Calibers, pick 2 of 3 (9mm, 40s&w, 45acp)

Never had any use for the 40. Never owned one, never will.

GRIZ22 said:

Never had any use for the 40. Never owned one, never will.

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my sentiments exactly!

murf

I don't have anything against the .40S&W and I do agree that it's a bigger hammer than a 9mm but my I don't own a single one. I do, however, have three guns chambered in the original .40 (.38WCF) along with plans for a custom or two. I like that cartridge very much.

Maybe I need a .40S&W or two as well.

thewillweeks said:

So say a fella wanted to own 2 of the big three, but not all three (at least for now), what would you suggest? The big three obviously being 9mm, 40s&w, and 45acp.

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What makes them the obviously "big three" in handgun calibers? Not so much in my book. I'd go for .357 and .44 long before I'd have to have a 9 or a .40.

40 S&W never rang my bell for a number of reasons until I recently got an M1911 chambered in it. It made me think 40 S&W gets a bad wrap because mostly the 40 S&W guns are up sized 9mm guns instead of down sized 45 ACP guns.

Given the compromises made in creating many 40 S&W guns, I'd choose the 9x19 and 45 ACP.

There are absolute steals on 40 cal pistols right now, so that's something to consider. Handloading makes the ammo pretty cheap. Case in point, Sportsmansguide has the FNS40 full size, a fantastic pistol....for $342 shipped.

I have all three and like all three. But if I could only choose two, it would be 9mm and .45 ACP. The 9mm because ammo is cheaper and the variety of guns that chamber it, and the .45 because it's a .45.

In my opinion, .40 S&W made much more sense during the time before reliable controlled-expansion JHPs were available, providing the desirable .40+ bore diameter during a time when that mattered more than today. Of course, some jurisdictions restrict hollow-point ammo, so JHP technology is a moot point in such places.

I was a relatively early adopter of .40 S&W, during the early Nineties, though soon reverted to .357 Magnum and .45 ACP. I returned to using .40 from 2002 to 2015, because it was the mandated duty cartridge at the time. My chief finally authorizing 9mm and .45 ACP as alternative duty cartridges probably extended my career, as training and shooting quals with .40 was really starting to hurt my aging hands and gimpy wrist*. I might have retired as early as the end of 2015, had alternatives to .40 S&W not been OK'ed. (I now use 9mm Glocks and all-steel full-sized 1911 .45 ACP pistols.)

*I do not blame .40 S&W for being the original cause of my present problems. The big-bore Magnums I fired during the Eighties would be the much more-likely factor.

Of the three listed, my first choice is a .40 S&W; second is 9mm. Nothing against the .45 ... just prefer the others.

9mm and .45 for me.

I don't like your choices. I like being able to have all three, and I have finally fixed the gap in my collection I've had for several years since I've been without a working .40. IMO, the .40 is the best of the three for CCW, the .45 is the best of the three for home defense, while the 9mm is a great all-arounder being quite capable for home defense (without too much overpenetration with the right ammo), good for CCW, works in nearly pocket sized guns which would punish you in .40 or .45 (and in sizes not possible in .45), while practice ammo is also available several dollars cheaper for cheap and thus more practice. If I had to pick just one it would probably be 9mm, but if I could have two it would be near impossible to choose. For a few years I went without the .40, but if I was to plan it, I may go .40 and .45 and forgo the 9mm (especially if I reloaded for autos to negate the 9mm's price advantage for practice ammo). Though, my love of the .45 is mainly emotional due to the history of the cartridge, and no 1911 collection works without a .45 1911. I think I'd do just as well if all I had was 9mm and .40 as I did when I only had 9mm and .45. I think if you went with two of the calibers you would be fine with any combo of the three, while if you limited yourself to one, any would do, but it would be harder to really cover all your bases (though again, I think 9mm comes closest).

I love the 40 S&W, love the 357Sig even more, but I'll admit to shooting the 9mm Para far more often than either of these simply because it's so easy and cheap to get ammo and brass.

I voted 9mm and 45acp, with the context of a G19 and a 1911 in mind. If a handgun owner were only to own two pistols, then I'd favor them to be a G19 and a 1911 above all others. But admittedly, these choices are completely about the pistols, not about the cartridges. A G23 and a 1911-40 would reduce my ammunition inventory requirements, and reloading component inventory variety considerably.

To the proliferating trend in this thread - I've never understood the need for some people to denigrate a product which they admittedly have never used. Some common arguments, some of which make zero sense:

• It's more expensive than 9mm: Sure, it is. So is 357mag, 44mag, 45colt, 223rem, 308win, 45-70, 30-06, and pretty much every other round on the face of the Earth. So what? Yes, a guy can shoot more for the same budget, but a guy can drive farther for the same budget in a Honda Civic than they can in an F-150... Maybe cost per shot shouldn't be the singular most important characteristic considered when picking a defensive round?

• It has more recoil than 9mm: Yup - but it's still manageable. Just because the FBI chose to allow shooters to RE-attempt their qualification with 9mm instead of their standard issue 40's, that doesn't mean it's unmanageable - it just means it's more difficult to manage for many smaller shooters, which do constitute a cross section of FBI agents. My wife is 5'3" and has never cared for the recoil impulse of the 9mm, whereas she's carried a 40 or 45 for about 8yrs. It's certainly less recoil than a 45acp.

• I have 9mm and 45, I don't need a 40: Ok, sure, that's your paradigm. My wife doesn't own a 9mm, she owns 3 40S&W's and 4 45's. I have all of the above and more. A lot of people around here have a car and a truck in the driveway, so they down "need" a minivan or a jeep/SUV... That doesn't mean someone else out there isn't well served by a minivan or an SUV.

• I've never had a use for a 40S&W: What "use" have you had for 9mm, 380, 45, or other pistol cartridges for which the 40S&W wouldn't effectively serve?

• I get more rounds with 9mm: So? Pistols chambered for 40 hold more rounds than their equivalent models in 45acp, and as many rounds or more than any revolver, and plenty of folks have been well served by revolvers and 1911's.

There's nothing which can effectively be done with a 9mm and a 45acp, outside of very specific rule books or asinine disqualifying requirement impositions, which can't be effectively done with a 40 S&W. It's just the kid who came late to the party when everyone else had already made friends.

Poll results were unsurprising. With choosing two, not many people are going to choose 9&40 or 40&45.

The 41 Long Colt, the 38-40 Winchester and the .38 S&W. The first two are the original 40 calibers dating back to the 1870's.

Yeah I'm partial to revolvers

Isn't about the cartridge. It's about the pistol. However, the .40 S&W is only popular because the FBI adopted it after a lack of training caused 'em to lose a gun fight. It doesn't have any advantage over either of the other two though.

I love to shoot and load 9mm and .45. I've been unimpressed with the .40 so my .40s grew into 10mm, much more fun to shoot and load for.

9mm and .45. If I want anything bigger than a 9mm, and personally I do not see any need in general for that except maybe a flat(ish) single stack with less capacity, that is the way I would go. I do not see any advantage of the .40 over the .45, and the .45 is a much lower pressure cartridge; less wear and tear on a pistol to shoot often.

9 and 45. All three calibers are effective, so it comes down to choice in firearm. I buy guns I'd like to have in my casual collection, not as part of an arsenal, but for the unique features of the gun.

The .45 is for the 1911. I have one, and in my opinion, if you are going to have any 1911s, you need 1 in 45.

9mm for the rest. I have an interest in both function and historical significance, and there is much more overlap in 9 than 40. I could have a Sig, Beretta, CZ, S&W 3rd gen, Browning Hi Power design in either caliber, but they were all designed around the 9; so mine are in 9mm. I like the older designs too, so ammo will interchange with my S&W 39 and Star B Super, and if/when I can come across a Luger, Mauser, Radom Vis, etc, they can also use the same ammo.

.357 and 45ACP are one and two in my book. Number 3 - 44 Magnum. Sorry I like magnums and larger calibers.

Another 9mm and .45 ACP

My first handgun was actually a Glock 23 in .40S&W. At the time I was young and got hung up on articles saying the .40 provided the "best of both worlds", with .45 power and 9mm capacity. Also, the recommendation of an FBI agent a buddy of mine knew helped some too.

But one day I looked at the 1,000 or so rounds of .40 S&W I had on the shelf, and saw a ad for 1,000 rounds of 9mm, and realized I was shooting the wrong caliber. So I sold the Glock and all my ammo and replaced it with MUCH cheaper 9mm. I can't see a reason to ever go back to .40. Arguing over the "stopping power" of handgun rounds is kind of like arguing over which Kardashian you like the best. Eventually you come to the realization that they all suck.

And I like .45 because, well, John Browning and the 1911. 'Merica!!!

9mm and 9mm
If I feel the need to shoot a handgun over the 9mm/357 diameter I shoot 44SPL.

I have all three (as well as many others).

While I don't mind 40 S&W, I prefer 9mm.

I only recently began shooting 45 ACP and I'm REALLY enjoying that caliber.

I have 9 and 45, but no 40 so voted that way.

Fit, reliability, and utility of the pistol come first. I had a .40 in Walthers PPS. Waaaaaay too snappy. Shot a P-250 in .380. Much too bulky for the caliber. Seems like 9mm is the happy medium. Most .45's are shot from tanks otherwise BEWARE the recoil.

Hey, maybe it is time for a wildcat?

Sorry .40 lovers- 9mm and .45 for me. 9mm for practicality, .45 for fun. I have a couple of .40s- a Hi Point I bought because for $75 buck with a lifetime guarantee why not? A Glock 23 that I inherited and no plans to ever part with it because of sentimental value. It's alright, but my wife has a dodgy wrist and finds it unpleasant to shoot. The lighter recoil of 9mm and the big, soft shove of a full-sized 1911 work for her- in fact she wants a 1911 .45 of her own.