.40 S&W Ammunition

Origins of 40 Smith & Wesson Ammo

A partnership of both Smith & Wesson and Winchester led to the development of .40 Smith & Wesson ammunition with the round making its debut in 1990. Introduced as a round that could nearly replicate the performance of the 10mm round that was used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the time in a smaller package, the round packs more muzzle velocity into a package that’s nearly as small as a 9mm cartridge.

The Round in Use Today

.40 cal ammo is still very common among shooters today and is one of the more modern rounds available to American civilian shooters.

While the Federal Bureau of Investigation and other law enforcement agencies have backed off on the round because of its recoil, 40 S&W is still common among special operations units and the United States Coast Guard.