9mm or .40

[PrepPadawan]

Ah, the caliber wars. Boring.

Modern 9mm rounds are very effective. They are also cheaper, widely available and a service sized pistol can hold a lot of them. They are better for the recoil averse as well.

The .40 and .45 are great rounds. But don't buy into the "Real men shoot .45s" nonsense. The key to surviving an armed encounter is shot placement, shot placement, shot placement. And if you shoot a 9MM better than other calibers, I'd stick with that round. Better a good hit with a 9 than a miss with a .45. And, although it's a cliche, I've never seen a .45 aficionado volunteer to stand in front of a 9MM going over a thousand feet a second.

I own a 1911 and a Glock 36. I love the .45 ACP. I shoot it well. But I'd be grabbing my G17 if the SHTF.

[Stitch]

In my opinion a .40 S&W is a solution to a nonexistant problem. I prefer a .45ACP because bullet selection is less critical. 20 years ago I wouldn't recommend a 9mm for anything. Bullet design has really come a long way in that time. With that being said I do not think I am undergunned with a 9mm Browning Hi-Power with 127 grain +p+ Winchester Rangers or Hornady XTPs. The .40 S&W recoils more than either the 9mm or .45ACP. The link below has a wound cavity on a deer from a 9mm XTP. The only possible use I can think of for a .40 S&W is in competetion with long strings of fire.

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/HornadyXTP.htm

One can safely push a 147 XTP 9mm & 1207fps using 6.9 grains of 3N38. The load is on page 46. This load = 475 ft/lbs of energy.

http://www.vihtavuori-lapua.com/pdfs/Reloading-Guide.pdf

[Echo2]

So I'll throw my $0.02 in....

I choose 9mm.....

One reason for this....is my handgun in a SHTF situation.....is a tool that is intended to get me to my long gun.

Another is I can practice a heck of a lot more with 9mm than I can with my .40 or .45 cal guns....inversely....I am remarkably more accurate, and familiar with my 9mm.

and be it .22, .38, 9mm, .40, .45....whatever....shot placement is what is critical....not caliber.

[charliefox]

When I started carrying a gun for myself again, I specifically chose the 9mm. I had been carrying a Glock 22 in .40 S&W and was competent with it, however I never really acheived the level of proficiency I wanted to with the gun/round combination. I fired several different weapons and loadings (the SIG P229 being my favorite) but found I could not consistantly place my rounds where I wanted them. So, I chose the Glock 19 as my "go to" sidearm. I can shoot it accurately and fast and still have a bunch of rounds left over if I need them. In the end I feel this is what carrying a defensive handgun is all about - a gun that is portable enough to always have with you and that you can hit your target(s) quickly, accurately and consistantly.

[mikehemi]

I want to thank everyone for your help. You all really shed some good light on the subject for me.

[Globalwarmer]

For what it's worth, I found this to be an interesting read, to say the least. The author is an anthropologist, says he works in a morgue. He says he has no formal training in ballistics, he gives an account of many gunshot autopsies he has seen over the years.
ww.gunthorp.com/Terminal%20Ballistics%20as%20viewed%20in%20a%20mor gue.htm

[Oscar Wilde]

Deleted, comments/opinion entered in error.

Is that really possible?

O.W.

[Diesel]

Posted some detailed caliber ballistic tests for you guys, enjoy

http://www.survivalmagazine.org/surv...6289#post36289

[Diesel]

Wrong answer.

you choose .40 you know you do.

There is NO reason to carry 9mm.

The only reason it has any popularity is because the ammo is cheap.

People choose it because of high mag cap.. but that's irrelevant, you need to be able to hit your target the first couple of times.

I personally carry .45 there is no comparison in stopping power, a 9mm is like a bb gun compred to the hole a .40 or .45 make.

The only reason anyone should pick 9mm as their go to is ammo price or they are a terrible shot and need as many shots as possible.

But depending on what the scenario is, for example my bear scenario no matter how many shots u have you're going to have a hell of a time convincing a bear to stop with a 9mm, .45 has been proven to put a bear on it's ass

Just some food for thought.

You'll have everyone and their mother chime in with opinions. Many people who weigh in and say x is their fav have never even owned or tried Y, or will not tell you they like X because it's all they can get, use or afford. This applies to almost every which is better discussion.. I personally own just about every handgun cal, and have vast experience with each and everyone and have conducted indepth ballistics testing on each. I suggest you do the same

[cbprice797]

I would trip the nearest liberal and then make a break for it. It would require a lucky hit for a 9mm OR a .40 to stop a bear so that is not winnable situation.

[slowz1k]

A one legged liberal? :D

[TacSKS]

QUICK!! A bear bear is charging!!! Which do you want a 9mm or .40?

12gauge :p

[Diesel]

QUICK!! A bear bear is charging!!! Which do you want a 9mm or .40?

[prkchp76]

I personally like the 40 for shf. situations otherwise I use my nine because its compact and I LIKE IT

[Survivorman]

9mm all the way.