Why don't more people shoot the 40 cal

[45-70.gov]

what ever happend to the 41 action express???
why don't more people shoot this 40 cal???
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.41_Action_Express

but to answer your question?

they don't make many revolverz to shoot them in

many want to shoot the cheapest........9mm [not counting 22s]
many want the biggest.......45
some ...many do shoot the 40
is this a compromize  or is the 40 better??

[dakotashooter2]

Consider also the availability and cost difference for 9mm ammo. Generally surplus ammo can be found for reasonable prices however there is no surplus ammo availability for the 40. As for the 45 fans most are pretty devout followers and are not likely to switch over no matter what.  Sadly both our military, police and the general public have largely turned into a spray and pray crowd who would rather take their chances with putting as much smaller caliber ammo downrange than actually trying to hit something with a larger more effective caliber.

[NickSS]

As for myself I had both 9mm and 45 ACP hand guns when the 40 S&W hit the street.  I looked at it hard and decided that I did not need a new caliber that was in between the two I had.  So I have never owned one but I have fired quite a few of them from time to time.  Personally I like the 9mm round for most of my shooting as it has low recoil and good accuracy in most of my guns in that caliber.  As for stopping power I would never rate it as high as the 45 auto with hard ball but with good HP ammo it has proved to be a good stopper for animals like coyote and easier to hit with at longer ranges than the 45 acp.  With the military restricted to FMJ ammo the 45 is hard to beat but with a +P HP with good bullets like gold dots or other similar high performace defensive bullets they work much better.  I personally do not think that the 40 S&W can do anything that the 45 Auto can't.  I will say this though If I were looking for a pistol and did not have onem I would choose a good 40 S$W but for me it is a useless caliber given what I do have.  As far as popularity I pick up a lot of brass at my club and for pistol brass it runs 9mm, 40 S&W, 45ACP, 38spl, 380, and 357 mag.  As for other calibers you find them from time to time but in insignificant quantities.

[cwlongshot]

Yea, I'm certainly no 9mm fan, buthave to admit, I would rather have one with good HPs than a 45 with ball. 

I agree the 40 will not do much the 45 cannot sans a smaller in many cases a 9mm sized firearm with higher capacity. If that makes the difference for you it's 180 gr bullet is a large step up from the 9 mm in both diameter and overall power it's got the speed, energy and only a tad behind the 45 in diameter.
IMHO, in a firearm like a glock, it's a excellent choice.

CW

[45-70.gov]

Re: Why don't more people shoot the 40 cal


probly for the same reasons people shun  #1 buck shot

[dovehunter]

probly for the same reasons people shun  #1 buck shot

That's my favorite size of buckshot - more knockdown power than #4 and more pellets than any of the "ought" sizes.  I've killed a many a deer with #1, mostly one-shot kills.

[SHOOTALL]

buck shot gets it "knock down" power from multi hits from seperate pellets , logic is more pellets in pattern more hits equals more knock down .  just saying .......... That said finding # 1 buck is getting real hard here.
Maybe the reason both 45 acp and 9mm have a larger following is both have almost 100 years head start on the 40. 

[HAMMERHEAD]

I use the .40 as a substitute in my Glock 10mm with conversion barrel.

Recoil is smooth, ammo is plentiful and relatively cheap, spent brass is everywhere, especially after the Sheriff and his crew have their monthly practice session.
For handloading the .40 uses much less powder than the 10mm to reach the same power level, but of course the .40 is more limited in top end. It also uses small primers. A couple years ago when components and ammo was scarce, large primers could not be found in my area for several months.

I guess for me the .40 adds a nice measure of flexibility.

[375supermag]

I see a lot of .40 brass laying around at my local gun club, along with .380. Somebody must be shooting it. The only thing that outnumbers those two is .22LR.

All of the "serious" shooters pick up their brass, even if they don't reload themselves. They either sell it, give it away or have somebody reload it for them.

I never find straight wall revolver brass in any caliber at my local range, unless it is aluminum cased and VERY little of that.

Over at the rifle range, the only brass I find is .223, 7.62x39 and, once again, .22LR.

[zorba]

 I have a Glock 20 10 mm with a 357 Sigg spare barrel.  When my arthritis acts up, I use my M&P 9 with Gold Dot +P.

If I didn't own a 10mm, I would own an M&P .40 with a spare 357 Sigg barrel.  I would probaly use the 357 barrel more, because I have found that most .357 's seem to shoot a little more accurately than .40 S&W.   A .40 S&W with Gold Dot  165 gr JHP is easy to handle and should be plenty effective for self defense. I don't find the recoil of a .40 S&W to be jumpy and snappy at all in a full size polymer pistol.  I wouldn't own a .40 in a subcompact, but a compact M&P handles pretty well.


The .45 acp is a great cartridge, but I prefer the greater capacity and the smaller grip of the .40.  If I am going to carry a pistol with a larger grip and a longer cartridge, I would prefer a 10 mm to a .45 acp because of the greater capacity.       Report to moderator    68.35.54.68