What's the future of .40 S&W?

[TruthTellers]

As is well known, the FBI is switching to 9mm and so are various police departments across the country. I have no doubt other federal agencies like DEA and ATF for example will be switching to 9mm at some point, so I'm wondering who will still be using .40 S&W in the future?

 

[Schwing]

I have never owned a .40 and never cared for the round but there sure are a LOT of shooters who do. I don't see the FBI's move as doing anything to diminish .40 ownership in the public arena.

 

[ROAshooter]

Fewer and fewer.....

 

[ATLDave]

Almost everybody shooting Limited division in USPSA! Can't make major with 9mm.

More broadly, there are many millions of firearms out there in .40. The idea that it's going to just dry up and blow away is hilariously improbable.

Full disclosure: I own zero .40 firearms.

 

[justin22885]

its an answer to a non-existent question.. delivering BARELY anymore if any added muzzle energy over 9mm with higher cost ammo and lower capacity it just doesnt make sense to get into it.. i dont have a 40 and i doubt i ever will either

 

[Comrade Mike]

It will probably stick around. I'll never own one though

 

[Zerodefect]

Anyone that wants more than 9mm, in a 9mm pistol.

I'll be keeping mine. There's a new ammo fad every 5 years. In 2020 the FBI will be looking for a more powerful round because they got their butts kicked somewhere. And on, and on, it goes. But .40 ain't going anywhere, it's still a popular round. There's alot of room in the market between .45 and 9mm.

 

[Arkansas Paul]

There are enough in circulation right now to keep it going strong for decades upon decades.
It's not going anywhere any time soon.

 

[Starter52]

The US Army switched over to the 9mm, and I'm pretty sure the .45 ACP is still around . . .

 

[Rockrivr1]

I have a Sig and Glock in 40 S&W and added conversion bbls to shoot 9mm out of them. I just never became comfortable with the round.

As to how long it will be around, I don't see it going away anytime soon. If you look at the handgun round spectrum I believe that 357 Sig would go away long before 40 S&W does.

 

[tarosean]

Why would anyone care about what a government agency procured or drops?????

There is probably more 40SW shot in a given weekend than in the History of the FBI...

 

[Spats McGee]

I don't own a .40, but can't honestly say that I won't ever own one. Sure, the FBI is switching. There are still plenty of other LE agencies that use the .40, not to mention millions of .40 pistols in private hands.

The round isn't going anywhere any time soon.

 

[Teachu2]

its an answer to a non-existent question.. delivering BARELY anymore if any added muzzle energy over 9mm with higher cost ammo and lower capacity it just doesnt make sense to get into it.. i dont have a 40 and i doubt i ever will either

Just out of curiosity, Justin, what calibers do you currently own?

 

[Bama Drifter]

I see it as becoming a back burner ctg in a few years, kind of how .45acp was in the mid to late 90s. As long as Glock is churning out pistols in .357Sig and .45GAP, they'll also be joined by the dozens of companies making .40 S&W pistols. I expect in a couple decades the ammo will cost more than .45ACP as there won't be ammo made as "over-runs", aka: Gov't Surplus.

I don't own and never will own a .40 pistol. It was a poor answer to a dumb question. 9mm or .45 are the only choices needed for modern Cop & Soldier work. I happen to like both

Fact: if .45GAP were offered at the end of the 80s there NEVER would have been demand for .40S&W

extra Fact: .357Sig is a darn fine cartridge that is prohibitively expensive due to economies of scale. If the military had switched to this cartridge instead of 9mm (impossible I know) we'd see more LEO agencies using it, and plentiful ammo would be priced accordingly... Just my $.02

 

[danez71]

Its doomed for extinction as soon as the ammo expires and becomes no good.

 

[justin22885]

Just out of curiosity, Justin, what calibers do you currently own?

8mm mauser, 7.62x54R, 308, 7.62x39, 5.56x45, 44 magnum, 44 special, 45acp as im still consolidating ill be dropping x54r, 7.62x39, 5.56, and 45acp and adding 9mm and 300 blackout.. why?

 

[Deaf Smith]

The .40 S&W, like the .357 Sig will be around for quite a wile. Maybe not all that many PDs use 'em but consider even the lowly .38 S&W is still kicking around.

And many a .40 or .357 Sig can be converted to the other by simple barrel swaps back and forth, plus 9mm!, but it's mighty hard to convert a 9mm to any larger round!

Deaf

 

[sigarms228]

It means that during the next ammo shortage those of us the have a ,40 pistol will have plenty of ammo on the shelves still while 9MM will be next to impossible to find.

I have quite a few 9MM pistols but also a really nice P229 .40 that is a pleasure to shoot mostly for that reason. Also a good reason for the SHTF crowd to have at least one.

There are some situations where I could definitly prefer .40 over 9MM such as in the woods if wild animals could be a concern.

 

[sigarms228]

Its doomed for extinction as soon as the ammo expires and becomes no good.

Yikes. On second thought I will have turned to dust several decades before that even has a possibility of happening.

 

[justin22885]

I see it as becoming a back burner ctg in a few years, kind of how .45acp was in the mid to late 90s. As long as Glock is churning out pistols in .357Sig and .45GAP, they'll also be joined by the dozens of companies making .40 S&W pistols. I expect in a couple decades the ammo will cost more than .45ACP as there won't be ammo made as "over-runs", aka: Gov't Surplus.

I don't own and never will own a .40 pistol. It was a poor answer to a dumb question. 9mm or .45 are the only choices needed for modern Cop & Soldier work. I happen to like both

Fact: if .45GAP were offered at the end of the 80s there NEVER would have been demand for .40S&W

extra Fact: .357Sig is a darn fine cartridge that is prohibitively expensive due to economies of scale. If the military had switched to this cartridge instead of 9mm (impossible I know) we'd see more LEO agencies using it, and plentiful ammo would be priced accordingly... Just my $.02

i actually like the concept of the 45 gap.. 45acp performance in a 9mm length action isnt all that bad of an idea.. however, this just seems more like it would benefit manufacturers of handguns more than it would the shooters of them.. it was really just an attempt to weasel out of having to build a separate from to offer 45acp

 

[Bill B.]

As is well known, the FBI is switching to 9mm

Not to derail this thread but what are they going to and when did they decide to change?

I have noticed that a lot of law enforcement 40's are on the maket right now ... at Bud's.

 

[Highcaliber]

its an answer to a non-existent question.. delivering BARELY anymore if any added muzzle energy over 9mm with higher cost ammo and lower capacity it just doesnt make sense to get into it.. i dont have a 40 and i doubt i ever will either

I must be missing something ????

9mm (124gr) Muzzle Velocity - 1180 fps Energy delivered on target - 383 ft lbs

40 S&W (165 gr) Muzzle velocity -1150 fps Energy delivered on target - 485 ft lbs

45 ACP (230 gr) Muzzle Velocity - 875 fps Energy delivered on target - 391 ft lbs


http://billstclair.com/energy.html

.

 

[Tallball]

It seems like every major manufacturer makes many different models in 40 caliber. That is definitely not a sign that it is dying.

 

[justin22885]

I must be missing something ????

9mm (124gr) Muzzle Velocity - 1180 fps Energy delivered on target - 383 ft lbs

40 S&W (165 gr) Muzzle velocity -1150 fps Energy delivered on target - 485 ft lbs

45 ACP (230 gr) Muzzle Velocity - 875 fps Energy delivered on target - 391 ft lbs


http://billstclair.com/energy.html

.

thats some VERY weak 9mm and 45acp used in that comparison

 

[jmr40]

All of the above loads are weak, even the 40 S&W load.

its an answer to a non-existent question.. delivering BARELY anymore if any added muzzle energy over 9mm with higher cost ammo and lower capacity it just doesnt make sense to get into it.. i dont have a 40 and i doubt i ever will either

The best 40 S&W loads with 180 gr bullets will pretty much equal short barreled 357 mag loads with 180 gr bullets. Standard loads are about 1000 fps and there are some 1150 fps loads. That is about as good as you'll get with a 4" 357 mag and 180's. Can say about the same for the 150/155 gr loads.

The best 9mm loads BTW, around 1250-1300 fps with 124 gr bullets, will pretty much match 125 gr 357 mag loads from 4" or shorter barrels.

Both 40 and 9mm have their place. It just depends on if you need or want to shoot heavy or light bullets.

I've owned 40 in the past, it isn't a bad round, but 10mm fills the same niche for me.