40 s&w vs 45acp

Which do you like more?

  • 45acp

    Votes: 130 55.1%

  • 40 s&w

    Votes: 43 18.2%

  • Both are fine

    Votes: 63 26.7%
  • Total voters
    236
  • Poll closed .
Status
Not open for further replies.
A

Antihero

Member
Joined
Nov 23, 2006
Messages
1,220
So ive never been a 40 fan, i love the 10mm but the gun im thinking of getting isnt available in it, so i had planned on getting a 45acp. Well that kinda changed when i found out that Double Tap has heavy hardcast 40s&w. while this gun is more for fun than defence the option of having hardcast up in my neck of the woods is a nice alternative.

So all things being equal which do you prefer and why?
 
The 10mm can be loaded to .40 performance. I choose the 45 over the 40. It simply works. As a handloader, the brass lasts forever.
 
Good stuff so far, thanks!

Does anyone load a 45acp HC round thats somewhat woods capable?
 
When I was in LE I liked the 40 because it gave me the capacity of a 9mm but having a 40 cal. round. Now that I'm not in LE and my chances of getting into a firefight I carry my good old 1911. My 1911 45acp is like the American Express Card, I never leave home without it, and your right about the 10mm. If it's not broke don't fix it.
 
.40 s&w

90%+ of acp's performance but with 25-50% more magazine capacity in most platorms. It's also cheaper to shoot and has a higher ballistic coefficient when you start comparing similair bullet weights.
 
Interesting topic, I bet it's never been discussed here before.
Click to expand...

I shall take that bet, what was the wager again?

Oh and I choose .45 because it has more momentum which equals better bone breaking capability.
 
Theories....

When Katrina hit, I thought I would grab my CZ-75 because it had more rounds. Yet, in the early days of that fiasco (the eye wall went over us - we were without power for 13 days), I found I wore my EAA Witness in 45ACP on my hip. Though it only had 10 rounds available, I just felt more comfortable with it. It was psychological, of course, but I just plain felt more comfortable with it. I had carried the Witness before, in the woods, as a part of my job, but that was because I wasn't worried about getting it scratched up. I always thought of it as my knock-around pistol. But when push and shove had already gone out the window, that EAA is what went on my hip. Fortunately in Mississippi, we weren't complete idiots - even though we endured the brunt of the storm's assault - and that Witness was off my hip in a day. It got in the way of carrying a saw and, since we were civilized enough to not kill each other, realizing we really had only enough energy to dig ourselves and help each other out of the mess. (The only looting that occurred in my town was at the drug store by some folks from Louisiana who got caught in the act).
 
.40 caliber hands down

I prefer the 9m.m. the most and usually carry one.

Between the .40 and .45ACP, I go with the .40 caliber. I can get a .40 caliber in a 9m.m. size gun and have a much wider choice of firearms. Of all the pistols that I shoot on a regular basis, the BERETTA 96d Brigadier has become my favorite .40 caliber.

It is more accurate than I can shoot. Has greater magazine capacity and more stopping power than the .45ACP (I only use the 155 grain jhp loads).

I also have not found a really reliable lightweight .45ACP and the full size 1911 is just too heavy for daily carry as far as I am concerned.

Jim
 
What guns are you considering?
Usually there is a size difference, but not always.
Examples:
Springfield XD45 compact is a little bigger than the XD40 sc
Kahr PM45 is bigger than PM40

The 40 typically has a greater capacity in comparable size guns.

If I lived where there was the remote chance of an encounter with a bear (I don't) I'd likely carry a Glock 23 loaded with 180 FMJ or a XD45 compact with 230 FMJ. Either is fairly easy to carry, higher capacity, and offers quick follow up shots; penetration, capacity & quick follow up shots would be at a premium.
 
.45ACP is a classic and my personal favorite for auto-loading handguns. Infact all of my auto-loading handguns are .45's. I have to agree with the posts above, should have left the 10mm alone.
 
Both are fine for the job at hand but I like the 45 more because first off it has a traditional pistol it is chambered in and second the recoil is less by my perception.
 
i like the .40. my HD and one of my CCW guns are chambered for it, but both the .40 and .45 work. pick one and go with it.
 
The 40sw/10mm are great for those who can't shoot a 45acp on target, so they need 8 more rounds. For police, the 40sw was better than the 9mm for more power; yet they didn't have enough confidence in 7 rounds of a 45acp. But considering carrying a gun is their job; and they are offensively putting themselves into a situation where magazine capacity could come in useful, the 40sw has some valid arguments. But for the civilian; the bigger 45acp is a better self defense caliber. But if you aren't very good at shooting, then having an additional 8 rounds in the 40sw is probably preferred.
 
I choose the .45, because it is bigger. LOL I do like the .40, but I love a .45 so that is what I carry.


I also have not found a really reliable lightweight .45ACP and the full size 1911 is just too heavy for daily carry as far as I am concerned.
Click to expand...

17.3 oz
 
I own guns chambered in both --- but if I could only have one , it would be the .45acp.
A .45 cuts a bigger wound channel then a .40 and as far as Hi-Caps , my Para-Ordnance's hold a total of 15 rounds of .45acp.


EDIT --- I agree that the 10mm is better then both !!!
 
Ya can't go wrong with either, except ones choice of:

...

I voted both are fine.

Have both, shoot both, both are accurate and will do the job at hand..

40cals, in general, have a bad recoil reputation, however, having 2 of the softest 40cal shooters, one a Beretta Px4 40, and with the rotating barrel, very forgiving in the felt, and active, recoil and the gun comes back on target very nicely, for quick, accurate, follow-up shots.

The other is my Sig P229/40. Felt and active recoil is soft, as well, due to the weight and balance of this gun and how it falls, naturally, back on target for fast, accurate, follow-up shots.

Another bonus of either, depending on what state you live in, are the flush hi cap mags that allow far more rounds, per mag, than my state allows of 10.

45 and 40 cals are the best of both worlds, no matter how ya look at it or shoot it..

OMMV,


Ls
 
Interesting topic, I bet it's never been discussed here before.
Click to expand...

I doubt it has with the hardcast woods defence added to the equation, Did you read that?

What guns are you considering?
Usually there is a size difference, but not always.
Click to expand...

There isnt any difference in size. Its a Hi-Point btw. After reading good things about them i decided to pick up one just for giggles. It wont be in the equation for defence unless something goes terribly wrong, but it might be nice if it was woods gun able. It will mostly be a i-dont-care-about-it range gun.
 
I don't care what caliber you want to shoot, but your choice of hardcast bullets makes me wonder what you are trying to do. If you really want an wilderness gun, there are better caliber choices than .40SW or .45ACP.

What may be good for critters may not be good for humans. Yes, you want penetration, but then you want to maximize tissue destruction for self defense. This is better with a JHP bullet design.

When I hear "hardcast" bullets for SD, all I can think is minimized tissue destruction, non-expansion AND overpenetration danger to others.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

A
  • Locked
Good 40 s&w defence ammo
Replies
22
Views
3K
a4hawk
A
K
  • Locked
.40S&W vs .45ACP In Short Barrel Pistols
Replies
13
Views
3K
45crittergitter
4
Snowdog
  • Locked
Hot Double Tap 200gr WFNGC + Steyr M40 = Decent Trail Gun?
Replies
3
Views
479
MS .45
M
D
  • Locked
40 S&W pistol recommendation
2 3
Replies
54
Views
5K
makarovnik
M
V
  • Locked
Can a 10mm SA be modified to shoot .40 S&W ?
Replies
16
Views
2K
R&J
R
Back
Top