Is everyone getting rid of their .40's?

[Rob377]

What? No one told you? New study proves 40s cause cancer and impotence. That's why everyone is getting rid of them.

 

[bcleven]

I agree with Rob. I personally like the .45 better. It has the ability to eliminate stupidity and my Sig Equinox gives my a huge boner everytime I look at her...

 

[VERT]

I love my .40 and almost every .40 I have ever shot. If I had to standardize around one cartridge this would be my choice.

So, why so many detractors? I suppose if you want capacity then 9mm is better, if you want "knock down" go with a .45. The .40 S&W gives the best of both in my opinion, but for others it fixes a non-existent problem. Also, .40 is a law enforment and personal defense cartridge and to my knowledge is not being used in military applications. 9mm and .45 has been used by the armed forces for many years. I am sure this has influenced many people in their choice of handgun cartridge.

Interesting how those shells in the middle sometimes just don't gain the popularity they need to become main stream. For example the .41 magnum and 16 gauge shotgun. Aurguably the best in their class, but ultimately lost except for a cult following.

 

[Bisley Man]

40short & WEAK? The Old West 38-40 Winchester cartridge is a balistic twin to the 40S&W. 40 cal.180 gr. bullet at 800to 1000 fps. Some lawmen ,outlaws and hunters used it into the 20th century. The only 40 I had was the Bereta 96. In that big auto the 40 was easy to shoot fast, I won a few bowling pin matches with it.Too bad I had to sell it.

 

[Cwood]

I heard an instructor in a recent class describe pistols caliber using this football analogy.

.45 like getting hit with a defensive lineman

.40 like getting hit with a linebacker

9mm like getting hit with a free safety

 

[Bigum1969]

I agree with Rob. I personally like the .45 better. It has the ability to eliminate stupidity and my Sig Equinox gives my a huge boner everytime I look at her...

Here's a .40 cal boner to go with your .45 wood:

 

[public servant]

Here's a .40 cal boner to go with your .45 wood:

I prefer to CC over OC.

 

[darrent]

I love my Glock 23. I do occasionally use a 9mm conversion barrel in it to shoot cheaper rounds. However, I use the .40 rounds when I CC.

The .40 is a little snappy, but quite manageable if you practice enough.

 

[seawolfxix]

I bought a 9mm XD because the clerk told me 9mm ammo was the easiest to find. Not that I'm having a lot of trouble, but I think I see a lot more .40 S&W sitting on the shelf than 9mm.

Maybe I'll have to get a .40 S&W XD Subcompact.

 

[seawolfxix]

I'm gonna have to post again due to the 9mm vs. .40 S&W posts

The muzzle energy of a 9mm +P 124 gr. is 430 ft-lbs.

The muzzle energy of a .40 S&W 155 gr. is 450 ft lbs.

Is that really a noticeable advantage?

 

[paddling_man]

The "40 Short and Weak" phrase comes from the history of the 10mm and birth of the .40 or 10mm Lite.

It is the shorter / weaker version of the 10mm.

Whether the history of the 10mm and birth of the .40 is true or not (I wasn't there) it no longer matters now. It has become chapter and verse for internet / gunshop lore.

Chuck Hawks claims: Norma brought the 10mm Automatic cartridge to life in 1983, for the Bren 10 pistol. 10mm Auto

And he claims:The Winchester designed .40 Smith & Wesson was introduced in 1990. The basic idea was to duplicate the ballistics of the 10mm FBI load (the 10mm Lite) in a cartridge that would feed in medium frame autoloaders designed for the popular 9x19. S&W realized that for police or self-defense purposes the large powder capacity of the 10mm Auto was wasted, and the drawbacks of a large frame pistol (required for the 10mm) could be avoided if the new cartridge could be made small enough to work in 9mm pistols.

The new cartridge was named the .40 Smith & Wesson. It uses the exact same .400" diameter bullets as the 10mm Auto. By reducing the powder space to only that needed to duplicate the 10mm Lite police load, the case was held to the same overall length as the 9x19. The .40 uses a true straight case. It is not tapered for feed reliability like the 9x19 case. The SAAMI mean maximum pressure is 35,000 psi.

 

[hotfarmboy1]

40 isn't bad. Just too snappy for me. I prefer the less violent shove of my 45's. And when it comes to shootability and accuracy. A friend of mine that was in the program in college to become a state police trooper told me about a time when Both State and Madison county got together for some training and a range day. State carried G17's and were required to be able to hit at 100 yards. Mad County carried G22's and only required to hit at 25 yards. They had an accuracy contest. And you guessed it state beat up on county. Plus I've heard of a state conservation department switching from the G22's over to G21's. And their range scores all improved 20%.

 

[kingnereli]

I have an unnatural affection for .45. I really should get help. Like others have said the snappiness of the .40 doesn't agree with me. I have a cousin that that is a .40 guy and says the same thing about .45. The difference in recoil is enough to leave room for preference. My only critique of .40 is only conjecture and applies to all intermediate type rounds. I've just wondered if the existence of these rounds isn't purely some companies trying to make money rather then a real need. I understand why people like .40 and .357 sig and others. I'm just talking about their inception.

You know, if you want capacity go with 9. If you want power go with .45. If you want to hunt go with .357 or .44 magnum. See what I mean? I see why middle of the road can be appealing, but like I said, I'm still too stubborn to branch out from the old standbys.

 

[shooter@5(4)life]

I'm gonna have to post again due to the 9mm vs. .40 S&W posts

The muzzle energy of a 9mm +P 124 gr. is 430 ft-lbs.

The muzzle energy of a .40 S&W 155 gr. is 450 ft lbs.

Is that really a noticeable advantage?

The good stuff is a lot better than that! COR-BON 115 JHP 9MM+P 1350 FPS @466 FTLBS energy and 135 JHP .40 S&W 1325 FPS @526 FTLBS energy! .40 S&W is here to stay!
CORBON Conventional JHP

 

[paddling_man]

Heck, let's keep it going!

Buffalo Bore
9mm (+P+) 115 gr. JHP (1,400 fps/M.E. 500 ft.lbs.)
40S&W +P - 155 gr. Gold Dot(1,300 fps/M.E. 582 ft. lbs.)
10mm 180 gr. - J.H.P. (1,350fps/M.E. 782 ft. lbs.)
.45 acp +P Ammo - 185 gr. J.H.P. (1,150 fps/M.E. 543 ft. lbs.)

Double Tap
9mm 115gr @ 1415fps / 511ft. lbs.
40S&W 135gr Nosler HP 1420fps / 605 ft/lbs from a 4.5"bbl.
10mm 180gr 1300fps/ 750 ft./lbs. - Glock 20
45ACP 230gr JHP 1010fps/ 521 ft./lbs. - 5" 1911

 

[muncie21]

I shoot alot for sport, well let me re-phrase that, 'used to' (lack of ammo has prevented me from shooting alot recently) shoot alot for sport and find the 9mm to have an advantage over the .40; at least for me.

Therefore, if I were to start thinning the herd, my .40s would go on the block first. This decision would be completely separate from OC/CC and stopping power.

 

[signut49]

don't think everyone is getting rid of their .40s. it's about the only handgun ammo out there. go figure.

 

[ChalupaCabras]

I'm keeping my 40. Its a Beretta 8040; I have found it to be very soft shooting and quite pleasant to shoot.

 

[KPierce]

I like the 40 myself. Never found it to be too snappy as a lot here have. I have only gotten rid of 1 40 cal and that was an ISP Beretta 96G I sold to Dice Delaer. Other than that I normally keep what I buy.

 

[MACHINEGUN]