The Forty Comes of Age

by
posted on November 4, 2014
** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
sw40.jpg

I well remember Smith & Wesson’s new product press conference at a Las Vegas SHOT Show conference room. They announced the introduction of a brand-new automatic pistol cartridge—the .40 S&W—and the third generation gun to go with it. That was 1990 and nothing has been quite the same since. Before the introduction, the firearms press was awash with stories of policemen going down in a blaze of glory and a pile of brass from their ineffectual 9 mm pistols. Presumably, policemen in general were dying for a .45 pistol the size and weight of those vintage 9 mms. It is interesting to look at this round’s performance at the quarter century mark, as well as its impact on small arms in general.

I might be missing something, but you just don’t seem to hear much about the .40 S&W being a poor fight-stopper. If the .40 has silenced that criticism, it has done its job. Technology in firearms and ammunition has improved to the point where relatively few police officers are undergunned in handgun fights with criminals. Skillfully used, most police service handguns are up to the job. That includes the steadily popular 9 mms, which benefit most of all from improved ammunition. The .40 S&W is a pivotal cartridge and continues to be the most effective pistol cartridge in wide use, particularly when all its characteristics are concerned.

Latest

“Baker” Infantry Rifle
“Baker” Infantry Rifle

“Mine Beat Them All”: Great Britain’s “Baker” Infantry Rifle

Famous in both fact and legend, Great Britain’s Pattern 1800/1805 "Baker" Infantry Rifle has become one of the Napoleonic Wars’ most enduring firearm designs.

The Armed Citizen® Aug. 25, 2025

Read today's "The Armed Citizen" entry for real stories of law-abiding citizens, past and present, who used their firearms to save lives.

Studying Ammunition Developments Of The Early 20th Century

In the mid-1920s, the U.S. Ordnance Dept. faced a problem: How do you measure improvements in ammunition design if everyone is shooting at different distances and recording different results?

Preview: Firefield Hexcore HD

With a sub-$250 MSRP, Firefield’s Hexcore HD is proof that night-vision devices do not need to be exorbitantly expensive.

Henry Updates Mini Bolt Youth Rifle

Henry Repeating Arms introduced its Mini Bolt Youth rifle nearly 25 years ago as an ideal training rifle for young firearm enthusiasts. In 2025, the platform received a number of design updates.

Preview: Avian-X AXP Lessers Fusion Pack

The AXP Lessers Fusion Pack from Avian-X offers a bundle of six durable life-like decoys in a variety of postures to attract even the wariest of Canadian geese.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.