Which do you prefer of these 2, 9mm or 40cal

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george burns

george burns

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I moved from 40 to 9mm, after 45 years of carry. I also carry a few different 45's, but now am questioning my choice of 9mm as my main carry.
According to most experts and popular opinion, the 3 calibers, 9, 40, and 45, have the same effect in a gunfight, and many departments and military units are going back to 9mm.
Is this true or false? Realistically I would like to believe it's true, but rationally when I look at the 2 rounds, it makes less sense. The 40 is a bad ass looking round when visually compared to a 9mm. I know about the differences in loads and pressures, but all things considered, taking a comparable pair of both bullets, is the 40 a better choice for self defense.
Please don't start comparing it to the 45 or 357 etc. as most of us know what the differences are.
Just for your carry gun, which would you prefer and why?
 
Hi George Burns.

Your question was " the 3 calibers, 9, 40, and 45,:

As far as the calibers are concerned, not much difference, one is around 9mm diameter, one around 10mm diameter, one is around 11.4mm diameter. If all other factors were identical, then I doubt anyone could make much of a case for one being highly superior than another.
 
Grab yer popcorn, it's a caliber war!

I prefer the 9mm to the .40 because it's cheaper, recoils less, and gives me a few more rounds. But I have carry guns in several different calibers and am comfortable with all of them.
 
I'm with Sergei; I like the 9mm. over the .40 for pretty much the same reasons as he listed. Shooting both cartridges from the same type of gun I find the .40 has a bit more felt recoil and muzzle flip, making it slightly more of a handful to use in a smaller gun. Have always been a big fan of both the 9mm. and .45ACP cartridges. I currently have nothing in .40S&W with no plans to get one in the near future.
 
I own 9mm and 45ACP and have shot .40. Honestly, I'd generally be fine with any of those three, but if forced to pick one, I'd go with 9mm. A little more capacity, cheaper ammo to train with, and enough less recoil in a really small pistol to matter to me.
 
I like shooting 9 mm and .45 ACP. Less so for .40 cal which I find to be a bit snappy, especially in a smaller pistol.

My choice at this time is 9 mm. If there is any ballistic advantage to .40 S&W over 9 mm I think it is minimal with modern ammunition, and not enough to outweigh the reduced ammo capacity and probably less accurate follow up shots, at least in my hands.

I know we are not talking about .45 ACP but I would actually prefer to shoot it out of a small frame pistol over .40 caliber. But then the reduced ammo capacity relative to 9 mm becomes really telling.
 
You can't really discuss any handgun round unless you compare it to something, 357 is sorta the benchmark in handgun calibers much like 30-06 is with rifles. Few people will disagree that 357 mag works. With that in mind:

The best 9mm loads from a 4" or longer barrel will come within 50fps of 357 mag loads from 3-4" revolvers shooting 124/125 gr bullets in each.

The best 40 S&W loads from a 4" or longer barrel will do about the same when compared to 357 mag loads from 3-4" barrels when shooting 155-180 gr bullets.

For human threats 9mm seems just fine to me. I don't dislike 40 S&W, if you want or need heavier bullets it is a good option. I choose to skip 40 S&W and go straight to 10mm for those times when I want to shoot heavier bullets.

The 45 works just as well as the others, but doesn't bring any advantages to the table. No better performance than any of the others. Just added recoil, fewer rounds, and greater expense.

My most used guns are Glocks, usually G43 or G19 depending. I can get 1250 fps with 124 gr Gold Dots from the G19 and trust it to work. When hiking or backpacking in remote areas a G29 is usually with me. A magazine full of 10 or 15 rounds of 200 gr bullets at 1250 fps helps me sleep better at night in bear country.
 
I have yet to acquire a pistol in 40S&W nor do I anticipate acquiring one. My experience is absolutely zero with the 40S&W. At my advanced age if it can't be done with the 9mm-Luger or 45ACP its not going to happen.
 
I always felt that .40 was an unnecessary caliber that became a fad. Never been interested in one.
 
Own guns in several calibers...

The next time we have a run on ammo there will likely be something left on the shelves which fits one of your guns.

Edmo
 
I would always have a 40 pistol with drop-in 357 barrel.

M
 
.40 will have similar effects as good 9mm +p+.

It'll just be more. It's very similar, just more powerful. .357 and .45 both have niche abilities that make them different.

I'd go .40.
 
Totally Agree !!!
pick what YOU like and like what YOU pick :eek:
any of them are better than nothing pick what YOU shoot best with :)
 
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Which do you shoot better? A hugely badass caliber or load is not that badass if you miss.

A friend of mine does academy training of new recruits. He's told me that new ballistic studies suggest a 9mm is about as good as the other calibers, ergo, that's what they're now recommending.

Frankly, what I'd prefer is neither of the rounds you mentioned. I'd rather have a .45. Why? Because I shoot them better with the guns I have.

Now, that said, I have a Ruger LC9 for concealed carry. Why? It's thin, and I do just fine with it.

But if you asked me to pick a gun in which I had the greatest confidence, it would be either my 1911 or my XD-45. I'm just more accurate with them. I have an XD-9, I'm just not quite as good with it as w/ the XD-45.

FWIW, I think the "having a lot of rounds" criterion is overblown a bit. If you're planning on being in a pitched gun battle, sure--but how many self-defense scenarios result in more than just a few shots being fired? Very, very few.

So--if I had to pick one based on your criteria, .40 or 9mm, I'd pick the .40. I have a Sig P229 that is very nice as well.
 
9mm, cheaper bullets, cheaper brass, more common and available, more pistols chambered in it, just as effective as 40 or 45, higher capacity, and pistols can generally handle +P+ ammunition in 9mm more so than larger calibers due to the increased bolt thrust associated with increasing pressures on a .40S&W by the same amount

id definitely to 9mm over 40
 
Here's a link that includes the FBI's published rationale for going to 9mm. It's toward thr bottom of the page.

http://looserounds.com/2014/09/21/fbi-9mm-justification-fbi-training-division/

Generally the gist of it is that there is not much difference between what the rounds do in terms of terminal effect, but they do see a difference in terms of agents' ability to get hits. With the lighter-recoiling 9mm, agents were able to shoot more accurately and more rapidly land hits. Given that their findings indicate LEOs miss 70-80% of their shots, an advantage that helps put some of those rounds accurately on target would grossly outweigh whatever a bigger round might do if it actually connects.
 
I'll take 9mm over .45 ACP over .40 S&W any day.

My biggest gripe about .40 S&W isn't ballistics. It's not recoil. It's not ammo capacity.

It's simple... as a reloader, I hate .40 S&W... my 9's stick inside them, and they stick in my .45's. If I avoid this caliber, I don't have to sort my brass before the tumbler. :)
 
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