Why all the hate on .40

[Firehawk]

I’m kinda with you OP. I understand why 9mm is more popular, and rightfully so. But I don’t get the hate for .40. In my opinion it still fills a roll even if it may be more of a niche nowadays. I really don’t get the guys that say .40 is too Slow and Weak but then mostly shoot 9mm. I have a Tanfoglio Witness Elite Match in .40 that is a lot of fun. It is a big gun though and .40 out of it feels more tame than 9mm out of my CZ P01. Eventually I’d love to get a 10mm barrel and mags for it. The 10mm barrels are hard to come by so I may have to settle for just having it rechambered.

 

[BigMoose]

Upon further review. 40 Short and Whimpy still sucks bad.

 

[BigMoose]

Got ya covered.

My condolences.

 

[Route 45]

That is the attractive part of 10MM, that it can absolutely annihilate things.. then you see it out of a Carbine barrel!

Because there are tougher critters out there then two legged weasels.

I think it's hilarious that 500+ ft lbs out of a hot .40 is short and wimpy, but 700+ ft lbs out of a hot 10mm is some kind of "annihilator."

There's a size problem here, and it ain't got nothing to do with the calibers.

 

[Nazgul]

I have a Beretta 96 that is fun to shoot. 3 times people have given me 40 ammo they no longer used, some of it the expensive police/SD ammo. Have about 1,000 rds stockpiled at virtually no cost. So it is a fine caliber fo me.

Don

 

[Leo]

Nothing wrong with .40 S&W as a caliber.

The early hate started when it got a bad name because most .40's were being shot from poorly designed glocks with an unsupported chamber. the gen 2 glocks really were not much better, I believe the gen 3 had a design where it supported the chamber.

The better designed, fully supported pistols that were converted to .40 like the 1911 chassis or the model 96 Beretta had no problems.

We have to remember, the .45acp had about a 100 year head start and two world wars to become well liked. Pretty hard for any newcomer to take from that record.

I purchased mine for higher magazine capacity in a round that could easily make major power factor. The S&W 4006, the Beretta 96 and the Para ordinance 16.40 all did a great job.

One of the joys of the .45acp is the wide range of load data from wimpy to full bore. .40 S&W now has that same range for reloaders. If John Browning started the 1911 with .40 S&W, we would all be happily shooting it with no questions.

If you have one and you can hit with it, and you enjoy it, shoot your .40 with pride. You do not owe anything to anyone else's ego.

 

[Brad69]

mcapo's home for wayward and unloved cartridges.

Why does everyone think the GAP is gone? I carry this 38.
I have a G37 as well and about 3,000 rounds that I snagged at about .27 a round.

 

[loudgroove]

No hate here. Different strokes for different folks. I enjoy mine even though I carry a 9 as my CC. Sometimes you need the right tool for the job. Right now, the .40 or the 10mm isn't the right tool for some. That may change in 10 years or so.

 

[Twangbanger]

Inoffensively stated, it is a 9mm with 50% more bullet weight. It was the resolution of the long-running "9mm vs. 45" debate. It gave people an in-between option. Once the 9v45 debate got resolved in favor of the 9 "because bullet technology," people went hog-ass after capacity, and the middle ground once provided by 40 was no longer needed.

Slightly more abrasively stated, it gets hated on because the 9mm is what allowed people to buy small double-stack guns they can stick in their pants without feeling like they lost any capacity. The current "magnified" popularity of 9mm is driven by the same kind of ignorant, newbie mentality that originally drove 40 S&W. "I want to stick something in my cargo pocket pointed at my junk - and I want it to have as many boolits as possible."

 

[BigMoose]

I think it's hilarious that 500+ ft lbs out of a hot .40 is short and wimpy, but 700+ ft lbs out of a hot 10mm is some kind of "annihilator."

There's a size problem here, and it ain't got nothing to do with the calibers.

Try over 1,023 ft/lbs from a 16 inch carbine for some loads.
40 S&W wont scale like 10 Auto Does from a carbine.

Very relevant now with the High Point 10 auto carbine.

 

[Twangbanger]

Try over 1,023 ft/lbs from a 16 inch carbine for some loads.
40 S&W wont scale like 10 Auto Does from a carbine.

Very relevant now with the High Point 10 auto carbine.

Although the OP question was related to handguns, not carbines, I retract my previous response, and replace it with: "Because Hi-Point"

 

[BehindBlueI's]

View attachment 326724
Why does everyone think the GAP is gone?

In fairness, I don't think everyone thinks about GAP at all.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

It is like everything else. If you carry something different than me, you are dangerously wrong. Somehow you are challenging my life choices and must be destroyed.

But can you be a man if you don't smoke the same cigarettes as me?

 

[OneBadV8]

What about .41 magnum

 

[BehindBlueI's]

What about .41 magnum

What is a caliber best suited to reloaders?

I'll take "Calibers that continue to limp along" for $200, Alex.

 

[Bassat]

Red - Blue * blue, like my scrubs

Ford - Chevy * RU Kidding? American made cars?

Blondes - Brunettes * red heads, easily

Legs - Breast * women or chicken?

BBQ - Buffalo * Well, duh? Both.

Pineapple - Sausage * Pepperoni, lots of it.

I answered the questions you didn't ask.

 

[Route 45]

Try over 1,023 ft/lbs from a 16 inch carbine for some loads.
40 S&W wont scale like 10 Auto Does from a carbine.

Very relevant now with the High Point 10 auto carbine.

Not sure how relevant, as this is the handgun forum, and I don't see many people EDC'ing a Hi-Point carbine.

If I'm using a 16" barrel for serious purposes, I'm using a rifle caliber, not a .40 Long Cooper.

 

[Bassat]

No hate for .40S&W, here. I just don't see the point. I already have hardware to launch 9mm and .45 projectiles. And plenty of said ammo for each. I'm good with what I got.

 

[Expat]

But can you be a man if you don't smoke the same cigarettes as me?

I thought everyone agreed all men smoke cigars.

 

[kawtech87]

But can you be a man if you don't smoke the same cigarettes as me?

Just can't get no satisfaction.