.40 vs .45??

[mrp010]

The .40 is a bit snappier. But you get more rounds.

One study I read put .40 at about 18 ftlbs of recoil and .45 at 12-14 and 9mm at 9-10. But you can find a study that will say anything so...

Can't go wrong with either. Handle both. Try and shoot both and see what feels good.

M&P is a great gun.

Don't rule out 9mm either. Get some ranger +P or +P+ and your gtg. But talk about snappy.

Just don't practice too much with +P+. Hard on your gun.

If you buy a .40 or 9mm you can switch out barrels for 60 bucks...but you will need different mags. (exception .357 sig and .40 use same mag.)

 

[JohnP82]

.40 for me

I agree your best bet is try to shoot them first before you buy. Everyone is different, need to go with what feels best to you.

 

[68_F100]

All hand guns should be .45. All 45s should be HK's. All HK's should be black.

Any questions?

 

[Shroom]

.40 for me

I agree your best bet is try to shoot them first before you buy. Everyone is different, need to go with what feels best to you.

 

[Billcurtis]

I carry and shoot a Kahr in .40S&W recoil is snappy but if you use firm grip you will hit what you shoot at. Round is moving fast enough to insure hollow points will expand. And if you shoot 180 grain hard ball it will penitrate steel and glass like a 45
Bill...

 

[camcdonnel]

I have owned a Glock 23 and currently have a Glock 22 and I have never had any problems with either in a .40

 

[Hogwylde]

I have two pistols....both high cap 1911's. One is 40, the other is 45. Both pistols are set up identical and I can't tell the difference in how either shoots.

The 40 holds 16 rounds in the mag, the 45 holds 14. Ammo for the 40 is cheaper than ammo for the 45. I use the 40 for INMG and the 45 for IDPA. If you shoot either of these shooting sports, sent me a PM and I'll bring both and let you shoot them side by side after a match.

 

[bluewraith]

Personally, I carry .45 simply because they don't make a .46...

 

[Amishman44]

Up close & personal...45 acp is probably the best!

Read up on some of the bigger city's coroner's reports (Atlanta, Houston, Miami, etc.) and that should tell you which rounds do what in real-life! In most of their reports, the only thing they consider more effevtive than a .45 acp is a .357 mag...and only because it penetrates deeper.

 

[John Galt]

WWJC? (What would Jesus carry?)

It would be a .45, but in a 1911 platform!

 

[ThrottleJockey]

I like .40 and when confronted recently with the need to sell either my .40 or my .45, I sold the .45. The .40 has greater muzzle velocity and greater muzzle energy than the .45, greater capacity, cheaper and more readily avail ammo (even in the great ammo shortage of '08 .40 was on the shelves everywhere while .45 was on backorder). In my XDSC .40 there is a lot of whip/flip or whatever term you choose, but it can be tamed with the proper amount of practice. I bought it from an LEO that didn't like the recoil...sissy. His loss was my gain, I got a SWEET deal on it, $450 with 4 mags two were extended, night sights, 350 rnds ammo, box and XD gear and it had less than 50 rnds through it!

 

[pokersamurai]

While 40 isn't my favorite round (9mm), I don't think it's worthless. It has more capacity than 45, more options for different firearms, often the guns are lighter and more concealable, and cheaper ammo.
Plus if you look and the numbers 40 outperforms 45 in comparable firearms in terms of ballistics almost every time. Unless you are shooting a 5 inch barrel 1911 most bb guns have a faster fps. I know velocity isn't everything but you do have to account for it when your 45 is traveling a mere 650 fps. They do penetrate pretty well because of weight, but I would argue a heavy 40 would penetrate the same. Th


They are both quality rounds capable of doing the job at hand. It's just personal preference. I'm a glock guy and when they make a g19 sized 45 acp( not gap) i may switch to 45 from 40.

You're right, the .40 is a good round and I wasn't suggesting that no one should carry it. What I should have said is that the .40 has no place for me personally. I already have .45's and I have 9mm's, and I personally don't see any need for anything in between. However, other people may feel just the opposite, that the .40 is great because it splits the difference between 9mm and .45.

As you said it really all comes down to personal preference.

 

[starbreather]

law enforcement prefers 40, can't be all that bad.

 

[Tombs]

no one has mentioned the .45 gap round.. Blasphemy! obviously i vote gap. have a good one.

It's a real shame that round never caught on more.

It's a more efficient round than the 45acp, and will do everything the 45acp does. You have the 45super and 460rowland if you want to make use of the size and case capacity.

Plus the gap glocks are some of the smoothest and most accurate of the glock lineup, in my experiences. Having owned:20c, 23, 37... And shot:17, 19, 22, 26.

 

[dtkw]

My Les Baer is full size, not too comfy to carry, so it's my home defense gun, my 40 is smaller so I carry that one if I am going to carry.

 

[jjohnson]

I don't know much about the M&Ps, but I have a Baby Eagle in .40 cal and a RIA officer's 1911 in .45 cal. I like them both very much. The .40 cal ammo is cheaper though.

 

[sgreen3]

I plan on getting a M&P40 for carry. One of the main reasons is it is a little more than 9mm and still cheap enough to practice with. Ivs shoot a number of 40 in the past and it does take a little getting use to. I know right out of the box Im more accurate with my 1911 but I just cant afford the cost of 45 to practice with. But propper practice with the 40 will yield the same results. But either way you will have a fine firearm. Just try and shoot one of both if you can. Heck I may just have to save up a little more and just get one of each, 9, 40, and 45. 3 is always better than 1 right?.....

 

[Blackhawk2001]

My experience has been with the G22, G19, G27, G23, G26, and now G21. I found the G26 (9mm) to be more uncomfortable to shoot than my G27 (.40). The G19 and G23, although owned several years apart, seemed to shoot about the same. Not having a comparable-sized .45, I can't really make a good comparison with the .40, but I like the way the .45 shoots and I can distinguish the differences in felt recoil among the three calibers. The .45 is the least felt- at least in a full-size pistol - and the 9mm was the most objectionable, in comparison to the .40 in subcompact.

I'm not sure we can make any general statement about the popularity of the .40 vs 9mm and .45 with police agencies anymore. In recent years a number of departments have been switching to different calibers; some up to .45; some down to 9mm. These switches down seem to be funding-related, but I haven't really heard much about why departments are going to .45 except for perceived "knockdown" capability of the .45ACP round.

 

[marshallartist]

I have carried both and I have to say I prefer the M&P40c (my current CCW by the way) over the 45c although they are both excellent guns. The reason I prefer the 40 version is that it's my CCW and I would rather have a smaller and lighter gun for that role. In addition the 40 holds two more rounds.

Some people cite the recoil as a reason to go with the 45 but I can't tell a difference unless I shoot the two of them side by side. I guess since I grew up shooting 45 colt and 44 magnum revolvers I have become a bit "desensitized" to the recoil of these intermediate caliber guns.

 

[Kutnupe14]

What's up with all the pro-.45 guys talking about "knockdown power?" Are 45's shooting grapeshot now?