I've decided on the gun, now the caliber (9mm vs. .40)

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nico

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I've decided I'm going to buy a CZ75 SA this week, and so far I've only considered the 9mm. It's mainly going to be a recreational gun that I'm also going to keep bedside. The second part of that has me wondering if I should take a closer look at the .40S&W. I have a good idea of the differences on paper, but I've never fired a gun chambered in .40, and I want something my girlfriend can shoot comfortably (she's starting to get used to my dad's S&W 910). Is .40 that much better than 9mm for defense that it's worth the extra cost of range ammo?

Also, what are some decent HP loads for both calibers for self defense?

edit: just to clarify, thus far, I've put 1200 rounds through my dad's S&W 910 (9mm 4" barrel), so I'm pretty familiar with the caliber. Having a common caliber would be nice too. I'm just trying to decide if I'd wish I had a .40 if the need should ever arise.
 
Though there are folks here that know far better than I, I am not convinced that there is a yawning gap in the effectiveness of most semi-auto pistol rounds. Buy whatever your budget allows you to gain maximal confidence with the gun.
 
And the battle is on - again. Let the fireworks begin.

For what it is worth, I bought my XD9SC because the dealer didn't have any 40SC when they were running the sale.
 
In terms of effectiveness, there's not enough difference between them to make a difference.

The .40 S&W will generally give you a slightly larger permanent cavity (to the tune of about five one hundreths of an inch).

The 9x19 gives greater capacity, quicker follow-ups, and generally lower cost practice. It is also not as hard on the weapon or the shooter as the .40 S&W.

It's your choice. You can't really go wrong with either of them. The GF will proabably find the 9x19 more comfortable to shoot.
 
nico,

When I bought my USP, I had to make the same decision. I decided to go with the 9mm because I could practice a whole lot more with it and given the tremendous range of defensive ammo available in 9mm, I figured I was covered with regards to any social work that might arise.
 
The GF will proabably find the 9x19 more comfortable to shoot.
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that's what I figured. Although my dad's 910 has more felt recoil than the steel 1911s I've fired. In fact, a friend of a friend who happened to be a girl and had been shooting 230gr fmj out of my friend's 1911 tried my dad's gun. After 5 rounds, she put it down and said "that's enough." :)

I guess my purpose for starting this thread was to ask if there's any glaring advantage to the .40 over the 9mm as a defensive round. But I probably should have listened to what I already know.
 
I won't go in to the 9mm VS. 40 S&W battle. I will say that I had a CZ 75S.A. in .40 and it was very accurate. I also have 5 various CZ's in 9mm and they are just as accurate. I sold the S.A. due to ammo costs and just not shooting it as much as the others. Either will be fine but 9mm is cheaper to shoot and practice makes all the difference. Good luck.
 
I'm not familiar with Maryland laws but one thing that convinced me to go with the 9mm is that reliable factory 16rd and 25rd magazines are available for the 9mm.
 
More and more police forces in the United States are using .40 S&W and putting down the 9mm....

If you do decide on the 9mm I say do your homework and carry a good hot +P load and you'll be sufficently armed.....

I couldnt decide between the two myself so I bought both.....drf
 
If you don`t have other guns in this class I`d suggest the 9mm. My CZ-75B 9mm is still one of my favorite guns. Hi caps are cheap and plentiful,practice ammo is super cheap (it loves Win. white box) and there`s plenty of good defensive ammo to choose from. I like and use Speed 124gr.+P GDHPs. With marginal ammo the .40 may have a *tiny* edge in "stopping power" but with top loads I think they`re close enough not to worry about it. The only reason a .40 CZ (CZ-40P) replaced my 9mm as HD gun is that it has a rail for my M3 light. Marcus
 
I would go w/ 9mm for the economics of it. You will get more shooting done firing 9mm than w/ 40 and since this is primarily a recreational firearm, that should translate into more enjoyment! :cool:
 
I agree with 10 ring. My favorite is 10mm but for shooting regularly, 9mm is much cheaper. The new 9mm loads seem to be very effective for a self defense round. Being able to get out and shoot regularly is much more important than caliber in my opinion.
 
Another vote for the 9mm.

Being in Maryland and all, with the crime rate as low as it is and with virtually no chance of a home invasion happening in the Laurel area.....


//sarcasm off

I'd get the 9mm for all the reasons already stated, and the fact that the chances are slim that you'll ever need it for home defense at a distance of more than 15 feet.

I like my CZ40B, but I just haven't really warmed up to the .40 cal much.
 
Being in Maryland and all, with the crime rate as low as it is and with virtually no chance of a home invasion happening in the Laurel area.....
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that one got a chuckle out of me, especially considering that my family has had 3 property crimes (stolen license plates, stolen truck, stolen stone fountain from the front yard) comitted against us in the last 3 years. Not to be too pessimistic, but I'm starting to think it's only a matter of time before somebody tries to let themself in.
 
9mm
Cheaper to shoot
Less recoil for GF
With good +P or +P+ JHPs it is just as effective as the .40

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
 
the 9mm you put twice as many rounds through will let you protect yourself better than just about any other caliber with half the rounds, naturally.
 
I started my larger bore handgun adventure w/ a .40 SW, after spending what seems like hundreds of dollars in ammo to plink w/. I feel I was shorted plinking time w/ the .40 as when I would purchase ammo, I seen that it was twice as much as 9mm.

I have since put on layaway my first 9mm which I will be picking up this month.

BTW my 14yo daughter loves the .40 SW has gotten very good w/ it btw, is not scared of the recoil one bit, and I have the Walther p99 which has alot more muzzle flip than most .40 SW pistols.

If you decide on the .40sw pistol, I would purchase my ammo from walmart as they seem to have the best deal around for any ammo as it is usually 15 dollars a box for 100 of them. and there is now Shipping and Handling charges.

As far as ballistics, I am not an expert on which one is better but... I trust my life w/ my Walther. It has never FTF FTE or anything. It is a true performer. I usually shoot 165grain winchester through it. once in a while it will get some 180 american eagle or 180 remington umc.

So the bottom line is, I went w/ the .40 SW which as a beginning shooter, I felt was a mistake. I paid alot of money to learn how not to flinch lol. I feel if I would have had the 9mm I would have learned my lesson sooner and paid alot less money.

So... if your getting this pistol for your and your girlfriend to enjoy, I would probably get the 9mm and for the carry or home defense carry the + loads. if your pistol can handle it.

If your seasoned and not recoil shy, want to pay almost double for the ammo, then get a .40sw. Either one will bring smiles to your faces. :)
 
I have a CZ75B in both 40 S&W and 9MM. In my experience, and I think it is the experience of others on the CZ Forum, is that the 9MM is more reliable with feeding ammo.

My theory, based on my personal experience and observations, is that the 40S&W is wider, therefor they don't stack directly on top of each other in the magazine. The effect is that the magazine spring is applying pressure laterally as well as vertically. Essentially, the cartridges become wedged in the magazine.

The 9MM is a slimmer cartridge, therefore they double stack, one atop the other, in the magazine. This allows the spring pressure to be applied mostly vertically.

I think that the 9MM is more reliable. I am sure others will argue this, but that is my experience. One thing they won't argue, though, is that the 75B is a very pointable gun.
Mauserguy
 
One thing they won't argue, though, is that the 75B is a very pointable gun.
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definitely. I was planning on getting an XD and looked at the CZ on a whim. The instant I picked it up my decision was made.
 
Mauserguy wrote:

The 9MM is a slimmer cartridge, therefore they double stack, one atop the other, in the magazine. This allows the spring pressure to be applied mostly vertically
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Whoa!

9mm and .40 can, and often do, use the same magazine. That being the case, the .40 would stack more vertically, with less offset than 9mm. That's closer to a single-stack mag, and would have to mean that pressure is applied more evenly (and vertically) in a .40 mag than in a 9mm mag!

I'm one of the regulars on the CZ Forum, and have been for years. I don't remember EVER reading or hearing about feeding problems with the .40 versions of the 75B!

When there are "feeding" problems with the 75B, they most frequently have to do with extraction-issues, like stovepipes, causing the next round NOT to feed. Much of that is 9mm Winchester White Box Value Pack-related. Not the WWBVP in .40. (I think Winchester is changing their 9mm WWBVP cartridge design, so this may become a non issue, too.) Gunk behind the extractor, and weak extractor springs are also a problem.

The CZ-40B, on the other hand, is probably the most trouble-free of all the CZs!! I don't think I've ever heard of a 40B feeding problem. The design is fundamentally 75B (except for the grip), and the mags are the same, except for baseplate, which is cosmetically different on the 40B. The standard .40 mag works in either gun.

I don't remember ever seeing or hearing of 40s have feeding problems that could be attributed to case size. (Fact is, I've never really seen .40s with feeding problems.) In theory, I could see where the blunt nose of the 180 gr. rounds MIGHT cause some feeding issues -- much like a hollow point. But polishing the feed ramp should minimize that.

I also have both 9mm and .40 versions of the 75B.

I don't think your experience with 75B 9mm and .40 guns is widely shared.
 
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I prefer the 40 for myself but for most people I would suggest the 9 it is cheaper and easier to shoot and the effectiveness is very comparable, generally speaking bigger is better but solid hits count much more.
 
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