RE: 9mm or .45
 

wow, lots of opinions on this.. I say go with the 9mm. Here's why; cheaper to shoot, smaller, 45 ACP will wear out parts faster if shot alot. And sorry, but stopping power? that's debateable. It all depends on bullet placement. Shooting a 9mm is easier, sorry, just is. I am very accurate with a 9 over a 45 acp. Some look back to the FBI shooting in Miami where 9mm's were used and didn't take down the suspect, well they were wearing body armor. It was determined that a 45 wouldn't have pentrated either.

This is not to say that the 9 has better stopping power than a 45.. that would be silly. But it's not as weak as people are saying. You won't knock a PCP ridden maniac down with a 45 if you hit him in the leg any faster than if you hit him with a 9.. Just find the gun that fits your hand and you are comfortable with. Caliber isn't as important as this.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

.45!! If this pistol is going to be used for defensive purposes, the 9 don't hold a light to the 45. Just ask anyone that shoots "bowling pin matches" and they'll tell you that "fat and slow" is the key to knockdown power. But, like others have posted, the 9mm will do just fine for plinking.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

No question the "45" over a 9mm. I personally have no use for a 9mm.I had a Glock M-26 for my ccw carry gun. I sold it and bought the Glock M-27 40cal. A far superior round for defense then the 9mm. If you going to use it strictly for paper targets then the 9mm would be a good choice since ammo is cheaper.That would be the only reason I could see a 9 over a 45.Like already mentioned it's something about the stopping power of that 230 grain bullet.I think you'll regret getting a 9 when you could have had the 45.
Ruger Redhawk

RE: 9mm or .45
 

Sorry Semi, can't buy into it.

That's a matter of opinion. I shoot a .45 better. And I've seen a lot of female shooters do better with the .40 than the 9mm.

Really? I don't think so. There's still WWII vintage Colt 1911 .45's out there, in original condition, and have been shot thousands of times. You'll do more damage to some frames by shooting +P 9mm loads than a .45 will.

Not to me, not after 30 years of law enforcement and military experience.

I've seen suspects shot center mass with a 9mm that took 3 or more shots to drop. When the average confrontation is around 7 yards, I want something that's going to stop them in their tracks. .40 caliber is good, .45 is best.

Yes, bullet placement is a good idea. But I've seen people miss each other from that same 7 yards due to their excitement levels. A .45 in the leg is gonna do alot more damage than a 9mm.


eng40sqd,

What it boils down to is what others here have posted. If you want it just to plink with, get the 9mm. Ammo is cheaper. But, if you want a defensive pistol, the .45 is the way to go.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

I will agree the 45 has more stopping power. But too many times i have seen people buy a pistol that doesn't fit there hand or they can't control the recoil and flinch. the most important part of buying a pistol is how it fits your type of shooting. there are plenty of hollow point loads 150 gr for the 9mm that can make it quite potent. Granted slower heavier bullet of the 45 has the knock down. but a good 9mm that is comfortable to shoot (if you can't handle a 45, and alot of people can't. accurately) a 9mm can be a good gun if you can get good with it. You can shoot a cannon but if you can't hit the target it doesn't do much good. My only device is buy what fits you best and worry about caliber second.

I have also seen people buy semi's instead of revolvers just cuz they were the in thing. Yet at the range they can handle and be quite accurate with a revolver. I guess that is what i am getting at.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

Get the .45, if you want to plink, get the .45 and trade it to someone for a .22

RE: 9mm or .45
 

There is no arguingthat the .45 is a better manstopper than the 9mm- though the 9mm can come pretty close with modern defensive loads.

The complaints that 17 rounds from a 9mm not stopping a perp are ludicrous however.

Before widespread use of autoloaders by police, most of them carried 6 shot .38 revolvers. I've even heard anecdotal stories about how officers long for their old .38's as being better stoppers. Nonsense! The 9mm is quite a bit more poweful than the .38. True, the .38 cartridge dwarfs the 9mm, but I think this is where the perception comes into play that the 9mm is not effective. If an officer had to put 17 rounds of 9mm into a drug crazed perp to bring him down, I think he would have really been on the short end of the stick if he were armed only with a 6 shot .38.

I'll not hide my bias, I'm a huge fan of the 9mm- its very cheap to shoot, some handguns chambered in the round can be exceptionally accurate, its easy to control, etc. I have shot IDPA and IPSC in the past, being a beginner, I have absolutely no problem hitting the high scoring rings in the COM or head with the 9mm with decent speed, on the other hand, even some of the more experienced shooters had double taps that would go wild more often- hitting the shoulder area of a target rather than the COM on the second shot.
With that being said, my next handgun I' saving up for is a mil spec springfield 1911A1, as I like the gun design and have wanted one for a very long time.:D

RE: 9mm or .45
 

Oh boy, the eternal "9x19 vs .45 ACP" debate! NO HANDGUN A 100% STOPPER! Every firearm, and every cartridge is a series of compromises. I carry a Para-Ordnance P12 (.45ACP) every day. I do trust the .45, but for me it is the platform itself, not the caliber. I shoot single action autos better than anything else. Modern ammunition has gone a long way to narrow the gap between the two cartridges. My current carry load is Pro-Load's 230 gr +P JHP. I have also carried a 9x19, and my load was Cor-Bon's 115 gr +P JHP. Trust me, gentlemen, that bullet isn't going to bounce off any living creature. Trade for the handgun you are comfortable with.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

.45acp...for accuracy shooting, the 9mm is great for beginners because it's LIGHT recoiling, so it's easy for newbies to shoot, but that's the only reason I'd recommend one-unless you were a woman looking for a defense gun...the .45acp is a lot more inherently accurate, and is much better in the "stopping power" department.

The 9mm tends to out penetrate the .45acp, but it also tends to take more shots than the .45acp to stop an assailant...I guess it's kind of counterintuitive, but when you think about it, it makes sense, the .45acp has a lot more energy, and stops a lot faster=more hydrostatic shock, while the 9mm is weak and takes its time slowing down...wouldn't EVER be my choice, If I really wanted a small frame pistol, I'd buy one of the new .45's, forget the name they're designed to fit on a 9mm sized frame but nearly match the acp's performance, or a .357sig<--great round right there.

RE: 9mm or .45
 

45 ACP. Good luck.