Is 40 S&W dead or not?

Mine is still quite alive and doing well. But feel free to send all the "dead" ones to me for proper burial. Might as well send the "dead" ammo my way too!

I don't own a .40. Have never owned a .40. Don't particularly care for .40's. But it is still an excellent self defense round.

As much as I really don't care for .40's I will probably pick one up someday if I come across a cool one for cheap enough.

I would go for a 9mm or a .45 for a range toy though. I can shoot either of these longer without getting fatigued and my aim slacking off. 4 or 5 clips through my friends .40's and I don't really want to shoot them any more. I can go through many hundred rounds of .45 or 9 before my hand starts getting a little shaky.

I would imagine 40's will always be cheaper than .45's to reload and more expensive than 9's. It kind of comes down to how much lead is in the bullet and powder is in the case.

No .40S&W is not dead.

I reload 40 S&W at the same price as 9x19 or 45 ACP. In an M1911, 40 S&W is a pussycat. It is not dead from my standpoint.

StationOps said:

Is 40 S&W dead or not?

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40S&W is alive and well.

Whenever I go shooting, I find more 40S&W brass than 45ACP. And YOU KNOW 45ACP isn't dead.

The Glock 35 in my duty holster isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Its little brother, my G27 has job security too. You might want to check out the G35 for a range toy as the recoil isn't unpleasant at all, and mags and such are plentiful and cheap.

Are there still a ton of police trade-in 40 caliber duty pistols out there? I got some screaming deals on several within the past year or two. My Glock Model 22 and Sig P229 were about $300 OTD apiece, including the box and one or two spare magazines.

I see plenty of new 40 caliber pistols for sale, and plenty of 40 caliber ammo as well. Academy must have ten different varieties.

It doesn't seem anywhere near dead to me.

This was my best deal. A place was Gunbroker auctioning a bunch of surplus/turn-in Beretta 96's. When they got towards the bottom of the barrel, they put one up that was a Frankenstein pistol: an American DAO slide on top of a regular Italian frame. No one wanted to bid on it. I won it for a $149 bid. It's a great shooter (DA/SA due to the Italian trigger assembly). I don't care that it doesn't have a safety or decocker. I got it about a year ago. It's a nice pistol that I paid next to nothing for.

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No, its not even almost dead. Maybe not as popular as it once was, but very alive. There are so many of them in circulation, especially from police turn ins and the like. I have an old gen 2 Glock 23 police turn in that sometimes does duty as a hunting sidearm. Cheap(er) practice ammo can be had from Wolf and similar companies (if your gun will eat it- mine does).

If 10mm auto is still around, 40 S&W sure isn’t going away anytime soon.

MikeInOr said:

I don't own a .40. Have never owned a .40. Don't particularly care for .40's. But it is still an excellent self defense round.

As much as I really don't care for .40's I will probably pick one up someday if I come across a cool one for cheap enough.

I would go for a 9mm or a .45 for a range toy though. I can shoot either of these longer without getting fatigued and my aim slacking off. 4 or 5 clips through my friends .40's and I don't really want to them any more. I can go through many hundred rounds of .45 or 9 before my hand starts getting a little shaky.

I would imagine 40's will always be cheaper than .45's to reload and more expensive than 9's. It kind of comes down to how much lead is in the bullet and powder is in the case.

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I met and sometimes shoot with a seasoned gentlemen at local steel and IdPA matches. I was surprised to see he shoots a Glock 35, so I asked him why. He told me his arthritis made it easier for him to reload the larger bullets. When I asked him why not .45, he said he liked the higher capacity for the shoots, and that it was a bit cheaper for him to load .40 versus .45

He also said he loaded them down a lot for the steel and range shooting, and with a heavier recoil spring, it was very easy on his hands.

I only have one, a Glock 23, but I’m looking at adding a LEO trade in soon G22 soon.

I never jumped on the .40 bandwagon, too much firearms media hype.
On life support now and I will not miss it when it goes the way of the .41AE.

If the gun-oriented internet existed in history:

1894: ZOMG, is the .45-70 dead?
1911: ZOMG, is the .45 Colt dead?
1937: ZOMG, is the .38 Special dead?
1958: ZOMG, is the .30-06 dead?
1968: ZOMG, is the .308 dead?
1985: ZOMG, is the .45ACP dead?
1988: ZOMG, is the .357 Magnum dead?
1994: ZOMG, is the 9mm dead?

I don't mean to be rude, but questions about whether a cartridge that has tens of millions of firearms in circulation and is loaded by virtually every ammunition manufacturer and is effectively required for use in certain sports simply raise the question of whether the OP speaks English and what definition of "dead" could possibly be in his head.

ETA: I don't own a single gun in .40. Nor do I own a .30-06, nor a .44 magnum, but I don't run around asking if those are dead. Because I at least try not to ask idiotic questions.

P5 Guy said:

I never jumped on the .40 bandwagon, too much firearms media hype.
On life support now and I will not miss it when it goes the way of the .41AE.

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The number of firearms ever made in .41AE would not match one month's worth of production of .40 guns over the last 20 years. Probably not one week's worth.

ATLDave said:

The number of firearms ever made in .41AE would not match one month's worth of production of .40 guns over the last 20 years. Probably not one week's worth.

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Probably.

ATLDave said:

If the gun-oriented internet existed in history:

1894: ZOMG, is the .45-70 dead?
1911: ZOMG, is the .45 Colt dead?
1937: ZOMG, is the .38 Special dead?
1958: ZOMG, is the .30-06 dead?
1968: ZOMG, is the .308 dead?
1985: ZOMG, is the .45ACP dead?
1988: ZOMG, is the .357 Magnum dead?
1994: ZOMG, is the 9mm dead?

I don't mean to be rude, but questions about whether a cartridge that has tens of millions of firearms in circulation and is loaded by virtually every ammunition manufacturer and is effectively required for use in certain sports simply raise the question of whether the OP speaks English and what definition of "dead" could possibly be in his head.

ETA: I don't own a single gun in .40. Nor do I own a .30-06, nor a .44 magnum, but I don't run around asking if those are dead. Because I at least try not to ask idiotic questions.

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It’s pretty much THE round to use in USPSA Limited Division due to the rules of the game, correct? Unless someone is insane like you and uses a 10mm. $&@# money right?

Just teasing out the details for those who aren’t aware.

I’ve bought a couple .40’s in the last few years. Received another as a gift.

Ammo is always on the shelves. Not a bad round at all.

Sigh. Based on the number of threads that ask this, I’m gonna say no.

Just food for thought.
I can go online and buy .41 magnum easily.
I can go to academy sports and buy 10mm
I can find .45 GAP fairly easily.

What do those examples have to do with anything you might ask? Well I will tell you.

None of the above were issued eleventy billion times to every cop and federal agent in the country ever. None of those were bought eleventy billion times by folks wanting to have what local PD did. Those cops and agents might be transitioning back to 9mm for now but that doesn’t change the fact that there is a metric butt ton or .40 caliber pistols out there FAR FAR FAR EXPONENTIALLY FAR beyond any of the above calibers and I can still get the calibers above.

I doubt getting .40 will be an issue in your lifetime.

As to whether or not it’s effective? Yep just as effective as it always was and it has a whole host of pros and cons to it......like every other caliber.

I mean .45 GAP is still around and like 36 people bought one of those and a couple of them had the last name of Glock.

40 is obviously dropping out of favor with a lot of departments for a variety of reasons, but there are way too many of them in circulation for the round to die off in any of our lifetimes or even close to it. That said I doubt I'll ever own one - I'm just not much of a fan.

Hi...
I have exactly one handgun in .40S&W, a S&W M&P 40.
I bought it several years ago when I wanted to experiment with a polymer pistol and figured that I may as well get a new caliber as well.
I shoot it regularly and actually rather enjoy the pistol and the caliber. My son bought me a drop in 9mm barrel for it and I shoot that fairly regularly also.
Don't know if I will ever buy another pistol in .40 but that is more about my admitted bias towards .45ACP in 1911 pistols for a carry gun than any real fault with .40S&W.

To be totally honest, I have considered starting to carry the M&P because of the increasing crime in the area. Hardly a day goes by anymore that there isn't a report of a drug gang related shooting , an armed robbery of a store or some other violent crime in the York-Lancaster-Harrisburg, Pa area where I live.
The increased magazine capacity is somewhat comforting.

Well, I've always been a 9mm guy...since before there was a 40, or even a 10mm.
But, looking at the surplus pistol bargains, I couldn't resist getting a Gen4 G22. It arrived in like new condition, with good night sights. $319.
Took it to the range. It had been a long time since I shot a 40.
I found myself wondering why it is considered snappy. I found the recoil negligible...similar to my G17 loaded with +P or +P+.
I liked it so much that I have been using it for my house gun. A 180gn HST at 1000fps is a capable round.
Remember...nobody said they were disappointed by the performance of the 40 in actual shootings...they were just having a hard time training their smaller women and male officers.
Since I have the ammo and mags, I'm considering the Ruger PCC in 40.

The amount of .40 S&W police trade in's for sale right now has kind of diluted the market, and it seems prices for most .40 S&W handguns has fallen because of that. I believe it's just temporary, and if you're thinking about .40 S&W now is probably the time to snag a good deal on one. Personally, after owning a G23 for a time I think the benefits are pretty small over a 9mm. But it's not a bad cartridge and it's long term existence is pretty much set in stone by now.

And consider this.

Many pistols, particularly 40S&W Glocks can be converted to 9mm easily by dropping in a 40-9 conversion barrel. They average $100 and go on sale for around $50 regularly. I have used KKM/Lone Wolf/Tactical Kinetics conversion barrels over the decades and they produce greater than factory accuracy and fully compatible with even cheaper lead/coated lead bullets.

So you can have best of both worlds ... with conversion barrels, enjoy shooting cheaper 9mm and have the option to use 40S&W factory barrels for SD/HD.

Buying police trade-in and conversion barrel is like having two guns for less than the price of a 9mm pistol.

Life is good.

StationOps said:

I'm thinking of expanding into another caliber and was checking 45 acp prices. On a whim I checked 40S&W. They are about the same. Is 40 S&W dead or not? Are the low prices from a glut on the market and as they get sold off, the ammo prices will go up?

I'm not concerned about stopping power, it'd just be a range toy.

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It is dead to ME.

For just a "toy" to play, plink, and compete with range games, short of bowling pin shoots I'd go with 9mm. Half the lead, cheap ammo, half the recoil, women and kids can shoot it.

Buzznrose said:

I met and sometimes shoot with a seasoned gentlemen at local steel and IdPA matches. I was surprised to see he shoots a Glock 35, so I asked him why. He told me his arthritis made it easier for him to reload the larger bullets. When I asked him why not .45, he said he liked the higher capacity for the shoots, and that it was a bit cheaper for him to load .40 versus .45

He also said he loaded them down a lot for the steel and range shooting, and with a heavier recoil spring, it was very easy on his hands.

I only have one, a Glock 23, but I’m looking at adding a LEO trade in soon G22 soon.

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The MAIN reason I DESPISE .40's is the fricken .40 brass perfectly fits inside a .45 case and a 9mm case perfectly fits inside a .40 case. With a little bit of walnut shell media between the two cases they are practically bonded together. Pretty much the ONLY stoppages I have with my Dillon progressive press are due to stupid .40 cases while loading 9mm or .45.

Ballistically, as a cartridge, I have a lot of respect for the .40. To me .40's seems like a perfect man stopper which also allows for pretty decent magazine capacity in a form factor that will fit most shooters hands better than a double stacked .45.

I own a DB9 I carry frequently that is pretty much the smallest, lightest 9mm I know of. It is MUCH more punishing than any compact or even sub-compact .40 I have every shot. I just enjoy shooting .45's from a 1911 much more than I enjoy shooting a .40 Shield when I go to the range to have fun.