9mm vs .40

[dennishoddy]

The 9mm ammo has come along way as far as making them hotter rounds but with that said why not carry the 40? S far as more rounds to hit the target? I really never understood that argument. If you practice with what you carry you should be able to hit your target within a few rounds. One argument is the 40 is a hot round which will cause the gun to wear out faster (glock) but when 9mm rounds have been juiced up to match the 40 then you have to lol at the 9 wearing like the 40. It's just personal preference when it comes down to it. As far as the military and FBI they made that decision on cost plain and simple mho

Cost = bottom line. The bean counters don't give a crap about effectiveness. They want the most round count in supplies for their buck.

 

[O4L]

Tried .40, didn't like it. I see no need to pick one up unless it would be to just too cheap to pass on.

If I want something with more punch than 9mm I go with .357Sig.

 

[Shadowrider]

For defensive uses I can't think of a single thing the .40 does better than the 9mm unless recoil is considered an advantage, in that case it wins easily. I can think of several advantages the 9mm has over the .40 tho.

The .40 is a wonderful caliber for gun games though if you load it very long with heavy bullets and fast powder. That's about the last thing you'd want for serious use but for matches it's hard to beat a .40. Makes major PF and just drop in a light bullet for minor.

 

[ef9turbo]

What you need to remember is at the end of the day, your typical pistol carry rounds are just that, a pistol round, they just poke little holes in you. There isn't a magic bullet that will stop a threat any faster then the other; it's all about shot placement.

For the above alone, I have transitioned everything I carry to 9mm. Bullet technology has improved so much over the years that a 9mm bullet expands to the size the larger rounds and has enough penetration to reach vital organs. 9mm has less recoil, which means faster follow up shots. 9mm has a higher magazine capacity, which means for those who don't train, have more "chances". 9mm is cheaper and readily available, which means you can afford professional training easier. Those are just a few reasons, and some of the main reasons 9mm has gained so much popularity.

At the end of the day, whatever you carry, whether it's .22lr or a .44mag, train, train, train. Train with your guns, test your ammo choices, train with the gear you carry, get proficient with it like it's a 3rd hand.

A highly trained shooter can kill you just as dead with a .22lr as he can with a .44mag, and probably easier with a .22lr.

 

[NightShade]

The biggest reason why I enjoy my .40 is the ability to swap in a 357sig and 9mm barrel. I have a S&W M&P and it has worked very well so far. It's a little snappier than 9mm but having started with it I don't even notice. Shooting competitions when you need to meet major PF it is a big advantage since 9mm will need to be loaded VERY hot and most production pistols will not handle it.

Another advantage I see is that with 3 barrels I can pick from multiple rounds if another ammo shortage happens and I am low or run out. I have one platform I can do a lot with and there was no need to buy expensive aftermarket "conversion" barrels. I also have a M&P in 45 and the tools to reload 9mm, 40S&W, 357SIG and 45ACP. It costs a little more but IMHO it costs less to reload than 45ACP especially in the brass department. The primer pockets are all small unlike the 45ACP which has small and large primer pockets now and the primer pockets are not crimped so no need to remove the crimp before reloading.

A big disadvantage is someone who can barely handle a 9mm will not like the 40S&W. My stepdaughter shot mine and swore she nearly dropped it. One shot is all she wanted, she is also very slight of build. She was used to shooting a 9mm HiPoint which is a recoil closer to 5 ft-lb while my 40 is closer to 8 ft-lb http://www.genitron.com/Search-Handguns

 

[kwaynem]

The biggest reason why I enjoy my .40 is the ability to swap in a 357sig and 9mm barrel. I have a S&W M&P and it has worked very well so far. It's a little snappier than 9mm but having started with it I don't even notice. Shooting competitions when you need to meet major PF it is a big advantage since 9mm will need to be loaded VERY hot and most production pistols will not handle it.

Another advantage I see is that with 3 barrels I can pick from multiple rounds if another ammo shortage happens and I am low or run out. I have one platform I can do a lot with and there was no need to buy expensive aftermarket "conversion" barrels. I also have a M&P in 45 and the tools to reload 9mm, 40S&W, 357SIG and 45ACP. It costs a little more but IMHO it costs less to reload than 45ACP especially in the brass department. The primer pockets are all small unlike the 45ACP which has small and large primer pockets now and the primer pockets are not crimped so no need to remove the crimp before reloading.

A big disadvantage is someone who can barely handle a 9mm will not like the 40S&W. My stepdaughter shot mine and swore she nearly dropped it. One shot is all she wanted, she is also very slight of build. She was used to shooting a 9mm HiPoint which is a recoil closer to 5 ft-lb while my 40 is closer to 8 ft-lb http://www.genitron.com/Search-Handguns

Agree 100percent

 

[Shadowrider]

What you need to remember is at the end of the day, your typical pistol carry rounds are just that, a pistol round, they just poke little holes in you. There isn't a magic bullet that will stop a threat any faster then the other; it's all about shot placement.

For the above alone, I have transitioned everything I carry to 9mm. Bullet technology has improved so much over the years that a 9mm bullet expands to the size the larger rounds and has enough penetration to reach vital organs. 9mm has less recoil, which means faster follow up shots. 9mm has a higher magazine capacity, which means for those who don't train, have more "chances". 9mm is cheaper and readily available, which means you can afford professional training easier. Those are just a few reasons, and some of the main reasons 9mm has gained so much popularity.

At the end of the day, whatever you carry, whether it's .22lr or a .44mag, train, train, train. Train with your guns, test your ammo choices, train with the gear you carry, get proficient with it like it's a 3rd hand.

A highly trained shooter can kill you just as dead with a .22lr as he can with a .44mag, and probably easier with a .22lr.

Some sound advice in this post. I'll go ahead and say that it hasn't always been this way. .357 mag and .45ACP were once the kings of the self defense world with an edge to the .357. EVERYTHING else followed behind by a long ways for two reasons. Underpowered or grossly overpowered. Today bullet technology has made the 9mm basically equal the .45 in effectiveness and now basically all defense loads will pass the same established parameters considered acceptable regardless of caliber. Like I said that didn't used to be the case. Today we also have the .357Sig which will duplicate the magnum in a couple of loads if you can find them. I'll still take a 125 grain HP bullet running 1450 or more all day every day, but it's not always feasible. Good to know we have better options in those cases.

 

[bigred1]

I have the XDM COMPACT 40 and I'm not for sure i would ever trade it off. In my opinion better penetration than the 9, almost as big of a hole as the 45 you lose a couple rounds than with the 9 but gain a couple over the 45. and point of aim is perfect in my hand. Follow up shots are not a problem if you have any kind of a decent grip. I also have 9s and 45s that I like a lot also. I just like guns! My opinion only.

 

[D. Hargrove]

9mm, .40, .357 Mag, .45 ACP, .44 Mag, .45 GAP, etc. If it feels right to ya when you shoot and you are comfortable with it, carry it. I would HATE to be on the receiving end of any of them!! And hate is a strong word... lol

 

[D V US]

Ok here's my $.02. In the age old 9mm v .45 arguement I was decidedly a .45 fan. So much so I wouldn't have been caught dead with a 9. And then came the .40 with equal balistic numbers as the .45 in the 180 gr. loadings and a higher mag capacity that came close to the 9s. It was the perfect compromise. I've been shooting them ever since. But more recently, technology has stepped up the game for 9mm and closed the gap, so much so that I now own several 9mm pistols. BUT, when the same technology is applied to the 40, well the gap widens considerably again. So on that point I will choose the 40. Yes I can carry up to 19 rounds of 9mm in my pistols, but I'm confident enough in my training that 16rds. of 40 should suffice. As for recoil? I am fortunate enough to own a pistol in .45 with conversion parts in 10mm, .40 and 9mm. so I can easily compare recoil between the calibers in a pistol where all other factors are equal. Using standard factory loads of 230 gr in .45, 180 gr. in both 10mm and .40 and 115 gr. in 9mm, the results were as follows;
Recoil
10mm was the heaviest but only slightly more than .45, with a big difference between the .45 and the .40 and the 9mm very closely behind the .40. No real surprises here, but no hard recoil in the .40 as some have reported. And not enough of a difference to me to favor the 9mm.
Accuracy
The .45, .40 and 9mm were all pretty even as far as accuracy goes, all grouping around 4" offhand at 60'. The 10mm at the same distance actually grouped LESS, around 2 - 2.5 inches consistently.

Bottom line...shoot what you are comfortable with. The 9 has made considerable improvements over the old loadings and I now carry one on occasions, but I still normally carry a .40 because it's what I'm comfortable with. I will never give up my .40s but I do have a new respect for 9.