TFL newbie, should I stay 9mm or go .40 or .45?

If you'd like to belly on up to the bar and drink a man's whiskey, check out the 10mm.

Its the only handgun round you can take deer and pig with isn't exotic or hard to find.

Maybe a Glock 20 with a 6" KKM SS barrel for hunting and target work? Mine shoots 200 grain Norma rounds doing 1300 fps into 2-3" groups at 50 yards with almost no bullet drop.

And for home defense, some 180 grain JHP by ProLoads or Corbons or some 175 grain Silvertips and you're safe if you shoot straight first.

BUT you need to be a reloader. Just worked up a LSWC round for my SW 610 and a nice target load doing 820 fps for plinking and target work.

If you reload, 10mm no question.

If not get a Glock 30 or a Glock 23 and be happy. But that's just me. had Sigs, they rusted and springs broke. Have and love HKP7s but you're moving aways from 9mm.

Lots of other good guns but you'll have to rent them all over a month and then decide.
 
I would suggest avoiding the G21 unless you have big hands, if you want a Glock 45 the G30 is the way to go.

I don't really care for the 40, for autos I go with either the 9 or the 45.

Actually might I suggest a 44 mag for your next handgun. The 44 mag balances with the 9mm very well IMO. You can load it with Speer's 44 special load with the 200 GDHP for the same ballistics as a 45 acp (with a bit more recoil though because a auto soaks up some for you) for goblin use. Or load it with mags for hunting or fun.

You might find that you like the power and utility of a 44 mag. It can do things that the 9mm, 40, & 45 can't.

You said "Recoil is not a big issue. However, I'm not willing to sacrifice shootability & on target accuracy for what some deem only a slight increase in ballistic performance." I am trying to suggest that the difference between a 9mm, 40, or 45 is small enough there is no real reason to own more than one caliber, unless you just want to of course :D, carrying a 9mm & a 45 at the same time is kinda silly [just carry two 9's or two 45's] but carrying a 9 & a 44 mag or a 45acp & 44 mag has a bit more sense to it.
 
Pick the gun that
(1) meets your needs
(2) that you shoot best
(3) that you really like...

and buy two of them.

And train with them exclusively.

Spend your money on training and ammo, and avoid at all costs the "gun a month" club.

I know... I have been there.

I am back to my one and only favorite -- a Colt CCO in .45 auto.

Now if I can just find a second one...
 
Shoot which ever caliber you can handle and feels comfortable to you. Me I'm a .45ACP guy. Try them all and then decide, it more fun that way.
 
JNB01, it seems your tastes mirror mine. A G21 is a fine gun and probably the first I would grab from my collection if a serious need would arise. That being said I almost exclusively use a G17 for IDPA competition in the SSP division. When looking strictly at times and splits I just can't shoot my G21 and fast as my G17. Also 9mm ammo is so cheap I don't even try to recover my brass at a match. I'm not saying the others are wrong but I'm always puzzled by those that say a G21 is too big for their hands. I do have small hand's and I find using a high "1911" style hold it fits just right. Small hands can't reach the slide release without repositioning the gun? My thumbs ride along the slide and hit the slide release as the gun recoils every time so my slide is still in the closed position on an empty chamber/empty magazine. I charge the gun by slingshotting the slide on the loaded magazine. It is my understanding the Glock wasn't designed to be operated from the slide release anyway: "Pull back the slide with the free hand, and allow it to spring forward into the locked position." (Glock Manual) At the last IDPA match I was at I won a G22 as a door prize. I traded it. The G22 recoils more than the G21 with similar weight/velocity loads and is more expensive than the G17 (or G19) to shoot. I'd buy a G21 if I were you.
 
Shoot your way through all the calibers you are thinking about. Go with the one your personna says is best.

Me? I like the .45ACP. Tons of reload receipes, easy(est) to pick up brass. Recoil not that bad.

My favorite target set is a 8" gong at 75 yards. Nothin' like seein' a gong pinwheel at 75 yards to build confidence in your ability to hit it and the damage it will do when you hit something. Yes a .45ACP is accurate enough to hit it repeatedly.
 
Welcome to the board. Whatever you do, don't trade away the Glock 19. IMHO it is one the best 9mm packages out there. You get a 4" barrel mated to a frame that serves as CCW or as a duty pistol. When you ask this kind of question you will always get a split in opinions. The 9mm has worked for many years and is still in service with many police agencies here in the U.S. and is working for them. I had made the "upgrade" to 40S&W with the G22, but found I was not as accurate with it and my follow up shots were not as fast or as accurate as I was with 9mm. I chose what works best for me, and place most of my concentration on placement. Rent a few guns and see what you like. Just keep in mind, that the rental guns are usually shot with watered down reloads so you won't get the "full" affect.
 
I'm very comfortable with my 9mm, and have no interest in a .40 (but I do like the 10mm), but if I were to get a .45 it would be the H&K USP45 Tactical.

Many people like 1911-style guns, and I'd go with a Springfield if I wanted one. They have great quality at a reasonable price.
 
I currently own nothing larger than a 9mm

and have tried a .45 (Kimber Compact) which I did not shoot particularly well compared to the 9mm. I imagine with practice I could get tighter groups at combat distance. Or I may not. I'm 5'11" and 190lb but that Kimber bucked like a mule. Maybe a full size 1911? I don't really know.

However, I KNOW I shoot 9mm well and have confidence in it. I know I can afford to practice with it. A lot. As a relatively new shooter quality and quantity of practice is paramount, so the 9mm (and my new Ruger MKII!) remains my choice despite every damn gunshop owner trying to convince me to buy a .40 or .45.
 
Obviously you must move up to the .40 or .45. Everybody knows a 9mm won't hurt anything bigger than a squirrel. :D
 
In real life, I noticed two major differences between 9 mm and .45:

1. You pay the same money for 10 rounds of 9mm
or 6 rounds of .45 ACP.

2. If you shoot at steel plates, it's easier to knock'em down
with .45ACP, if aim is not perfect.

In regard to which one of those calibers are better for
neutralizing the hostiles, I have no certain opinion.
Both are O.K. for making holes.
 
The .40 dominates the 9mm and equals the .45 in actual results. It all depends on your preference. I love shooting the .45 and the .40...can't stand shooting the snappy 9mms.

But that's just me.:p
 
Oh yea,
In some cases you'll get a higher capacity w/ the .40, which is a good thing (i.e. SIG P220 (.45) vs. P226 (.40)).
 
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