bigdawgwill44

ok whats the difference (balistic wise) between the 9 and the .40? WHats the difference in recoil and how much knockdown does each have?

instinct

I own a smith&wesson m&p 9mm I love it I think the I have shot a 40 a bunch of times the pistols are pretty much the same except the 40 has more stopping power than the 9mm but if you are using it mainly for target practice and home security and personal protection as long as you dont need to use it for work (as pretty much all law enforcment agencies have went to the 40) the 9mm is a great pistol with a large magazine capacity its just fun to shoot. Find which ever pistol feels the best and thats the one you should think about getting.

oldsmellhound

Felt recoil depends a lot on the individual pistol - grips, size, weight, how it fits in your hand, etc. In general, 9mm is going to feel like it kicks less than a .40 or .45. However a 9mm isn't as powerful as a .40 or .45. I've read that in terms of real world "stopping power" the .40 155 grain hollow point load and the .45 230 grain hollow point are pretty comparable as far as putting people down quickly.

I shot a .40 SigSauer a few times that felt like it kicked harder and harsher than the .45 Smith & Wesson I was shooting during the same range session.

I would recommend that you go to a range that rents guns, and try shooting a variety of pistols in the 3 calibers you are looking at. If you can handle the recoil from a .40 or .45, go with one of those. If they seem a bit much for you, get the 9mm and make sure it's loaded with quality hollowpoint ammo and you should be fine.