40 caliber?

[ragwd]

Is the 40 caliber dead ? With all the shortages of firearms , I have a good deal on a sig 229 enhanced elite in 40 caliber. But it’s being avoided like the flu. I’m thinking that the 40 is dead.

 

[Forte S+W]

Nope, there are just too many .40cal pistols in circulation among both civilians and law enforcement agencies which didn't jump onboard the 9mm bandwagon for the cartridge to die. Glock just recently made Gen 5 versions of their popular .40cal G22/23 Pistols and obviously Smith & Wesson continues to manufacture .40cal pistols as well.

So no, the cartridge is by no means dead, it's merely no longer trendy. However, it still has its niche as a sort of middle ground between 9mm Luger and .45 ACP, featuring larger diameter bullets with more energy than 9mm Luger, yet higher magazine capacity and available in a more compact frame size than .45 ACP, with better straight-line penetration through hard barriers than both.

If diminishing popularity in the civilian/law enforcement market spelled death for cartridges, then .38 Special would have died out decades ago.
Besides, we live in a world in which ammo manufacturers continue to produce limited quantities of otherwise obsolete cartridges that literally nobody makes firearms chambered in anymore like .30 Luger 9x18mm Makarov/Ultra/Police, so even if companies were to stop making firearms chambered in .40 S&W today, ammo companies would be manufacturing .40 S&W ammo for several decades to come simply because the firearms would still be out there in the hands of folks who obviously want to take them out shooting and/or use them for self-defense.

CASE CLOSED

 

[Shadow9mm]

First I have to address and issue. what are you defining as a "good deal" they are generally around a $1000 pistol new. good deal is subjective.

issues I see with the P229
1- price. why would I buy it when I can get a wonder 9 for $600 or less
2-size, only compact, no sub compact
3- weight, 34.4oz empty compared to a wonder 9 at 18-20oz
4- action. people are getting away from DA/SA in favor of the DAO or SAO style modern triggers.

One gun sitting is not an indicator that the 40 is dead. It just means people don't want that gun, or don't want to pay the price.

I believe the 40 is far from dead. plenty of people still have an carry them. With that said, due to the wonder 9s, 9mm is getting stronger in its favor because of their good capacity, compactness, and low weight to carry.

 

[Aguila Blanca]

No, the .40 S&W cartridge is not dead -- or dying.

https://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603754&highlight=40+dead

 

[claydoctor]

There is an article in the July issue of Guns and Ammo, which arrived yesterday, addressing this question.

 

[TunnelRat]

No it's not dead. It's still one of the major pistol calibers.

 

[jmr40]

I don't expect to see it die within my lifetime, but I could see a point in the not too distant future when new handguns chambered in 40 S&W will be no more. But there are simply too many guns in circulation for it to die anytime soon.

 

[lamarw]

It does not bother me. I bought a Sig P226 & a P229 and then a Berretta Model 96 in 1916 at extremely good prices. I think this was about when they seemed to start hitting the market as LE Trade-In's.

I like the round.

Then I decided to buy .357 Sig barrels for the two Sig pistols.

I also reload for both calibers.

So, let it rain - let it rain.

 

[cmdc]

I like, and have a number of guns in .40 S&W. One of my favorites is a Glock 24. Very accurate and fun to shoot. I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon.

 

[totaldla]

Since I reload, a cartridge is not dead till I can no longer buy brass.

 

[Moonglum]

If any one of the three main service calibers was demonstrably stopping more bad guys than the other two then every Police Department in America would be carrying it.

If .40 Smith & Wesson is what appeals to you carry it. I choose 9 over .40 because from a purely logistical standpoint I can buy more 9 than .40 for the same price.

I also choose it because my wife can't shoot 40 and it just doesn't make any sense to me to support two calibers. I still have a Smith & Wesson 4006 and probably two or three thousand rounds on hand for it. I might take it to the range twice a year but it's pretty much a Safe Queen.

Having said that let me say again if .40 what appeals to you buy it.

 

[wild cat mccane]

Not dead.

Being bought less? yes.

 

[MarkCO]

No dead, nor will it die. Has the propaganda of the "best caliber ever" and the changes made in USPSA divisions resulted in a decline in sales of guns and ammo in .40 caliber? Yes.

 

[CDW4ME]

I predict once this shortage is over, 40 S&W ammo will be available/manufactured for a long time.
Glock 22, 23, 35 are among my most favorite pistols.

 

[JustJake]

Is the 40 caliber dead?

"Dead" overstates the .40S&W's present condition. The .45GAP, like the .38 Casull, is a dead round, except maybe to hobbists and collectors of odd-ball cartridges.

It's more accurate to say the .40's "dwindling rapidly" since being abandoned as a "service cartridge" in favor of the 9mm by major law enforcement agencies at the federal and state level. Even so, it will be at least a decade before any retrospective "autopsy" can be performed and the .40's death as a common handgun cartridge determined with any reasonable certainty.

Just take a lesson from the .40's parent cartridge, the awesome 10mm AUTO.

The most disrespected handgun cartridge in history, the 10mm has been declared "dead," or written off as a "dead round," at least 50 times since its first alleged "death" in 1986 or '87 - like, what? 44 years ago! - and yet the Big 10mm's come back swinging every time. It's the ultimate revenant of the ammo world!

With all the shortages of firearms , I have a good deal on a sig 229 enhanced elite in 40 caliber. But it’s being avoided like the flu. I’m thinking that the 40 is dead.

Nope, get a steal-of-a-deal on the 229, if you can. Even if .40 factory ammo disappeared tomorrow, you can easily make your own by reloading. There's tons of NOS dies and .40 brass around, and .40-cal/10mm bullets (jacketed and hard cast) are ubiquitous.

Forte S+W sig-lined:

[The 10mm AUTO] is the perfect example of a Zombie Cartridge. Allegedly it has been dead since [1987], yet it continues to walk among us.

There, fix it fer ya. You can thank me later.

 

[bedlamite]

It's only dying in the eyes of delusional fanboys of other calibers. Here in the real world, It's not going anywhere.

 

[S&W-Keeper]

I hope it last for a long time.I have two Sig 229's both with extra
.357 Sig barrels,One Glock 23 with extra .357 Sig barrel,and one S&W model 646.

 

[TailGator]

Seems like there have always been people who liked it a lot and people who didn't care for it. The number of the former may be down some but the caliber isn't dead. Lots of pistols are around and they will, most of them, have a long lifespan. If you like the caliber and like the pistol and like the deal, no reason not to go ahead.

 

[Willie Lowman]

Last I checked .40 is the third most popular handgun caliber in the US. To say it is dead is frankly ridiculous.

 

[wild cat mccane]

I think it WILL absolutely die.*

As close to dead as others....eventually. Unless 40 ammo boxes go lower than 9mm, there is no value in the 40 anymore. Meh.