# Why are .40 caliber handguns so cheap?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-40-caliber-handguns-so-cheap/513276>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [October 10, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-40-caliber-handguns-so-cheap/513276 "2009-10-10T04:04:18Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-40-caliber-handguns-so-cheap/513276/1 "2009-10-10T04:04:18Z")

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While doing a little surfing for handguns, it seems to me that .40 calibers are substantially cheaper than everything else. e.g., I saw a S&W 686, like i had in the 90s, is going for something like 6-7 hundred, while the particular SW model .40, automatic, is going for something like $325, mol. In the 90s, the 40 was considered a super new gun, and I think that the new prices for the same gun.s were reversed. Why is this the case? Also, when I went to Wally World, i noticed no lack of .40 ammo, while, of course, the others were nonexistent. Comments?

Thanks,  
hh

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**Author:** ![Yeti08](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yeti08](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeti08)\
**Post date:** [October 10, 2009, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-40-caliber-handguns-so-cheap/513276/2 "2009-10-10T04:38:29Z")

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From what I’ve seen, new 40SW and 9mm of the same model are very close in price, usually with 40SW being slightly more expensive. Keeping with the S&W - the Sigmas in 9mm and 40SW are all around [$350-$370](http://www.impactguns.com/store/swsigma.html)