9 mm. vs 40 cal

[357]

I am in the process of purchasing a sub compact handgun for business and home protection. I just finished the CHL clas which was awesome. I passed the shooting with a 9 mm, regular size (that was the first time I had shot a pistol). I've been told so many stories about the 9mm vs the 40 cal. What kind of information can you guys give me concerning this. I'll be purchansing a gun in about 2 weeks.[/b]
Thanks

357

[Liberty]

You may wish to repost this question on the general subforums, where your query is sure to get much spirited discussion. This subforum is mostly about puter and netwerk stuffs

[arod757]

Welcome to the forum! You can find all kinds of information and arguments for and against all calibers on this forum. I think the general consensus is to carry the largest caliber you can shoot accurately.

I took that into consideration along with the fact that I'd be shooting a lot. I love shooting, and now my wife is addicted as well. Therefore, we went with 9mm as our carry weapons. Relatively speaking, it's a cheaper round to practice with and, IMHO, with a +P round, such as what I carry, the 124 gr. Federal HST, I think it's more than sufficient to stop a threat.

Others will say if the caliber doesn't start with a 4, then you're at a disadvantage. I practice enough that I'm confident in my shot placement and feel very comfortable with my 9mm.

Good luck and good shooting.

[KRM45]

I am in the process of purchasing a sub compact handgun for business and home protection. I just finished the CHL clas which was awesome. I passed the shooting with a 9 mm, regular size (that was the first time I had shot a pistol). I've been told so many stories about the 9mm vs the 40 cal. What kind of information can you guys give me concerning this. I'll be purchansing a gun in about 2 weeks.[/b]
Thanks

357

Congratulations on successfully completing the CHL class. Now let the rest of the learning process begin.

You can do it the hard way, like I did, and end up with a safe full of guns you don't use, and a drawer full of holsters you don't like. Or you can get a feel for what works for other people then find a range that rent guns and go try some of them out. It sounds like you're on the right track.

As far as my recomendation goes, I personally don't like the .40 caliber in a sub-compact. The recoil is too snappy for me. I like it ok in a compact, or full size where I can get a good two handed grip, but not on the smaller frame.

I like my 5 shot snub nose revolver in .38/.357 for times when I want greater concealment. The available rounds cover a wider range.

Bottom line, I recommend you carry a major caliber like .38, 9mm, .357, .357sig, .40, .45, etc. The rest depends on how you plan to carry it, and what you personally shoot best. With that said, the Keltec .380 in your pocket will serve you better than the .45 you left at home...

[longtooth]

Welcome aboard 357 & I moved this here for better coverage & more comments.
LT

[Stupid]

Welcome.

This topic has been debated to death without any conclusive result. General consensus is anything from 9mm, 40 and 45 is more than adequate; however some will lay down their dead bodies to defend the superiority of 40 or 45.

The thing is with small calibers including even .223 and the mighty .308 are poor man-stoppers. Shot placement is the key. So, I would say, shoot all 3 calibers and see which one you shoot the best, then carry that.

[MTICop]

I agree. This will be debated forever with little to no conclusion being drawn as to which is better. I like the .40 over the 9mm but that's personal preference. Of the 9mm and .40 S&W guns that I have shot, I was comfortable with both so I went with the bigger caliber. But that's just my $.02.

[Stupid]

Read this:

http://ammo.ar15.com/project/Self_Defen ... /index.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[AEA]

Welcome to the forum! You can find all kinds of information and arguments for and against all calibers on this forum. I think the general consensus is to carry the largest caliber you can shoot accurately.

I took that into consideration along with the fact that I'd be shooting a lot. I love shooting, and now my wife is addicted as well. Therefore, we went with 9mm as our carry weapons. Relatively speaking, it's a cheaper round to practice with and, IMHO, with a +P round, such as what I carry, the 124 gr. Federal HST, I think it's more than sufficient to stop a threat.

Others will say if the caliber doesn't start with a 4, then you're at a disadvantage. I practice enough that I'm confident in my shot placement and feel very comfortable with my 9mm.

Good luck and good shooting.

I agree. The .40 is not much more than the 9mm anyway. A good +P 9mm round such as the new HST from Federal will do all you need to do.

If you decide later on that you want to step up from the 9mm, then I would suggest that you go to the .45 ACP.

EDITED: To remove the statement that the .40 is a necked case. I was thinking of the .357 Sig.

[vickark]

Like some of the other posters have said- shoot several types and see what you're comfy with. Some don't like the recoil of the .40.
A lot of it depends on hand size and how you're planning to conceal it.
Pick a caliber and model you'll take with you and not leave at home.
I have a 9mm and a .40 in my "ready" bag. When i leave i reach in the bag and what ever i come out with is what i carry at that time. Both fit my holsters the same.
" If it feels good shoot it" Happy shootin'

[BigBlueDodge]

The .40 is not much more than the 9mm anyway, has a necked case that could cause feeding problems in some autos. A good +P 9mm round such as the new HST from Federal will do all you need to do.

Actually, according to Federal's site, regarding the HST loads

1. .40 Caliber HST 180 grain bullet delivers 408 lb/ft of energy at the muzzle
2. 9mm 124 grain HST +P bullet delivers 396 lb/ft of energy at the muzzle.
3. 45 acp 230 grain HST bullet delivers 404lb/ft of energy at the muzzle

As you can see, the hot 9mm +P bullet is getting some pretty respectable numbers when compared to the .40 cal and .45 acp.

What this says, to me at least, is that modern self defense rounds are suitable to do the task. You should focus more on selecting a caliber that you can control reliably, and accurately first. Shoot one clip of each caliber as fast as you can, and see which one you were able to control the best, and consistently hit center of mass.

There are tons of people on this forum that will carry a .38 +P Special snub nose revolver as their primary weapon and are comfortable with that, despite the .38 round having alot less energy at the muzzle over the 9mm.

[Bart]

Only hits count.

[Stupid]

One good thing about the 9mm is with ease, a selected carry pistol can carry more than 10 rounds - a Glock 19 can do 16. I personally love this aspect of 9mm. You would need the volume when things go south

I personally carry either 9mm G19 (16 rd) or .45 Kimber (8 rd); i am in the process of getting another 9mm carry pistol.

I don't like .40 because its brass is more scarce at range and commercial ammos are expensive and logistically i do not want to deal with yet another caliber.

[Excaliber]

Welcome.

This topic has been debated to death without any conclusive result. General consensus is anything from 9mm, 40 and 45 is more than adequate; however some will lay down their dead bodies to defend the superiority of 40 or 45.

The thing is with small calibers including even .223 and the mighty .308 are poor man-stoppers. Shot placement is the key. So, I would say, shoot all 3 calibers and see which one you shoot the best, then carry that.

Comparisons between handgun rounds and rifle rounds based on caliber alone are not valid.

The much higher velocities of rifle rounds bring temporary wound cavity effects that damage tissue well beyond the actual projectile path through tissue. This dynamic doesn't occur with 9mm, .40 and .45 handgun rounds because the bullets don't travel fast enough to cause this effect.

Inside 100 yards while the .223 is still running hot enough to cause the bullet to yaw and break up upon entry, this round is a highly satisfactory man stopper. It loses effectiveness beyond that distance as it slows down and just punches .22 caliber holes which are often adynamic wounds, but that battlefield reality is not generally a concern to a civilian. If someone is more than 100 yards away, you probably don't have any business shooting at him anyway.

I am curious about the statement that a .308 is a poor man-stopper. Most folks hit in the torso with this round go down right then and are not in any condition to continue the fight. Where did the "poor man stopper" rating come from?

[Derekhie]

I love my .40sc and don't find the recoil an issue at all. In fact I had my 2 daughters at the range with me last weekend and I brought my .40 and 9mm and they both loved shooting the .40 more.