Why no .40?

Joined
Feb 23, 2016
Messages
59
Likes
20
Location
Cape Cod MA
Feedback: 2 / 0 / 0
So I've been lurking in the classifieds in hopes of a unicorn (aka xds 9 4.0) to show up so I can buy my first gun. But it seems like half of what I've seen go up for sale is .40 handhuns of one sort or another. Why does it seem like so many are dumping .40? My guess would be the cost of ammo but Im I'm not to up on all that. Anyone else have a theory?
 
In all seriousness forties tend to kick the most out of all the calibers because it's a more powerful cartridge in a 9 millimeter frame. 45 tend to have much larger keep your frames and take the kick better

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk
 
The 40 is the most popular police cartridge so police surplus guns tend to be more commonly in 40. For example, there are many more MA compliant Glock 22's than 17's.

The think the popularity of the 40S&W has dropped a bit recently.

Personally, I like all cartridges and if a gun is cheaper in 40S&W than 9mm I'll go for it.
 
I had a few 40s in my stable but it's not a caliber I carry. I have dumped just about all my glocks except for the 10mm ones in favor of the HKs (yes, I'm a fanboy now). I'm picking up a VP40 today and it will be my only 40. I almost went for a 226 in forty but the HK fits me so damn well.
 
It hurts their hands.
In all seriousness. The .40 usually has more recoil (for reasons listed previously) so it not only "hurts their hands" but also is slower to get back on target so anybody who says they can 'double tap' a factory .40 load as fast and accurately as a 9MM or a .45 is delusional. Lots of PD's going back to 9MM or .45ACP and dropping .40 since .40 is just not delivering the expected benefits (more stopping power than 9MM and more capacity than .45ACP) That is why the market is FLOODED with Glock 22's and .40 pre-ban mags that are LEO trade-ins.

Just my opinion of course. I shoot a .40 in USPSA Limited but I also reload for reduced recoil.
 
Last edited:
I like my 40s Shield, M&P, SR40, and my Sigma has a ported barrel to tell you the truth I really don't see any difference.

Dean
 
In all seriousness. The .40 usually has more recoil (for reasons listed previously) so it not only "hurts their hands" but also is slower to get back on target so anybody who says they can 'double tap' a factory .40 load as fast and accurately as a 9MM or a .45 is delusional. Lots of PD's going back to 9MM or .45ACP and dropping .40 since .40 is just not delivering the expected benefits (more stopping power than 9MM and more capacity than .45ACP) That is why the market is FLOODED with Glock 22's and .40 pre-ban mags that are LEO trade-ins.

I disagree. With a little bit of training you can do a 7 yard Bill Drill with all A hits with either caliber in the same amount of time. If you grip the gun hard like you're supposed to, the only limiting factor is how fast you can pull the trigger.
 
So I've been lurking in the classifieds in hopes of a unicorn (aka xds 9 4.0) to show up so I can buy my first gun. But it seems like half of what I've seen go up for sale is .40 handhuns of one sort or another. Why does it seem like so many are dumping .40? My guess would be the cost of ammo but Im I'm not to up on all that. Anyone else have a theory?
For the same reason that golden retrievers bite so many people.

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk
 
It's a matter of what's cool this week.

For a while, if you carried a 9 rather than a fotay, you were undergunned. This became common thinking in police circles, and most departments switched over.

Now, people seem to understand the difference is mostly imaginary with modern high performance ammo, and it is once again "cool" to carry a 9x19.

But, you're still a dork if you carry a .380ACP.
 
Last edited:
Because .40 is the answer to the question nobody asked.

I think the FBI and other agencies asked the question back when 9mm ammo wasn't as good as it is now.

The question was: how can we fire bigger heavier bullets from a 9mm-sized handgun.
 
Last edited:
So I've been lurking in the classifieds in hopes of a unicorn (aka xds 9 4.0) to show up so I can buy my first gun. But it seems like half of what I've seen go up for sale is .40 handhuns of one sort or another. Why does it seem like so many are dumping .40? My guess would be the cost of ammo but Im I'm not to up on all that. Anyone else have a theory?

Newbs lacking fundamentals get sold into .40 by gunshop commandos, they shoot it, they hate it, and they dump the guns. Not to mention the market is awash with LE .40 tradeins from all over the place.

-Mike
 
So I've been lurking in the classifieds in hopes of a unicorn (aka xds 9 4.0) to show up so I can buy my first gun. But it seems like half of what I've seen go up for sale is .40 handhuns of one sort or another. Why does it seem like so many are dumping .40? My guess would be the cost of ammo but Im I'm not to up on all that. Anyone else have a theory?

it's not a 9 and it's not a .45?
 
In all seriousness. The .40 usually has more recoil (for reasons listed previously) so it not only "hurts their hands" but also is slower to get back on target so anybody who says they can 'double tap' a factory .40 load as fast and accurately as a 9MM or a .45 is delusional.

With really good shooters the difference is almost imperceptible or pretty close to it, between the 3 common calibers. The problem is if someone sucks, 7 out of 10 times they'll usually do worse with the 40 than the other two.

-Mike
 
Ask yourself - do you want to pay more for ammo that isn't any more effective?

If yes, get a .40
If no, get a 9mm
If yes and you want to carry less ammo, get a .45
 
Personally, I like all cartridges and if a gun is cheaper in 40S&W than 9mm I'll go for it.

Really? You'd buy a 40 over a 9mm just because it was $50 cheaper, and then spend 10 times that savings feeding it ammo? That doesn't make any sense at all.
 
Ask yourself - do you want to pay more for ammo that isn't any more effective?

If yes, get a .40
If no, get a 9mm
If yes and you want to carry less ammo, get a .45

Of course one upshot of .40 is that when everything else is off the shelves, you can still usually get .40. That might be a workable strategy for someone who has guns but doesn't get to shoot them very much anyways and doesn't have a cache of ammo going.

-Mike

- - - Updated - - -

Really? You'd buy a 40 over a 9mm just because it was $50 cheaper, and then spend 10 times that savings feeding it ammo? That doesn't make any sense at all.

Yeah, that's cute given that the cost differential between a .40 and a 9 is not even a half a case of ammo for either. I guess if he shoots like a couple boxes a year or something, it makes sense... [laugh]
 
Back
Top Bottom