9mm or 40cal

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Frankie1449

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Ok would you trust your life and your family's life with a 9mm hand gun or 40 cal .carry gun of course I have both my 40 is starting to hurt my hand so .I was thinking of carrying my 9mm full time now it has less recoil . I'm more accurate with the 9mm .I have a sig 229 9mm and a xd9 .I have a 320 compact in 40 cal and a sig 226 tacops in 40 cal .any comments will help and be appreciated thank you.
 
I don't see any issue with the 9mm, as anybody can tell ya shot placement is far more important than the size of the lead you're slinging. Load up some choice JHP's and get some good practice in and I'd almost argue the 9mm is the better gun because I'm one of those who feel the increased potential damage of the .40 is worth less than the increased mag capacity and lighter recoil of the 9mm. I feel like if you shoot the 9mm better though as you said then it would be the most realistic option for you.

That being said I'm also the guy who will carry a Shield9 iwb one day and a 4" 686+ open carry the next and when I'm feeling frisky i'll tote my M&P9 and the shield iwb. Some day I might even be so inclined as to carry the Shield on my ankle the M&P9 on my right hip and open carry the 686+ on my left just because I can. So ymmv
 
If you are more accurate with the 9mm Luger I think you have answered your own question. People like to argue over the comparative ballistics of the various center-fire pistol calibers till the cows come home, but pretty much everyone agrees that shot placement trumps everything else.

I have center-fire pistols chambered in 9mm Luger, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. I have carried both 9mm and .40 S&W although I don't carry concealed very often.

For a home defense or "truck gun" pistol I prefer a full-sized pistol chambered in .45 ACP. I find such a pistol very comfortable to shoot and I do as well with that caliber as I do with 9mm Luger from a comparable sized pistol

I have improved considerably in accuracy and speed of followup shots with .40 S&W compared to when I first started shooting that caliber. But I still don't think I do quite as well with it as I do with either 9mm or .45 ACP. And in a pistol of a size that is reasonable for concealed carry, going with .40 S&W usually gives up at least one round, and often more in magazine capacity. I think short barreled, short slide .45 ACP pistols with shorter recoil springs have reliability issues, so I shy away from those even if I am prepared to accept the limitation in magazine capacity.

So for me .45 ACP for full-sized pistols (although I would consider .40 depending on the pistol) and 9mm Luger for concealed carry (although I would consider .40 depending on the pistol).
 
"...I'm more accurate with the 9mm..." As mentioned, that's your answer. Doubt you'll notice much difference in the felt recoil though. If your hand hurt from shooting a .40, they'll very likely hurt with a 9mm too. Assuming it's being caused by arthritis or the like.
 
It depends on your wants and opinion. For me I will not own a 9mm handgun unless it is a pocket pistol. I own a 5" .45 and 4" .40. The .40 is my carry gun

Take your pick, you can have greater capacity, lower recoil and higher chance of accuracy with the 9mm handgun (assuming the same handgun)

Or you can have improved ballistics and power with the .40, but you will have less capacity and more recoil, making follow up shots slower and a lower chance of accuracy.

Now this is all subjective, but I would rather have the greater power. I am young and pretty much poor, and cannot afford several pistols/guns. Therefore for me, I would rather have the greater power in case I had to shoot a deer for food or a black bear or mountain lion or PCP user. The heavier bullet penetrates soft things better and if limited to fmj, the larger diameter, energy, and flat nose of the projectile will result in greater damage to structures of all kinds. This is a fact

That's why I chose a .40 Walther PPQ M2 instead of a 9mm PPQ M2. My .40 holds 11 in the flush mag and 13 in the included extended mag. The 9mm version holds 15 in standard and 17 in extended mag.

Its like this, you are a race car track driver- your company offers you two different vehicles to race. The first has less power and less speed but handles and brakes like a dream, but the second car has more power and is faster, but doesn't handle or brake as well. Which would you pick?
 
Carry the "platform" that you shoot the best...and in terms of caliber, its about shot placement not the caliber that makes a difference.

In terms of "platform"...its the gun that fits your hands the best, with the trigger you like the best ( how it breaks, how it resets), what is most comfortable for you to carry - although a good belt and a good holster make carrying a full sized gun no big deal, and the gun with the features you like - SAO, thumb safety, stryker fired, whatever....

I would not go to anything less than a 9mm personally ...but with today's high quality defense ammo available - the 9mm is just fine. My personal choice is a full sized 1911, 5" barrel, Wilson Combat Protector model in 9mm ...holds 10 + 1...and I carry 1 extra mag on my belt typically.

Capacity is an irrelevent issue to me ...learn how to reload .../ and most experts tell us that most defense situations are over in a few seconds ...and at a range of 3 Feet - to maybe 24 Feet. Personally I have, but I do not carry, any double stack guns like my Sig 226's ...they're too wide compared to a single stack 1911 - and in the DA/SA Sig trigger, while its not bad - its not as good, for me, as a well tuned 1911.
 
It should be noted that the FBI has abandoned the .40 and now trusts the lives of it's agents to the 9MM.

With enhanced, high performance ammunition, any difference in actual "street shooting" effectiveness is negligible.
 
The best 124 gr 9mm loads all but match 125gr loads from 3-4" 357 mag revolvers.

The best 155-180 gr 40 S&W loads all but match the 158-180 gr loads from a 3-4" 357 mag.

The best 45 ACP loads will ALMOST match the best 357 and 40 S&W loads, but not quite. Since it has the most recoil, the least ammo capacity, is the largest gun and no better performance it is the odd round out.

If you normally would trust 125 gr 357 mag loads there is no reason to not feel comfortable with 3X as many rounds in a 9mm pistol. If you feel the need for heavier bullets the 40 S&W will do about the same job as a 357 mag revolver loaded with similar weight bullets.(at least from shorter barrels, long barreled magnum revolvers take them to another level) But with reduced mag capacity and more recoil.

I trust 9mm with quality bullets to work as well as any other handgun round if human threats are a concern. If animal defense is a concern the heavier 40 S&W or 10mm bullets are a viable option.

I use 9mm most of the time, 10mm is my choice for outdoors use and I have several 45's to play with at the range.
 
Shoot what you can control best and longest.

I would trust my life to any handgun I was confident I could hit the point of aim on the second and third shot, under stress. If I had 4 I felt that way about, I would pick the larger caliber with the most rounds and the least difficulty on getting back on target for follow up shots. [hint- .22lr isn't something I'd choose to rely on, despite its' ease of aiming/hitting/following up- for obvious reasons].

In your situation, I think you should research the different 9mm HP rounds and then test them in your handguns for function.

3 shots on target from a 9mm trump 1 on target and 2 close misses from a .40 [or a .45].

If you are concerned about 1 stop shots and that is all you will be able to get off, I'd be looking for something generating over 500 ft/lbs of ME and just deal with the recoil on that solo shot.

Maybe a BFR in 45/70? :eek:

It sounds intriguing, if MR is right, when they claim:



RECOIL
•The BFR in 45/70 recoils less than any .44 Magnum that weighs under 3-pounds.
•Recoil is a result of bullet weight, velocity and gun weight.
•Remember recoil is not a factor of size, just because it is physically large does not mean that it recoils large. The BFR simply weighs a little more than other revolvers because of its heavy design for powerful ammunition. The added weight makes the gun balance better, makes it easier to hold steady and makes it recoil less…Period.
•The 45/70 will produce the same velocity as the 454 Casull with 2/3 less pressure, and a lot less noise and muzzle flash. This is because the 45/70 case is longer so it allows for different types of gunpowder to be used and the case has more room for the burning and expanding gases to expand. The end result is less pressure, less wear and tear on the gun, less noise and less recoil.
Click to expand...


https://www.magnumresearch.com/BFR-Factoids.asp

;)
 
This is like asking who makes the better truck, Ford, Chevy or Dodge. If the Chevy is more comfortable and handles better for you, then choose the 9mm.
 
I have Hornaday Critical Defense loads in my Glock 26 9mm. The tests I've seen with that load in a shorter barrel convinced me they were right.
As mentioned, if you can put the 2nd and 3rd rounds on target, ......
 
9mm and .40 are both acceptable rounds. The last time I chose a pistol for defensive work, I chose 9mm over .40 for a variety of reasons. ".40 is a bad round" was not among those reasons.
 
The 40 for me because of better penetration against barriers
(Glass, metal)

But, on a soft target, 9mm will do almost the same damage......
 
"Ok would you trust your life and your family's life with a 9mm hand gun or 40 cal .carry gun of course I have both my 40 is starting to hurt my hand so .I was thinking of carrying my 9mm full time now it has less recoil ."

I could put up with a whole lot of pain for once in my life if I had to defend myself or family. The pain is only temporary. Go with the best cartridge and put up with the pain...............45ACP my choice but 40 looks good.
 
9mm or 40cal
Ok would you trust your life and your family's life with a 9mm hand gun or 40 cal .carry gun of course I have both my 40 is starting to hurt my hand so .I was thinking of carrying my 9mm full time now it has less recoil . I'm more accurate with the 9mm .I have a sig 229 9mm and a xd9 .I have a 320 compact in 40 cal and a sig 226 tacops in 40 cal .any comments will help and be appreciated thank you.
Click to expand...

Oh, good lord not this, uhhh, "stuff" again.
 
I do believe that if you ever have to use it the last thing on your mind is going to be recoil. Carry the one your the most comfortable with.

But make mine a 40.
 
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