Remember forum twinkies, you only get equivalent 40sw performance from your wee little 9mm if you use hyper-expensive ammo.
I’m not sure that that’s true. A 7x57mm as one example will kill a deer just as dead just as fast as a bigger 30/06. Sure you could go to .460 Weatherby but at some point recoil, muzzle blast and more rounds in the mag become a real thing. I see a 9x19mm and a .40 S&W being on par with a 7x57mm and ‘06 for sake of comparison. Not much real difference in killing power.
Assuming that you’re correct you’d have to be a broke SOB for the price of good defensive ammo to be a factor IMO.
If you’re that big of a fan of the .40 why not carry a 10mm? No reduction in mag capacity and it should kill them even deader. Nothing wrong with the .40 S&W for a defensive weapon but it’s lost popularity for real reasons.
The 9mm seems to be the sweet spot for concealing, plus mag capacity, plus shoot ability, and being about equivalent in stopping power. I love the .45 ACP but it’s lost ground for the same reason that the .40 has. You reach a point where there isn’t much difference in stopping power. At that point more bullets, less bulk, and faster follow up shots matter more.
