.45 or 9mm?

[SpecialOps]

Seqoui-- .45 vs. 9mm

Morning,
Personally, either round is a great round with advantages and disadvantages, just like every thing else in this life, lol! Addresing your question about the .45 and your doubts...my .45 is made by Springfield Armory and is a full sized tactical version (DX) it has 13 round magazine and it extremely accurate within 150 yards. Most of the negative feedback you hear re: the .45 can, in my honest opinion, be traced backed to dirty weapons with a failure to adjust the tension and recoil in many of these situations. Listen, I really believe it comes down to what do you want to use it for? For me my useage requirements are all inclusive-- meaning: If my target acquisition is further than 50-75 yards I am not likely to bother shooting at it with a sidearm anyway. Why would I? If i DO have to shoot, I want decent penetration and I want to leave a BIG hole as well as knock down power. IF I have to shoot it 13 times, so be it! It'll be hamburger, no matter what it is, but I will have accomplished what I set out to do, right? I also own a 9mm and I am fond of it also. They are accurate, fast and get decent penetration. Not particularly powerful in terms of knockdown or disabiling your target but again, are you dealing with human targets or something tougher? Personally, if you're having trouble with the accuracy of your .45, take it to a trusted and experienced dealer and have it given the once over, fire premium ammo in it (and contrary to popular belief .45 ammo is very affordable compared to 10mm and some others out there), for recoil, consider either going to a larger frame or maybe see if you can get just a little more time on the range ( I mean no offense there) , the .45 does kick like a horse but you know, half of mastering your personal sidearm is learning to control your reaction to that recoil, right? I would keep your .45, especially for city living. Consider (if you're at a place where you can afford it)something from the Springfield line, you're looking at higher capacity magazines and a very accurate and deadly sidearm that still packs all the punch of that classic weapon and with proper minimal care it can be enjoyed for a lifetime.
Good luck partner

 

[Confederate]

I will say that I think what they force our military to carry more than borders on criminal neglect. I'm a strong advocate of going back to the .45 simply because the 9mm ball ammo has shown itself to be almost useless. At close range, a soldier's best bet will be to seek cover and not engage in firefights with their handguns.

BTW, does anyone know if the Islamofascists use ball ammo in 9mm in their handguns?

 

[Jerry Morris]

Confederate:

When in a fight, you never refuse the fight. You kill, or you are killed. War is for warriors, not goundhogs and ostrich. If close in, you go to the handgun, if no handgun, then the blade. Whatever fits the bill.

Handguns are proven for close in fighting. To say otherwise is a demonstration. And not a positive one. While I prefer the .45, the 9 mm is proven as lethal.

And it seems the terr has an aversion towards an aggressive handgunner. It is said the pistol is viewed as the weapon of the expert assassin.

Jerry

 

[BullfrogKen]

sequoia1321, FYI - 1911's have been made in 9mm, too.


AtillaTheNun, I love that picture and caption. My sentiments exactly.

 

[SilverState]

I hope no one thought I was saying a 9mm can't kill or that a .45acp is required to kill.

Just a while back, I was dealing with an attempt muder case. After speaking to the victim at length, WHO IS ALIVE, reading the medical reports, looking at the crime scene photos, and going back to the crime scene, I found myself wondering how this victim, shot 8 times at close range in the torso with a Glock 26 with alternating ammo (wwb ball and gold dot hp) could still be alive. True the shooter could have used better placement, but EIGHT HOLES IN THIS GUY'S BODY AND HE IS ALIVE.

For me, I will stick to my .45acp for self defense whenever possible. If you guys want to stick with the 9mm, good luck in court when the guy you shot testifies against you...

 

[highlander 5]

45 acp vs 9mm

If iamy be so bold to make some suggestions
1 Iv.e not used the stuff but if your not reloading why not Wolf 45 ammo or CCI Blaser (aluminium case) would be 1/2 to2/3 the price of boxer primerd brass cases
2 Why not try a S&W model 625 4' barrel granted it's not a 1911 but I think you'll find the felt and percieved recoil to be less.
I own 2 1911 a Smith and a Para and a 625 I like them alll very accurate but for memwhen i'm lazy my 625 fills the bill ( I hate looking for my brass)
I will agree with others post shoot whats comfortable for you,you can't hit anything if you are scared to pull the trigger

 

[aspen1964]

the 9mm is a fine auto round, but I just have never developed a taste for it...for a decent sized centerfire auto it is the 45 and nothing else for me...

 

[Jamie C.]

...but EIGHT HOLES IN THIS GUY'S BODY AND HE IS ALIVE.

Hey, SilverState... I have to ask... Would the person have really faired any differently if those holes had been made with .45 cal bullets instead of 9mm ones?
( With exactly the same placement and bullet types )

I'm betting it wouldn't have made much difference, myself.

The fact is, if it's not your day ( or the other fellow's ) to die, it doesn't make much difference what you're shot with, or how many times. Just ask Stacy Lim.


J.C.

 

[Geno]

Where did you read that? Or, where did you experience that?

For fact, I wouldn't want to be hit by either one, and I feel pretty comfortable carrying either. Sometimes I carry both. These 2 articles seem to put this all into a proper, and professional perspective based on factual "life & death experience":

Article #1:
But, I just ran across an interesting article in the Nov./Dec. 2006 issue of "American Handgunner", p. 30. It is titled the "Wilson Combat Carry Comp .45 Dream-Gun". It is a ported .45 ACP 1911 that shoots soft and deadly accurate. Sweet!!! I remain assured to Wilson will soon offer these barrels for after-market purchase. If not, others already do.

Article #2:
But, I also ran across an interesting article in the Nov./Dec. 2006 issue of "American Handgunner", p. 38. It is titled the "Blasphemy & Heresy or How I Became A Heretic". Now THIS article is aimed right square at ALL of these posts. I'll let you all read it for yourselves.

So, how I ironic that I would LOVE to purchase a 1911 in 9mm Luger. That ought to just about sicken all. After all is considered, and people have read these 2 articles, I submit that what we should learn is "control", "accurate hit" and "double-tap". Both calibers got the job done!! Take your choice or 1911 or P35, in .45 ACP or 9mm Luger and use it effectively.

Doc2005

 

[Jerry Morris]

To put it sanely, anyone, who is afraid of recoil from the .45 ACP, is going to be afraid of the 9 mm, likewise.

Afraid? Of the mild .45? I think the recoil of a hot 9 in a light gun feels more authoritive, but still not brutal. Now, the .45 Rowland, or the Super are starting to get there.

Jeeze! Now a J-frame .357 magnum was too much for me! Now this,,,, is over authoritive!

Jerry

 

[SilverState]

bigger holes = more chance of damaging a vital organ/artery

the coroner would be able to tell us more

 

[LanEvo`]

Hello. I have a Rock Island Armory .45 1911 Compact pistol. It was my first gun.

I'm not sure that a compact 1911 is the very best choice for a novice handgunner. As you've discovered, they take skill to shoot accurately and recoil can be brisk. A full-sized 1911 would probably have been a "better" choice.

1. The bullets are too expensive, so I don't get to practice shooting as much as I would like.

Can't argue with that. When it comes to bulk ammo (either ball or reloads), there's no doubt the 9mm is less expensive than .45ACP. When it comes to premium defense rounds, the cost differential is not quite as significant.

2. The magazine capacity is less than 9mm magazine. The max my magazine can hold is 9 rounds.

This is all a matter of perspective. The slim, single-stack magazines of a compact 1911 are easy to conceal compared to the fat, double-stack magazines of a typical 9mm handgun. I'd rather have 6-7 rounds of .45ACP in a slim, easy to conceal package than 10 rounds of 9mm in a fat, bulky pakage. For my body type, it's easier fo me to conceal a compact 1911 than a mini Glock, for example.

If you choose a single-stack 9mm (like a Kahr K9 or H&K P7M8), then you're generally only gaining 1-2 rounds compared to a similarly sized 1911. Again, the difference in capacity is hardly a deal-breaker.

3. .45 has a strong recoil which reduces accuracy in rapid fire compared to 9mm.

This is all a matter of training. Personally, I can shoot better and feel more comfortable with my CZ 97B (a .45ACP) compared to most 9mm's I've tried (mostly Sigs and Glocks). With the right training and practice, a .45ACP is not significantly more difficult to control than a 9mm. This is a training issue...not a caliber issue.

I still have to fire a 9mm. But as far as I can tell, the main advantage of .45 is that it is more effective in bringing down the target IF you hit the target.

If we were talking about mil-surp ball ammo, I'd be inclined to agree. With modern high-end defense ammo, I suspect the difference between a good 9mm+P and a good .45ACP is not so huge.

But your chances of missing with .45 are greater in rapid fire compared to 9mm

Again, this is TOTALLY down to training. It's not a caliber issue at all.

you can generally fire more shots with 9mm. So I'm thinking 9mm is the better option.

If you can conceal a 15 round double-stack mag (and you feel the need to spray lots of rounds downrange) then you have a point. Again, if you plan to use a slim, concealable package like a Kahr K9, you're only gaining a round or two compared to your compact 1911. No real difference.

 

[Johnny Guest]

Ho, Hum - - -

Same stuff, different week.

I can barely use a computer and certainly have no programming capabilities. If I were competent, I'd really like to set up a situation so that:

NO ONE could start a thread, nor reply to one, concerning 9mm versus .45 versus .40 S&W or any combination of these unless there was some means of verifying that the prospective poster had read at least 100 pages (NOT posts, but PAGES) of this type exchange.

Revolver v. autopistol, .38 v. .40-bore, Ford v. Chevy, name any number of purely preferential choices. You'll never convince some people. Those you CAN convince really don't have strongly-held opinions, so what have you accomplished if you DO convince them?

So, I've read three pages of this thread, hoping for some new slant on the topic. None found.

CLOSED.

Johnny