One Caliber?

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If all you use your pistols for is defensive purposes, I would say 9mm. Its just an easy gun to shoot, along with the ammo issues you mentioned (assuming things revert back to "normal" one day). I think you should also have a 22 pistol- I sure use mine for training and pest control. I also carry a 40 or 45 as a sidearm when hunting, as either can take care of anything in my neck of the woods much better than a shotgun loaded with #5's turkey hunting.
 
USMC1775 said:
I want to pare down my carry pistols to a single caliber, between 9mm, .40S&W, and .45acp. Which do you think is the best single caliber and why?
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Staying strictly within your parameters. I go with 9mm.

If it ever happens again - it'll be the only one significantly available surplus.

I've killed LOTS of coyote clean and efficiently with it and know two fellas who carefully deer hunt with it.

Can be taken down to just-cycling mild loads and in many platforms rebarrelled up to my favorite 9x23.

What it *might* give up to the other two can more than be made up for in conveniences in the sourcing of; magazines, projectiles, barrels, capacity, etc...

Making the decision between those three wouldn't even be a bump in the road for me. 9mm every time that weird particulars are not inserted into the equation.

Todd.
 
Riomouse911 said:
9mm carry pistols can run the gamut from subcompact to duty-sized and retain sufficient rounds on board, control-ability and effectiveness to keep a shooter confident in their chosen guns as they age. Good self defense rounds can be had for micro pistols that won’t beat a shooter up, plus one could go for +p “duty” rounds with larger framed pistols and still not suffer from a lot of recoil.
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There's a great point. Regardless the odd outlier that a fella can throw into the mix - 9 is more than fine from micro-9s to fantastic pistol-magazine carbines. BIG factor for a lot of folk - that platform versatility.

Todd.
 
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@USMC1775
If you are paying down to get rid of pistols for whatever reason I would also go with 9mm. But, there is always a but, one must consider that in these times one kind of ammo or the ability to reload one kind of ammo might be a problem regarding acquistion of that ammo.
I would consider pairing to 2, not 1.

I would pick 9mm and .40 S&W.
Why? Because 9mm Luger and .45 ACP are hands down the most popular ammo choices for SD and HD right now. .40 S&W is further down the list, probably behind .357 Magnum and .38 Special. Therefore it may be easier to find than 9mm and .45. Also, there is starting to be a lot of .40 S&W “surplus” ammo finding its way into the market. Lots of federal agencies are surplussing ammo that they bought lots of during the Obama years and also lots of these agencies switched back to 9mm. There should be a lot of .40 on the market soon. “Should be” - key words there.

We have no idea what’s going to be happening in the future. I would not limit myself in selection right now if I could keep from it.
 
Well I primarily carry a 10mm with handloads so.....

Truth be told, if I HAD to consolidate my SD guns to one cartridge/caliber, it would be a 40. The 9mm will certainly get the job done. I know I wouldn’t want to be shot by one. And the extra few round capacity is nice (depending on the firearm). The 40 just has more of what I want, but don’t necessarily need.
 
Do you intend for it to be primarily for defensive/weapon type use or do you lean more towards pleasure type use with it being a weapon as a secondary characteristic?

The reason I ask is because any of the martial calibers will make for a perfectly adequate weapon but YOU might ENJOY one more then the others or enjoy a platform more suited to a certain caliber. If that is the case pick the caliber that blows your proverbial skirt up the most and has the toys that interest you the most.

If it is purely for a self defensive/serious social type purpose go 9mm. It is the most balanced of the offerings and gives you the widest range of platform sizes. It powerful enough, tends to fit many rounds into a magazine, is accurate enough, cheap enough, reliable enough and capable enough. It’s not perfect and is more of a Jack of all trades caliber but for a purely martial need/want it’s hard to beat.

Truth be told for me, if pressed, I would go .45 AARP errr ACP :) not because of some mythical hammer of Thor ballistics, simply because I really like the round and there are a wide variety of platforms that shoot it that I like, but I fall primarily in the hobbiest camp.

I am, however, greatly disheartened that the faithful servants of the church of the 10mm have not yet come to preach the good word. Come on guys.......slacking. :p.
 
If this is going to be a long-term decision, keep aging in mind. The mathematical free recoil energy of the cartridge is not the only factor. The weight of the weapon, how it fits the hand, and the height of the bore axis, are all involved. I, and plenty of my middle-aged LE colleagues, who were/are enthusiastic shooters, including most of the instructors, switched to 9mm duty pistols, from .40 S&W and .45 ACP, as soon as the chief OK’ed 9mm to be an alternative duty cartridge.

My hands differ from other folks’ hands, but this is what happened, in my case. Notably, I had fired too many big-bore Magnums, during the Eighties, using N-Frame revolvers in my K/L-Frame-sized hands.

My 50th birthday “gift,” in 2011, from my high-bore-axis SIG P229 pistols, chambered for .40 S&W, was quite a wake-up call, a sudden worsening of what had been mild arthritis. I had to keep carrying .40 S&W on duty, but I switched most of my training to my .22 LR S&W Model 17-4 DA revolver. I considered switching to a different .40 pistol, that was on the list of approved duty pistols, but with a lower bore axis than the P229. I was told, however, that the chief was about to approve 9mm as an alternative duty pistol cartridge. I kept only my railed P229R DAK, to carry at work, and sold my extra .40 P229 pistols. The SIG DAK trigger is much like a DA S&W revolver trigger. The rail, itself, adds weight, and I could add more weight by attaching a Surefire X200 or X300 light. I always kept a light on the rail, while shooting .40 through my SIG DAK, and kept the sessions short.

Notably, I was able to continue shooting an all-steel, full-sized 1911. The 1911 has a relatively low bore axis. In 2012, I added a 9mm Glock G17, and found that shooting it was not a problem. The next year, I added a 9mm Glock G19. It was not nearly as comfortable as the G17, but, it did not hurt. I added another G19, the next year, and another G17, the next year, 2015, when my chief finally OK’ed 9mm duty pistols. I started carrying a Glock G17, at work, and during most personal time.

In 2017, I aged-out of being able to keep shooting the “compact” 9mm Glock G19. At my October qual, I happened to shoot my pair of G19 pistols, during my first trip to the range. Eighty rounds, fired right-handed, produced swelling, that lasted about a week, and pain that lingered for almost two weeks. In late October, I returned to qual with my G17 and 1911 pistols. No pain; no swelling. Looking around the internet, I saw that I was not unique, in having to set aside compact 9mm pistols, due to the effects of advancing age. I sold my G26 to a rookie colleague, that year, and did not fire my G19 pistols after 2017. I cleaned my total of three G19 pistols, and put them away. (In 2020, I finally traded the G19 pistols.)

I could, and can, continue to shoot the full-sized-grip G17 pistols, and the similarly-large, all-steel, 1911 pistols, with my right hand. Same with revolvers, that have full-length grips, though I reserve the more-energetic-level ammo for my healthier left hand. Applying my serious-amateur-level kinesiology to my issue, it looks like that if the rear of a handgun’s grip reaches the “heel bone” of my right hand, it remains shoot-able, with no noticeable ill effect. I do, however, keep range sessions short.

To be clear, I do not “blame” .40 S&W, for anything. And, I am not saying that .40 “kicks worse” than .45 ACP. My .40 and .45 pistols are of differing weights, different widths, in the grip area, and, the SIG has the higher bore axis, which provides more leverage for the it to work against my hand, during muzzle flip. An apples-to-apples test would be to shoot 1911 pistols, with identical frames, but with one having a .40 upper, and the other having a .45 upper, and, importantly, both upper units weighing exactly the same.

Sorry for writing a book, but, hopefully, something about my situation might help others understand something about their situations.
 
USMC1775 said:
I want to pare down my carry pistols to a single caliber, between 9mm, .40S&W, and .45acp. Which do you think is the best single caliber and why?

I'm leaning toward 9mm because of variety, price, and reliability.
Click to expand...
I went the 9mm route. LC9, Glock 19 and Ruger PCC 9mm. Looking to add a 9mm revolver.
 
I have way too many carry guns that I love to even contemplate one caliber. Of all 9mm is probably imo best but if I could only have one gun in one caliber it would be a PPK in 7.65.
 
Rexster said:
If this is going to be a long-term decision, keep aging in mind. The mathematical free recoil energy of the cartridge is not the only factor. The weight of the weapon, how it fits the hand, and the height of the bore axis, are all involved. I, and plenty of my middle-aged LE colleagues, who were/are enthusiastic shooters, including most of the instructors, switched to 9mm duty pistols, from .40 S&W and .45 ACP, as soon as the chief OK’ed 9mm to be an alternative duty cartridge.

My hands differ from other folks’ hands, but this is what happened, in my case. Notably, I had fired too many big-bore Magnums, during the Eighties, using N-Frame revolvers in my K/L-Frame-sized hands.

My 50th birthday “gift,” in 2011, from my high-bore-axis SIG P229 pistols, chambered for .40 S&W, was quite a wake-up call, a sudden worsening of what had been mild arthritis. I had to keep carrying .40 S&W on duty, but I switched most of my training to my .22 LR S&W Model 17-4 DA revolver. I considered switching to a different .40 pistol, that was on the list of approved duty pistols, but with a lower bore axis than the P229. I was told, however, that the chief was about to approve 9mm as an alternative duty pistol cartridge. I kept only my railed P229R DAK, to carry at work, and sold my extra .40 P229 pistols. The SIG DAK trigger is much like a DA S&W revolver trigger. The rail, itself, adds weight, and I could add more weight by attaching a Surefire X200 or X300 light. I always kept a light on the rail, while shooting .40 through my SIG DAK, and kept the sessions short.

Notably, I was able to continue shooting an all-steel, full-sized 1911. The 1911 has a relatively low bore axis. In 2012, I added a 9mm Glock G17, and found that shooting it was not a problem. The next year, I added a 9mm Glock G19. It was not nearly as comfortable as the G17, but, it did not hurt. I added another G19, the next year, and another G17, the next year, 2015, when my chief finally OK’ed 9mm duty pistols. I started carrying a Glock G17, at work, and during most personal time.

In 2017, I aged-out of being able to keep shooting the “compact” 9mm Glock G19. At my October qual, I happened to shoot my pair of G19 pistols, during my first trip to the range. Eighty rounds, fired right-handed, produced swelling, that lasted about a week, and pain that lingered for almost two weeks. In late October, I returned to qual with my G17 and 1911 pistols. No pain; no swelling. Looking around the internet, I saw that I was not unique, in having to set aside compact 9mm pistols, due to the effects of advancing age. I sold my G26 to a rookie colleague, that year, and did not fire my G19 pistols after 2017. I cleaned my total of three G19 pistols, and put them away. (In 2020, I finally traded the G19 pistols.)

I could, and can, continue to shoot the full-sized-grip G17 pistols, and the similarly-large, all-steel, 1911 pistols, with my right hand. Same with revolvers, that have full-length grips, though I reserve the more-energetic-level ammo for my healthier left hand. Applying my serious-amateur-level kinesiology to my issue, it looks like that if the rear of a handgun’s grip reaches the “heel bone” of my right hand, it remains shoot-able, with no noticeable ill effect. I do, however, keep range sessions short.

To be clear, I do not “blame” .40 S&W, for anything. And, I am not saying that .40 “kicks worse” than .45 ACP. My .40 and .45 pistols are of differing weights, different widths, in the grip area, and, the SIG has the higher bore axis, which provides more leverage for the it to work against my hand, during muzzle flip. An apples-to-apples test would be to shoot 1911 pistols, with identical frames, but with one having a .40 upper, and the other having a .45 upper, and, importantly, both upper units weighing exactly the same.

Sorry for writing a book, but, hopefully, something about my situation might help others understand something about their situations.
Click to expand...
I hear you. I added the line on my post “as we age” after literally having a conversation that morning with a peer who was selling his Xd subcompact .45. He said he’s selling because the recoil of the gun “is making my arm bones hurt” after a few shots. (The guy is an in-great-shape 45 year old.) He likes his 1911’s, but has realized with age that the little poly framed Xd just didn’t work for him anymore.

I have a S&W 4013 that I shot for the first time in years a couple weeks back. Even with my 30-year lack of enthusiasm for the Smith Gen 3 DA/SA triggers, I was surprised at the snappiness of the gun compared to the 9mm Glocks (and .45 1911’s) I’ve been shooting. In all honesty it became a bit of a chore to finish the box of 50 with it...and this was my EDC gun for North of a decade :(.

Age, aging and injury certainly can play a huge factor in why we move from one caliber or style of gun to another. Based on the three options the OP presented, the 9mm seemed to be the best fit for the short and long term. :)

Stay safe.
 
If talking about cartridge 9mm because of technology (loads, powders bullets), versatility 93gr - 165gr, cheap (economies of scale), plentiful (range brass is commonplace), higher capacity magazines

If talking about caliber .40 because 40 S&W for self-defense and 10mm for woods/field carry makes a lot of sense.
 
MCFLYFYTER said:
For 20 years I have hated the .40, but I am now carrying it as a happy medium because 9 doesn't have a lot of energy, and 45 doesn't have a lot of capacity. Now that I think about it, I started liking the 40 just after I got my first 10mm.

If you carry only little guns, go 9mm. If you carry a fighting size pistol go 40. If you have a small wiener go 45.
Click to expand...

Not sure what wieners have to do with anything. By the 21st Century, most duty and premium defensive ammo was loaded to achieve a very similar terminal ballistic result. I might as well pick the cartridge which is more enjoyable. If I know that I need to go to a gunfight, I am going to grab a Benelli M2, anyway.

I didn’t worry too much about ammo capacity, while policin’ the mean streets of Houston, Texas. I was eligible to carry an auto-loader on duty, as early as 1985, and I did tote a few autos on duty, for a total of about 3.5 years, in the 1985 to 1993 time frame, but tended to default back to duty revolvers, until 1997, when I made the final switch to autos, and even then, single-column-mag 1911. The major reason for the final switch to duty auto-pistols was the amount of real estate on the duty belt. My belt size remained the same, throughout my almost-34-year career, while the amount of duty gear increased. Ammo for revolvers takes up more area, on the belt. I did not get onto the double-column .40 wagon until 2002, and then, only reluctantly, as the then-mandated duty holster interfered with obtaining a proper firing grip on a 1911.

Even when we were taking full-auto fire, from a “Mac 10” type of weapon, I did not feel that ammo capacity was an issue. I had two .41 Magnum revolvers, and the bad guy surely was doing a lot of missing. (Other officers were in my line of fire, so I did not shoot, during that incident.)

Notably, I have tended to tote a second gun, while on duty, and during much personal time. This has been independent of whether the “primary” weapon was a revolver, a single-column-mag auto, or a wide-body auto. A broken part, found rattling around inside a duty handgun, made me somewhat religious about second guns.

Also notable is that I only needed to fire one defensive shot, (Full-pressure .357 Magnum 125-grain JHC) during the above-mentioned LE career, most of which was street patrol.

My earlier reply post detailed why I set aside .40 S&W, by my mid-fifties. That leaves 9mm and .45 ACP, which I use in full-size-grip 9mm Glocks, and full-sized, 5”, all-steel .45 ACP 1911 pistols. Little guns now hurt, to shoot. Full-sized pistols are more orthopedic. My clumsy fingers tend to fumble 9mm ammo, as I try to stuff it into Glock magazines. (Yes, the loading tool helps.) It is easier to load the larger .45 ACP ammo into 1911 mags. So, handling .45 ACP ammo is more enjoyable.

If I were to have to shoot, indoors, in an emergency, without hearing protection, .45 ACP is kinder to my ears, than 9mm +P or .40 S&W. Most .45 ACP duty ammo has less distracting muzzle flash than most 9mm +P and .40 S&W. At an indoor range, with hearing protection, I find .45 ACP more enjoyable.

Realistically, I like the Glock G17, when shooting lefty, and the 1911, when shooting righty. I have yet to find an ambidextrous safety, for the 1911, that I really like. I am functionally ambidextrous with most handguns, but my left hand deals better with the quirky Glock trigger. (I write lefty.) So, I enjoy 9mm and .45 ACP. I still don’t understand what wieners have to do with anything. ;)

Actually, with panic-demic conditions curtailing our range visits, anyway, all of this talk of 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP is moot, for me, anyway, as long-stroke DA is my least-perishable trigger skill. I have defaulted to .38/.357 revolving pistols, for real-world carry and other uses. ;)
 
Rexster said:
Not sure what wieners have to do with anything. By the 21st Century, most duty and premium defensive ammo was loaded to achieve a very similar terminal ballistic result. I might as well pick the cartridge which is more enjoyable. If I know that I need to go to a gunfight, I am going to grab a Benelli M2, anyway.

I didn’t worry too much about ammo capacity, while policin’ the mean streets of Houston, Texas. I was eligible to carry an auto-loader on duty, as early as 1985, and I did tote a few autos on duty, for a total of about 3.5 years, in the 1985 to 1993 time frame, but tended to default back to duty revolvers, until 1997, when I made the final switch to autos, and even then, single-column-mag 1911. The major reason for the final switch to duty auto-pistols was the amount of real estate on the duty belt. My belt size remained the same, throughout my almost-34-year career, while the amount of duty gear increased. Ammo for revolvers takes up more area, on the belt. I did not get onto the double-column .40 wagon until 2002, and then, only reluctantly, as the then-mandated duty holster interfered with obtaining a proper firing grip on a 1911.

Even when we were taking full-auto fire, from a “Mac 10” type of weapon, I did not feel that ammo capacity was an issue. I had two .41 Magnum revolvers, and the bad guy surely was doing a lot of missing. (Other officers were in my line of fire, so I did not shoot, during that incident.)

Notably, I have tended to tote a second gun, while on duty, and during much personal time. This has been independent of whether the “primary” weapon was a revolver, a single-column-mag auto, or a wide-body auto. A broken part, found rattling around inside a duty handgun, made me somewhat religious about second guns.

Also notable is that I only needed to fire one defensive shot, (Full-pressure .357 Magnum 125-grain JHC) during the above-mentioned LE career, most of which was street patrol.

My earlier reply post detailed why I set aside .40 S&W, by my mid-fifties. That leaves 9mm and .45 ACP, which I use in full-size-grip 9mm Glocks, and full-sized, 5”, all-steel .45 ACP 1911 pistols. Little guns now hurt, to shoot. Full-sized pistols are more orthopedic. My clumsy fingers tend to fumble 9mm ammo, as I try to stuff it into Glock magazines. (Yes, the loading tool helps.) It is easier to load the larger .45 ACP ammo into 1911 mags. So, handling .45 ACP ammo is more enjoyable.

If I were to have to shoot, indoors, in an emergency, without hearing protection, .45 ACP is kinder to my ears, than 9mm +P or .40 S&W. Most .45 ACP duty ammo has less distracting muzzle flash than most 9mm +P and .40 S&W. At an indoor range, with hearing protection, I find .45 ACP more enjoyable.

Realistically, I like the Glock G17, when shooting lefty, and the 1911, when shooting righty. I have yet to find an ambidextrous safety, for the 1911, that I really like. I am functionally ambidextrous with most handguns, but my left hand deals better with the quirky Glock trigger. (I write lefty.) So, I enjoy 9mm and .45 ACP. I still don’t understand what wieners have to do with anything. ;)

Actually, with panic-demic conditions curtailing our range visits, anyway, all of this talk of 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP is moot, for me, anyway, as long-stroke DA is my least-perishable trigger skill. I have defaulted to .38/.357 revolving pistols, for real-world carry and other uses. ;)
Click to expand...
Forget about the wiener for a moment. It was obvious a joke, I just didn't realize people here would enjoy pondering a wieners role in cartridge selection.
 
I've never thought there was much utility in trying to own a minimal number of calibers. If anything the ammo issues we've seen in the last year has pushed me in the opposite direction.
 
USMC1775 said:
I want to pare down my carry pistols to a single caliber, between 9mm, .40S&W, and .45acp. Which do you think is the best single caliber and why?

I'm leaning toward 9mm because of variety, price, and reliability.
Click to expand...
Which of the guns
-are most reliable?
-are the most fun to shoot?
-You are best, most accurate with?

BTW-there is no such thing as 'best single caliber' or 'best single gun'...etc...
 
Lol. The thread premise makes a great textbook debate from three years ago. And the answer, from a standpoint of cost/versatility would have been 9mm.

Except many many people came to the same conclusion, which is why 9mm ammo is the first thing to disappear in a panic and availability will be spotty for a good while to come.
 
TTv2 said:
With the massive surge in demand, IDK if 9mm prices are ever going to go back down because IDK if demand is ever going to come down, at least not for 4 years, maybe more.

If 9mm stays at $30-$40 a box, but .40 and .45 come back down to $15 or $20 because demand for those calibers is lower, who is going to pay double to shoot 9mm?
Click to expand...
Yes, I have 3 9mms and 3 .45 ACPs and zero .40s. Never found a need for one, as I also have 2 10mms-same caliber, only better. In fact the best and most versatile auto-cartridge, IMO. However, I've always said if the price of .40 and 9mm ever transpose, I'll have a new cartridge to entertain.
 
TTv2 said:
With the massive surge in demand, IDK if 9mm prices are ever going to go back down because IDK if demand is ever going to come down, at least not for 4 years, maybe more.

If 9mm stays at $30-$40 a box, but .40 and .45 come back down to $15 or $20 because demand for those calibers is lower, who is going to pay double to shoot 9mm?
Click to expand...

They'll eventually come back down, or at least they won't stay higher than .40 or .45 I don't think, and as a reloader they still take less powder and even now projectiles are a bit cheaper (when you can find em). If anything, assuming the crunch continues you'll see less and less of "other" calibers as companies change production to keep up with demand, I'd expect to see .40 and .357 sig getting increasingly rare.

As for condensing to a single caliber, I wouldn't want to do that fully, I get bored only reloading one caliber. But if ya did, 9mm is a nice round for SD, easy to carry and shoot, easy to shoot fast and effective with proper bullets. Assuming you don't need to hunt with it and don't live in Grizzly land (even so hardcast 9mm have been shown to be effective) the 9mm is a good caliber to standardize on.

I sort of started that process but just can't quit .45 ACP. I have an almost emotional attachment to big ol fat and slow, especially when reloading. No idea why but loading .45 makes me smile while loading 9mm feels more like a chore. Makes no sense on account of it being the same exact process, but who can explain matters of the heart.
 
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