taurus millenium pro in 9mm or .380 for ccw

[tlish]

hi all. i am a short, quasi-wimpy woman looking for a new ccw. i currently have springfield ultra compact in 9mm, but it is too big and heavy for me to conceal comfortably. so, i've pretty much decided on the millenium pro.

now, in what caliber? for reference, i have no problem with 9mm recoil in my sa 1911. also, i can comfortably shoot a few magazines through my husband's kimber ultra carry .45, but my hands quickly grow red, and it's no longer any fun. i recently fired a bersa .380. i thought it had more recoil than my 9mm, probably due to it being a lighter gun, blowback operation, and having only one recoil spring (well, actually, my sa has only one - hmmm.).

so here are my concerns with each caliber.

9mm:
over-penetration (how much should i worry about this?)

recoil (i like to shoot A LOT for fun. i also like to be very familiar with my carry gun. this gun is very light. am i going to be miserable?)


.380
expensive ammo (did i mention i like to shoot a lot?)

not-so-great self-defense round


so, can anyone give me any advice, personal experiences, opinions, etc.?
any input will be appreciated.

thanks,
t

 

[Bobo]

If the main purpose of this gun is CCW I'd be more concerned with under penetration (.380) than over penetration (9 mm).

You can adjust for penetration to some degree with your choice of ammo.

If you can shoot the 9 mm well (fast and accurately) that's what I'd go with.
Secondarily, it would also be less expensive to shoot as a range gun.

 

[ShelbyV8]

They are the same size and weight, so I would go with the 9mm. As said above there is a large selection of different ammo. I have a PT145 and due to grip design I find it very easy to control recoil.

 

[Hypnogator]

Another vote for the 9mm. In the Millennium Pro, the recoil shouldn't be a major issue. Surplus ammo is widely available and as cheap or cheaper than anything except .22LR.

If overpenetration is an issue, carry premium JHP rounds, especially in the lighter bullet weights (95-115 gr).

I have a PT-145 Millennium Pro that I got almost 3 years ago. It's my main "serious social occasions" carry piece.

 

[duncan]

The recoil difference between 9mm and .380 acp should be very close.

For your safety, I recommend you carry at least 9mm.

Overpentration is more of a factor of bullet design. Ball or FMJ bullets can overpentrate with enough velocity.

So long as you are carrying a quality hollowpoint like Hydrashoks, Golden Sabres, Gold Dots, or the like, 9mm should get its 12" and stop.

As the the carrying gun, try several but men and women with smaller hands as like the following:

Glock 26
Springfield Armory XD

I'm just not big on Taurus because they are cloners on the SW revolver line.

 

[KONY]

+1 for all these comments!

 

[gt3944]

+1 more for the millenium pro 9mm, my wife is also short and small handed and she loved it, I own the Pt145 .45acp and I love it..

 

[Pilot]

I also have a Taurus PT145 Millenium Pro and like it a lot. If the PT111 Mil Pro in 9MM is anything like my PT145, I will highly recommend it.

There are other good choices, albeit more expensive from Kahr and CZ.

 

[tlish]

thanks!

thanks for all the input. i was leaning toward the nine, mostly for ammo price. i am still concerned about recoil in such a light gun. does anyone happen to know if it has more or less recoil (to them) than the bersa .380?

hopefully i'll run across a chance to shoot one before i buy - there are no rental ranges in the vicinity.

 

[duncan]

Bersa's have a nice ergonomic feel to them. Had a Thunder in .22lr though.

You can add extra power recoil springs into some of these guns like a Glock 26 to suck up some of the snap for you.

 

[Pilot]

thanks for all the input. i was leaning toward the nine, mostly for ammo price. i am still concerned about recoil in such a light gun. does anyone happen to know if it has more or less recoil (to them) than the bersa .380?

I was concerned about the recoil in the PT145, but it is very easy to shoot and manageable. The 9MM would be even easier. The Bersa is a blowback and even in .380 may be have snappier recoil than a locked breech 9MM like the Taurus.

 

[Jkwas]

Pt111 mil pro all the way.

My wife just got one of these little beauties and man, does it shoot nice. the recoil is very mild, less than a snub revolver or a 380 auto, which we have shot both. The bersa is straight blowback, with the barrel fixed to the frame. It doesn't move back, therefore doesn't absorb any recoil. The pt111 has a clever double spring guide rod that really does the job. The grip is ergo, and the mag release is flush, it's not in the way. The sights are very visible as well. One thing also. The trigger. It's very smooth crisp and predictable, and it's the same pull each time. It shoots more like a revolver than an automatic, and if you get a hard primer, you can just pull the trigger and hit it again with out having to rack the slide. The slide pulls back very easily as well. We have about 170 rnds thru it, and not one malfunction. I'm tempted to purchase another for myself, as my wife will not part with it. No, I don't work for the taurus marketing department. But I'll be willing to bet with all the good press the price of this gun will go up soon, so get one while they're such a good deal.

 

[MisterG]

I owned 2 bersa and I now have a Mil Pro 9mm...

I have owned two Bersa .380s over the years and I love them. I traded up for a Sig .230 a while back though and that's that. I know carry a Taurus Mil Pro in 9mm. I happned to shoot it the other day actually and I may go so far as to say there's less recoil than a .380. Now I know that may sound odd and inaccurate and I'd say it's probably not right. What I probably mean is that the recoil of a .380 is "snappier" while the recoil of a 9mm in the Mil Pro (which is light weight, and that's your concern) is average. I still want to say that the Mil Pro recoil is not as bad as the snappy recoil of the blowback design. That's just my opinion though. I love the Mil Pro and it will be my carry gun until Taurus comes out with a Compact 24/7 OR until they add the rubber gripper finger grooves and SA/DA trigger to the Mil Pro. Then that will be my carry gun. Good luck and Get the Taurus!

 

[Marshall]

+ 7 or whatever on the 12+1 9mm Mil Pro.

 

[KONY]

I love the Mil Pro and it will be my carry gun until Taurus comes out with a Compact 24/7 OR until they add the rubber gripper finger grooves and SA/DA trigger to the Mil Pro. Then that will be my carry gun. Good luck and Get the Taurus!

Amen to that!

 

[Pilot]

Question for you guys familiar with the Taurus Mil Pros. I have the PT145Mil Pro and have never had a failure with it. I have heard these are easy to limp wrist and caue failures. My wife has a tendency to limp wrist some semi autos. Does the PT111 Mil Pro 9MM have this tendency if limp wristed?

 

[KONY]

Question for you guys familiar with the Taurus Mil Pros. I have the PT145Mil Pro and have never had a failure with it. I have heard these are easy to limp wrist and caue failures. My wife has a tendency to limp wrist some semi autos. Does the PT111 Mil Pro 9MM have this tendency if limp wristed?

My PT111MP has never failed to fire due to limp-wristing. I have only had 2 light strikes in the same box of S&B ammo that both fired upon a second strike.

 

[Jim PHL]

Get the '9' and keep the Springfield. (Two guns in the same caliber!) My guess is you may shoot the SA more accurately than the MilPro. (Although the MilPro is plenty accurate enough for a carry gun.) I doubt you will find it to be too 'nasty' recoil-wise, not much, if any, worse than the .380. I do not own one but have heard many good things and zero bad things about the MilPro. (Shot my friends on a couple of occasions.)

If you have to sell the Springfield to fund the Taurus...DIBBS!

 

[tlish]

thank you all so much for the input! i'm now thoroughly convinced to go for the 9mm; that's exactly the direction i wanted to be pushed, too! my husband's happy, too, that i finally made up my mind, and that i'm going with the 9mm (his preference, since i won't take his kimber ultra carry. i know how that will work - an excuse for him to get a cdp! never mind the fact that it's heavier than what i want to carry, has evil lines on the grip, prints with my clothes, etc. i know - i'm so ungrateful.).

don't worry, i'll definitely be keeping the springfield for nightstand duty and range fun! it's lovely - night sights, ambi safety... drool.

thanks again! now i just have to save up and go buy my new mil pro (hopefully soon!!!!)!

t