One Caliber?

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JDeere said:
For edc the .45 for me and 9mm for the wife...That will never change around this house..
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Wife doesn't CCW but she sure like 9mm better so her nightstand gun, and mine, remain 9mm in case she needs mine for some reason, and mag commonality.

But I have been known to go to .45 for CCW as well. Been thinking of going back again, despite my Glock 19(s) being perfectly fine for carry.
 
JR24 said:
They'll eventually come back down, or at least they won't stay higher than .40 or .45 I don't think, and as a reloader they still take less powder and even now projectiles are a bit cheaper (when you can find em). If anything, assuming the crunch continues you'll see less and less of "other" calibers as companies change production to keep up with demand, I'd expect to see .40 and .357 sig getting increasingly rare.
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Also, across the industry, 9 will be emphasized in returning inventory to shelves.

I don't recall Federal cartridge ever diverting resources from the 9mm line but heard continuously about other lines augmenting 9mm production.

9 is king in semi-auto handguns and will remain so - most likely - as long as manufacturers are putting ammo together as they do.

The only that'll ever topple the 9 is if we were to take one of those third-world tacks of outlawing a service caliber. Sadly, watching to the East - this isn't as ridiculous a possibility as it was 4 months ago.

More's the pity.

Todd.
 
::::caliber (cartridge) war!!!!:::::
Oh, we're not doing that? Sorry.

Single cartridge from those listed by the op , 45 acp all day. How come??

Well excuse me while I tenderize this fine chevaline,
45 is better, just is. Ask your grandpa if he's still around. The thing that easily settles it for me is simple, a subsonic bullet is better in close spaces - it hurts your ears less. A bullet is never guaranteed to expand no matter what you do to try to make sure it does, therefore bigger is always better . guys like to poke fun at modern 45s capacity, depends on what you're comfortable with- I feel pretty spunky even with 5- ymmv. You ever seen a 9x19 cartridge?! Weird little pointy lookin thing, nope not for this guy. How about the 40, it's like a 10mm that forgot to eat it's wheaties - close to being better but it's just not.
Oh well, worth what ya paid for it. My g30 has been carried extensively (not exclusively ) since 2012, it does what I prefer a carry gun to do.



This too:

Rexster said:
If I were to have to shoot, indoors, in an emergency, without hearing protection, .45 ACP is kinder to my ears, than 9mm +P or .40 S&W. Most .45 ACP duty ammo has less distracting muzzle flash than most 9mm +P and .40 S&W. At an indoor range, with hearing protection, I find .45 ACP more enjoyable.

Actually, with panic-demic conditions curtailing our range visits, anyway, all of this talk of 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP is moot, for me, anyway, as long-stroke DA is my least-perishable trigger skill. I have defaulted to .38/.357 revolving pistols, for real-world carry and other uses. ;)
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ApacheCoTodd said:
Also, across the industry, 9 will be emphasized in returning inventory to shelves.
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Is right now, according to the latest NRA magazine, as they talked to spokesmen from SIG Sauer and Hornady. 9mm and 5.56 NATO are being produced in highest volume right now. Also primers are the hardest component to get, as if any reloader didn't know.
 
I don't have, nor will I ever have, a .40... so that's out. Not that it's a bad cartridge, but I don't see any use for it, personally. It is a reasonable compromise, however, between the 9mm and .45ACP... so there is that.

These discussions, at least lately, always revert back to supply... or lack thereof. I would not want to tie my handgun selection to one particular cartridge, because if loaded ammo or reloading components are in short supply... you are stuck. 9mm only takes SPP's, but .45ACP can be either or, for example. Two cartridges expands your opportunity to secure ammo or components.

All of my carry pistols are 9mm, but I don't target shoot with them... I prefer the .45ACP.
 
Everyone has their favorite. I have handguns in both 45ACP and 9X19mm. The 9X19mm is more cost effective to shoot and reload as opposed to the 45ACP. In my life time I've shot enough 45ACP to fill several 55Gal Drums with the empties. As for the 40S&W never shot a round of it. My EDC is a S&W Shield 9X19mm. One caliber I'd simply choose the 9X19mm. The caliber wars are a waste of time, chose what you will and be done with it.
 
.40

It's a compromise in capacity and caliber (as it always has been). It's also overall probably the more "powerful" of the three. So providing you can shoot it effectively, I'd go with it. It's neither popular, nor glamorous, but it works. And it passes the FBI tests without using the very latest bullet technology.
 
.455_Hunter said:
The gun I take to walk down and get the mail after dark is vastly different than the gun I would take for dinner and a movie on the 16st Mall in downtown Denver
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Why?

The likelihood of needing one may differ, but once the dogs of war are loosed, how would your needs differ.

My answer is 9MM--adequate terminal ballistics, controllable, easy to carry, capacity.
 
JR24 said:
They'll eventually come back down, or at least they won't stay higher than .40 or .45 I don't think, and as a reloader they still take less powder and even now projectiles are a bit cheaper (when you can find em). If anything, assuming the crunch continues you'll see less and less of "other" calibers as companies change production to keep up with demand, I'd expect to see .40 and .357 sig getting increasingly rare.

As for condensing to a single caliber, I wouldn't want to do that fully, I get bored only reloading one caliber. But if ya did, 9mm is a nice round for SD, easy to carry and shoot, easy to shoot fast and effective with proper bullets. Assuming you don't need to hunt with it and don't live in Grizzly land (even so hardcast 9mm have been shown to be effective) the 9mm is a good caliber to standardize on.

I sort of started that process but just can't quit .45 ACP. I have an almost emotional attachment to big ol fat and slow, especially when reloading. No idea why but loading .45 makes me smile while loading 9mm feels more like a chore. Makes no sense on account of it being the same exact process, but who can explain matters of the heart.
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I've been hearing for so many years that .40 is dead and I'll believe it when I see it. There are still LE orgs at local and state levels using it in large numbers, not too mention the private citizen owners of .40 and 10mm pistols that are capable of shooting 40 ammo. I agree on .357 Sig however, much less common and we were seeing a lack of the ammo for .357 Sig long before 2020.

I've long not been a fan of loading for 9mm, that time is better devoted to loading other calibers, .45 among them and I too share a joy for loading the .45 ACP. That big case makes the loading so easy and the brass is easy to identify when I pick it up.
 
Kleanbore said:
Why?

The likelihood of needing one may differ, but once the dogs of war are loosed, how would your needs differ.

My answer is 9MM--adequate terminal ballistics, controllable, easy to carry, capacity.
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I've yet to find a 9mm that's as easy to carry as a P32.
 
Kleanbore said:
Why?

The likelihood of needing one may differ, but once the dogs of war are loosed, how would your needs differ.

My answer is 9MM--adequate terminal ballistics, controllable, easy to carry, capacity.
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Because not everybody lives in Urbanville.

My family property is located in the Colorado foothills in the middle of prime black bear and mountain lion habitat. Do you often have bear and mountain tracks in your driveway in the morning? Has it been necessary for you to personally haze bears and cats away from your house?

A typical "after dark" gun is my 4" 629 with night sights and 300 gr Cast Cores. Probably not the best platform for a downtown city area.

Selection of a situational carry gun should be based on specific threat matrix needs and not a false "one gun only" assessment.
 
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TTv2 said:
I've been hearing for so many years that .40 is dead and I'll believe it when I see it. There are still LE orgs at local and state levels using it in large numbers, not too mention the private citizen owners of .40 and 10mm pistols that are capable of shooting 40 ammo. I agree on .357 Sig however, much less common and we were seeing a lack of the ammo for .357 Sig long before 2020.

I've long not been a fan of loading for 9mm, that time is better devoted to loading other calibers, .45 among them and I too share a joy for loading the .45 ACP. That big case makes the loading so easy and the brass is easy to identify when I pick it up.
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Not saying it's dead or will be dead, just that at this time with the ammo crunch it's at least third on the totem pole of pistol calibers and with all the production to catch up I'm betting it's getting the short end of the stick vs 9mm and .45. Once things settle (if they do) it'll catch back up.

I don't think .40 is going anywhere anytime soon either.
 
A lot of comments but few direct answers . .45 acp ,why - it has proved itself in two wars. Germans carried the 9mm. - they lost . JMO (that ought to draw some sparks)
 
USMC1775 said:
I'm leaning toward 9mm because of variety, price, and reliability.
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Guns in 9mm are not necessarily more reliable. After all, the most reliable handgun ever is HK Mk23 and it only comes in .45 Auto. That said, you're right to choose 9mm. Too many guns they are relevant to carry and competition only exist in 9mm. I was going to bring up P365, and although SIG has announced a .380 version, it is essentially a 9mm-only gun. Anywhere you look, you find things like P210, Springfield XDm Elite, Beretta 92X Performance, and so on.
 
.

.455_Hunter said:
My family property is located in the Colorado foothills in the middle of prime black bear and mountain lion habitat. ...

A typical "after dark" gun is my 4" 629 with night sights and 300 gr Cast Cores. Probably not the best platform for a downtown city area.
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Excellent reasoning.
 
My home defense, carry, and range toys are all 9mm. I do have a 45 Colt, and a couple three .22s though. I started loading for 9mm when I started to reload a number of years ago so it made sense to me to stick to 9mm in my semi-auto handguns.

Jeff
 
for a carry gun it can only be a .45acp. not saying the other calibers aren't good enough but if you want the best and the most then its a .45
 
I love the disparaging between calibers people insist on!

I love me my .45. But to be totally honest, it has it's pros and cons as well.

Anecdotal story here:

Once upon a time, I was plinking around with a couple of my pistols at an outdoor range by myself...a .45 and a 9mm. Off in the weeds to the side was a beer keg. "Oh, cool! Something different to shoot!"

So I set it up...and proceeded to dent the bejeebers out of it with my .45. To be fair, a few did penetrate, and more than a few did split the keg at the point of impact without penetration. But I was surprised at how many did not penetrate the aluminum keg.

My 9mm? Punched holes every time.

That was a lesson in terminal ballistics. That even though the two rounds have approximately the same KE, the difference in mass, diameter, and velocity make a big difference in terminal ballistics.

Both are excellent round, especially with modern bullet designs these days. Don't disparage one over the other.
 
I've noticed that with 45 as well. It fails to get through barriers sometimes. That's why it's the king of meat. Not the king of car doors (357 sig). But when 45 makes it through, it's performance is superior. It carries more weight through in one piece. And gets deflected less. But 40 penetrates as well as 9, and works nearly as well as 45 that makes it through.

I like that 40 and 45 are getting some love here.

I started with a 9mm. Like everyone else. Eventually I wanted more power and a higher quality pistol. So I jumped from a 9 DA/SA beginner cop gun, to a 45 1911. This was around 2000-2001. That's when 40 jhp was trouncing 45 in gel tests and barriers. (FBI bias, maybe a little)

But I still think that 40 is still the greatest auto caliber for anyone with heavy arms, or a heavy pistol. Not so much when combined with a light pistol and light arms. (Glock 27 and a 98# women, for example)

And it makes USPSA major power factor.
 
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