You civilians in this discussion get into firefights or shootouts on a regular basis or what?
LOL
If you ever have a need to actually use one of these things in a real world situation it isn't going to be from 15 yards away behind the barrier of your police cruiser door.
It's going to be somewhere where you will literally be a few FEET away from if not in actual contact with the person at the other end.
You won't be aiming, you won't be playing 3 gun competition, you will bePOINTING it at an in your face center of mass.
9mm vs. .45 is kind of a silly "my gun is bigger than your gun, stopping power this, accuracy that" argument when 9 times out of 10 if you need to pull the trigger it's going to be at point blank range and in a HURRY.
Use the gun you are most comfortable with, and the one you will actually shoot a lot, get used to the controls and carry.
If you buy a .45 and shoot it once a year because ammo is "too expensive" to practice then it's not doing you any good. If you shoot it alot and actually carry it then that's the one for you.
You simply need to be RELIABLE with the weapon you choose and be fluid with it if you are faced with a stressful situation.
9mm, .40, .45, .357, .38, .380, whatever.........just know what you are doing with the thing and
shoot it alot. Self Defense isn't a game of sniper or target practice, it's a matter of knowing your gun.
I carry a 9mm with high end +P Corbon. I wouldn't want to get hit with it [:-], and I shoot the cheap stuff alot because WELL it's cheap and it allows me lots of face time with a gun I'd certainly like to be familiar with if I ever need to pull it.
I have handguns with much more stopping power than a 9mm yet if I had to choose just one for my body, or home defense it's the 9mm.