9mm or .40 cal

[minky]

If you were going to buy a new auto loader pistol which would you get a 9mm or .40 cal?

[Gordie]

Carry or target? Lots of variables to think of.

[frabillfisher]

Can you find ammo for either? I went with the 9mm due to popularity and avalibilty at the time. Wish i would have went with the .38, my second choice.

[LMITOUT]

9mm

[Mistermojo]

Gordie is right - what are you going to be doing with it? Plinking/Targets? Competition? I personally don't care for the sharp recoil of the .40, would either go 9mm or up to .45ACP which you can more easily find ammo for and they are pretty versatile depending on the load. Best thing to do would be go to a range where you can rent both or see if friends will let you try theirs out. Each model will feel different, and you'll find out pretty quick what you like or don't like.

[Gordie]

If its for carry typically its all about size and comfort of the gun for carrying purposes. A carry gun is not something that you typically take to the range and throw a bunch of rounds through. because when you start to take away the size of the gun for weight and slim it down it tends to be a bit whippy in the wrist when you shoot it. My carry piece is No fun to shoot and I was told that from the guy that I got it from and I really did not understand what he meant until I shot it. It has a bit of snap go it I can hit what I am aiming at with it and its reliable. If I ever have to use it I know it will do what I need it to, I hope that I never need it for that, but if I do its ready. I do shoot it every so often just to make sure it is in working order and clean it and return to its holster.

For target I would go with a bigger framed 9mm or even a 45 before a 40 mostly because I do not have that much experience with the 40. I am in the process of building a 1911 and slowly piecing it together and hope to have it done by Memorial Day. It is a Caspian frame and receiver with a few colt parts and Wilson combat parts. trying to find a barrel is tougher than I thought it would be.

[2thepointsetters]

I disagree with pretty much everything in the last post. I have multiple 40's and my carry gun is also my favorite range gun. Your going to have to try multiple handguns and find what you like.

[rockman]

No .40 Short & Weak for me. 9mm is my choice of the two.

[knoppers]

I did some research, and I did buy a 9MM over the 40. that was 3 years ago, I have since bought a 45, now my 9MM has not seen the light of day for 2 years. I have never fired a 40, but I liked my 9, just not as much as my 45.

[minky]

I really enjoy shooting my 9mm at targets.

When i purchased the gun I wanted something that would be cheap to shoot.

[walleye18]

My 2 cents....

Its all about fit..fit..fit.

See how the gun fits you and if you can like was mentioned shoot them at the range. What I like you might not like and vise versa.

My carry gun is a MP 9 mm, Shield. Love it.

I have a 45 Kimber Carry 2 I love but it is a bad choice for me as a carry gun...just my opinion. For plinking and screwing around its unreal....love it!

I have a 40 cal that I like too but like was mentioned too - its snaps and is not as smooth as my other pistols.

Its all about confidence....which relates to fit, etc....

Best of luck.

[fishuhalik]

My very inexperienced handgunner's opinion:

Bought my first handgun a little while ago, an xd 9mm. I love it. Not the most accurate gun (still trying to figure out if it's me or the gun!) but I can get 4-5" groups at 20 yards so that's good enough for now. Since I have almost 0 experience with handguns, I wanted something I could shoot a ton & not break the bank. Also, with the higher end +p+ rounds, they are every bit as good of a defense round as anything else, or so I've read. Overall, imho easier to shoot than my bud's .40 xd & way cheaper to shoot & than his 1911. I do love his Kimber though & will be adding one to the collection. Man, those things are tack drivers!

[Bureaucrat]

.40 M&P Shield if you're going to carry. If you're going to plink, I'd go 9.

[knoppers]

My very inexperienced handgunner's opinion:

Bought my first handgun a little while ago, an xd 9mm. I love it. Not the most accurate gun (still trying to figure out if it's me or the gun!) but I can get 4-5" groups at 20 yards so that's good enough for now. Since I have almost 0 experience with handguns, I wanted something I could shoot a ton & not break the bank. Also, with the higher end +p+ rounds, they are every bit as good of a defense round as anything else, or so I've read. Overall, imho easier to shoot than my bud's .40 xd & way cheaper to shoot & than his 1911. I do love his Kimber though & will be adding one to the collection. Man, those things are tack drivers!

I have the ruger SR9 9mm, and it also is not the very accurate. my ruger SR1911 45 is much better, now I know its not me.

[Brad B]

I have had 9's, 40's and 45's, they are all nice. in the 40's I've had a Ruger SR40, Ruger P94, Glock 22, Springfield XD40. my favorite was the SR40. I find that with a 40 if you reload you can tame down the round so it is better for target shooting. my load of choice was a 155GR Lead SWC over a charge of Winchester 231 powder when target shooting. I ran this load in all of them except the Glock and was able to shoot 300 to 500 rounds each time I went to the range. granted back when I did this (like 10 years ago) I could load a box of 50 .40S&W rounds for like $5.00 per box. I haven't priced components in a long time but I imagine this has gone up greatly.

[sparkyaber]

I had the same question when I was going to purchase my first hand gun. I researched and fired and held all sorts of them. For me personally, it was to be for target shooting almost exclusively, I say that because as of today it stays in the safe (not for home protection) and I don't carry.I almost bought a 9mm, but a freind of mine talked me into a 40cal then buying a 9mm barrel. Voila! You get to choose which caliber to shoot today.

If it matters, I ended up with a glock g23 gen 4 and love it. I have yet to purchase the conversion barrel, just to lazy I guess,probably going to be the lone wolf brand.

[minky]

Having two different barrels sounds like a great option!

[RebelSS]

MY opinion, after 30 years in LE, working with the DOD and SS, and 40 years of handgunning: decide what your major focus is going to be, target (comp), plinking, or self-defense/CC. Pick up and play with every gun you can; fit and balance is paramount. If it's not right, it's not going to shoot right for you. Try the trigger pull, your ability to handle the slide/clip. No one piece will excel for all three. I've shot everything from single shot .22's to full auto AR's and .30 cal machine guns. I own many handguns, for carry and target, and here's my condensed two cents: If you want your weapon for self defense, choose a .40 or larger. A 9mm just does not have the knock-down factor that a .40 does. If you've decided to carry, you've also made the decision you may have to take a life when yours is on the line. You need that take-out power, period. Can't argue that. It's not like in the movies, you get one chance, one kill. I've seen far too many bad guys with two or three 9mm holes in them get up and run away or end up killing the innocent guy that shot them. Using the TKOF formula, (Taylor knock out factor) a "standard" 9mm Luger 124 gr cartridge develops energy of 358 ft lbs with a TKOF rating of 7.14. A .40 S&W with a 180 gr load develops energy of 390 ft lbs with a TKOF of 10.18

That is serious knock down power, which, let's face, what you need in a life/death situation. I have some of the same guns in 9mm and .40 cal;, and as far as size difference, there is none. One of my CC's is the S&W Shield in both caliber's. I also carry an XdM 4.5 custom in .40. A Ruger LC9 rounds out my "tuckable" carry pieces. The .357 Combat mags stay at home. When I shoot, which is at LEAST twice a month, I usually do 100 rds through each piece. To me, I notice negligible difference in recoil between the 9mm/.40, not enough to matter. The shells cost about the same, the holster carry weight is a bit more with the .40, but gun body width/dimensions are the same.

For plinking, AND target shooting some of the new .22's are a blast, and the ammo won't break ya after a day of 300 rds. If you do decide to carry, get some GOOD schooling and instruction from a CERTIFIED instructor, not just one of the "quickie 6 hour classes", and practice continually, get to know your weapon intimately, under all situations, in the light, the dark, standing, sitting, laying, left hand, right. Good luck, and enjoy!

[minky]

Good post!

Thanks for taking the time to add all the information.

[expl]

I just used electrical tape and taped two .410 t.c. single shot together side by side for my carry gun.

[tfran123]

MY opinion, after 30 years in LE, working with the DOD and SS, and 40 years of handgunning: decide what your major focus is going to be, target (comp), plinking, or self-defense/CC. Pick up and play with every gun you can; fit and balance is paramount. If it's not right, it's not going to shoot right for you. Try the trigger pull, your ability to handle the slide/clip. No one piece will excel for all three. I've shot everything from single shot .22's to full auto AR's and .30 cal machine guns. I own many handguns, for carry and target, and here's my condensed two cents: If you want your weapon for self defense, choose a .40 or larger. A 9mm just does not have the knock-down factor that a .40 does. If you've decided to carry, you've also made the decision you may have to take a life when yours is on the line. You need that take-out power, period. Can't argue that. It's not like in the movies, you get one chance, one kill. I've seen far too many bad guys with two or three 9mm holes in them get up and run away or end up killing the innocent guy that shot them. Using the TKOF formula, (Taylor knock out factor) a "standard" 9mm Luger 124 gr cartridge develops energy of 358 ft lbs with a TKOF rating of 7.14. A .40 S&W with a 180 gr load develops energy of 390 ft lbs with a TKOF of 10.18

That is serious knock down power, which, let's face, what you need in a life/death situation. I have some of the same guns in 9mm and .40 cal;, and as far as size difference, there is none. One of my CC's is the S&W Shield in both caliber's. I also carry an XdM 4.5 custom in .40. A Ruger LC9 rounds out my "tuckable" carry pieces. The .357 Combat mags stay at home. When I shoot, which is at LEAST twice a month, I usually do 100 rds through each piece. To me, I notice negligible difference in recoil between the 9mm/.40, not enough to matter. The shells cost about the same, the holster carry weight is a bit more with the .40, but gun body width/dimensions are the same.

For plinking, AND target shooting some of the new .22's are a blast, and the ammo won't break ya after a day of 300 rds. If you do decide to carry, get some GOOD schooling and instruction from a CERTIFIED instructor, not just one of the "quickie 6 hour classes", and practice continually, get to know your weapon intimately, under all situations, in the light, the dark, standing, sitting, laying, left hand, right. Good luck, and enjoy!

No disrespect intended but the great equalizer is advancement in bullets. Clearly 30 years ago times/technology were a lot different, end of story. A "9" with modern bullets is more than an adequate platform. I agree with everything you've said, many good points in your post.

[RebelSS]

(No disrespect intended but the great equalizer is advancement in bullets. Clearly 30 years ago times/technology were a lot different, end of story. A "9" with modern bullets is more than an adequate platform. I agree with everything you've said, many good points in your post.)

None taken, and thanks. I agree, but I've seen some recent (in the last 3 years) "walkaway's" with 9mm projectiles. The average joe usually will grab what's cheap/handy, with no particular inclination to the type of round used. However, for the intelligent, well informed shooter looking for a self-defense round, some of the new one's like H'days Critical Self-Defense rounds, or some of the +P shock loads w/tac expanding heads in 9mm are a great choice. I've shot some different ones like that last Fall, just for some input. I like to mix and match different loads, shooting and comparing different ones. I just prefer those in a minimum of .40, personal opinion. I'd carry my .357 Combat mag with my hot loads, but my pants would keep falling down. After having weapons pulled on me and in my face, I just want all the firepower I can to give me that edge for that one special reason...my life. That's why I push so hard for people to practice EVERY day with your piece; I do. Get to know every square inch of it; loading and unloading it in the dark, shooting from every possible angle, in every situation, and doing all this SAFELY in a SAFE place. Above all, learn the laws of concealed

carry. Some guy ten feet away pulls a knife on you, when you're right outside a store or your car, and you blow him away, guess who's going to prison? You are. You had the chance and opportunity to retreat/run, but ya didn't. Whoops, on my soapbox, sorry, just meant to say I basically agree with you. I just can't push the safety/intelligence end of it enough. I teach this, and I turn down a lot of people that I feel are not justified or intelligent enough to carry a weapon. Didn't mean to turn this into a sermon.