First pistol purchase, can't decide between .40 or .45

I notice that 40 is easier to find on line and in stores. Does that indicate that the market place is making a decision about its utility?
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Kind of seems like it. The cops in my area went back to 9mm not too long ago.
 
Don't know if the .40S&W is on the wane. It doesn't seem to stay on shelves here. Maybe that's a regional thing.
Might stay on store shelves because production is high due to its use by police and fed.
Or it might stay on shelves in regions where government uses a different cartridge.
 
Between .40 and .45, personally, I would pick 45. I have owned handguns in 9mm, 40, and 45 and am issued a 40 for my duty weapon and I just don't like 40. I know a lot of people who like 40; it’s just not for me. I feel like the round has a sharper snap to it both in recoil and muzzle rise than either 9mm or 45. Also 45 ACP is relatively forgiving for a new re-loader. I started reloading 9mm and branched out to 45 shortly after and I would take 45acp any day. I have also heard and personally seen that the 40 is a bit harder on guns than some other calibers. In contrast that 45 has a slower, and more deliberate recoil cycle, that I feel recoils less upwards with the barren and straighter back. Personally I have chosen 9mm as my go to round, and here is why. I feel that, in general, most handgun rounds are poor man stoppers, to do this job properly and with authority I feel you need a rifle. This being the case I chose 9mm because it has mild recoil and muzzle allowing me get my gun on, and keep it on target faster and more easily. Also 9mm gives me the largest capacity, generally 2-3 more rounds that 40 and 4-7 more round than 45. Also 9mm is a round that my wife feels much more comfortable shooting, meaning she is more willing to go shooting with me, and would be in a much better and more comfortable place to use it, God forbid she ever had to. And most importantly I can actually enjoy shooting it, the recoil is mild and I can shoot it all day long without worrying that my hands are going to be sore or tired. To each their own, pick what you like and have fun! My next purchase will probably be either a Ruger SR1911 in 45acp, or a Ruger GP 100 in 357mag, probably the 1911 as I miss the 1911 I had to sell to pay bills a couple years back.
 
I have never had a problem easily controlling the .40 S&W recoil as well as any other caliber. I think the weaknesses of the caliber are vastly overstated online.

This is not to say the other posters aren't being straight with you. If their experiences differ from mine, that's just as valid. My only point is that you should get to a range and shoot for yourself rather than taking the word of others. If you find .40 easy to shoot well like I do, it's cheaper than .45 and comes with higher capacity.

Amusingly, I grew up shooting .40 and .357 magnum almost exclusively, so when I shoot 9mm I'm actually a bit worse with it. It's a creampuff recoil wise, but the more 'pop' recoil impulse (not strong, but unique) is different enough from .40 that I actually shoot .40 faster, it being the recoil impulse I'm much more used to. Sometimes I wonder if the "snap" 9mm shooters complain about in the .40 is just a similar manifestation of lack of familiarity.

I do prefer 9mm and smaller in small frame/pocket guns. There I can notice a small difference in 9mm's favor.

Get to a range and try some guns. :)

I've also always been somewhat confused by folks who say that the advantage of a 9mm over .40 includes capacity, and that the .40's small diameter increase doesn't matter, but those same folks don't count that advantage the .40 has over the .45. What's more, the capacity difference between .40 and .45 is the same or greater as the difference between 9 and .40. For instance, in the Beretta PX4 line, the 9mm holds 17, .40 holds 14, and .45 holds 10. In the M&P, the 9mm holds 17, .40 holds 15, and the .45 holds 10. In the Glock, the 9mm holds 17, .40 holds 15, and .45 holds 13. The list goes on, but in most cases the capacity difference is the same or greater.

It seems that, to be consistent, either capacity trumps tiny diameter increases or it does not.

This, of course, sets aside the recoil impulse for argument's sake.
 
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lockedbreach
I would agree that the 9mm is creampuff recoil wise, although I would not necessarily phrase it that way. The low recoil and easy shootability of the gun, for me, makes it a lot more enjoyable, I don’t have to fight the gun as much as others. I have owned and shot larger and much larger guns, and my issued duty weapon is actually a G22, through which I have put thousands of rounds downrange during training, although probably not as many as you, and have qualified as expert with it every time. I would not say it is necessarily difficult to control over all, but I would say it is more difficult that 9mm, and, for me, a smidge more difficult that 45. But like you said, he needs to go shoot both guns before he makes the call, everyone is different, to each their own.
 
Nor really a covert way to start a caliber war...

I say go for the .45. The fact of the matter is the .40 tries to maintain 9mm pressure with a larger bullet, and the result is higher pressures, snappier recoil, and guns wearing out quicker. On the other hand, most people won't shoot enough to see a difference in the longevity of their firearm, and the snappier recoil isn't something that you can't overcome.

The .45 is just a friendly round, and for what I'm going to guess your intended use will be the .45 should serve you nicely.
 
First Purchase.?

Anything in .45ACP. 1911, Glock, FN...etc.

I am a long time reloader and .45ACP is a great round to reload. Being a low pressure round, you can get plenty of reloads out of one case. (inspect all cases carefully).

Before Plastic Guns, my to-go-handgun was a Colt 1911 in .45ACP. What a sweet shooter...:D Incredible trigger and a real pleasure to carry and shoot.

I still own several 1911s.

But I also love shooting my new Gen4 Glock 21.

Second purchase?

Something in 9MM. Reason being, 9 (was) so cheap I don't reload it. Times might be changing.

I also shoot .40 (and 10MM) and I reload 10MM. (yes, a weird choice)

I do it 'just because' I like 10MM.

But my favorite will always be .45ACP.

(save those components for the future; someday you will have a dozen handguns and several in .40)

Good luck and be well.
Bob
 
Go for the 45

The first firearm I ever purchased on my own was a 45ACP. I don't remember there being 40's in the store at them time. I think there were 10mm, but not 40's. The last firearm I have purchased was a 40, this year in fact. I am also trying to stock up on supplies and gear to reload 40.
I really like the 40, but I like my 45 auto better. My go to Pistol is still my 45.
My 45 is a Ruger P90, a pretty solid frame, built like a tank. My 40 is a S&W M&P40. I really like the frame of that one, I may try to get a M&P 45 in the future.
Good Luck

Jay
 
.45 ACP. My favorite centerfire caliber for personal defense and also reloading. Personally, I wouldn't go with a .40 because frankly, I never have.;)
 
Nice choice of guns. Can't go wrong with either one. But you must take in consideration, especially for your first gun, that the .40 S&W round is very snappy as compared to the .45 ACP.

I have some guns in .40 that will leave me with a sore hand after shooting several hundred rounds while I can shoot a .45 all day long with no after effects.

Good luck with either one. I am envious that you have the ability to do your own reloads. I could never seem to have the space, money, and time coordinated at the same instant.
 
The recoil of any firearm is determined by its weight and the specific load fired from it.

Tula .40 FMJ is comparatively cheap, sufficiently accurate for humanoid targets to 50 yards and it doesn't kick any harder than any other substantial service pistol cartridge.

Reloaders, battered by the .40's horrendous SNAP, need not live in fear any longer. Paul Scarlata's excellent article Make Right With a “.40 Lite” insures that mere mortals can enjoy the 40 w/o being tossed about like a paper sack in a hurricane.
 
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The 40s recoil doesn't "bother" me... My carry gun is a Glock 33 in 357sig... It just seems oddly harsh for what the cartridge is/does. In fact, I've shot 40 in several Glock variants and even a full size feels like it has worse recoil to me than the equivalent load in my subcompact 357. Why? I have no idea, but others have reported the same. As with anything, some also disagree.

That's why I don't like the 40. It seems to have the harshest recoil of any of the major calibers and does it without any sort of real-world advantage over the others.
 
I have two pistols chambered in the .40 S&W and four pistols chambered in the .45 ACP and I've never noticed the 40's so-called "snap factor" in terms of recoil (others apparently have and I'm not disputing that). If concealment (smaller size and less weight) and magazine capacity are important considerations, I would give the edge to the forty for a pistol being carried concealed for use in self-defense. Most 40's are slightly smaller, less heavy and carry more rounds when compared to most pistols chambered in the .45 caliber.

All that said, my ccw pistol of choice is a SIG 220 Carry model, chambered in .45 ACP. I chose it because it fits my hand better, packs better concealed and comfortably for my body build and usual mode of dress and has proven to be accurate and extremely reliable. For a pistol being toted concealed for self-defense purposes, sometimes subjective factors unique to the individual out-weigh otherwise objective analysis "advantages".

But the op indicated that the primary intended use for the new pistol is "home defense/target/range shooting" and that he is already set-up for reloading the .40 cartridge. If target shooting is his main focus, over the years in my experience, I have found the .45 ACP hard to beat for "intrinsic" accuracy (if there really is such a thing). If the main priority is self-defense, how the pistol handles and fits the hand are considerations that might override extreme accuracy potential. Appropriate pistols chambered in either cartridge will probably be equally reliable.

But, as others have noted, I have detected a subtle, latent wish from the op to be talked into getting a .45. If this is the case, get one! There's really no "wrong" choice with either cartridge and you can always get the other one later.
 
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