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9mm, .45 ACP, .357sig, .40SW -- which?!?

R

randalee

Senior member
I've owned firearms in .40SW, 9mm and .45 ACP. Tried a GLOCK in .357sig -- too much of a beast for me. High-high-pressure for a handgun.

Seems the 9mm vs. .45 debate will always rage on, but I think the biggest argument of having .45 over 9mm is when using BALL ammo (full-metal jacket). In defense scenarios, ball ammo isn't required (no Geneva convention on the street), and we are able to use the good stuff that police use. With that said, I submit:

The Chart

What do you make of it?
 
Originally posted by: adairusmc
.45 Auto or my 1911 in 10mm.

10mm > all those on that chart
Click to expand...

Now, I must say, 10mm is a BEAST. Take that .40, give it a bunch more speed, and we are talking BEAST.
 
Originally posted by: randalee
I've owned firearms in .40SW, 9mm and .45 ACP. Tried a GLOCK in .357sig -- too much of a beast for me. High-high-pressure for a handgun.

Seems the 9mm vs. .45 debate will always rage on, but I think the biggest argument of having .45 over 9mm is when using BALL ammo (full-metal jacket). In defense scenarios, ball ammo isn't required (no Geneva convention on the street), and we are able to use the good stuff that police use. With that said, I submit:

The Chart

What do you make of it?
Click to expand...

The Geneva Convention refers to the treatment of prisoners in time of war. It has nothing to do with legality of ammo.

The Hague Convention is what you are referring to, albeit incorrectly.
 
10mm. I just wish the grip on the Glock 20 wasn't slightly too big for my hand to be comfortable...
 
I grew up around guns. I've fired just about everythig there is. I loved my 9mm until I bought my .40




Springfield XD-40... Oh my. So smooth.
 
.45 goes through walls too easily for home defense, 9mm doen't have the stopping power of the .40

I own a Kahr PM-40.

 
Originally posted by: Whoozyerdaddy
I grew up around guns. I've fired just about everythig there is. I loved my 9mm until I bought my .40




Springfield XD-40... Oh my. So smooth.
Click to expand...

My springfield XD-45 is bigger. E-penis FTW.
 
Originally posted by: Squisher
.45 goes through walls too easily for home defense, 9mm doen't have the stopping power of the .40

I own a Kahr PM-40.
Click to expand...

I don't know what load was used but... This morning I saw a .45 round that was fired through a sofa (entering and exiting the arm of it), ricochetted off of a hardwood floor near the sofa and flew ~4 feet where it impacted a wall made of gypsum, ricochetted off and flew another 4 feet into a second wall made of gypsum, bounced back and fell to the floor.
 
Originally posted by: crumpet19
Originally posted by: Squisher
.45 goes through walls too easily for home defense, 9mm doen't have the stopping power of the .40

I own a Kahr PM-40.
Click to expand...

I don't know what load was used but... This morning I saw a .45 round that was fired through a sofa (entering and exiting the arm of it), ricochetted off of a hardwood floor near the sofa and flew ~4 feet where it impacted a wall made of gypsum, ricochetted off and flew another 4 feet into a second wall made of gypsum, bounced back and fell to the floor.
Click to expand...


Wow, your rec room sounds like it's a blast....

 
i've only shot shot .22, 9mm, .380, and .40

.22 is definitely the best in terms of price and seems the most fun.

after that i'd say 9mm
 
.45ACP because that's what dies we have for our Dillon progressive presses.

I'm thinking about buying a P99QA though and I may go with 9mm for that, just because that's the caliber the platform was designed for. Barring that, I'll probably buy a XD45.

Of course now that I'm ready to buy a handgun, I find out this past weekend my dealer closed down shop. He was a family friend and always gave us AWESOME deals. I know a couple other guys with a FFL, but the deals won't be as good through them 🙁
 
As far as damage is concerned, modern hollowpoints make the difference between 9mm and 45 ACP negligible.

As far as practice goes, 9mm is about 50-60% of the cost of 45 ACP, so you can almost shoot twice as much if money is an issue. I was shooting 400-500 rounds out of my Glock 19 about twice a month back in the states.

Keep in mind that typically a gun that fires a smaller round has a higher capacity. And also, if recoil is an issue, actual gun weight plays a huge role. Firing a sub compact will feel much different then firing a 5" gun.
 
Originally posted by: TallBill
As far as damage is concerned, modern hollowpoints make the difference between 9mm and 45 ACP negligible.

As far as practice goes, 9mm is about 50-60% of the cost of 45 ACP, so you can almost shoot twice as much if money is an issue. I was shooting 400-500 rounds out of my Glock 19 about twice a month back in the states.

Keep in mind that typically a gun that fires a smaller round has a higher capacity. And also, if recoil is an issue, actual gun weight plays a huge role. Firing a sub compact will feel much different then firing a 5" gun.
Click to expand...

so true. i have a taurus pt99 (9mm) which is a large frame (about 5" barrel) gun and has some heft to it when fully loaded. i also have a bersa thunder (.380), a small frame (about 3" barrel) and it seems to have more recoil than the Taurus.
 
Originally posted by: TallBill
As far as damage is concerned, modern hollowpoints make the difference between 9mm and 45 ACP negligible.
Click to expand...

That's mostly true, certainly in a home defense setting. There are some factors that can make certain rounds better overall, but most people will never encounter those factors anyway.
Things such as, heavy winter clothing, car windows (and doors), etc.

In my very biased opinion, the 10mm covers all of the factors, and is the best overall round.

Of the ones the OP listed, I would prefer .40Short&Weak.
 
My nightstand gun (Ruger P89T) always had a full 15 round mag of Winchester 9mm +P+ JHP's which I feel offer sufficent protection.

If I needed anything more than that the FNFAL and a 20 round mag of 7.62 NATO were not far out of reach.
 
I like .45 ACP. I own two handguns chambered in this caliber. One is a Colt Officer's model series 80 with a bright stainless finish-I have several mods on this gun including night sights, a beavertail grip safety, skeletonized trigger and a King's recoil spring guide rod. All work was done by King's Gun Works in Glendale. The other is a Para-Ordnance LDA 7.45 which is a real gem to shoot. I love the light double action pull of the Para's trigger.

I'd like to add a Glock model 21 to my lineup of .45s.

I'd say my second favorite is my S&W model 629 with 9" barrel. 😉
 
start off with frame that fits your hand and you're comfortable with. With home defense you don't have to worry about concealabilty so much which makes it easier. After finding a comfortable frame, work with the level of recoil that you're comfortable with; not only managing the recoil but how fast can you bring it back down for a fast second shot (that's also accurate).

9's are decent but lack the high percentage of being able to knock a person down with one shot (mid 50% range), even with the high end shock ammo.

40's improve on this and give very good percentage of knockdown, combined with manageable recoil.

45's rank in the mid 90%'s for 1-shot knock down, have moderate recoil, and due to their low velocity, they don't give you the extraneous penetration (shooting through walls, or through a person's body and hitting an unwanted target). Many police like the 45 but the public perception of the 45 labels it as "aggressive" and opens up more liability issues.

357 mags will give you the best 1-shot knock down (95-98%), rarely will they penetrate through a body, but finding an auto loading 357 mag is hard.

As was noted above, the 10mm is an excellent round giving better knock-down then the 40, and places it between the 45 and 357 on velocity. A side note of the 10mm, it was originally chosen by the FBI as their primary pistol but due to the frame size and recoil, individuals with smaller hands had significant problems bringing it back down for a fast second shot. The cartridge was shortened to reduce recoil, and the 40 S&W was born.

The 44 mag can also be considered for home defense but it's effectiveness is only a bit more then the 40, with additional negatives thrown in. The velocity of the 44 adds unwanted penetration and when used on soft targets (human bodies), the round will often penetrate completely through and through, without expending the majority of the energy in the target. This reduces the effectiveness of the bullet, and adds concerns because the projectile is still traveling and can hit other objects or people.

I've owned and shot all of these calibers and will use them in different situations. For me, I prefer the 10mm or a para ordanance 45.
 
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