What are the pros and cons? ? I remember someone on this forum saying. 45 is low pressure so flash and noise is more tolerable and in shtf the .45 pistol would last longer but. What about ammo availability after shtf or capacity? I have a glock 9mm but was looking at a m&p in. 45 or. 40 for self defense \shtf?
jwf
I agree... I have 9MM and 45... I also have rifles in those calibers.
I had an M&P 40.. didn't like it.. but that's nothing more then my personal preference.
To me, it's a big bullet and a little bullet - why go in between?
9MM is a very likable round.. fairly inexpensive. . And almost everyone has one... with that said, alot of 9MM laying around in SHTF..
45acp is hard to argue with.. because shooting twice is just silly... However, with the 45 comes more weight, more expensive, and less capacity.
Weigh your options and find what best suits your situation and plans.
I had an M&P 40.. didn't like it.. but that's nothing more then my personal preference.
To me, it's a big bullet and a little bullet - why go in between?
9MM is a very likable round.. fairly inexpensive. . And almost everyone has one... with that said, alot of 9MM laying around in SHTF..
45acp is hard to argue with.. because shooting twice is just silly... However, with the 45 comes more weight, more expensive, and less capacity.
Weigh your options and find what best suits your situation and plans.
It really comes down to what YOU prefer, what works for YOU.
I carried a 45 1911 for a long time and still have a couple, still love the round.
I also have a 9 and a 40. While the 9 has capacity low recoil and accurate the 40 has a bit more power. The 40 less power than 45 but the ammo weighs less, a bit.
I now have and carry the 40, and for me it seems to recoil less than the 45, just as accurate with good penetration and stopping power.
As always it depends on the person holding the gun. Which works best for that person may not be ideal for the next. Try going to your local range, see if they have a few different models and calibers to try out. Find what works best for you.
I carried a 45 1911 for a long time and still have a couple, still love the round.
I also have a 9 and a 40. While the 9 has capacity low recoil and accurate the 40 has a bit more power. The 40 less power than 45 but the ammo weighs less, a bit.
I now have and carry the 40, and for me it seems to recoil less than the 45, just as accurate with good penetration and stopping power.
As always it depends on the person holding the gun. Which works best for that person may not be ideal for the next. Try going to your local range, see if they have a few different models and calibers to try out. Find what works best for you.
how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?
The correct answer is likely 9 mm, with some exceptions of course , but if you're starting from ground zero 9 mm wins
The correct answer is likely 9 mm, with some exceptions of course , but if you're starting from ground zero 9 mm wins
I personally prefer the .45 as it's lower recoil makes for a more stable shooting platform as opposed to the snappier recoil of the .40. :thumb: :thumb: :thumb:
If you want to cut down on carry weight substantially for home or personal defense, load the .45 with Blazer aluminum-cased ball ammo.
Just remember to stockpile plenty of the brass-cased stuff that can be reloaded for SHTF.
As far as magazine capacity goes, if you can't get the job done with a 7 or 8-round mag of .45 ACP...you should be carrying your long gun, instead.: : :
If you want to cut down on carry weight substantially for home or personal defense, load the .45 with Blazer aluminum-cased ball ammo.
Just remember to stockpile plenty of the brass-cased stuff that can be reloaded for SHTF.
As far as magazine capacity goes, if you can't get the job done with a 7 or 8-round mag of .45 ACP...you should be carrying your long gun, instead.
: : :
Obviously, the answer is .40!
But...it's .40 X 25 mm, otherwise known as 10 mm Auto.
But if you must choose only one from the OP, then you MUST go .40. :thumb:
More muzzle energy and flatter trajectory than the .45 ACP in nearly all loads, (Really, it is more powerful unless you go full boat +P+ in the .45, despite the opinion of the .45 guys) plus cheaper ammo, plus greater capacity in most guns.
The 9mm has even more capacity and even cheaper ammo...but then, it has less energy. I mean...you have to draw the line somewhere.:
But...it's .40 X 25 mm, otherwise known as 10 mm Auto.
But if you must choose only one from the OP, then you MUST go .40. :thumb:
More muzzle energy and flatter trajectory than the .45 ACP in nearly all loads, (Really, it is more powerful unless you go full boat +P+ in the .45, despite the opinion of the .45 guys
) plus cheaper ammo, plus greater capacity in most guns.The 9mm has even more capacity and even cheaper ammo...but then, it has less energy. I mean...you have to draw the line somewhere.
:
Here's the real answer, 9, 40 & 45 will kill anyone just as dead as the other.
9mm 147 gr., standard pressure rounds and nearly all .45 acp 200 gr. and heavier rounds are subsonic. For HD pick a well constructed JHP in either caliber and you'll be just fine.
All .40 S&W rounds I've looked at are supersonic and will not only effect your hearing with the explosion of the bullet but, the breaking of the sound barrier in a confined space will add to the decibel level.
I do have .40 S&W pistols and I enjoy shooting some of them but, all of my HD pistols are either 9 or 45 loaded with subsonic JHP rounds.
9mm 147 gr., standard pressure rounds and nearly all .45 acp 200 gr. and heavier rounds are subsonic. For HD pick a well constructed JHP in either caliber and you'll be just fine.
All .40 S&W rounds I've looked at are supersonic and will not only effect your hearing with the explosion of the bullet but, the breaking of the sound barrier in a confined space will add to the decibel level.
I do have .40 S&W pistols and I enjoy shooting some of them but, all of my HD pistols are either 9 or 45 loaded with subsonic JHP rounds.
This is assuming I am closer to the pistol than my Mossberg.
I carried a .45 until I saw a West German Sig P229 with the rail under a gun store counter. Now I carry .40 by default. It's a great round, good ballistics, only 4 cents a round more than 9mm and most of my friends carry .40. I am also issued .40 for work so that makes training with my duty weapon much easier since I can just order bulk for both. Ballistically 9mm and .40 are not equal. I hear people claim they are but look at the numbers for yourself.
That brings up another thing: For those interested in having a decent amount of ammo on hand, how much of your stockpile is FMJ vs. JHP? Considering I buy FMJ for the range a thousand at a time I normally have a lot on hand and I would take a .40 FMJ over a 9mm FMJ in TEOTWAWKI any day. That may or may not matter buy it's a consideration I'm sure a few on here have made.
I carried a .45 until I saw a West German Sig P229 with the rail under a gun store counter. Now I carry .40 by default. It's a great round, good ballistics, only 4 cents a round more than 9mm and most of my friends carry .40. I am also issued .40 for work so that makes training with my duty weapon much easier since I can just order bulk for both. Ballistically 9mm and .40 are not equal. I hear people claim they are but look at the numbers for yourself.
That brings up another thing: For those interested in having a decent amount of ammo on hand, how much of your stockpile is FMJ vs. JHP? Considering I buy FMJ for the range a thousand at a time I normally have a lot on hand and I would take a .40 FMJ over a 9mm FMJ in TEOTWAWKI any day. That may or may not matter buy it's a consideration I'm sure a few on here have made.
Go heavy for caliber and a quality jhp and you will be fine.
9mm = 147gr
40cal = 180gr
45cal = 230gr
9mm = 147gr
40cal = 180gr
45cal = 230gr
Go to a range and shoot each caliber in each firearm.
40 cal has a snap kick. 45 has a push kick.
45 is SLOW
Price Ammo
Look at the Glock 10mm, if considering a 40. You can shoot 40 in a 10mm.
idk, I like 45
I think with an extra barrel or 2, slide? One can shoot 45, 40cal, and 10mm from same pistol.
BAD A set up. Not sure about the details.
I could see a time where 40 cal is more available than 9mm or 45acp; not more of it; just less demand, and get passed up.
40 cal is very de...eddd...lee, IMO
40 cal has a snap kick. 45 has a push kick.
45 is SLOW
Price Ammo
Look at the Glock 10mm, if considering a 40. You can shoot 40 in a 10mm.
idk, I like 45
I think with an extra barrel or 2, slide? One can shoot 45, 40cal, and 10mm from same pistol.
BAD A set up. Not sure about the details.
I could see a time where 40 cal is more available than 9mm or 45acp; not more of it; just less demand, and get passed up.
40 cal is very de...eddd...lee, IMO
I don't think it matter's that much. I wouldn't want to be shot with either of them.. .45 looks like a big nasty bullet. but it is expensive.... I went with 40 glock 23 because I could get a conversion barrel for it to 9mm.
Honestly in effectiveness the difference isn't really that high. They each have slight advantages in some way. The .45 is large and heavy enough that it retains its effectiveness in very short barrels as well as being ideal for suppression. The .40 will inherently allow for a higher capacity. The cost issue is a side thing. For me, I buy in bulk anyhow and despite the significantly higher cost of the .45 I would not hesitate to carry one and train regularly. I carry a .40 both on and off duty but I would like to get a sub-compact .45 for deeper concealment. The P229 doesn't hide well in 90+ degree heat.
I personally prefer a .45 for my carry gun however, for SHTF you need a 9mm and 40 cal handgun and .223 and .308 rifle because this is the ammo that is most likely to be readily available from black market sources if civilian ammo sales are banned and whatever ammo stockpile you have is expended or lost. I would also add a .22 to that list because it is cheaper to stockpile.
I run a Jericho in .40, otherwise known as Baby Eagle or IMI 941. It is a steel frame version, and I've used it for 2 decades.
The weight of the gun softens recoil. My follow up shots are pretty quick, even with the hard snap of the .40.
Loud as hell....
I like the Golden Sabre and Black Talon and successors. Good data back from those. Won't go into all the study back then, but I did my homework. I don't suppose the bad guys have grown any stronger, and the big hole in the front of the JHP rounds still performs better than the little hole in the nines.
.45 is great, if your hand is big enough for the double stack mag. If you go single stack, you're capacity is limited. My small hand worked better with the .40, so taking all into consideration, I went that route.
If I had a big enough hand, I'd go with a .45 double stack mag setup. But I don't feel it would be much more to my advantage, especially considering how well .40 goes through things and still does the job on target.
The weight of the gun softens recoil. My follow up shots are pretty quick, even with the hard snap of the .40.
Loud as hell....
I like the Golden Sabre and Black Talon and successors. Good data back from those. Won't go into all the study back then, but I did my homework. I don't suppose the bad guys have grown any stronger, and the big hole in the front of the JHP rounds still performs better than the little hole in the nines.
.45 is great, if your hand is big enough for the double stack mag. If you go single stack, you're capacity is limited. My small hand worked better with the .40, so taking all into consideration, I went that route.
If I had a big enough hand, I'd go with a .45 double stack mag setup. But I don't feel it would be much more to my advantage, especially considering how well .40 goes through things and still does the job on target.
I love the 45 (several 1911 compacts and glocks) and my wife loves the 9mm Baretta, so these are our primary arms. We also have several 40 cal handguns. My wife can handle the 40 well and I am impressed with the accuracy and capacity of the glock 23. The question was about ammo availability and usefulness in SHTF. I figure this covers all the bases especially when you throw in my Rugar Alaskan 44 and 454.
For home defense, why not just use a shotgun?
One thing Inoticed all during the last ammo shortage was that while Walmart, ****s, and other places had little ammo for handguns and rides, there was always plenty of shotgun ammo on hand. When the shelves were bare of even 9mm at Walmart, they had 12, 20, and 410 by the shopping cart load.
Learning from that experience, why not go for a Rossi judge or circuit judge shooing the Defense loads from Winchester using the buck and ball loads for the .410? I went out and got a Bond arms with the .45/40 barrel, and the mixed buckshot and shot loads are wicked on a close range target. And you can switch to either the .410 slug loads that give you a round ball of lead that equal to what came out of a Kentucky long rifle, or use the .45 Colt round.
Either of them will mess up a home invaders night.
Even a 20 gauge filled with large bird shot at the distance from the bedroom hall to the front door will do grievous damage. With slug rounds, you'll have a few .69 caliber slugs greeting a home invader. Use the handguns to fight your way to the shotgun.
One thing Inoticed all during the last ammo shortage was that while Walmart, ****s, and other places had little ammo for handguns and rides, there was always plenty of shotgun ammo on hand. When the shelves were bare of even 9mm at Walmart, they had 12, 20, and 410 by the shopping cart load.
Learning from that experience, why not go for a Rossi judge or circuit judge shooing the Defense loads from Winchester using the buck and ball loads for the .410? I went out and got a Bond arms with the .45/40 barrel, and the mixed buckshot and shot loads are wicked on a close range target. And you can switch to either the .410 slug loads that give you a round ball of lead that equal to what came out of a Kentucky long rifle, or use the .45 Colt round.
Either of them will mess up a home invaders night.
Even a 20 gauge filled with large bird shot at the distance from the bedroom hall to the front door will do grievous damage. With slug rounds, you'll have a few .69 caliber slugs greeting a home invader. Use the handguns to fight your way to the shotgun.
That would be my choice but I think the OP wants that handgun option and wanted the pros and cons. My go to home defense gun is a Mossberg 590A1 with 000 buck.
I have multiple pistols in 9mm, .40s&w, and .45acp.
My thoughts:
9mm: Will kill a person dead with proper shot placement. Personally, shot placement is not a guarantee and no matter what anyone tells you, you will miss you shot sometimes, especially in a deadly scenario with adrenalin that you are used to.
.40s&w: is the best all around round. Best capacity vs size. Cheap to buy. It is everywhere. Best ballistics. With Hollow Points it will stop a person if you hit them anywhere.
.45acp: my favorite when running suppressed. Un suppressed it is slow. But still effective. The low capacity of firearms that shoot it is a negative. Expensive.
Overall, the .40s&w is the best. However, all three of them will kill a person if you use it properly. But as preppers we have to look at other characteristics other than deadliness. Availability? Etc.
Personally, I conceal a .40 Glock 23. However I also carry a 10mm Glock SF when I am not conceal carrying. Overall, with no caveats like availability or cost, the 10mm is the best round I have ever shots for deadliness. But it's cost and availability is a no go for preppers most of the time.
The main thing is to purchase a firearm you like the feel of, can shoot, and are comfortable with. Then spend the same amount of money that you spent on the gun to buy as many magazines as you can. Then stack ammo as deep and wide as you can.
Good luck!
My thoughts:
9mm: Will kill a person dead with proper shot placement. Personally, shot placement is not a guarantee and no matter what anyone tells you, you will miss you shot sometimes, especially in a deadly scenario with adrenalin that you are used to.
.40s&w: is the best all around round. Best capacity vs size. Cheap to buy. It is everywhere. Best ballistics. With Hollow Points it will stop a person if you hit them anywhere.
.45acp: my favorite when running suppressed. Un suppressed it is slow. But still effective. The low capacity of firearms that shoot it is a negative. Expensive.
Overall, the .40s&w is the best. However, all three of them will kill a person if you use it properly. But as preppers we have to look at other characteristics other than deadliness. Availability? Etc.
Personally, I conceal a .40 Glock 23. However I also carry a 10mm Glock SF when I am not conceal carrying. Overall, with no caveats like availability or cost, the 10mm is the best round I have ever shots for deadliness. But it's cost and availability is a no go for preppers most of the time.
The main thing is to purchase a firearm you like the feel of, can shoot, and are comfortable with. Then spend the same amount of money that you spent on the gun to buy as many magazines as you can. Then stack ammo as deep and wide as you can.
Good luck!
I'm not going to dig deep for the article or video that I got the info. from but, the statistic that sticks with me is that 80% of those admitted to the E.R. with a single gunshot wound survived, while 80% of those admitted with 2 or more gunshot wounds died.
To me, that means that being able to hit your target more than once with a pistol round is of utmost importance in a SD situation. Choose the caliber you can shoot accurately with multiple times.
To me, that means that being able to hit your target more than once with a pistol round is of utmost importance in a SD situation. Choose the caliber you can shoot accurately with multiple times.
A 40 S&W Glock the same size and generation as your 9mm can share many parts.
A friend hand loads 40 S&W with 180 grain bullets and Longshot powder.
From a 4 inch Glock 23 this gives about 1150 fps.
From a 5.3" Glock 35 this gives over 1300 fps.
I could get 1180 fps from a 185 45 ACP bullet from a 5 inch barrel that I don't have anymore.
I did get a 3.75" Glock 36 in a trade, but use heavy bullets in it.
i actually prefer the heavy bullets with less flashy loads for home defense.
A friend hand loads 40 S&W with 180 grain bullets and Longshot powder.
From a 4 inch Glock 23 this gives about 1150 fps.
From a 5.3" Glock 35 this gives over 1300 fps.
I could get 1180 fps from a 185 45 ACP bullet from a 5 inch barrel that I don't have anymore.
I did get a 3.75" Glock 36 in a trade, but use heavy bullets in it.
i actually prefer the heavy bullets with less flashy loads for home defense.
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