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.40 vs 9mm vs.45
seductiveone
Member Posts: 159 ✭
Shoottilltheneigborscallthesheriff an I had a conversation about what the best all around handgun caliber is. We both decided a .40 was in our opinion. wondering what ya'll prefer. Or if an other caliber is preferred. STTNCTS has a freind down dar in da swamp that likes 9's and will not admit he likes .40's to the long named freak.
"Respect my authority"
"Respect my authority"
Comments
I believe that a person can be equally well armed with any of the three calibers. I hear that the stopping power statistics from actual shootings are beginning to favor certain of the .40 calibers, but you know what they say about statistics. Still, I like the fact that the stats are in my favor, since I have gone to a .40 Glock. (I also own a couple of good .45ACP handguns).
Frankly, for myself I'm sticking with the bigger bores in the foreseeable future, at least until I decide to go after an NFA gun. Then I *MIGHT* shoot 9mm. In the meantime, I now prefer bigger bores in general, and .40 is my small-side limit, or 10mm or .44 in the Magnum range. My infatuation with the 9 is pretty much over.
The only exception might be the chance to own a significantly interesting gun which was only offered to me in a given caliber. My Uzi carbine, when I owned one (brand new IMI Type A), was a 9. I sold it unfired. If I ever own another, I believe I will hold out for a .45.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
(2) .40 S&W
(3) 9mm
In my opinion.
Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
lets all be responsible! shoot a criminal! Remember 0% of firearms pull there own trigger!
SUBMARINE SAILOR,TRUCK DRIVER,NE'ER DO WELL, INSTIGATOR,AND RUSTY WALLACE FAN
Best handgun hunting caliber - .41 Remington Mag.
Best combat caliber - .45 ACP
Best self defense caliber - one you can hit with!!!
Best big banging, hard recoiling, lots 'o knockdown/MV/ME, auto-loading pistol caliber (excepting Desert Eagle's) - 10 MM
Best precision target caliber - .22 short
Best LOOOOONG range target caliber - .41 Remington Mag.
Best hyped-up caliber that has no real value and is an attempt to equal the .45ACP - .40 S&W
Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.Semper Fidelis
The first rule in a gunfight is HAVE GUN and personally if you can put two center of mass and one in the head they will all perform well ,but then again,WHAT DO I KNOW? JM $.02 Josey
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
aguncollector@yahoo.com
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Edited by - Josey1 on 05/26/2002 11:11:45
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
When I got my first handgun, I got the same one my roomate had at the time but I got a .40 instead of the 9mm he had so we would'nt mix our ammo up. I have to say from 6 years of shooting the both of them, my .40 is more poweful, penatrates more, and has a nicer snap to it. My roomate acually likes my .40 better and wished he got that instead. They are the exact same gum but the caliber is different. We have shot the same kind of ammo (correct caliber of course) as well as different. In my opinion the .40 is a better selection, for me.
Your are entitled to your own opinion and I respect that. That is why I was "wondering what ya'll prefer" for an all around caliber.
I prefer a .40 and you, a .38. From what I get from you, they are pretty much the same caliber. I learned something new from you!
I always appreciate input. thanx
"Respect my authority"
.40--.400dia
?????????????
In my opinion...
1).45acp
2)40s&w
3).357sig
4)9mm
If I'm wrong please correct me, I won't be offended.
The sound of a 12 gauge pump clears a house fatser than Rosie O eats a Big Mac !
.38--.357dia
.40--.400dia
Explain please
Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Edited by - Josey1 on 05/26/2002 21:38:26
Save, research, then buy the best.Join the NRA, NOW!Teach them young, teach them safe, teach them forever, but most of all, teach them to VOTE!
Close enough, they are the same thing!!
http://www.powernet.net/~eich1/sp.html
According to the data in the table, the extra stopping power of a .45 ACP versus .40 S&W with the right ammo is negligible. 9mm with the right JHP ammo is not quite as good but still within the range of feasible use. .357 magnum is up there with .40 S&W. .357 sig is down there with 9mm. These results are based on actual incidents. Naturally, there is quite a bit of statistical variation because of shot placement, etc. I wouldn't count a difference of less than 3% as significant.
I like 9mm myself for general shooting and home defense as a compromise of several factors (cost of ammo, recoil, enough stopping power if needed), but if I were allowed by my state to carry a concealed weapon for defense (boy do I have to bite my tongue while I type that), I would go to .40 S&W based on this data. I read somewhere that .38 spl is the lowest caliber to consider for self-defense, but based on the table, I wouldn't go lower than 9mm. Picking the right ammo appears to be as critical as picking the right caliber.
Rifles (above .22) and shotguns (slugs) do better than any of these handgun rounds, by the way.
and when I touch one off it gives me an 8 foot head start
on my retreat from the situation.
In any case, it's not only about bullet diameter, as you know. If we're talking modern loads, which I assume we are, even the older cops will tell you the .38 Special wasn't great and that some loads were a lot better stoppers than others. Seems to me the search for a better round came out of the Miami FBI business, where the 9mm and .38 were for the most part not as effective as they'd expected.
Assuming some technological progress has been made, and the stats seem to reflect that it has, I like the modern .40 and the .45. I have yet to try out a 10mm but I expect to enjoy that too. I usually pick fairly hot loads for defensive carry, since I do shoot compacts, and I pick loads with lower muzzle flash when I can (Nyclad used to have a flash the size of a basketball out of my Glock -- I wondered whether it was all the powder's doing or if the coating on the bullet might have been adding to that). I like a heavier bullet generally, unless they can prove to me that a lighter bullet in the same caliber has far better stopping characteristics. I will load 200-230 gr. loads in my .45 and 180s in my .40, except when I buy the Corbon and then I trade extra velocity for weight.
I find these parameters work for me pretty well. I'd just as soon leave the .38 Special for the ladies and the 9 for those who still find it to their liking. I think the jury's still out on the .357Sig but I haven't heard anything here to make me like it better yet. If I ever do, I may get a barrel for my G27 and try some.
I enjoyed a website recently that showed the difference in interior slide dimensions between the Glock 20 and the Glock 21. The 20 is heavier whereas the 21, being for a lesser-powered round, is relieved somewhat on the inside. I believe if I decide to shoot the 10mm I'm going to go after a G20 or the compact version.
As for recoil reduction, I've been reading about H&K's dual spring system on their USP guide rod and I'd suggest anyone intimidated by the .45ACP give one of those a try. Sounds like it helps some.
- Life NRA Member
"If cowardly & dishonorable men shoot unarmed men with army guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary...and not by general deprivation of constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
You've settled the argument. (Thank God!!)
Now where do I send my credit card #?
I've got to have one, oh man I can hardly wait!
I'll be able to not only take out the bad guy, but the entire block will be laying in rubble.
And I'm sure it's easier to conceal than the BFR 45/70 that I have on order.