40 is dying. 9mm had one hell of a head start, and gives you good performance while having low recoil, high capacity, load variety, and low cost.

.40, in the end, was the wrong answer to the wrong question. You just can't make a pistol do the job of a rifle

 

[zackmars]

The .40 never offered anything special, and was a compromise in the first place.

Not that it's a bad round, it really just doesn't provide any real improvement over the .45 or the 9mm.

Think .45 GAP...

9mm is simply easier and cheaper to use, and provides enough rounds per magazine that help compensate poor shooting.

Or you can man up and carry a .45!

When you look into it, the .45GAP made sense, glock figured the gov't would keep the AWB going, so might as well get a .45 in a slightly more ergonomic package.

Of course the AWB sunset so .45gap withered away...

 

[BMF500]

IMO it seems it was designed to bridge a gap in size & power that the market is showing is not desirable. It was the cool new thing "medium power 10mm" and 30 years later has faded in popularity. But trends come and go.

Shoot whatever puts a smile on your face. Me, I don't need or want another caliber to stock; as a matter of fact that is why I'm stepping away from 9mm.

 

[navysooner]

This like asking why did 1989 stay in 1989?

 

[Charlie]

I don't dislike the 40 (and the BS about holding fewer rounds than a 9 basically means "1 less". ), I just don't think the 9 is as great as people believe it is. I've owned 9s and they were "meh".

 

[DyeF9]

I don't dislike the 40 (and the BS about holding fewer rounds than a 9 basically means "1 less". ), I just don't think the 9 is as great as people believe it is. I've owned 9s and they were "meh".

I haven't really shot a pistol that I would say is more than meh on power, though the 7.5 fk brno seems like a bit of a monster. Too bad it's ridiculously prohibitively expensive and elitest bullshit

 

[Dawico]

More than likely, a lot of small reasons.

• 9mms can be made smaller and lighter than a 40 S&W.
• 9mms are less snappy than a 40 S&W in a gun of comparable size and weight
• 9mm ammo is cheaper than 40 S&W ammo
• 9mms generally have higher capacities than 40 S&W handguns
• 9mm has been around longer, and have always had a higher level of popularity than the 40 S&W. This can influence people to buy 9mm over 40 S&W

I think you touched on a few good points that I want to expand on.

The current craze is micro-9s for concealed carry. Few if any of these are chambered in 40 S&W.

9mm (and 45 AARP) have been around much longer but also the military never used the 40. Many people really still think the military is some basis for what works and what doesn't. Law enforcement moving away hurts it too for the same reason.

Revolvers are being chambered in 9mm more and more. I don't know of any that are chambered in 40 S&W specifically. Yes, you can shoot them in 10mm revolvers that use moon clips but that's not the point.

 

[Charlie]

I think you touched on a few good points that I want to expand on.
The current craze is micro-9s for concealed carry. Few if any of these are chambered in 40 S&W.
9mm (and 45 AARP) have been around much longer but also the military never used the 40. Many people really still think the military is some basis for what works and what doesn't. Law enforcement moving away hurts it too for the same reason.
Revolvers are being chambered in 9mm more and more. I don't know of any that are chambered in 40 S&W specifically. Yes, you can shoot them in 10mm revolvers that use moon clips but that's not the point.

LOL!