Several 9'mm add a .40?

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Originally Posted By: bubbatime
Originally Posted By: LoneRanger
As far as the 9 being tamer to shoot and thus fostering better possible shot placement, with shot placement being key.... I agree shot placement is key. But in a full on adrenalin pumped shooting in defense of your life, shot placement is going to be [censored]. So you need maximum energy for then rounds that 1. hit the target at all, and 2. land in the kill zone. 40 or 45.


Any of the service calibers perform "about the same". You get more shots with a 9mm and faster follow up shots. 9MM is WAY better through barriers than 45ACP, so if you have to shoot through a car door or similar, a 9MM is superior to a .45ACP.

I have tons of experience in ballistics, tactics, and firearms and I rate the common service calibers, from best to worst as follows: .357SIG, 9MM, .40, with .45ACP dead last.

Your mileage may vary.


The .357 is definitely the most effective round. I like all of the rounds you mentioned except for the .40. Glock has a semi-auto that will fire .357 rounds.
 
Everybody likes to bash the poor .40...

Back to the OP, the .40 is a compromise, like all cartridges. Bigger and heavier than a 9mm, but similar velocity. Much more muzzle energy than a 9mm (I am a fan of the Speer Gold Dot 165gr JHP for the .40 - it has about 30-40% more ME than a 9mm), and allows for more rounds than a .45 ACP in a gun of given size.

.40 ammo is down to reasonable prices again.

A multitude of calibers allows you to tailor the caliber to the situation. Balancing recoil, cost, performance, and pistol capacity and size in a way that you choose. I've got a few thousand rounds of .40 on hand. And a few thousand rounds of 9mm. I can choose the pistol most appropriate for the situation, and I am hedged against one or the other caliber experiencing a shortage.

Ask the guys who like to shoot .22 about that one...

If you're thinking about it. You should get one. But go shoot a bunch of different pistols before you choose. Some, like my H&K, have considerable muzzle flip. But that's partly because it's a compact. A full size will be different. And the same pistol in .45 will have considerably more muzzle flip. While a 9mm will have less.

And then, after you get your .40, you should go get a .45 ACP

And a 10mm...

And maybe a .357 Sig...

wink.gif
 
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Does not hurt to have one of each. I actually kind of liked the .357 Glock, even though it really came back and impacted my hand.

But I think I would prefer the .357 in a revolver.
 
I think a .357 revolver should be in everyone's collection!

I've often suggested a .357 revolver as a first gun, or for all around use....the .357 Sig cartridge intrigues me...same .357 revolver performance, but much higher capacity in an auto. However, it's so durn expensive that I've not considered buying anything in that caliber. It's way down on my list. My next pistol will be a .45 ACP....and once that gap in my collection is addressed, I'll consider the .357 as I don't own a Sig pistol yet. But I was thinking of the P227 as a next pistol...allowing me to have both a new Sig and a .45...

But I'm way OT now.

Back to the OP.

Yes, get one.

Cheers,
Astro
 
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To the .40 bashers. Please match the following with the 9mm load of your choice.

Buffalo Bore .40S&W Gold Dot +P 155gr JHP 1300fps 582 lb-ft.
 
Originally Posted By: Astro14

Ask the guys who like to shoot .22 about that one...

True but 10 cents per shell is as bad as it got. So its now back down to 6 cents or better. I did limit m y shooting at that time bc I knew it was hoarding and price gouging. But I never dropped below 1500 rounds.

I got rid of most of my handguns but still keep a .380, .38 and .45. My .380 Sigma and 442 are good carry guns for me. I am a pretty good shot so either will do the job (IMHO)
 
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Quick note on the bit about better follow-up shots with a 9 vs. .40. Makes zero difference when you actually have to fire in defense of your life because I don't care how good you are on the range or even running through a combat pistol course. When your adrenaline is flowing and you're [censored] your pants in a real confrontation you're not going to be laying in those nice follow-up shots with the 9 like you did on the range. This is exhibited with police officers in officer involved shootings all the time. They train and train and train to minimize it but it still happens in fire fights. Once Fight or Flight kicks in whichever option is chosen, your fine motor skills still go to [censored]. This has been proven in actual incidents many times over. So I'll still take the harder hitting round so that the few rounds I do manage to hit with have more effect.
 
Originally Posted By: CT8

Muzzle energy ??? penetrates so far and makes a certain size hole that lets the air in or the juices out

That's sort of how I look at it. Its very unlikely that I would need to penetrate something other than a body and its just as good if it doesn't exit the body.
 
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I have no dog in this fight but more energy doesn't have to mean more penetration. If the hollow point properly expands more energy will likely equate to a wider, not deeper, wound cavity.
 
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