We were a big time 40 family for a long time and now have drifted back to 9.. I carried a Smith 1066 10mm as my truck gun for years (Had a slick carry bag and kept 7 mag's with it. One day about 5-8 years ago I realized what those guns and mags were selling for and got myself something cheaper to leave in the truck.. haha Its actually a Ruger .40 that I had around. Ugly, but reliable.
9MM, 10MM or 40 SW
- Thread starter jerseyguy123
- Start date
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
The TOE for these units is standard, and often designed by non-operators. What the operators use often does not align with the TOE, and in many cases can be selected individually by each operator.
GON
$150 Site Donor 2025
We won't concur on this. All is well.
Most important part of self defense is to be able to hit your target. 9mm has plenty of penetration + expansion but just as importantly, it doesn’t have the recoil of the other rounds. Your accuracy will be better with the 9mm. You will have cheaper ammo which can translate into more practice.
Once told by an NRA instructor; of the 21 times that you would need to defend yourself, 19 times will only require pointing your weapon at them, the 20th time will only require shooting them with a .22, and the 21st time you will wish you had a 12 guage.
Once told by an NRA instructor; of the 21 times that you would need to defend yourself, 19 times will only require pointing your weapon at them, the 20th time will only require shooting them with a .22, and the 21st time you will wish you had a 12 guage.
9mm:
Pros, affordable, and less recoil so you will do more practice which is the single most important thing
Cons, slightly weaker than the other 2
40S&W: A bit stronger than 9mm, but more expensive. More recoil too.
10mm: Very powerful round. IMO at the edge of what most people will tolerate for proper practice (whats proper practice? maybe 300rds and up per session), Expensive.
In summary the 9mm round is plenty powerful, you are managing a more controllable piece when you carry it and you will be most likely a better shot when you do, since you will be able to both afford and enjoy, more practice.
In other countries, weaker rounds such as 32 ACP and 9mm Short, are considered perfectly acceptable calibers.
MolaKule
Staff member
It all depends on your required use of a firearm. For daily carry, I use a Ruger in .380 ACP with a 15 round magazine and a 10 round backup magazine. The .380 ACP round is simply a 9mm short. In my view, felt recoil is about the same with modern factory loads in either firearm. There is plenty of ammo for both calibers.
For home defense I use the .45 Colt/.410 Taurus Judge with two multi-projectile .410 shotshell (Winchester Defenders) with the other 3 rounds being .45 Colt 250 grain projectiles. If the barrage of multi-projectile .410 shotshells don't discourage, then the 250 grain JFP's should.
When the LEO's need help, I bring my .40 S&W.
In either case, practice at the range and familiarity with whatever firearm you choose is very important.
For home defense I use the .45 Colt/.410 Taurus Judge with two multi-projectile .410 shotshell (Winchester Defenders) with the other 3 rounds being .45 Colt 250 grain projectiles. If the barrage of multi-projectile .410 shotshells don't discourage, then the 250 grain JFP's should.
When the LEO's need help, I bring my .40 S&W.
In either case, practice at the range and familiarity with whatever firearm you choose is very important.
If you want to use as a conceiled/ carry weapon, go for the 9mm. The others are on the big and bulky side. There's plenty of stopping power with a 9mm.
Correct. But now, there are many self-defense rounds available that legally(NJ 2C) do not meet the definition of "hollow point". Getting your permit to carry them in a gun that uses them is a different story in NJ.
I guess the OP is a hit and run poster.
He asks about handgun caliber choices.
He doesn’t mention what he or she is looking for.
He asks about handgun caliber choices.
He doesn’t mention what he or she is looking for.
I find it more comfortable and more accurate to shoot my two 9mm's. I once shot my son's Glock 45 service weapon and it was a whole lot more comfortable and accurate than my WWII GI 45 I once owned.
He didn't ask about guns or choices in guns. He asked about ammunition calibers.
9mm has alot going for it.. most of which was already mentioned in this thread.
OF course the OP doesnt list a stated purpose..
also doesnt mention recoil tolerance.
if you look at the Ammo shelf at Cabelas... 70 different types of 9mm boxes that should tell you something about it.
OF course the OP doesnt list a stated purpose..
also doesnt mention recoil tolerance.
if you look at the Ammo shelf at Cabelas... 70 different types of 9mm boxes that should tell you something about it.
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JHZR2
Staff member
Have you tried recently? Some things have helped us in recent years.
Don't know what your mission is, or why you are looking at several different calibers. Modern ballistics across the range you gave has vastly improved and any of those listed should give you good results for what you're looking to do. Pros and Cons list can get lengthy, so I'll sum it up with this: Shoot what you can control and feel comfortable with. Go to a range that rents guns and try them all. Pick the one you shoot well and then go from there, especially if you are choosing just one to meet all of your needs. I have all of those calibers in my personal arsenal and use them for different applications, but if I had to pick a one gun, I'm taking my G23 .40.
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No. I'm former NJ LEO...still have a beach house there but am a resident of PA. It took me longer to get a PA DL than my PA CCW.
4 hours a PennDot DL services. 10 minutes at Chester County Sheriff's office and about 2-3 weeks later...done. Renewal took far less...3 days or so.
But I know it's changed a bit in NJ...improved a bit for sure.
Chester County is messing with you. Allegheny County is usually less than ten minutes for a renewal. I walked in around the fifteenth of June handed the woman $20 and walked out with my new 5 yr permit in about seven minutes. Three minutes of that seven was waiting for the card machine that prints the permit, to warm up. What's this three day crap?
