Help from experiened 45 & 9 shooters... trying to decide.

[Sean Dempsey]

I have a XD Subcompact 9. It is fine, I like it, I like the size, its a secret gun, I don't need a huge caliber.


On an impulse, I bought a XD 4" 9mm, sorta so me and the wife could have (almost) matching 9mm... same ammo, same gear, all that.

But recently, I've been lusting over the XD .45. Especially since I already carry a 4" XD, I'd use the XD45 as my CCW gun and as my "middle of the night" nightstand gun.

But then I read so much about "caliber not as important as placement" and such, and I wonder if my 9mm is just fine, and I don't *need* a 45.

I suppose I want the 45 for two reasons 1) "just because" factor... I have 2 9mms and a 357 mag, time for a .45 2) perceived stopping power.

reason 1, yeah, I can wait til christmas or my birthday. But reason 2, hell, I read opposing views on the stopping power of different calibers and what you need to ccw and don't need.

Anyone want to weigh in on this?

 

[Vern Humphrey]

There is no definitive answer. People will give you their philosophies. My own philosophy is, "It's the hole that kills. The bigger the hole, the better."

Now, shot placement is critical -- but I'm not sure I can guarentee shot placement in a real life encounter. If you look at actual gunfights, you see you'd be doing well to get just one hit, anywhere in the body.

So I carry a .45 (in my case, a Kimber Classic, a full-size M1911.)

 

[progunner1957]

+1000 on what Vern said. That's why I carry a Springfield Armory TRP 1911 in .45ACP.

One good thing about 9mm is that ball ammo is about 1/2 the cost of .45ACP ball ammo - you can shoot 2X as much for the same cost.

Shoot ball in the XD9 for practice, but carry the XD in .45ACP with some good high performance defense ammo - 13+ 1 rounds of .45 HP is a very comforting thing!

There ya go - the best of both worlds!

 

[up_onus]

Get it because you want to!

Why not? The more the merrier....

 

[Vern Humphrey]

When it comes to cost, I cast my own bullets and reload. My local tire dealer gives me wheel weights for free and I have a Lee 6-cavity mould. I worked up a load that shoots to the same point of impact as my carry load, and shoot reloads for practice.

 

[Ian111]

"caliber not as important as placement" and such, and I wonder if my 9mm is just fine, and I don't *need* a 45.

Very true. 9mm is just fine for people who don't have delusions about relative handgun stopping power and believe proper mindset and training is more important.

But, although you may not "need" a .45. It sounds like you want a .45. And that is reason enough. My 9mm's are just fine. But I much prefer to shoot .45's at the range. Esp. out of a good 1911.

 

[Rexrider]

Personally, I don't need any further justification beyond the "just because" factor. A "just because" purchase is good for the soul.

All else being equal......
A 45acp hole is still bigger then a 9mm hole.

You like it? You want it? Go get it! Live a little (as long as the bills are paid first).

 

[Jamie C.]

I suppose I want the 45 for two reasons 1) "just because" factor... I have 2 9mms and a 357 mag, time for a .45 2) perceived stopping power.

The first reason is the only one you really need.

The second reason, perceived stopping power, is... well... no reason at all, really. It's just the kind of stuff that keeps places like this going, and the gun rags in business.

The bottom line is, you want a new gun, and you have the money for it... buy it.


J.C.

 

[CSA 357]

I think every red blooded american should own a 45 auto ! go on and get it man ! i carry a 45 every day and im not puttin the 9mm down but i like big bullets , even if they dont open up , they go in 45 and out 45, just my thoughts on it, *csa*

 

[Gary G23]

Reason #3:
The 45 is not as loud as the others. If you have to use it inside your house you won't suffer as much hearing loss. Good enough reason for me.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

That's a pretty encouraging response. If desire is enough, I think the XD 45 is the next addition to my mini-collection.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Shoot ball in the XD9 for practice, but carry the XD in .45ACP with some good high performance defense ammo - 13+ 1 rounds of .45 HP is a very comforting thing!

Couldn't have said it better myself!

 

[Cousin Mike]

.45 Automatic Colt Pistol

Hi Sean. Nothing I can really add, except I've shot a few XD pistols, one being the .45 - and I really liked the way it handled the .45ACP. I own a couple .45's myself, and a 9mm, and I much prefer to shoot my .45's at the range. As for 'stopping power' - 9mm is fine for self defense, but I'm also one of those "the bigger the better" types, so I like the .45 for SD that much more as well. No reason not to get one if you ask me. You might want to get two though, because your wife might end up taking yours over.

I think every red blooded american should own a 45 auto !

Amen. Let us know how you like your new gun when you get it.

 

[Chupacabra]

Every gun owner needs a 45! It's a fun round to shoot, and it is adequate for self defense.

It's hard to argue with either 13+1 in 45ACP or 15+1 in 9mm. Just carry whichever one you shoot the best. Personally, I like both 9mm and 45ACP and I feel comfortable carrying a gun chambered in either caliber.

 

[loki.fish]

I own 2 9mm and 1 .45.....I plan on picking up an XD.45 and a 1911 by the end of the year. I don't engage in the caliber wars....a piece of metal flying at atleast 850fps is gonna make somebody bleed one way or another. The psychological factor is gonna save you more often than the physical factor. Get what you want, obviously it's the XD.45. Then get your wife one too, keep the matching pairs

 

[Panthera Tigris]

I got rid of my .45s because I simply cannot handle the larger caliber. I have aging, weakened hands and I'm much quicker with 9mm and 38 Special while remaining accurate. With the .40 and .45, I could only shoot accurately if I shot very very slow. Great for targets, but not too great for self defense situations.

So I stick with the 9mm.

 

[10-Ring]

Get BOTH! Then there would be no wondering if you did the right thing & you'd have both of the guns you really need
Good luck selling that one to the misses

 

[Ichiro]

Whatever you get, feed it and take care of it. Guns need exercise and care like the rest of us.

 

[TimboKhan]

My philosophy is that you should shoot what works best for you. If you can shoot your 9mm well, then no, you don't "need" a bigger caliber. Still, I have had the displeasure of having a 9mm pass through me. I am convinced that if that same bullet had been a .45, I would be dead. Its not that the 9mm didn't cause plenty of damage so much so as that I think that given the range I was shot at, the transfer of energy from the .45 to me would have been substantially more devastating. That experience kept me off of 9mm's for a long, long time. Recently, I have come back around to the caliber because I find that I shoot it well, and because its cheaper, I shoot it more often. Like Vern Humphries, I don't think I can guarantee shot placement in stress, but at this point I honestly feel like I have a better shot at it with the 9mm, which almost hurts me to say because I flat out love shooting .45's. I will go to my grave believing that the .45 is a better round than the 9mm, but my nightstand and my truck gun are both 9mm. Its a confusing world that I live in.

 

[psyopspec]

It's a tough balance, and I've gone back and forth between calibers and guns myself over the years. The principle I try to go for is a balance between
1) The highest caliber I can manage in a balance of speed and accuracy.
2) What I feel comfortable trusting my life to.
Were it soleley the above, I'd strictly be a .45 owner. The monkeys that get thrown into the wrench from here are:
3) Shooting platform - I have yet to find a .45 that's as comfortable in my hand as the 9mm's i shoot most accurately (though I must say I'm enjoying the search - XD45 tomorrow!).
4) Cost - I can shoot a lot more 9mm on the same budget.

 

[1911user]

That's a pretty encouraging response. If desire is enough, I think the XD 45 is the next addition to my mini-collection.

Did you honestly expect people here to try to convince you NOT to buy a new gun?
Shoot what makes you happy.

 

[Sean Dempsey]

Shoot what makes you happy.

It's becoming an addiction. I've got that sorta "collector" mentality... crap if I had more money, I'd have 1 gun of every type that I like or am curious about, and then a whole identical set of them to not shoot and just have for display

Right now what would make me most happy is:

XD-45 Bitone
Springfield 1911-A1 Tactical Combat Black Stainless Steel
XD Subcompact .40
Some sort of concealable revolver (S&W probably)

That's at least 2500 right there. Can someone call my wife acting as an insurance salesmen and get 2500 out of her? I mean... this is considered a form of insurance, right?