9mm vs .40 Which is better?

[76shuvlinoff]

I own and have carried .380, 9mm, .40, and .45, sometimes .357 and .38 spcl too.

For me the load depends on the day, alignment of stars, and maybe the barometric pressure so I really can't say I am a true fanboy of a particular caliber. I am a believer in shot placement.

I just wanted to say to alaskanativeson that with this post:

issued to the South Australia Police, Wyoming Highway Patrol, Colorado Springs PD, Atlanta PD, Charlotte PD, Iowa State Patrol, The U.S. Coast Guard, Baltimore County Police, Baltimore City PD, Maryland State Patrol, DeKalb County PD, The FBI, Alaska State Troopers, U.S. Border Patrol, Nashville PD, South Bend PD, Victoria PD, Australia Customs Dept, Margate PD, Ann Arbor PD, Lansing PD, Dearborn PD, Hamburg PD, Manchester PD...

That's a lot of issues. There are thousands more. I think these "issues" show disagreement with the post in question.

it is obvious this site needs an applause Smilie,

Well done.

 

[allaroundhunter]

Well, you either get 9 millimeters or you get .40 millimeters. Which would you pick?


Personally, I think you should stick with the big .50

By big .50, I mean one of these:



You have an option for any threat ranging from a rabid troll all the way up to a man-eating zombie. Best of luck to ya.

 

[MuleRyder]

beating a dead horse...

 

[Trad Archer]

40 s@w

 

[stringer87]

Well, you either get 9 millimeters or you get .40 millimeters. Which would you pick?

I would pick whichever was cheaper so you have enough left over to further your education!

 

[76shuvlinoff]

Well, you either get 9 millimeters or you get .40 millimeters. Which would you pick?

Actually I think you get 9mm or 10mm since a mm is a fine frog hair under .040"

I have a drop in 9mm barrel for my XD40sc and I use the .40 mags for 9mm shooting. Occasionally I get a failure to feed so I would never carry it this way but it's ok for plinking. As far as I'm concerned the difference in capacity is a non issue. If I were going to regularly carry a 9mm I would be looking for a single stack not much bigger than my lcp .380.

.02

 

[cocojo]

Both rounds work fine when placement is achieved and both rounds fail when it's not. Both rounds expand to about same diameter and both rounds have about the same energy. The only difference is one milimeter and the 40 bullets can throw a heavier slug. The nine is a lighter slug and a bit faster. It really come down to which one gives you that warm fuzzy feeling that you can hit with accuracy, shoot the fastest and shoot your target with multiple hits, as quickly as possible. Quick accurate placement with multiple hits is what wins gunfights.

 

[Onmilo]

alaskanativeson, I am well aware of the number of Police agencies that have issued the .40 S&W.
I am also well aware of the number who are beginning to trend away from the caliber or at least offer other options to their Officers.

Because a Police agency issues a caliber does not make it a perfect solution and the .40 S&W is a solution to a non existent problem, but my oh my, it did sell some guns when manufacturers needed the sales!

 

[allaroundhunter]

I would pick whichever was cheaper so you have enough left over to further your education!

Actually I think you get 9mm or 10mm since a mm is a fine frog hair under .040"

It was a sarcastic remark for a trolling question. I fully understand that the 9mm is measured in metric units and the .40 S&W in inches...

 

[alaskanativeson]

Onmilo, I'm aware of that. Personally, I have no use for the .40 Short & Weak, if you're going to carry a 40 cal gun, be a man and get a 10mm. However, for practical purposes the 40 S&W isn't going away like the 10mm is, and the benefits of a larger hole and less rounds is offset by more rounds and better accuracy, so it really comes down to a matter of choice, just like the great taste/less filling argument. Lots of LE will continue to use 40 and the civi market is flooded with them, so it's going to remain a viable round, if somewhat more expensive than 9mm will be, or even my choice of .45 Auto in some places. However, if the people wondering about this (other than the myriad of 13 year olds who may just be trolling as opposed to actually learning something) have apreference, that's their business.

 

[nonseven]

10mm is a better caliber but lacks decent choices in handgun platforms.

Well, 10mm is available in a Glock, the world's best handgun, so what's the problem?

 

[gym]

I like all 3 , it depends on what i am dressed in that day.the glock 26 gives me the least weight and size to have to hide, aside from my #2 carry the ruger 380. Then my emp is even slimmer, but 33 ozs unloaded in 40. So that is ok with jeans. And my 45 is a push with the 26, just a heavier gun with similar characteristics. Depends on your mood and destination, either one will do.I shoot my 26 better than my 30, only because I can shoot it faster, the bullet goes in the same place, just takes a little longer to empty. If you train with the 30, as I once did, it is just as fast, and age factors in after 60. I work out every day, so I can still handle these weapons. I stopped for a while and there was a huge difference in hand and upper body strength. I see guys who can't rack the slide on their 1911's in their early 60's.
I always say I never want to get to the point where some 16 yr old can kick my ass. So I think of that when I don't want to work out. And having every disk in my spine damaged it's a tough sell some days. But ain't no way I am letting myself get that weak where I can't fight hand to hand if need be. I can still kick over my head and throw jabs and right hands well enough to hold my own. You can't shoot people sometimes, you need to stay in shape.

 

[918v]

I carry a 40, but I think the 9 is a better round:

It has a tapered case so it feeds more reliably. How? Because the design is such that an undersized bullet is feeding into an oversized chamber. But it all mates up nice and snug when in battery.

It can exceed 40 power when loaded to +P+ specs. In some cases it can be loaded to equal 357 Sig. The brass is immensely strong and can withstand loads in excess of 50000 PSI. Just ask the 9mm Major guys.

It is inherently more accurate than the 40. Been handloading for both using a variety of platforms, and the 9 is more accurate.

9mm guns are more durable and safer. How many 9mm Glocks KB vs 40 cal?

You can fit more 9 in a mag.

You can pick up 9mm brass off the ground for free. There's half your ammo cost right there.

The 9 is a better looking round.

There.

 

[TarDevil]

That does it i just lost my man card. I don't like Bud light or Budweiser as far as that goes. Give me Scotch on the rocks after the guns are cleaned and put away.

You get points for avoiding Budweiser... you must pay penance for pouring Scotch over ice!

 

[SecAmend75]

If only this thread could be reality tv show. If only......

 

[NG VI]

It doesn't matter. The .40 recoils more than the 9mm, the 9mm holds more in the same platform than the .40, the .40 propels a slightly wider and somewhat heavier bullet than the 9mm, the 9mm allows for faster followup shots, which are neccessary with any handgun anyway.

Terminally they perform basically the same, and so does .45, with a shot that connects with the person you are trying to shoot any of those bullets will behave the same way.

The biggest differences aren't between calibers, but between bullet designs. Load up any of them with a current-gen duty-intended JHP (only because some of the 'personal defense' loads are intentionally teh suck, like Federal's 135 grain Hydra-Shock at 1150 feet per second, or Hornady's Critical Defense which is designed to penetrate less than anyone thinks is a good idea, without even giving outstanding expansion in the process) and it will do absolutely fine. Where you put it matters most.

 

[NG VI]

The only difference is one milimeter and the 40 bullets can throw a heavier slug. The nine is a lighter slug and a bit faster.

No, it's not. Loaded with equivalent bullet weights, matched by sectional density, the .40 and 9mm run at exactly the same velocities. A 124+P 9mm is generally loaded to 1200 feet per second, the same as a 155 grain .40 loaded for defense. A 147 grain 9mm is intended for 1000 FPS in most defense loads, the same as a 180 .40. The 135 .40s can hit 1300 feet per scond, just like the +P 115 grain 9mm bullets. .40 is just like 9mm, but a little bit moar.

 

[LawScholar]

It doesn't bother me that people don't care for various aspects of the .40, but I flatly reject in the absence of proof that the round is less inherently accurate than the 9mm.

 

[MuleRyder]

enough already...

 

[David E]

David E, Lackluster accuracy standards, erratic pressure curve, hard to reload & easy to blow a gun up doing so.

Haven't found any of that to be true after 10's of 1000's of .40 rds personally sent down range.

 

[jrdolall]

9mm. Because I have several and don't need to get into another pistol cartridge. I have 9mm, .357, .38 spc, .38+p, .22, .45 and .460 so I dont really need another caliber. Oh yeah don't forget the Makarov.

 

[Coop45]

Is dino oil better than synthetic oil in my motorcycle. LOL!!

 

[MechanicKid]

Man I love this question. 9mm or 40 s&w? Well, modern powder and bullet technology being what it is today, 9mm. Good defense loads and good prices on bulk ammo for training yourself on how to use said ammo. More range time is the goal here!

Glock being best pistol of all time? I will neither agree nor disagree, but if you contact Wade's Eastside Guns in Washington, they may let you shoot their 1st gen 17 which has passed the 1 million (yes that is 1,000,000) round count. All they have ever changed was the springs. Just saying. It would be the military issue handgun if it had an external safety, but another argument for another day.

I own a 10mm for anti-critter usage. State of Missouri has a law that if you see a wild hog and have the capability to kill it, it is your duty to kill it. Some 2 legged critters can get annoying too, in their little import cars (I in no way condone wholesale slaughter of bipeds) Although it came highly recommended for such by a couple of federal agencies back in the day.

I own a .45 for good knockdown at shorter range. Some drug cocktails out there are good at disconnecting the pain sensors from the brain, sometimes you need to hit em with an ash tray. For more info, look up the Phillipine insurrection, the birthplace of the .45 acp, or at least a greatly donating factor.

I am soon to own a 9mm for ccw and all around training. Good hi-cap, low recoil, good for drills and cheap on the ammo.

Regardless, if you put anything from a 22l to whatever hand cannon you have into someone (assuming he isn't armored) said perp will definately take a moment or two to question their life's decisions up to that point. In these moments, maneuver, break contact, or assault through the objective until there is no longer a threat.

Off of my soap box

 

[alaskanativeson]

[QUOTE="NG VI]...the .40 propels a slightly wider and somewhat heavier bullet than the 9mm, the 9mm allows for faster followup shots, which are neccessary with any handgun anyway...[/QUOTE]




Like most of the posts here, a little humor is warranted...

 

[m2steven]

A decent 40 has very nice capacity and obviously hits harder than a 9mm. Followup shots are more difficult unless you really practice.

I carry a 9mm because I can reliably control it and it's cheaper to practice with. I also carry a Glock 32 which is a 9mm/40 cal frankenstein thing and it's the bees knees.