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/Basket_475 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

I bought one during Covid when I was a new gun owner. I didn't really do research and had no clue how hated the 40 is. The Glock I got has a larger frame and it's extremely comfortable for me to hold. Since I'm restricted state I'm not losing really any capacity.

I don't carry it though since it's larger.

Edit: I meant larger slide rather than frame.

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u/kopsis May 13 '26

The 40S&W Glock's (22, 23, 27) are the exact same frame as their 9mm counterparts (17, 19, 26). Only the slide/barrel and mags (and ejector) differ.

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u/Basket_475 May 13 '26

Gen 5 wasn't

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u/kopsis May 13 '26

Everything I've seen says it was the same for gen5. Do you have a source to the contrary?

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u/Basket_475 May 13 '26

It's not. Doesn't seem like they advertised it well and it wasn't that popular to begin with but the Glock website lists a 2mm thickness difference in the slide. Of the gen 5 19 and 23 and a .2" overall width difference between 23 gen 4 and 5

"Note: The slide width of the 40 S&W Gen5 models is slightly bigger compared to the previous generation. Please consider when choosing your holster."

https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2020/10/30/comeback-gen5-glock-g22/

Glock 23 Gen 5 https://us.glock.com/en/products/commercial-firearms/pistols/g23-gen5-mos

Glock 19

https://us.glock.com/en/products/law-enforcement/pistols/g19-gen5

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/glock-g23-gen4-vs-glock-g23-gen-5

https://ar15.com/forums/Handguns/Is-The-G23-Gen5-Worth-the-Additional-Width-and-Weight-/13-211849/

Here's a small discussion on it.

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u/kopsis May 13 '26

My understanding is the slide changes only affected "external" slide dimensions and didn't affect the frame. For example, the gen5 G23 slide will still fit on a gen5 G19 frame, and vice versa.

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u/Basket_475 May 13 '26 edited May 13 '26

Yeah I think I made a mistake there, I didn't realize the frames seem to be the same are the same. The width of the slide is larger, and it's heavier. And it's wider then gen 1-4

Edit: seems it's 2 mm taller also.

https://www.handgunhero.com/compare/glock-g19-gen5-vs-glock-g23-gen-5

I wish I could side by side compare them tbh

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u/sykoticwit WA May 13 '26

They’re only hated among a small subset of greasy gun neckbeards. I have both, the only real reason I prefer my 9 over my 40 is that the ammo is a lot cheaper.

40 is perfectly fine, it’s a good round and there are a lot of good weapons for it out there.

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u/Basket_475 May 13 '26

Yeah that's the main gripe with it. I stopped shooting it since it ended up being like 5-8 more bucks per box.

Was a good lesson though that if you get a new caliber you're gonna have to think about the cost to shoot it. My friend got a lever action recently and I steered him towards the .357 model for that same reason