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.40 S&W or 9mm

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  griffin1340 
#1 ·
Looking for a new handgun soon. Have the choices down to the Glock 17 or the G22. Now the choice...40 or 9mm?
The 9 has the advantage of avalibility, light loads are possible for range use and there are some good defence rounds out there. I like the .40 for the obvious preformance reasons.
So this is the question... Go with the 9 and get cheaper ammo and more of it [also shoot more and be a better shot] Get the .40 and shoot less but make the shooting count and feel more confident on the preformance.
 
#2 ·
I faced a similar decision ten years ago and went with a G27 instead of a G26. I have not regretted that at all, but now I am in the market for a 9mm Glock. I liked the 40 and still do, but arthritis is making that G27 recoil a bit much to take (less of an issue in a G22). Combine this with my recent entry in IDPA shooting and the cheaper practice with 9mm and I am seriously considering getting a 9mm.

None of this has any real bearing for you except that the point is you need to pick which is "right" for your situation. How often will you get to the range? Will you practice enough for the ammo price difference to matter? Will cheaper ammo make you shoot more?(this is an issue IMHO) Also, if you have not done so already, rent one of each at a range or shoot a friend's to see which is best for you.

There are plenty of people who will denounce or champion a particular caliber. I personally see little difference between 9mm and .40 performance-wise these days (ten years ago I was a fervant anti-9mm guy, I have since mellowed). Pick that one that you will shoot well, practice with and most of all feel confident in.
 
#3 ·
.40 vs 9mm: Guns & Blamo, here we come!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Seriously, the lead instructor for a large Maryland PD is very sorry, 4 years after the fact, that he supported the switch from 9 to .40. Broken guns, bad scores etc. Learned people indicate the recoil impulse is much sharper.

Where you put the bullet is much more important than how big that bullet is. The previous guy had a good point. Back in 1985 I hyperextended an elbow. Previously, I'd never been able to tell the difference in recoil of the 9 & .45. Until the elbow healed, 7 rounds of .45 was about all I could take.

I also discovered something during that time. I used to burn 400-500 rounds to prep for IPSC matches. I found I could burn maybe 50 rounds of 9mm and do about as well. Just how much practicing DO you do?
 
#4 ·
If ammo availability is the issue, i'd say they are both about equal these days. It seems like everybody is selling .40 S&W. Bigger caliber = bigger hole is how I see it. If you can handle the .40 go with that. I'm a fan of the full size 10MM and I think of the .40 as underpowered. .45ACP is another favorite. You can riddle an opponent with 9MM and he will still shoot you back. Knock him off his feet and you will probably not only win but maybe even come out unscathed. Mr. Moore is right about bullet placement, but since the average person can't hit the side of a barn if you lock him in it, a PERIPHERAL HIT (arm, edge of the body) needs a big slug to transmit shock and spin the sucker around. If you just want to make holes in a piece of paper, get a match grade .22. Or something that shoots .38 wadcutters. Some years ago it was all the rage to go to high-cap. 9MMs with light fast hollowpoints and a lot of 'em. Sad experience seems to have disproved that theory. Shoot the most powerful cartridge you can comfortably handle and pracitce regularly. Since opinions are like you-know-whats, I expect plenty of disagreement with the above. (Hee-Hee! Should I REALLY start a fight and say that I don't like Glocks?!?! I'd go with a 1911 type myself)
 
#6 ·
Many of the 9mm "failures" were the result of "Here's some bandaids and asprin, come back if you start running a fever." shot placement.

There isn't any caliber that you can fire from a hand held weapon that's gonna spin a guy around with its own energy-regardless of where you hit them. That-and drop 'im on the spot without a CNS hit-are unrealistic expectations in the real world.
 
#7 ·
William R. Moore said:
Many of the 9mm "failures" were the result of "Here's some bandaids and asprin, come back if you start running a fever." shot placement.

There isn't any caliber that you can fire from a hand held weapon that's gonna spin a guy around with its own energy-regardless of where you hit them. That-and drop 'im on the spot without a CNS hit-are unrealistic expectations in the real world.
+1
 
#8 ·
William R. Moore said:
There isn't any caliber that you can fire from a hand held weapon that's gonna spin a guy around with its own energy-regardless of where you hit them. That-and drop 'im on the spot without a CNS hit-are unrealistic expectations in the real world.
And that's why, if you're using a 'scoped rifle, you go for the medulla box.
 
#9 ·
fargo said:
William R. Moore said:
Many of the 9mm "failures" were the result of "Here's some bandaids and asprin, come back if you start running a fever." shot placement.

There isn't any caliber that you can fire from a hand held weapon that's gonna spin a guy around with its own energy-regardless of where you hit them. That-and drop 'im on the spot without a CNS hit-are unrealistic expectations in the real world.
+1
+2
 
#10 ·
griffin1340 said:
Thanks for the input..A Glock in .40 is on the way. I actually went with the price of the pistol And availbility of the ammo as a deciding factor. I found a LOT of .40 out there!

Safe shooting!
I do like .40 ( took my G22 to the range today and had a good time). I am wondering about your ammo comment. Are you saying you found .40 for less than 9mm? If so would you please let me know where? I am paying about 50% more for plinking .40 vs plinking 9mm.

Thanks and I hope you enjoy your new Glock. I have had good service out of mine and lots of fun.
 
#12 ·
I know that you've already made your decision, but let me say this: .40 makes a hole that is roughly 1/20th of an inch larger, by diameter. .45, one-tenth.

If you are depending on a bigger round to bleed someone faster, you're missing the point.

I've shot deer with high-powered bloody RIFLES and chased them for half a day because I missed vitals. I've shot them with the same rifle, hit vitals, and seen them do everything from drop on the spot, to run 100 yards.

My point is this: there is more to survival than your caliber, or even shot placement. shot placement is vastly more important than caliber, mind you, but even shot-placement, alone, won't save you. You have to know how to place shots well, and keep from getting shot, yourself, at the same time. You have to be aware. You have to be fast. You have to be WILLING to use your weapon.

Caliber doesn't mean squat. Sure, that extra tenth of an inch might put you just over the edge in one out of every thousand situations, but not nearly as far as having a gun that you like to shoot will -- because then you'll practice. Not nearly as much as having a gun you can control will -- because then you'll get the hits, and lots of them. And nowhere near as much as being mentally prepared for the sight of blood, for the returned fire, potentially for pain, and most unnerving of all, for the knowledge that you are killing someone will -- because then all of what I've said already will actually matter.

Next to all this, Caliber is a joke.
 
#13 ·
WeyBug, What I mean is that I found decent types of .40, not cheap. Kinda like you once could only find 230gr ball for the .45 and you better like it! Now there are many choices Now I have seen .40 in almost all the local sporting goods and hardware stores. Almost as many varaitions as the 9mm. The price tends to be 15-25% higher than 9mm.
Chubby, I agree that the caliber wars have almost gotten out of hand! Come on, how big of an improvement is the .45 GAP over the .45 acp?
For me I was loooking at.
1. Price of ammo.
2. Choices of bullet weight.
3. Large choice of manufacters.
I did not want to buy a .40 if I could not go into my local store and buy a resupply. Like .357 maximum [which a friend has, and can't find] A nitch ammo for a nitch shooter.
I too have seen the differance in rifle ammo. A well placed .243 that sledgehammers a whitetail and a poorly placed .350 Rem Mag that left a white'e stumbling around with a broken leg.
I purchased the G23 hoping that Wisconsin passes the conciled carry law now on the Governor's desk. The G23 will be my main carry piece. And I wanted to trust myself and the ammo as well as the gun itself.
My question was answered well, I needed a little more info on my choice. And I knew that on amback I would get a good input. Thank You Amback and to all the board member's who respond with advice,humor and well... far out ramblings! That's why this is so fun!
 
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