What's a fellow to do?

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Hometeached1

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I've been reading up on the FBI and many PD's switching to 9mm and that got me thinking. (not a good thing.) So anyway, I carry a duty sized DA/SA single stack .45 in the winter and a compact version in the summer with a snub model 10 for "deep" concealment. I shoot the .45's the best of any handgun I've shot, (which while not a lot I've shot a broad selection.) so I went with them. while a little slower than a 9mm I can still shoot them more accurately, but I'm looking at trying/getting a 9mm version (S&W 3913 or 3914) but feel if I'm going to 9mm I might as well go double stack (6906). I'm kind of old fashioned and like the .45 and feel confidant in carrying a pistol with only 8+1 for most situations, plus I carry a 642 as a bug and two spare mags and a speed strip.

So with out further ado let the caliber war continue! (just kidding!)

Guess I just needed to "vent" and hear if anyone has gone through a similar thought process and if so what did you do? I'd be happy to hear what other's have to say as well.

Thank's in advance. :)
 
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As usual, there is no right answer and there never will be. We all bring our particular bias (and we all have them, it's the human condition) to the table and it's a rare indivudual that will have his mind changed.

Me, I shot a lot of 45 ACP but it was only in NRA 3 caliber matches many years ago. CCW is 9mm as is HD gun. Why, you ask? Damned if I know... It just feels right! :)
 
FBI trends...

In my lifetime a fella could have made good, significant money pre-empting FBI trends as the end all be all in defensive rounds and firearms.

And yet...

They never seem to settle either due to ballistics, preferential hiring practices, numerical wonks... whatever.

Last thing I'd ever do is get my ballistic undies in a bunch over what the FBI does/doesn't do/ceases to do/contemplates or studies. Not to mention the follow along state, county or municipal agencies.


For a very long time and in very real world situations, military sidearms (standard and otherwise) and ball has served me very well.

I understand the inherent presumed superiority of various projectiles over ball but I don't get caught up in chasing trends.

Generally for me:

Ball's all!

The FBI can chase the ballistic rabbit all they want - I just wish they'd find a way to do it off the taxpayer's back. Say, materially supported by the industry.
 
Yes there is a right answer, and it's very simple.

You said, "I shoot the .45s the best of any handgun I shot." You picked them, now you're second guessing yourself.

Stick with the .45s. Don't look back.
 
Cogent moxie. Not sure, but I'd 0.25 in hard currency that your 50+ y/0. That's what I kinda see on the ranges. We stick with what we were raised on. Now we've got a collection of super fast Hi-cap stuff around. I like the new trucks. Gonna keep mine.
 
What Moxie said.

There are dozens and dozens of effective handgun choices out there. There is no one size fits all answer to best weapon or best caliber. The best one for any individual will doubtless be the one they shoot the best.
 
Try as many pistols as you like. But if you shoot the .45 the best, so be it. They're going to 9mm because hits are better than large caliber misses. I shoot .40 as well, and just as quick as 9mm according to a range timer. So there is no reason for me to carry the smaller round.

I'm a 1911 guy that currently shoots a Glock better. What do you think I carry?
 
I'll add the 908 and the 3904 for you to look at. Both single stack alloy frames.
908 has a shorter grip, while the 3904 is full size.
 
I watched Hopalong Cassidy and Roy Rogers as a kid and the six gun was the handgun I identified with for a long time. Had a nine shot .22lr revolver as a teenager and shot it so much I wore it out. Then a bunch of years in the Army as an MP carrying a 1911. If it wasn't a .45 and all steel it wasn't a real gun. When the "wonder 9's" became the newest thing, they held no interest for me, even if they were all steel. The 9mm was a wimp compared to the mighty .45. Then came the Glock, a plastic toy gun, a very popular pistol from the start. It was just a plastic toy and held no interest for me. Fast forward a bunch of years and after shooting a friends Glock 30, I really started looking at the polymer guns a lot closer. I bought a Taurus 709 and a TCP but sold the 709 as I just couldn't shoot it well and bought an S&W Shield in 9mm.

I have seen the light, the 9mm works well for me because of it's lower recoil than the .45 which lets me get off follow shots a lot quicker. I've been a convert to the polymer gun also due to the reduced weight vs the all steel gun in a CCW mode. For HD I still have a 1911 and doubt it will see a new owner for a long time. I still like the all steel 1911 shooting the mighty .45 but I don't feel any less secure with the 9mm.

I can understand the switch back to the 9mm by police departments because the 9mm can be handled better by the majority of police officers. Less recoil and more round capacity. Not everyone can handle the recoil of a .40 or .45.
 
As long as I can get the cheaper steel & aluminum case .45 ACP for around the same price as 9mm, I will enjoy shooting the cheap stuff from my Glock 21. I shoot the good brass case ammo out of the SW1911 and the DW Valor. The Ruger SR1911 Cmdr. length sees some of the aluminum case ammo but mostly the good stuff.
 
All handguns are relatively poor "stoppers" regardless of caliber or bullet used. Shot placement and sufficient penetration are paramount, all else is secondary. Barring a hit to the CNS, the only way to stop an aggressive and determined BG is shutting down the brain from oxygen deprivation due to bleedout. However, even a solid hit to the heart can leave 10+ seconds of oxygen in the brain, plenty of time for the BG to plant daisies in your hair.
I expect all handguns to underperform, some underperform worse than others.

If you shoot the .45 faster and more accurately than any other caliber, all you're sacrificing is mag capacity. However, I haven't heard of a single cop complaining about carrying too much ammo after a gunfight (best friend is retired LEO) so my vote is 9mm *if* you can achieve a similar skill level.
Tomac
 
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I started having this internal argument circa 1969 while in the Navy shortly after I bought my first BHP as a playmate for my Blackhawk .357 Magnum. Didn't have an answer then and don't have one now. But I do have a work around: buy as many of each I can afford and load for. And learn to shoot all of them well.

Variety is not just the spice of life, it's a necessity to me in everything but wives. Best to have only one of those at a time but get the right one and you're set for life like me.
 
I agree with moxie.

Honestly I think living situation plays a larger role than age. I'm 33 years young and regularly carry a 5+1 45 acp. I do tend to be rather old fashioned for my age. It is not an overwhelming armament by any means, and if I actually needed it I have a feeling I'd empty it quickly. My chances of encountering a situation where I need more ammo is so slim, given the situations I avoid, and the extremely low crime area that I live in, that I am not willing to carry a higher capacity gun and thus reduce my ease of carry.

I think Holly Wood, as well as the news media has promoted an atmosphere where younger shooters envision some sort of crazy commando mall ninja scenario where they will need lots of ammo taking place, and I think in the vast majority of situations, that is not what occurs. It certainly can, and if I lived in a higher population area, and regularly walked through city streets at night, I would probably carry a higher capacity gun, and it would perhaps be a 9mm in order to keep the size of the gun down. It would most likely be an XDm 3.8. But that isn't happening any time soon.

To the OP, if you shoot 45 well, don't screw yourself up now by changing cartridges.
 
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Am I the only person that doesn't give two algores about caliber? I carry and own all the popular rounds, hell for that matter I carry a 22 when fishing. 380,38,9,40,45,22 love them all...carry them all.


Actually I lie...right now I don't have a 40, just a set of 40 dies, hundreds of brass, and about a thousand rounds. Looking for either a mid sized 40 as I type...CZ p-07, G23, SR40, M&P 40....decisions decisions.
 
Since the thread is pretty well worn... My buddy and I went to a stream where they had drained the silt ridden reservoir above. State said go get all the fish you want any way you want. Their all going to die. By the time we got there, there was nothing left but thousands of carp. We had a .45 w/ JHP and a 9mm with ball. The 9 got more fish and the .45 made a much better show. Useless info but what a fun time. Some 35 years ago in college.
 
George Dickel said;

I can understand the switch back to the 9mm by police departments because the 9mm can be handled better by the majority of police officers. Less recoil and more round capacity. Not everyone can handle the recoil of a .40 or .45.
George Dickel is offline Report Post

In agree with what you say, George, but that really isn't the main thing behind P.D.s switching back; It's part of it for sure.......but for most P.D.s, it's all about $$$$$ (it costs less to buy the ammo for the 9mm ) and they've become convinced the 9mms last a little longer.
 
Charley C said:
George Dickel said;

I can understand the switch back to the 9mm by police departments because the 9mm can be handled better by the majority of police officers. Less recoil and more round capacity. Not everyone can handle the recoil of a .40 or .45.
George Dickel is offline Report Post

In agree with what you say, George, but that really isn't the main thing behind P.D.s switching back; It's part of it for sure.......but for most P.D.s, it's all about $$$$$ (it costs less to buy the ammo for the 9mm ) and they've become convinced the 9mms last a little longer.
Click to expand...
Good point Charlie, 9mm is really inexpensive. I used to shoot rimfire benchrest .22lr competition and quit due to the cost of match ammunition. I can almost buy 100 rounds of 9mm for the price of a box of top of the line .22 match ammo.
 
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