.40 S&W or .45 ACP?

.40 S&W or .45 ACP?

  • .40 S&W

    Votes: 39 34.5%

  • .45 ACP

    Votes: 74 65.5%
  • Total voters
    113
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ATN082268

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Sometime this year I will probably get another semi-auto handgun and most likely it will either be in a caliber of .40 S&W or a .45 ACP. I wanted some input on the caliber, the actual handgun and ammunition. The handgun in question will be primarily for concealed carry and the budget will be around a 800 dollar maximum. Thank you.
 
I can tell you from my novice semi handgun skills to NOT buy a polymer chassis in .40 s&w. Back in 2013 I wanted to get into the semi pistol game. I wanted a lightweight pistol to do some tactical type training. At the time there was NO 9mm or 45 acp ammo available but there was .40 s&w so I bought a used mint Glock G35. I hate it. Let me clearly state it's not the gun it's all me. The .40 is a VERY fierce and snappy recoiling round. I'm really struggling with accuracy especially on quicker follow-up shots. If you do go with a .40 , and you are a new shooter I strongly suggest a steel or alloy framed gun to help mellow the recoil. I love the Glock's excellent reliability and simplistic function, I just wish I can control it a bit better.
 
I voted .40 S&W but only if you shoot it well. The .40 has the edge in price of ammo and magazine capacity.

People perceive the recoil of the .40 S&W differently and the pistol no doubt makes a difference. But many find it less pleasant to shoot than 9mm or .45 ACP. I tend to shoot it less well than those other two calibers but if my carry pistol was chambered for .40 and I practiced with it reasonably frequently I think I could get used to it pretty quickly.
 
Going to war? I want a high capacity .40 on my side. Going to the range for fun? .45 1911 all day long thank you..:D
 
The fairly low pressure .45 acp is a real dream to reload.
Cases last forever & 230 grain lead bullets work just fine.
 
What do you want it for?

I guess I'd vote for the .45 simply because it's more "classic"

For the record, I am one of those weirdo's that prefers the .40 recoil to 9mm. Everyone complains about the "snappy" and I'm shooting 9mm and singing "whip it! whip it good!". I like DEVO as much as the next person, but not that much.
So you won't hear me giving crap about the caliber.
But I also really like .45's, so there you go.

The one good thing I will note about .40 S&W, that hasn't already been mentioned, (and this also goes for 10mm) is that when there is panic ammo buying going down, it's generally one of the last calibers to completely disappear from the shelves. In fact, during the worst of the last panic, it never disappeared around here.
 
I had same dilemma about 5 years ago. I finally went with the 45. The 40's I have shot did not really recoil much more then the 45, I just wanted the 45 more. Now I am looking at a 9MM
 
I vote .40.

I think ammo brand makes a difference in the "snappy" recoil of .40.

I took my Shield out for the first time yesterday and fired about 50 rounds each WWB and some American Eagle. Recoil was quite manageable and not a problem. It was fun, I created some decent groups for first time with the Shield.

The last 50 rounds was a box of Speer Lawman I have had for a few years now. The recoil and flash from that stuff was no fun, down right violent in fact. I couldnt put together any sort of consistent group.

All ammo was 165gr.
 
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To me, a particular gun that I own and like justifies the caliber, not the other way around.

My Gen4 Glock 21 made my Gen4 Glock 22 dispensable. Likewise, my HK45 made my HK USP40 replaceable, although I kind of wish I still had that one.

Best reason to favor .45 ACP over .40 S&W - my 1911s!
 
For CC it would be a .40 for me. Actually I will be going 10mm but that's just me. For a full size gun I like my SAR K2 double stack .45 but a 10mm works there too. Wouldn't go .40 in a full size handgun as long as there's 10mm to be had.
 
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