Ohioans For Concealed Carry Discussion Forums

Is it me or is it true I find a lot of FS 40cal guns on this forum and other places ?

I've noticed the same. All of my gun-toting friends that had .40s years ago all have either 9mm or .45ACP or both. Seems that they, and maybe many here, don't like the harsh recoil and price of the .40. Maybe even the recent FBI switch to 9mm had changed the opinions of some.

carmen fovozzo wrote:Is it me or is it true I find a lot of FS 40cal guns on this forum and other places ?

Not just full size but 40s in general have been very abundant. Definitely a buyers market for that particular caliber

This shouldn't be a surprise. It's now been 2 years since the FBI issued their initial solicitation for 9mm pistols. Since that announcement (even earlier) police departments around the country have been switching from .40 to 9mm. I'm not saying the caliber is dead, but the whole reason it exists is because the FBI asked for it. If the FBI no longer wants it, that says a lot. It may be plentiful several years from now, or it may be headed down the .357sig path.

I dumped all my .40 last year in the interest of caliber consolidation. I shoot 9mm much more frequently because of cost and when I want to go larger, I have my .45 laying around. I personally didn't let the FBI decision sway me. I firmly believe all rounds are capable of performing their intended mission.

It's not just you. This is definitely a buyer's market for guns chambered in .40 S&W.

Sadly, I neither need nor want anything in .40 S&W.

I have fired 40's and felt the recoil about the same as the 9.

^ That's subjective - "felt" recoil is just that, felt. Put yourself on a shot timer and shoot to a scored metric, and I'll guaranty that there will be differences between the calibers when you've held everything else consistent (i.e. shooting a Glock 19 versus a 23).

It's just the usual ebb of the tide. It'll swing the other way again, and then once again go down. We've seen the .40 S&W fall out of favor with LE and with the "tacticool ninja training" crowd for some time, now, and this has been driven by a number of factors.

If you've got the dough, I'd buy a handgun chambered in .40 S&W - we all saw what happened with the currently more popular/perceived desirable calibers during the last craze, while .40s remained relatively readily available and maintained reasonable prices.

Store down here that takes in the most pre-owned guns is Target World, and they put all the used handguns in the same display case the last three years or so. For most of that time, the semi autos in .40 outnumber everything else.

Nice thing about 40s is that you can often change to 357SIG with just a barrel. Okay, so I've become a fan of that caliber the past year or so since I started reloading for it. Just wish I could find a 357SIG barrel for my 40 Browning Hi-Powers (in stock, not special order). Maybe try it out in the 10/40 1911 as well.

how does a 357sig feel to shoot? Knowing its subjective of course.

I have a love hate relationship with my G23. I love how it feels, hate HATE the snap of the 40. I have a 9mm barrel but it's not very reliable yet. I bought an extractor and connector for it afte rreading those can solve problems with the 40-9 barrel but I have yet to put them in.

I should just get a 4th gen g19 but.......i love that 23 and i wouldn't mind running 357 through it IF its similar to the dull thud of a 45. Is the 357 barrel a drop in with 100% reliability?

A_F wrote:how does a 357sig feel to shoot? Knowing its subjective of course.

I have a love hate relationship with my G23. I love how it feels, hate HATE the snap of the 40. I have a 9mm barrel but it's not very reliable yet. I bought an extractor and connector for it afte rreading those can solve problems with the 40-9 barrel but I have yet to put them in.

I should just get a 4th gen g19 but.......i love that 23 and i wouldn't mind running 357 through it IF its similar to the dull thud of a 45. Is the 357 barrel a drop in with 100% reliability?

A factory 357 barrel drops right in to a 23, and I used to run one set up that way for a while. I eventually went to a full Glock 32. You can order one right from Glock and they will check your serial # to make sure it works, as early 23s can't handle a lot of 357.

Putting an aftermarket 40 to 9 barrel in a 23 is great for the range, but most folks don't carry that way. Just not as reliable, and that has been my experience.

I shoot a 180 in 40 and a 125 in 357. The 180/40 feels pretty much like a 45 "push". The 357/125 is just a snappy 9 to me (runs 1400 fps from a G32). I never liked the fast 40s. YMMV.