So....does anyone still actually shoot .40 ???

[pilotof727s]

It's not going away. I have 9mm, .40, and .45. My EDC is .40. my .40 gets the most time at the range. My 9mm is fun to shoot and affordable. I keep it as the BUG. The only safe queen I have is .45. Just no need for it. To expensive to shoot.

 

[mcapo]

Just to add my two cents. 40 isn't going away. Popularity waxes and wanes.

Found myself going for 9mm or 45 acp for range days. No reason just too many calibers already and 40 just never fit in.

 

[Hop]

The next time the FBI gets into a shootout where their new wonder nines fail to perform you'll start to hear "they should have stuck to the 40".

I have two. The PPQ being a bit more snappy then the Steyr. I plan to keep both especially now that resale value has plummeted.

And if 40 is so poo poo now why is 10mm gaining in popularity?

 

[geezer]

I am committed to the .40 round. I have two Sigs and two carbines in this round. As an old shooter the 'new' phrase "snappy" doesn't bother me. I've shot the 45/70 BFR and I consider that it has some recoil but it too, is not 'snappy" for me.

Probably the main reason that the .40 is not as popular is that the 9MM round has improved greatly with the new bullet configurations. A secondary consideration is that the 9mm mags can hold more rounds.

Since I'm not into spray and pray, that doesn't bother me. The forty is a good round and I'll stay with it.

 

[Hohn]

I find this to be more true in guns that were 9mm designs converted to .40. Guns designed from the ground up as a .40, like the P229, eliminate much of the 'snap'.

This.

I've also noticed that ammo manufacturers have pushed the .40 from the original 950fps for 180gr up over 1000 and almost to 1050 in some cases.

This tiny extra bit of velocity adds almost nothing to terminal performance but REALLY increases the snappiness.

IMO, they should load .40SW to 180gr or 200gr @ 800 FPS, sort of a lighter-weight, higher capacity .45. At that speed, the .40SW is likely to have almost no snap at all, and with 200gr going down range, plenty of ballistic potential.

Granted, all the projectiles are set up for the faster speeds, but the likely outcome of pud loading it is MORE penetration with JHPs, not less.

 

[Hohn]

The next time the FBI gets into a shootout where their new wonder nines fail to perform you'll start to hear "they should have stuck to the 40".

I have two. The PPQ being a bit more snappy then the Steyr. I plan to keep both especially now that resale value has plummeted.

And if 40 is so poo poo now why is 10mm gaining in popularity?

The 10mm is not gaining in popularity as a personal defense round. It is gaining primarily has a handgun hunting round. There aren't many autoloading handgun cartridges that are viable hunting loads-- it's typically been a revolver market.

I still contend that the "snappiness" is the ONLY reason people don't like the for-tay. If they'd stop trying to turn it back into a 10mm and let it live at the slower speeds I posted above, I think it could be VERY popular.

 

[TheFireArmorer]

I've had a few .40s but either sold or traded them away. I always shot them well and had no real issues with the round. I just had more guns in 9mm and .45 and got tired of buying 3 different handgun rounds when I went to pick up ammo.

Now that I reload, I really wouldn't mind getting another .40. The round is definitely not going anywhere anytime soon, IMO.

 

[Cygnus]

I don't think .40 is going anywhere. I've only shot a few .40's but recently considered switching from 9mm to .40 in my new pistol purchase I'm thinking about. 40 will be around for awhile. As others have said, there are several oddball calibers that are still out there.
I mean, they still make .38 Super right???? I'm getting a chromed out 70's style BBQ gun in .38 Super when I hit the lottery.......

 

[24Carat]

G27 with G23 mag at 4:00 all day, , every day, extra G23 mag or two in weak side pocket. BUG LCRx in .357 mag in right pocket.

 

[88E30M50]

I'm slowly headed down the path of caliber consolidation, but .40 will not be one of the ones I get rid of. I'm almost out of the .380 world. 9mm, .40 and .45 are my main calibers with a bit of 10mm thrown in too.

 

[Excalibur]

Perhaps for a SHTF, I'd pick up a Glock that's in .40 but carry it with the 9mm conversion. On the basis that if I need to switch to 40 for any reason, I have that ability.

 

[White Squirrel]

I'm slowly headed down the path of caliber consolidation, but .40 will not be one of the ones I get rid of. I'm almost out of the .380 world. 9mm, .40 and .45 are my main calibers with a bit of 10mm thrown in too.

Agree, I am headed down that same caliber consolidation path, but I am sticking with 9, .40/.357 Sig & .357 Mag. And my .22 LR. Can't give away my .22s!!

 

[tcecil88]

Perhaps for a SHTF, I'd pick up a Glock that's in .40 but carry it with the 9mm conversion. On the basis that if I need to switch to 40 for any reason, I have that ability.

This is the main reason I kept my G23. I would probably pick up another G22, but I have the G35 and Beretta 96A1, so I am in no hurry.

 

[rugertoter]

Well, I have only one pistol chambered in .40 S&W, and I sure as heck don't plan on trading or selling it off. I really don't see all the issues they say the .40 has, making so many go back to the 9mm. I have a few pistols chambered in 9mm Luger, and like the round, but they are trying to find excuses to sideline the .40....this is just my humble opinion. They say female cops and such are having a hard time qualifying with the .40, so they are going back to the 9mm? My answer would be then how in the hell are they going to be able to handle a pump-action 12 gauge shotgun, loaded with buckshot?

Nothing wrong with the 9mm mind you, but loaded in their respective "hot" loadings, the .40 still carries more muzzle energy.

 

[BugI02]

The 10mm is not gaining in popularity as a personal defense round. It is gaining primarily has a handgun hunting round. There aren't many autoloading handgun cartridges that are viable hunting loads-- it's typically been a revolver market.

I still contend that the "snappiness" is the ONLY reason people don't like the for-tay. If they'd stop trying to turn it back into a 10mm and let it live at the slower speeds I posted above, I think it could be VERY popular.

IMO 10mm is gaining in popularity because the people who manufacture and sell us guns realize not many of us have one, and people forget that their favorite print or internet reviewers are marketers first and then shooters. When 90% of the market has a 9mm, it's exponentially harder to sell more. The market saturation in 10mm is much less constrained

 

[BugI02]

I'm in the '40's not going anywhere' camp. Have a 96D as a bedside gun, P229 in 357sig with a 40 barrel and two FNP 40s. The first FNP 40 I bought I fell in love with and its my winter carry

Came close to adding a Sig Match Elite in 40 at a recent OGCA meet, and at the prices I'm seeing probably won't be long.

 

[bigelowe]

I shoot my M&P 40, compact with mag extension, more accurately than an pistol I own. If I go OWB, its my go to.

 

[walleyepw]

I like the 40 S&W. Have Glock 22 gen 3 Police Trade in. IMPD, looks like it was only used on the range. Wonderful piece. I liked it so much that I picked up a second police trade in Glock 22 gen 3 for general range and carry bag use. Now, I do not carry a 40 s&w due to size of even the compact guns. Most of the time I pocket carry and rely on a .380 as I am wearing dress slacks and dress shirts.

 

[ratames]

I have two .40's and I shoot them better than I do my 9mm. For some reason, hey just feel better in my hand and it just seems to work better for me.

 

[Audie Murphy]

I only have one 40 S&W firearm and that's a Beretta CX4 Storm carbine. I'm probably not going to keep it because of the lack of 20 or 30 round capacity magazines for it.