9mm, .40, .45 what's the BEST

[rhrlaw]

.45 in my 220 Combat for home defense, 9mm for concealed. For me it's less about the caliber than it is the frame format of the gun. At home I want something full size that I can confidently grip and will minimize recoil. For concealed carry something that is easy to conceal, comfortable, and draws without snag.

 

[ditcherman]

I can not believe 5.7x28 has not been mentioned and asked to be included in the debate...

 

[ECS686]

I can not believe 5.7x28 has not been mentioned and asked to be included in the debate...

While not a bad idea at the time its sort of been drownes out. To me it seems to fall in more of that novelty category .
Unless the recent released Ruger gets folks to take a second look over the costly FN option the 5.7 will probably stay in the back of any lineup.

 

[Amishman44]

Really, the question is, what ammo do you have or what ammo can you buy right now... I've only seen 45 ACP for sale around here.

You spelled .45 Long Colt wrong.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha...

...best answer on here yet!!!

Love the .45 Long Colt round...very handy to have around!

 

[Megasaki]

I love 45 LC as well. Light recoil, great accuracy, and just a pleasure to shoot and handload.

 

[Katana1]

What in your "opinion" is the best defensive handgun round?
9mm
.40
.45

Inquiring minds want to know!

I can't decide either, so I carry all three, plus a .45 LC. Which is also the reason why I never go anywhere!

 

[profjeremy]

I use 9mm as my concealed carry (nice to have 13 rounds while still being inconspicuous) and after doing quite a bit of research, just invested in a 10mm as my second handgun. Not sure if I'll use that for HD or not just yet. I've not been overly bothered by the amount of recoil in either handguns or rifles enough to the point where think that I shouldn't shoot them, but that's just my opinion.

 

[Paul30]

9mm is the new .556 standard. I have shot all calibers mentioned in this thread so far, and there are many reasons 9mm is the way to go. Since shot placement is king, capacity and popularity / availability wins out for me. Some claim it may be hard to find due to its popularity, but I say that means it is in more hands. If I asked any of my family or friends for all the calibers in question if times went crazy and I had none, 9mm is the only one I would expect them to have. If a close friend or family member needed all those calibers in a time of need, I would have 9mm before all the others. I have shot and reloaded the other calibers over the years and didn't like having to stock multiple components. Few rounds use the large pistol primers, but many use the small. If you cast your own bullets, 9mm uses less lead so you get more bullets from the same supply. 9mm bullets are close enough in diameter they can be reloaded into a .38 or .357. If I want a quiet round, 9mm suppresses better than most other pistol rounds. I have a AR15 upper in 9mm so I get to use my pistol ammo in a more accurate platform. 9mm is cheaper and more plentiful so I get more practice with my carry guns. In today's climate of multiple attackers doing armed robberies, carjackings, violent riots the liberal media labels as "protests", I want more rounds to help me escape a kill box where they try to trap your car and beat you to death in a particular spot. I would avoid carrying any rimfire gun for protection due to reliability and would point out to the 40 cal owners or those thinking of buying on cheap that you can change just the barrel and be shooting .357 sig for a 2nd caliber. As mentioned already, punching holes in paper is one thing, trying to hit a man with a knife charging at you bobbing and weaving is another. More rounds mean more chances should you miss, and if trying to defend against a couple of carjacking thugs who are shooting at you as well the challenge is increased. The 5.7 x 28 is nice, carries 20 rounds in flush-fit magazines, and is very light since the bullet is light and fast. The round isn't near as popular, difficult and more dangerous to reload than a normal round. If I needed some 5.7 x 28 in a crisis, I have no idea who I could ask because no one I know uses that round. It does come in a AR15 upper with the 50 round PS90 type magazines but for all the other reasons I would not consider it a contender at all. All that said, if you already own one of the others, I am also a big fan of the .22 conversion kits for practicing. You don't get the recoil, but you can practice your grip, trigger pull, sight picture and the recoil is something that happens after you have already fired the gun anyway so if you can hit accurately with the .22, you can hit with the guns normal caliber. These kits may give you the extra trigger time you may not get due to ammo cost and availability.

 

[Hohn]

I’ve come to the position that instead of asking which caliber handgun to get, the better question to ask is: what do you want that 9mm will not do? Because really, the ubiquity of 9mm forces us to justify forfeiting that.

With this perspective, you have to ask if another 100 lb-ft of energy is worth giving up capacity, recoil, and availability.

I’ve adopted this thinking elsewhere too. If buying a rifle caliber, what do I want it to do that a .223 cannot?

What does this pistol give me that’s worth giving up the advantages of a Glock?

Etc.

 

[Expat]

I’ve come to the position that instead of asking which caliber handgun to get, the better question to ask is: what do you want that 9mm will not do? Because really, the ubiquity of 9mm forces us to justify forfeiting that.

With this perspective, you have to ask if another 100 lb-ft of energy is worth giving up capacity, recoil, and availability.

I’ve adopted this thinking elsewhere too. If buying a rifle caliber, what do I want it to do that a .223 cannot?

What does this pistol give me that’s worth giving up the advantages of a Glock?

Etc.

 

[G17_shooter]

Whatever the caliber, I would standardize on one and sock away at this point. 40cal seems to be the only left on the shelf these days from what I've seen.

 

[Expat]

Pfft. I would get one in every caliber so you are ready to go no matter what.

 

[profjeremy]

I’ve come to the position that instead of asking which caliber handgun to get, the better question to ask is: what do you want that 9mm will not do? Because really, the ubiquity of 9mm forces us to justify forfeiting that.

With this perspective, you have to ask if another 100 lb-ft of energy is worth giving up capacity, recoil, and availability.

I’ve adopted this thinking elsewhere too. If buying a rifle caliber, what do I want it to do that a .223 cannot?

What does this pistol give me that’s worth giving up the advantages of a Glock?

Etc.

I have a 9mm, so not throwing out your argument completely, but also don’t completely agree with the logic. Recently, I’ve found that 10mm is both cheaper and more available than 9mm. I’m ok with “only” having 15+1 capacity if I can get into another caliber that may be easier to find in an ammo shortage situation like we have now.

 

[johny5]

Pfft. I would get one in every caliber so you are ready to go no matter what.

Agreed! How many people bought a 9mm, confident that they would never have to search for ammo?

 

[Talkinghalls]

In the six years I was in LE we went from .40, to 9MM, and now I've heard they are thinking about switching to .45acp.

Personally I think the one that goes "BANG" every time is the best. LOL

 

[Hohn]

I have a 9mm, so not throwing out your argument completely, but also don’t completely agree with the logic. Recently, I’ve found that 10mm is both cheaper and more available than 9mm. I’m ok with “only” having 15+1 capacity if I can get into another caliber that may be easier to find in an ammo shortage situation like we have now.

You're not throwing out my argument at all, actually. You've just answered the questions I pose with reasons that justify not going 9mm. In your case, you find 10mm more available and lower cost. That's a valid answer to "what does this do that 9mm doesn't."

You'll never get me to fault 10mm, I love it. But I had to move on because when I had it I didn't reload and even American Eagle was 60c/rd. And have you tried to EDC a G20sf? It's pretty heavy.

Today's market inversion of 10mm being cheaper most likely will not last. But if you want to ride that wave, go ahead and enjoy the ride.

 

[profjeremy]

You're not throwing out my argument at all, actually. You've just answered the questions I pose with reasons that justify not going 9mm. In your case, you find 10mm more available and lower cost. That's a valid answer to "what does this do that 9mm doesn't."

You'll never get me to fault 10mm, I love it. But I had to move on because when I had it I didn't reload and even American Eagle was 60c/rd. And have you tried to EDC a G20sf? It's pretty heavy.

Today's market inversion of 10mm being cheaper most likely will not last. But if you want to ride that wave, go ahead and enjoy the ride.

All good, enjoying the discussion! I always like having options, so I guess I’ll see where things go. To be honest, I’m not sure what will and won’t last about our current situation, so I’m just doing my best to make sure that I have something that I have some extra rounds for! Out of the 6 different calibers I own, at this point I definitely have the least 9mm rounds of any.

 

[Tapout4892]

It’s all personal preference. It’s whichever you feel like carrying. I own both 9 and 45. I may carry the 9mm for a few months then switch.

 

[johny5]

32acp - FTW!!!

 

[Megasaki]

I have witnessed 45 auto be the better between 9mm and 45.
I dont know about 40.
However, dead is dead. I like 32 auto. Its light, recoil is super mild so easy on the shooter. Second shots are( if you ever need one) easy to get back on target. Its battle proven, ( many KIA russian , french , english, etc soldiers would agree).