Who's King of the hill? .40 S&W or .45 ACP

Who is King of the Hill?

  • .45 ACP

    Votes: 204 77.0%

  • .40 S&W

    Votes: 61 23.0%
  • Total voters
    265
  • Poll closed .
M

microman

New member
Not too hijack the other thread about .40 vs 9mm..

I was wondering what everyone thought about the bigger
of the two services calibers and what would you rather have
in your hand in a SD situation? A .40 S&W or .45 ACP?

I have a .45 myself and it's my personal choice but, I see
nothing wrong with the .40 either..just don't own any guns
chambered for it.

Who is king of the hill? and please no fights. I want a good
clean discussion otherwise I would not have posted the poll.
 
The old tried and true 45ACP with the right loading will deliver more muzzle energy than the 40S&W, however falls short of its big brother, the 10mm Auto. In the fight for your life you want to deliver the strongest punch possible. Also remember bigger holes bleed more.
 
The .40 has better "stopping power" in my opinion using those 165s at 1150 fps.

Unless you use the .45 with 185+Ps.

I still like the .45 better though.

Just my $0.00
 
The Miami shootout happened, the FBI did a big study, based on the study they decided that autos were better than revolvers and 10mm was better than 9mm.

They went to 10mm. Lots of agents couldn't fire the handgun/caliber. They went to .40

Hundreds and hundreds of state & municipal LEAs copied the FBI. Now .40 is the King of the Hill.

The end.
 
Had to vote .45 ACP

In pure stopping power I would have to give it to the .45ACP (just barely). Both are great stoppers in my opinion. I favor the .40 because I like the double stack round count. Double stacked .45's are just to big for me.

EDIT:
I would like to elaborate. I am willing to sacrifice what little stopping power the .45 has over the .40 for a smaller weapon whether it's single or double stack.
 
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"They went to 10mm. Lots of agents couldn't fire the handgun/caliber. They went to .40"

That is also why many agencies won't use the .45acp. Many smaller people can't handle it. What do the special forces use? .45ACP!!

I would feel safe with either, but give me some .45 ACP 230 +Ps when trouble comes to my door.
 
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The king of the hill is the one you shoot the best in the gun that is moat reliable. For me, it is my Springfield 1911 in .45 acp.
 
personally I would pick a 357 magnum over either but if I had to pick one of those it would be the 45 acp because I trust those more (I have owned one in the past) I have never owned a 40
 
King? Lets see. Like others have said, there's not too much difference in stopping power. So if they are fairly close in that department then we go to round count. Most .40's carry twice the amount of rounds then the .45. I prefer more rounds of almost the same stopping power.

S/n: The forty might have more energy/hitting power than the four five. I'm no expert and I just go off what I read. If you find one study that says 40 is better data wise then someone can find one opposed. My opinion.
 
The .45 is the American round, and the .40 is regarded as "Snappy" (it's not).


I have and enjoy both. I well armed with anything .380 and above.

I would like straight stats for the supremacy ruling between these two.
 
"They went to 10mm. Lots of agents couldn't fire the handgun/caliber. They went to .40"

That is also why many agencies won't use the .45acp. Many smaller people can't handle it. What do the special forces use? .45ACP!!
Click to expand...

Eh, special forces use 5.56, 7.62, etc., etc....

To add to this debate which has been going on since the beginning of time, I prefer .40 S&W.
 
As the OP requested, and my demand, a good clean discussion is in order.

Any more posts griping about another 40 vs. 45 thread, the same tired pics we see here depicting the same tired crap, or any other bullcrap then consider yourself unable to participate on TFL for quite some time.

The excuse of one not reading this post and taking heed will fall upon deaf ears.
 
personally, i like 45acp the best. for the simple reason of bigger holes. 40cal is great too of course. two different recoil profiles, the 45acp is more of a push, where as the 40cal is more of a snap. yes, i own many of both :)


either one's good to go :)
 
"Eh, special forces use 5.56, 7.62, etc., etc....

To add to this debate which has been going on since the beginning of time, I prefer .40 S&W."

I guess you didn't realize we are talking about handgun rounds. The special forces use the .45acp instead of the 9mm given to the regular troops. I would value the opinions of special ops men over the FBI guys who adopted .40 s&w. Just my opinion.
 
Mr. Blue, the SEALS use the P226 9mm at least as often as the SOCOM Mk23. Big complaint is that the Mk23 is just too bulky and heavy for a backup weapon. It also has a gi-normous grip, and not all SEALS are big men with big hands.

Army SF uses the 1911 in .45acp, but also has M9 and Glock pistols in 9mm. During VietNam, a lot of those guys opted for the Browning HiPower in 9mm.

Most USAF Combat Controllers I know used 9mm when they were in the field.

A friend of mine who was a Ranger and then with CAG now carries a G26 as his EDC in retired life.

Marine Recon issues their guys 1911's in .45acp.
 
MLeake, thanks for your informative post. I knew they use the 9mm at times, but I did not know the breakdown.

My point was that when spec ops wanted more bang than the 9mm, they picked the .45, not the .40. It only took 3 posts to get it out. Haha.

Carrying a 9mm in civilian life doesn't surprise me. .45s are a pain to carry. When my state allows ccw, I will carry my M&P 9c over my numerous .45s. It's just more comfortable. That said, when things go bump in the night, one of my .45s will be by my side.
 
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