I've never heard that one before, but can attest that its total bullcrap. The 40 short and weak is a compromise cartridge- its a bit more powerful than a 9mm but it will also fit in the same frame size as a 9mm. The FBI originally wanted the 10mm for a service weapon, but smaller framed people and many women couldn't efectively handle a pistol in that cartridge (its close to being equivalent to a 41 magnum), the cartridge was shortened, the muzzle energy was cut in half resulting in the 40S&W.

They now make XDs that have te frames shaved down and redesigned so that one chambered in .45 is no larger than one chambered in .40 or 9mm. Get the .45 its by far the best of the 3 cartridges.

I hear this blanket statement all the time and it honestly makes no sense to me. Ballistics vary WIDELY from cartridge to cartridge and manufacturer to manufacturer.

Here's an example........

I run 2 different Corbon loads from my XD40:

150gr JHP @ 1200fps / 480ft lbs of energy
165gr JHP @ 1150fps / 485ft lbs of energy

Now take the .45 and compare to a different but popular load from another manufacturer, one that is carried by a lot of guys

Federal Personal Defense .45 (I'll only compare the 165gr because they match the heavier .40 weight that I shoot)

165gr Hydra Shok @ 1060fps / 412ft lbs of energy
165gr EFMJ @ 1140fps / 476ft lbs of energy

I'm maybe not understanding how the .45 is by far the better of the 2? I can get the .40 ballistically right there or better than the .45 depending upon ammo choice and it's a little cheaper to shoot.
(Of course you can +P the .45 and blow the .40 away as well)


I'm not sure a bad guy would define my 165gr Corbon load as "Short and Weak"

All that said if it was a 99.99% fun gun and .00001% that I had to pull it out of the nightstand one night 10yrs from now because I heard a noise downstairs..........I'd take the 9mm. You'll shoot it more pretty much guaranteed and there are plenty of 9MM rounds that will do just fine at 10ft.
Everyone treats these things like they're shooting bad guys for a living day in and day out and then it might be worth discussing the merits of a9 vs a .40 vs a .45 etc
Does it make sense for a cop who carries his duty weapon everyday to consider these things to the split hair? YEAH. Does it matter for Joe citizen who has an even smaller than tiny chance of ever having to pull that weapon in defense..........I don't think so.

It's my mindset to recommend the weapon and caliber that someone is going to shoot ALOT, have fun with and get to know how to handle vs the "Flame thrower" that they shoot 1 box through and put it away for a rainy day because it's a little expensive to shoot or uncomfortable.

I own all 3 calibers in Autos, 9, .40 and .45 and if I had to keep just one, I'll take the 9MM. Cheap to shoot and my 125gr +P Corbon will do just nicely if the unfortunate and unlikely day ever comes.

well, i am going against the grain here and saying 9mm. I have the XD service model 9mm (what a fantastic pistol btw) and shoot it all the time. the reason i bought the 9mm is cheap ammo. you can get better at shooting it if you can afford to shoot it. Also, with the bullets available today you can find a great defense load in 9mm.

Walmart was selling boxes of WWB 9mm ammo for $7-8. the .40 was $14-15.

Yeppers

The .40 is already loaded to its maximum pressure while the .45 has a ways to go. And it punches a bigger hole through things

then why does FBI say the same thing?

I was a die hard fan of the 45 ACP and as a pure defense round it along with the 357 Mag, set as the top of the one shot stop stats. However for a practical purposes the 40 kind of offers the best of all worlds, Size, Power and controllability.

Uhhuh

I can't be 100 percent sure, but when I was looking at my father in law's Sierra reloading book comparing a .40 180 gr. JHP to a few different grain .45 (180 & up) at max load for both calibers the muzzle energy was not that significantly different, with the .40 being more in some instances. I'm over at school now so I can't verify until this weekend, but if someone else can check it out...

True, but both will penetrate thru a human, and the 45 is going to make a much larger hole, and the 45 with its greater momentum (not same as KE), will penetrate better.

Get the .45 acp.