Is .40 S&W Dead??

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Werewolf

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I've got two CZ-75's. One in 9mm and one in 40 S&W. I find the 40 to be more accurate than the 9 and firing it out of an all steel pistol tames the snappy recoil that made it annoying to shoot out of my Glock 22.

As for self defense - given my druthers I'd much rather depend on a hard hitting 40 S&W 180gr Hornady XTP moving at 980 FPS than a 115gr 9mm any day (a very good friend is a hardcore 9 fan and responds to my argument that it's all about shot placement - he's right - but if he ever has to shoot his for real his shot placement ain't gonna be near as good as it is when he's shootin' on the range). That said: my most preferred round is 45 ACP. I guess I'm just a heavy and slow kind'a guy. Then again I really do love my 44 Mag (heavy and fast as well as accurate) - unfortunately finding a carry gun in 44 just ain't that easy.

Is 40 dying - maybe so but I doubt it. My guess is that with all the new shooters around because of the obamanation that most of them use 9mm because its a much easier and much less expensive caliber to shoot so the percentage of folks buying 9mm is going up which makes the percentage of 40 go down (even though the same number of cartridges is being sold) so it seems like it is getting less popular.
 

MikeM

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I love shooting the 40. So does my daughter who is a lot smaller and shorter. She has a 9 but prefers my 40 at the range.
I have heard that the 40 is a dying caliber but until the ammo is hard to find, I will discount those rumors.
 

Kopperhed

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Is there any practical use for a .40 anymore?? Does anyone out there still believe in the usefulness of the round or is it dead??
Nobody seems to be interested in them at the moment..


Yes, it's officially dead. PM me as to where to send all your .40 ammo, my 15 year old Wilson-ized Beretta 96 will thank you.
 

okchief

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I've worked in state and federal prisons for nearly 26 years. One of the benefits is getting to look at old bullet wounds and talk to the shootees about their experiences of being shot. I've seen wounds from .45 ACP ball & HPs, 9mm ball and various HPs, .357 Sig HPs, .38 Spl. round nose lead and HPs, 7.62 x 39, .22 lr, 12 gauge #4 buckshot, 12 gauge 00 buckshot, and a wound caused by the mighty 12 gauge slug which embedded itself in the shootee's pelvis at cross-room distance.

It's hard to get specifics from inmates on the type of loads they were shot with because they generally aren't that educated about guns. They do always know the caliber and many know whether is was ball or HPs. of course of it was the cops doing the shooting you can count on the ammo being HPs.

One clown I know was shot three times with a .357 Sig while trying to escape from US Marshal custody in OKC. He was running fast but stopped after the third hit and told the marshal to please stop shooting him because "I quit!" He told me it hurt. That's his story anyway. And he's alive & well, and only has a little limp.

The clown who took the 12 gauge slug in the pelvis has a bigger limp and claims that there is still lead stuck in the bone.

Another clown I know was shot five times with .45 ACP ball, four were solid torso hits and one was through the bicep. The only round that exited was the one through the bicep. He took bullets in both lungs and one kidney. He lost that kidney. He drove himself to the nearest ER before collapsing from blood loss.

Another one I know was shot by county deputies and US Marshals. He took a .38 spl HP through an arm and one single .33 cal 00 buck pellet from a 12 gauge in the intestines. He said he hardly noticed the .38 wound, but that one tiny lead ball in his guts took all of the fight out of him. He said the pain was excruciating and that wound continues to cause him health problems nearly 40 years later.

One thing I'm convinced of is that I don't want to be shot, but even so guns are not death rays. The one-shot-stop is pretty rare, and being shot can kill you years later and cause serious health problems if it doesn't.
All about using the right loads and shot placement.

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk
 

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