Have to drive 50 miles to buy .40 S&W ammo.

[FergusonTO35]

Years ago I shot a glock in 40 SW. Found the recoil impulse unpleasant. Was shooting mostly 45acp at the time and .357 and .44 mag in full size revolvers. Have shied away from it ever since.

That's why I wouldn't own a .40 if limited to factory ammo. Plus, there are just too many stories and pics of kabooms compared to other cartridges to ignore. I think ammo companies have always loaded it too warm for mass production. Add in one aggravating factor such as a lower OAL due to rechambering a round or a feed ramp a little too long and you have a kaboom.

[bangerjim]

I like my 40 XDM and S&W much more than the two 9's I have. I like reloading 40 much better than 9....just seems to go easier and faster. I reload the 9's for my military-style carbine rifle that shoots them. FUNN!

I have never bought 40 cal factory ammo and never even look at it in the stores. Same with all the cals I use - from 223 thru 45LC. I cast and reload almost everything I shoot.....some FMJ's in there for 223.

I see tons of 9 brass at the ranges on the ground. And I swear that if you put a bunch in a container...........they reproduce! I have tons of 9mm brass in buckets and containers. But I grab ever 40 brass I can pick up, just like 45LC.....far fewer.

banger

[gwpercle]

Ammo Supply Problems ?
Lee Hand Press Kit - $53.99
Lee Delux 40 S&W Dies w/ shell holder - 33.99

Add primers , powder and boolits ... suddenly you no longer have to leave your house !
You are now in the ammo making business .
Our motto is ... Save those empties !
Gary

[FLINTNFIRE]

Yeah that 45 gap what a oddball right? Oh sorry forgot the purple font , I remember when 10mm was a oddball and still is for most , 45gap is pretty rare , but I shoot it with 200 grain powder coated and using cfe pistol , of course I bought a lot of once fired brass a few years ago.

I have more issues in a square deal b with 9mm , rims seem to be a wide range of thickness and size , 9mm seems to be the most problematic round on here as there is always a thread going with someone having issues .

That Remington 1911 in 40 s&w should be a lot of fun to shoot and load for .

[Winger Ed.]

Those rounds don’t matter. No one shoots them

Not so fast.
I recently scrounged 1/2 a 5gal. bucket of pistol range brass. After sorting it--- I found 2.

[GSP7]

I like the .40s/w but That's the main reason I got 9mms is ammo is more abundant


.

[megasupermagnum]

Those rounds don’t matter. No one shoots them

There are a surprising number of 357 SIG fans. I don't really understand what its advantages over 40 S&W are, but it is a free country.

Nobody is coming to 45 GAP's rescue.

[Texas by God]

The .40 S&W is pretty much what Bill and Elmer and Skeeter and others thought would be THE police round. Of course their vision was for revolvers, though. I can see myself owning a .40 if the price was right.

[35remington]

I’ve got three, all Smiths. One 4.25, one 3.6, and one Shield which is a 3.1. The Shield is a little snappy but if I am practicing as often as I need to I find it manageable.

I still view it as a good compromise. The 3.6 is my main carry piece as it is a good balance of size, weight, capacity and controllability. Whatever its perceived shortcomings are I find it works well regardless.

The main complaint seems to be a bit of sharpness to the recoil in lightweight polymer guns and shortened service life in 9mm frames that were poorly adapted to it. The Smiths were intended to be 40s from the get go and this explains why they outweigh the equivalent (im)perfection by a few ounces in each similar model. The presence of a metal VIS in the Shields and 2.0 Smiths as well as frame stiffening and longer rails is intended to help address those concerns.

When you come right down to it the subcompact 9s in the 17-19 ounce range kick such that the controllability question comes down to practice and suitable gun selection rather than caliber.

So call me backward for carrying a 40, but I do so because of what I know.....not because of what I do not know.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I like the 40, I've had a few of them over the years, the only one left in the safe is a Hi Point.
I also liked buying all that 1x 40 brass for less than scrap prices...I think I have six 5-gallon buckets full.
the 9s and 45s are good too.

then there is the 41AE, NOW that's the cat's Meow.

[dragon813gt]

There are a surprising number of 357 SIG fans. I don't really understand what its advantages over 40 S&W are, but it is a free country.

Nobody is coming to 45 GAP's rescue.

Count me as a fan of the 357 Sig. Don’t own a dedicated pistol. But I do have a conversion barrel for a G20. If it has any advantages it’s barrier penetration. But over penetration is one of its weaknesses. It’s always a balancing act regardless of cartridge selection.

I have one piece of 45 GAP in my collection. I used to stop at three ranges daily and pick up brass. Did this for close to three years. Two of them were private and one was public. I won’t say no one shoots it because they’re most likely reloaders and pick up their brass. But I have all sorts of oddball cases and finding a single 45 GAP tells me all I need to know

The recoil impulse is why I’m not a fan of the 40 S&W. This is pistol dependent but the ones I shot beat me up so to speak. I have smaller hands and am not a large guy. So the 9mm is about perfect for me or a step up to full size pistols in 45 ACP or 10mm.

[DougGuy]

I couldn't wait to venture into the 40 when it became accessible and affordable, but for a handloader it runs out of headroom REAL quick. I built a comp gun on a Para with all the bells and whistles and promptly sold it off.

Like they say, it's the perfect compromise for a 9mm sized platform and it may be an excellent police round and it does those things very well but for me that's all it does. Cya sayonara hasta la vista...

[Petrol & Powder]

From the late 1990's to just recently, 40 S&W brass was the most common brass I would see on the ground at ranges and for sale as once fired brass. You could barely give the stuff away. This was no doubt due to its widespread use by law enforcement. There's no shortage of the stuff. Even with the trend back to 9mm I don't think 40 S&W brass will become scarce; there's just an enormous amount out there.

On rare occasions I reload 40 S&W but I've never purchased a box of factory loaded 40 S&W, so I can't comment on the current availability or price. If I was seriously into shooting and reloading 40 S&W, now would be the time to collect a lifetime supply of the brass. The brass isn't going away but as law enforcement moves back towards 9mm, once fired 40 casings will become second tier. So if you're a 40 S&W reloader, now is the time to lay in a lifetime supply of cheap brass.

[contender1]

Ahh, the caliber debating is alive & well!

To the OP,, it is occasionally harder to find what you seek,, but due to the current trends in all ammo buying,, it can be easily available or scares as hen's teeth. Combine it with the local area & what most in your area BUY! Gun shops only stock what sells,, and can make money. 9mm,, due to the various reasons mentioned above is currently the "gotta have" caliber.
But there are tons & tons of .40 cal handguns out there. So,, ammo will be available for a long time. Maybe not in all places, nor as abundant as other calibers,, but it'll be around a long while. A great example is the .45 Colt. It used to be very few gunshops STOCKED .45 Colt. But it enjoyed a resurgence,, and is more widely available now.
The firearm industry,,, (as well as any other retail business,) PROMOTES stocking products that sell fast,, & not take up shelving space. I have seen many articles in SHOT Business magazine that says exactly that. They talk about "wasted space" where any product that doesn't move fast is costing money. So, many will reduce the stocking space of one slower seller to allow for more space for faster selling product.

It's called business, and profit is the goal.

On the flip side,, the .40 cal still has a fair following. If you are in need of brass,, find a club/range that holds USPSA matches. Why?
Well, I OWN a gun range,, and we shoot USPSA there. I always have a surplus of dropped brass in both 9mm & .40 S&W. Buckets full. Find such a range,, and purchase .40 cal brass cheaply & reload to your heart's content!
Heck, I tell the shooters at my range; "This is not a lost brass match. Pick up your brass & all you desire!" And right now,, my outdoor range has 7 bays, and I could easily fill a couple of 5 gallon buckets with brass,, and I'd say 1/3 or better will be .40 cal. If you were closer,, I'd say; "Come by & get all you want,, for free!"

[skrapyard628]

The 40 does have a bit of a kick in a lightweight gun. In my younger uneducated haste I picked up a SW Sigma in 40 and it is not a comfortable gun to shoot with the recoil impulse. So I slapped a 9mm slide/barrel on it and other than the crappy trigger pull its enjoyable to shoot it now. Even stranger is that it feeds 9mm perfectly fine out of the 40 mags. On the other hand, any full metal framed gun I have shot in 40 handles great IMO.

I will admit that I have a bit of a bone to pick with 357sig though. The problem is that somehow I acquired a box of ammo for it and I dont know where it came from.

And then because that box of ammo appeared I had to buy a conversion barrel for my G20. Im sure soon enough the problem will get even bigger and then brass, dies, and bullets for it will appear in my reloading room.

[dragon813gt]

Im sure soon enough the problem will get even bigger and then brass, dies, and bullets for it will appear in my reloading room.

If it’s any consolation it’s easy to load for. You should buy the stuff now because it seems inevitable

[Lloyd Smale]

they actually sell ready to shoot ammo!! Whats next? ready to load bullets!!!!