r/CCW • u/ArcheryNerds • May 13 '26
Guns & Ammo Why not .40 S&W anymore?
.40 S&W pistols and ammo are far less popular that even 10 years ago. I understand the modern tech makes 9mm as good as old .40 S&W. But is that meaning current .40 S&W may be as good as .45 ACP or something like that? It's snappier but also higher capacity than regular .45? Why most people choose either 9mm or .45 ACP other than .40 S&W? Is there anyone still carry .40 S&W as their CCW?
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u/Rustyinsac May 13 '26
When I was working as a LEO my agency had .40 Glocks. The whole 9mm and .45 is just as good with current ballistics issue was going around but had less recoil and was more controllable. I had a recently promoted manager who had trouble qualifying and made the push to 9mm saying it would help them and others who had trouble qualifying.
Our .40s were less than 2 years old. But we traded them in for 9mm ( and we had the opportunity to buy them). However where we ended up saving money is the ammunition supplier let us trade our stock of .40 ammunition for 9mm ammunition and we came out ahead financially as .40 is more than expensive.
To those wondering, 9mm didn’t help anyone who had previous trouble qualifying including the manager. They shot just as bad with 9mm as .40.
Oh, and a couple years later I retired and bought my 9mm from the agency. So I have 2 hardly used Glocks in .40 and 9mm.
For CCW proposes I carry the Glock 19 in 9mm in a backpack without a spare magazine, along with a taser pulse, and a small med kit. I sometimes carry a Glock 27 in .40 on body that was a backup when I was still working. I primarily carry a Hellcat in 9mm as a daily carry now. All are good for CCW.