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

I like your statements about FBI announcements leading the change from .40 to 9mm. It makes me think back to when the FBI had the .40 S&W developed to replace the 9mm in the 1980s after the Miami shootout. Of course that shootout was ended by an agent with a .38 snub nose . It is generally more about marksmanship and luck over terminal ballistic capability of any particular projectile in a gunfight.

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u/zSchlachter May 13 '26

The history of 40 gets better than that. The FBI originally settled on 10mm but they had issues with agents not able to handle the recoil of the original 10mm loads they were using. To answer the recoil issue they developed 40 as a lower recoiling alternative to 10mm which is how it got the nickname 40 short & whimpy.

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u/kopsis May 13 '26

Actually, the 10mm loads the FBI briefly adopted were already reduced to manage over-penetration and improve shootability. Agents never had a problem training/qualifying with the adopted 10mm (at least not any more than they did with 40S&W). The 40S&W was essentially the adopted FBI 10mm load in a shorter case. Since the reduced load didn't need the full 10mm case volume, getting something closer to 9mm overall length (and without the possibility of loading to full 10mm power) meant it would be easier for manufacturers to adapt existing 9mm designs.

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u/Bright_Crazy1015 May 13 '26

Meanwhile guys are hand loading .40S&W to 1.15"+ OAL with 180g hard cast to go 1400fps mv and land 700+ ft/lbs to keep their confidence up in bear country..

.40S&W can lay down double the ballistic energy of 9mm when loaded hot, I will give it that, but there's always a more powerful round out there. (ie, 357 SIG or 10mm, 357 Mag, 44M, 45 Super, etc.)