by Sam Hoober
Alien Gear Holsters’ Sam Hoober lays out the case to buy a .40 caliber handgun despite 9mm being so much more popular these days.
USA – -(Ammoland.com)-Â Ever thought about getting a .40-caliber pistol?
It’s one of the popular calibers for concealed carry and for service pistols, so there’s plenty of reason to do so. Almost every major manufacturer offers a pistol in this chambering and all the major ammunition manufacturers do as well. Ballistic testing over the years and performance in service with police agencies has shown .40 S&W to be a very capable self-defense round.
Right now is probably the best time to buy one.
It’s not so much that .40 S&W is having some sort of renaissance. Actually, if anything the opposite is the case….which is exactly why there has never been a better time to get one.
Why a 40 Caliber when 9mm Is Just More Popular?
There’s no question that 9mm is the most popular round for home defense and concealed carry. In the past few decades, the ammunition available for the 9mm round has improved by leaps and bounds, to the point where there isn’t much advantage to carrying a larger round short of the magnum revolver calibers.
This was part of why the FBI announced they would be switching from .40 S&W for their standard-issue duty guns to 9mm.
Also, when you look at so many new pistols that are announced by major manufacturers in the past couple years, they seem to be slower to make one in .40 than in 9mm. Since small pistols for CCW are more popular, the 9mm round is far more suited to the application given that .40 S&W is harder recoiling and can be tougher on pistols that aren’t designed to take it – as some manufacturers have been guilty of just slapping a slightly larger barrel in a 9mm pistol rather than taking the time to do it right.
Since 9mm is the Goldilocks cartridge for a lot of guns – just small enough to be fired in small, medium or big pistols, just mild enough for most shooters and performs well enough to be relied upon – some think it’s the perfect CCW caliber. As a result, the bad news for the .40 cal is more pistols are coming out that are only offered in 9mm, whereas they used to be offered in both.
That Means You Should Pounce On A .40 S&W Now
As a result, there are a whole lot of .40 S&W guns sitting on gun store shelves and on gun auction site listings that aren’t being bought. There they sit, taking up space and not selling, not being shot and not being carried in a concealed carry holster.
If you’re comfortable with shooting the .40 S&W, that makes right now a good time to act.
This is just the personal, anecdotal experience of the guy writing this article, but if you look at gun auction and gun retailer websites there’s a good chance you’ll see a popular gun in .40 going for less than the 9mm version.
Sometimes the difference is marginal (a few bucks) but sometimes it’s a difference of $50 to $100 or more.
That could mean the difference putting the gun you want in the safe (or in your gun holster) sooner rather than later, if you’re the “save up until the purchase makes no difference” type.
Gun stores may also be willing to cut a deal on a .40 that’s just taking up cabinet space.
Oh, and a lot of pistols are easily converted from .40 to 9mm and back. In many cases, you just drop in the 9mm barrel and off you go. You will need the 9mm magazines, though.
It’s also not like ammunition makers are going to drop the .40 S&W anytime soon.
Given the popularity of the cartridge, while not a Miss Congeniality of rounds to be sure, it’s not like the .40 S&W is going anywhere.
About Sam Hoober
Sam Hoober is a contributing editor at aliengearholsters.com, as well as for Bigfoot Gun Belts. He also writes weekly columns for Daily Caller and USA Carry.
Varity is the spice of life. My semi-auto stable contains 380 ACP, 9mms, 357 Sigs, 40 S&Ws, 10mm, 400 Corbon, 45 ACPs. There is plenty “spice” in my safe. As a handloader for 48 years I don’t have any trouble feeding any of my toys. Life is too short to bicker about different cartridges; enjoy them all.
Enough of the caliber wars! The author’s point was that the .40 is still a capable round and the guns are cheaper now due to the sudden love affair with 9MM. I shoot 9’s 45’s and 40’s and I’m happy with all of them.
I have a Tarus Millennium Pro .40 cal. I’ve had it for a long time & I love it.
I has a kick, so I had some magna ports installed on the barrel so it will stay on target much better.
No kick at all.
I’ll never get rid of the gun, but I’m ready to purchase a Tarus 9mm.
This one’s more affordable
$440
https://www.cheaperthandirt.com/product/charter-arms-pit-bull-revolver-40-s-and-w-23-barrel-5-rounds-rubber-grips-stainless-finish-678958740202.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn
WHAT IS THE PRICE OF THIS IN A REVOLVER, AND WHERE WOULD THEY BE ON SALE?
torino – YEP……we ALLmiss – especially when under stress, timing, moving, fear, etc…….so have LOTS of ammo. A 5-shot revolver MIGHT be OK for someone who cannot – or will not – want to learn how to use an automatic – along with the VERY infrequent malfunction. But for those who can and will be able to ‘fix’ anything…then an automatic with a boatload of rounds in in is WAYMO better.
All handguns are weak sisters to a rifle or shotgun. But as Rocky my Viet Nam Huey/Cobra pilot friend says, “I don’t want to be shot by any of them”. The 10mm short (.40) is as good a choice as any. From the nighttime .44 Mag “one shot wonder” on down, pick the one you can get in the 10 ring at 15 yards and double-tap quickly without becoming deaf, dumb and blind from the flash and kickback. Hence the 9 as a popular universal round for small and average people to carry. And most shooters miss more than hit… Read more »
I noticed the same thing, 40s are selling for less. I picked up a couple of KelTec Sub2000 in 40 for truck guns, and they are selling for $100 less then 9mm, and that is $100 less each. I teethed mainly on 38 special and my all time Smile Round the 357Mag. I like 9mm and I own a number of 9s that I also own their brothers in 40 and 45acp. The 45 is always the Big Brother in little pocket type guns, and it is mainly the height of the handle that is just a little to long,… Read more »
The only reason the fbi switched to 9mm was because new recruits were failing qualification.
It’s the same story as the 10mm.
I purchased a Brand New CZ-P09 in .40 S&W for $380 when then 9mm version was $450. Online retailers like Bud’s and GAG tend to express the .40 trends best as I believe they lower the prices to reflect lack of market in this caliber. Plus, as the article said, there are a pile of M&P .40s out there as police trade ins. A friend of mine just bought a new/un-issued police trade with three mags and NS for under $400.