9 MM or 40 S&W

[257WM_CDL-SF]

i have a 45 id like something different on next pistol maybe a tad cheaper to shoot.but still be effective

 

[mbruce]

I'm starting to sound redundant....with today's conversion guns being mainstream you can have both calibers in 1 gun...

Glock, hk, fn, sw mp, xdm....take ur pick.

 

[DeepSouth]

If you want cheaper to shoot get the 9mm, if want effectiveness keep the calibers that begin with 4.

Now I'll duck and cover.

 

[Nick5182]

for cost-effective, i'd say 9mm. my Beretta 92 has been flawless. 9mm is just an all around fun round.

 

[MidwestRookie]

9mm is nice and easy and fun to shoot...the .40 is just plain fun...9mm is cheaper, but I refused to decide so I have a .40 on layaway.

 

[sxcamaro05]

If you want cheap buy 9mm, if you want peace of mind by 40 S&W. No seriously, both will do you fine. Find a good price and go from there.

 

[Shadow 7D]

Um, try them out, they come in many flavors, and I would be less concerend about caliber than about finding a gun you like, and shoot, a lot.
really people we are talking thousands of an inch here, modern ammo is just as effective in either....

So, as the idiot walking the middle with the white, flag, I'll leave now, with this parting shot
CALIBER WARS ARE PASSE, done, dead, and deader, zombies are less dead than caliber wars.... Now where the hell is that dead horse smiley when you need it.

 

[Armedleprechaun]

I Couldn't agree more Shadow 7D. My two favorite calibers are 45 ACP and 9mm. Both will get the job done, the key is hitting what you're aiming at!

 

[DFW1911]

My favorite caliber is .45 ACP, but I CCW 9mm. As others have pointed out today's ammunition is very reliable and, in my experience, effective.

For CCW weapons I believe caliber wars are as dead as Julius Caesar. They all work if you do your job.

Try several out and see what works best for you.

 

[laguna0seca]

In a gunfight, your rounds will disappear a lot faster than you think. Maybe that extra round or two comes in handy.

 

[Ben86]

Either or, nevermore.

 

[giantmonkey]

get 'em both! personally i buy used guns to compare and them sell them both and buy the won i like new. i'm a nut for the .40 and reloading curbs the cost.

 

[boondockcrain]

I agree with everybody else. The 9 is cheap and will get the job done. If I want big I will go with 45 and skip 40 all together.

 

[blackpowder bob]

I have to agree with everyone. All that matters type of ammo you carry in your CCD.

 

[sarduy]

9mm

 

[.357 magnum]

9mm

The 9mm is more cost effective and still an Excellent Caliber for Defensive Needs. Modern Ammo has brought the Three mainstream calibers much closer to each other in Defensive Effectiveness. [.45-.40-and 9mm]

The Best to All!

Frank

 

[JQP]

A 9mm will cause a serious welt and contusion.

With the .40S&W, there is a greater chance to break the skin, and cause a nasty infection, also.

 

[W.E.G.]

9mm is way cheaper than anything that starts with .4*

I mostly practice with the G17, and I mostly carry the G22.

The G17 is well on its way to paying for itself in ammo costs saved.

 

[wally]

Since where you place the bullet on the target is way more important to the net end result than which particular bullet it happens to be, starting with 9mm so you can practice more to gain proficiency makes a lot of sense.

Once you are proficient, then you can think about bigger calibers and higher power levels.

 

[scandmx5]

40 S&W is my vote
but whatever you're accurate to the point of boredom with should be your choice

 

[Carter]

Here's my idea. Skip the next 5 pages of ranting and raving about which caliber is better, stupid, pointless, expensive, etc and go shoot the two and see which one you shoot better.

I used to love .40, but I shoot 9mm a little better and can afford it more. So thats what I bought. When I can afford to shoot .40 more I may switch over.

 

[Jaywalker]

Which do you shoot best weak-handed or one-handed? Your own firearm becomes the focus of the BG's aim, and statistically, the most common GSW is in the strong hand. Most Officer Involved Shootings show fewer than 25% hits; better figure on that as your own success rate, regardless of how well you think you shoot. Also, even though we think a GSW in a caliber beginning with a "4" is better, medical examiners can't tell the difference between calibers, or whether or not the wound was produced by a hollow point. It just doesn't matter.

That means, even though I like and trust my Kahr, I'm shifting to a high-cap 9 - with reloads.

 

[451 Detonics]

The 40 has no serious advantage over the 9mm with today's defensive ammo. It, the 40S&W, was (and this comes from an industry insider) a marketing ploy. Smith and Wesson had lost a huge part of the law enforcement market to Beretta and needed a way to get it back. They looked at several wildcats and settled on a shortened 10mm and made the caliber a proprietary one by adding their name to it. They "encouraged" several writers to claim it to be the perfect law enforcement caliber and regained a good part of their market. In reality it is better than the 9mm when both are loaded with ball but with a well made hollowpoint they are actually about equal.

As a side this made Ruger so angry they refused to call the round the 40S&W and instead marked their guns with 40 Auto marked on them instead. This was the first of a rush pf proprietary cartridges followed by the 357 Sig and today we have the 480 Ruger, 450 Marlin, 500 S&W, 32NAA and many others.

Bottom line is the 9mm is normally cheaper to shoot, has lower recoil and muzzle flip which allows faster follow up shots, and holds more in the magazine...all without giving up any "stopping power" edge.

 

[Caliper_Mi]

I'm starting to sound redundant....with today's conversion guns being mainstream you can have both calibers in 1 gun...

What is the .45? You may be able to get a 9mm or .40 conversion for your existing gun.

Do you have a .22? That's the king of low cost practice right there.

 

[1stmarine]

I have both in several Glocks and I can tell you both are really easy to shoot and carry.
The 9mm a tad cheaper for shooting. Very accurate and mild recoil. The carry option is Corbon DXP 115gr is the way to go with 91% rating in the Marshall and Sanow, Street Stoppers index. God dots and hydrashocks are great options here too but the Corbon is hard to beat.

Then the 40 cal. sweet! Also easy to shoot (and the Glock Gen4 helps a lot with this one) and plenty of stopping power too. here the way to go for carry is the Golden Saber 165gr JHP with 93.8% in the Marshall and Sanow, Street Stoppers index.

Both casings are great for Defensive and tactical shooting. In the glock the G17 and G22 mags with 17round of 9mm and 15rounds of 40cal. respectively are very popular in any type of defensive pistol / tactical matches.

I love the 9mm but another thing that I like about the 40caliber in the glock is that you can swap barrel with a .357SIG and that is a extremely deadly round. This one mimics quite well the ballistics of the .357 magnum. This is very good through barriers and even body armor with very flat shooting. So the SIG gives you potentially some of the firepower of the Desert eagle but without the bulk, with more rounds, faster handling and less recoil. The great thing is that you can try this for very little and train more with the .40 and carry either.

Overall I am very happy with the 9mm and the .40. I had to choose only one I would say the 9mm and have the corbons for carry.
But if you decide I want to spend a bit more then get the .40cal and then get a .357SIG barrel later on. You got to try this too. Whatever you choose you will be happy. I am pretty sure with the .45 already you do not need more rounds but I like the really flat shooting of the .357 too.

...and do not fiddle with conversions with the gun you carry... Clean it and then fire it with what you carry and then only carry. One reason for having more than one pistol of the same.

Cheers.
E.