Trying to Decide Between 9mm and .40

I would get the 9.

"9mm or 40"

There are likely as many opinions on this as there are users on this forum. I am a 9mm guy... if I want a .40 caliber, I'll go with the 10mm Auto. The metric system has always made more sense to me.

Kerouac32,

The answer to this question is determined by the most common use of the weapon. I noticed that you said (a) range shooting and (b) self defense. In my opinion, those two purposes call for different calibers. If range shooting and plinking is the primary use, go with the 9mm. It has lower recoil and it is less expensive. It makes for a pretty fun trip to the range because it does not cause hand fatigue as soon. But for self defense I am not a big fan of the 9mm. I have and XD40 Subcompact and it shoots like a champ. Do to the additional recoil/muzzle flip I had to grow accustomed to shooting it, but that only took one trip to the range. As a result, all of my self defense semi-autos are .40 S&W. I chose it because it has a little more stopping power than a 9mm. Why have a "9" when you can have a "10" (.40S&W). But that's just me.

Heavy

If the 9mm SD ammo that is on the market today was available in 1989 the .40 would never have been created. There would have been absolutely no need for it.

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Not entirely sure if that would be true because the 40 was created to mirror performance of the 10mm reduced FBI loads in a smaller case...maybe the 10mm would not have been created and as such the 40 would have never been born though..who knows.

On topic..I like 9s..easier to find cheap ammo, more capacity..and I like that it is a standardized caliber worldwide.

If mainly for target, I would go for the 9 mm. Easier, cheaper

I have a 9mm S&W M&P compact that is cheaper at the range and a SA XD40 sub compact. Go for the XD40, perfect CCW and very relieable and accurate.

9mm with modern HPs is quite adequate for self defense. We can argue all day long about terminal ballistics and 9mm vs .40 vs .45 vs. .50 BMG vs. MX Missile, but I feel perfectly fine with a 9mm and a quality HP. The other advantages it provides are higher capacity, lower price, and more gentle recoil.

Either is good. One is cheaper.

Mike

I have both the XD9SC and XD40. The .40 is new but just as accurate. Hardly noticed any difference in the recoil. I'd say it really comes down to what caliber you want to carry and ammo cost when you go to the range. I prefer the 9 mainly because of its' size.

Kerouac32,

Have you fired a XD yet? If not try finding a shooting buddy with an XD and shooting a couple of mags through one. Once you establish that you actually like the gun picking between a 9mm and .40S&W is easy.

Ask yourself which round you would rather get hit with and buy the other calibre and practice, practice, practice. Go look at the ballistic charts for most any major ammo manufacturer. An optimal .40S&W delivers about 30% more energy than even the best 9mm +P load at any range you are likely to have to use it at.

HTH!

Whoa, wait up there Dude you gotta at least tell us what you decided

golden said:

Several posters have suggested getting an extra barrel for a .40 caliber to 9m.m. caliber conversion.

I think this is incorrect. The different diameters of the cases mean you need a new slide, springs and possibly a new ejector to convert a .40 to 9m.m. along with the mags.

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Not true - I've converted my G35 from .40 to 9mm with none other than a barrel/mag swap and haven't had a single issue. With the conversion barrels I've sene advertised (even for the XD), none of them state the requirement of any additional hardware...

I have gone full circle.
Started with a High Standard 22lr target and Kahr PM9.
Everyone I knew advised against the Kahr due to its small size and lightweight for shoot ability issues. I think I got pretty decent with this pistol.
Next was a Springfield 1911 compact 45acp. Carries nice and shoots well.
Next was an H&K P2000SK 40 s&w LEM trigger. I can put my most accurate and fast strings with this pistol. I got away from the screaming Gold Dot 155’s to GD 180’s for follow up shot speed improvement.
If I really pick up the pace and go for fast strings the order is P2000SK, 1911 then PM9.
The faster I try to go the worse the PM9 becomes.
But it then dawned on me that no matter how fast I shoot the 22 target I make one ragged hole – even at 50ft.
Then I tried a Sig Mosquito with a more carry/defensive trigger pull vs the target trigger pull of the High Standard. With the Mosquito it seemed like I could not miss no matter how fast I pulled the trigger.
So I began looking for heavier 9mm to tryout.
The speed/accuracy of a good heavy 9mm cannot be discounted!!!!
So I an looking at a compromise of 9mm pistols for size/weight.
I find it easier to hide a 4.0” barrel pistol with a short grip than the PM9 because the PM9’s really short overall length. Using an IWB holster the longer slide length cants the rear – butt/grip/rear sight of the pistol into my body better.
Would love to find a steel framed Kahr with 4.0” barrel and 4.0” to 4.5” grip height.
Tried a Sig p239 and did very well with it.
I am seriously considering the Sig p239 –if I could only find one at a reasonable cost!

So I am back to 9mm....

Would love to find a steel framed Kahr with 4.0” barrel and 4.0” to 4.5” grip height.

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Kahr T9 is your answer. Absolutely GREAT handgun. Get one & send it to Cylinder & Slide for a tuning. You'll be de-lighted!