"Putting down the man gun"

Status
Not open for further replies.
There is far more manliness (or womanliness) in accepting the responsibility of carrying than there will ever be in how many of which round one chooses to carry.
 
There is far more manliness (or womanliness) in accepting the responsibility of carrying than there will ever be in how many of which round one chooses to carry.
___

Thatis the most insightful statement made on this forum in a long time.
 
Seasoned trainers all, they all seem to believe that being able to shoot lots of rounds downrange faster AND more accurately is important...

Odd they would stick with a platform they couldn't shoot as accurately as whatever they ultimately chose.
 
I do understand the arthritis part, though it is the snappy .40 S&W that is causing me pain, as .45 ACP, at least in an all-steel 1911, is still mild enough. When it looked like my chief was about to authorize 9mm as an alternate duty pistol load, in the 9mm counterparts to our currently-approved .40 duty pistols, I bought myself a G17. (I currently use a SIG P229 .40 as a duty pistol; Glocks and S&W M&P are the other choices.)

Well, when the chief signed the recent changes to the firearms policy, the 9mm proposal was not part of it. I will try to make my feelings known, through proper channels, that I would like to see it revived. Meanwhile, a softer-recoiling .40 might be an option, though I am trying not to spend too much money on duty-related firearms this late in my career.

Fortunately, I can carry what I want on my own time. For years, I thought it wise to carry the same weapon platform on and off the clock, but getting older changes some things. Thankfully, shooting a 1911 came back to me immediately, after a decade. I am so glad I kept my Baer TRS!
 
Last edited:
Good thread.

Too much is made of caliber. It is more important that you have a gun.
 
never ending story

These threads kill me.... It never ends. It always comes down to the "which is better" theme. I own 9 and .45. I prefer .45 but i carry a glock 29 and a glock 21 is my car gun. A beretta inox 92fs is my couch gun and a springer .45 is the bedroom gun. I cant understand why these get brought up so often. Carry what you shoot and feel the best with. I personally dont want to be shot with anything. If someone is trying to do harm to my family or myself, im shooting to stop. A 9 or 45 will take care of that. As will a boat load of other calibers.

since im at it........ .45>9mm

p.s. The "best" gun is the one in your hand when you need it.
 
Thank you, previous poster, for proving once again that most of you never read through the original post and try to actually understand what the OP is talking about.

It's not about which is better. It's about a personal choice, due to personal physical characteristics, occupation, lifestyle, but mostly about WHAT YOU SHOOT BETTER.

I simply asked if anyone else had made a change from one to the other, and why. Sheesh.

Sorry if these threads kill you. Perhaps you should make a better effort to comprehend what you read?
 
my point is: No matter how you word it, it always turns into this sort of thing. Person a says they switched to 9 from .45. Person b says they switched .45 to 9. Person c says that both calibers are inferior to to .357 and the debate continues.
 
I wasn't aware this was a "debate." However, I well understand the mentality of many folks that haven't been shooters their whole lives don't understand the concept of one's weapon choices evolving, and believing that everything discussed on the internet must be an argument or debate.

Some of us are actually interested in other's experiences rather than simply trying to score style points with pithy retorts or trying to re-frame a thread topic away from the OP's intent.
 
Im sorry sir, i wasnt aware that i offended you. My intent was not to "debate" with you, my statement wasnt even directed to you or anyone specific. I was making the statement that no matter how you discuss it, label it, conceal it, threads of this sort, will always end up being a contest between calibers and their experiences in why.

Your pithy retort scored about 6 style points, if you were wondering. Have a good day sir!
 
I love the look of a big ol' .45. There is just something iconic about the business end of that cavernous hole promising 230gr of nearly 1/2" across jacketed lead.

...But I carry a 9mm:scrutiny:

I just shoot the 9mm better. It's controllable, affordable to practice with, and gives me a good compromise of capacity to energy put into the target. My current daily carry is a Pocket Glock G26. The most unmanly gun in the state-side Glock line-up. It's the Glock prop guys give the tough chick detective on cop shows because it "looks like a gun a girl would shoot". It's petite, almost cute in the slide to grip junction the way kids are with their nearly adult sized facial features and their tiny bodies.

But it offers me a lightweight 10+1 pistol that is nearly invisible on my hip that will tear a ragged hole point-shooting. I really like my big ol' .45s. And YES, if the gates are being stormed, the G21 comes out to play with the AR, 12 gauge, and a bazooka if I can find one. However, day to day carry, I simply shoot and pack a 9mm better.
 
..

Seasoned trainers all, they all seem to believe that being able to shoot lots of rounds downrange faster AND more accurately is important,

I am one that feels for the average civilian carrying for SD, that the abilty to put large amounts of ammo downrange in a short amount of time is over-rated. For LEOs, military and folks that make a living protecting property or people and that have a good chance of engaging in a drawn out gun-fight it's a different story. Having a 5-shot j-Frame for SD/HD for years, a 7 round mag in my 1911 IS hi-capacity!:D




.
(But only for carry -- the 1911 is still The King -- just as Elvis, though dead, is.)


Elvis is not dead, he has just left the building.
 
The biggest round I have ever carried is .40S&W, and the most rounds is 15. I have to admit, that felt like overkill. My usual carry is 5 rounds of .38SPL, and I never feel undergunned.

If we could get a CCW permit into the hands of 10% of the adult population, and if just half of them would actually carry regularly, then it really wouldn't matter what round anyone carried. Bad guys would know they face a 1/20 chance that the person they select for violence is armed (except BGs in Illinois and in certain major US cities), and most would think twice given those odds.

Not one of those BGs is going to say he'll only assault people who carry a .380 or smaller.
 
For LEOs, military and folks that make a living protecting property or people and that have a good chance of engaging in a drawn out gun-fight it's a different story.

Except that cops have partners, immediate back-up, multiple reloads and various guns to carry them thru the confrontation, not to mention a SWAT team and sniper available.

The "average citizen" has none of that.
 
45acp down to a 9mm?? :scrutiny:

I'll give up my 10mm g20 only when you''ll have to pry it from my cold dead hands :neener:
 
Well, I don't have any issues with my hands, yet.

I carry a 9mm. I have considered getting a XDS .45 but feel I am accurate enough with my 9mm, and don't NEED another carry gun.

I can shoot my 9mm more accurate than my friends 1911. It is a Kahr CW9, and I am dead nuts accurate with it.

The fact that it is causing you PAIN, is definately a concern, and being responsible enough to make a change is very much a good choice of self interest in the long run.

I don't own a .44 Alaskan because I feel it would be uncomfortable to shoot, for many reasons.
 
Last edited:
20 years ago, I would have shouted from the rooftops to avoid carrying a 9mm. However, bullet design and performance has come so far as to make it not only adequate, but a downright solid performer. My advice would be to select a platform, then a caliber. If it happens to be a 9mm, stoke it with known good ammo and carry on. If you have to switch to a 9mm due to arthritis or such, don't feel undergunned with a 9mm.
 
Well said 1911 guy. A few weeks ago one of my fellow officers had to shoot a vicious Pit Bull five times with his 9mm before it was stopped, but he only fired five rounds and hit it everytime. It was stopped. Of course the officers who carry 45's crowed that with a 45 he would have had to only fire once or twice.

They missed the point. He like 9mm, he's a good shot with it, he hit what he was aiming at and the bullets did what they were designed to do. Yes it took five bullets but then he has more bullets doesn't he.
 
I love it when the young snots preach to The Old Guard, that what they use to do the job, is no longer applicable.

Tell a military veteran who served prior to the Gulf War, that a 1911, or a SW model 10/15, has no validity, and clear the room.
 
Didn't we hear that the FBI is going to go back to the 9x19? don't know if it's true or not
That agency has continued to issue 9mm weapons to a relatively small number of agents. Disparate impact issue. (Meaning some agents might require a smaller grip frame and/or a lesser recoiling duty weapon.)

As I recall, their last pistol ammunition contract included some 147gr 9mm ammunition (presumably for this very reason).
 
9mm is nice, but I don't think about being able to put more rounds down range because of it.
 
I have a lot of problems with hands and especially my left arm. I can not shoot most semi autos without stove piping rounds with my left hand. The nerve damage and muscle damage prevent me from holding the gun properly with my left hand. I don't have the abiltiy to pull a double action trigger with this hand either. I can and do carry a Ruger Vaquero or Blackhawk in 45 Colt, but to come back to the question asked my last purchase was a Blackhawk convertable in 357/9mm. This was because I believe recoil may become a factor for me in a few years and the 9mm makes sense.
 
actually...from what I've followed lately...the 9mm seems to be making a huge resurgence in Law Enforcement circles...

Bill
I know that the department I work for switched back to 9mm. A few others are discussing it because of budget issues. The difference in ammo price between .40S&W and 9mm can pay for more frequent tactical training. That is where the main difference is going to come from. The guys that train most often seem to fair better in real world encounters. IT becomes muscle memory.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top