If you are happy, don't change.

Al

 

Cost and availability. Especially if it ever came down to post-shtf availability. 9mm is everywhere

You're going to be hard pressed to find .45 in any disabled squad cars, abandoned jail/prisons, armories, etc. I'm sure some departments are still using it, but again, 9mm is everywhere.

 

If everyone is using it, why would it be abandoned? I doubt you will find ammo just lying around in any one of those places you listed. Maybe someones home but the Armories, cars, police stations etc are not the places to look for ammo. During the ammo scare I could always find 40 S&W and 45ACP, in the stores, not 9mm.

If you aint got it, you aint got it.

OP, use what you like, and stack your ammo deep.

 

I second all of that.

The 9mm is lighter, cheaper, more readily available.
If we go to the range to goof off the 9mm is one of the most comfortable to shoot. For me and the kids anyway. If we shoot the 380 or 40, 45 you can still feel it later in the day where as the 9mm doesn't wear you out.
I'm sure some do.

If you just shoot for fun or carry for defense it is just easier and cheaper.
Also consider if it is stolen out of the pickup or something then no big deal $300 and you have another that shoots great out of the box.

In the end if you feel like you are prepared and won't have to scavenge for ammo then you are set.

Better to be accurate with your pistol than change just because something is easier to find or cheaper.

 

He reloads so won't need to scavenge for ammo. Scavenging for ammo is fantasy. Learn to reload like I did...for over 40 years now. Never been out of ammo.

 

Why does everyone say get a 9mm?

.....because it's what THEY have.

 

Maybe some, but I started on the 40 and then went to the 45, then 357, then 9mm and I’ve never looked back. It took a timer to figure it out but I’m faster with 9mm, ammo is cheaper, more plentiful, and my guns hold more ammo to boot.


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Because its practical and economical.

Would I rather use my 1911? Yes!!! But 45 ACP ammo is quite hefty, rather bulky and cost a good bit more than 9mm. With todays technology in bullet design the 9mm is not nearly as hamstrung as it once was. It provides some pretty good results on target. Couple that too, to its wide spread use and availability, it surpasses many other calibers. From a survivalist stand point....the military uses it in great quantities. That greatly increases the odds of its availability and drives the cost per a round down considerably! The fact that its so widely used in this country, not to mention others, makes once fired brass about as cheap as it gets making reloading very worth while.

With all that going for it and I didnt even cover all the bases, you can see why its very popular among preppers and survivalist. Is it the end all and beat all compared to other options? Certainly not, but it does offer a whole lot to the vast majority. I could write a short, maybe not so short, story as to why I have gravitated back to it as my main pistol caliber. If its not for you, then use what fits your needs best, its all good!

 

I now have a 9mm in the house (Wifes gun) but I am not at all sold on the cartridge. Since I have enough 40 cal brass to fill a couple 5 gal pails, and 3-4,000 rds loaded, I dont much care about what cartridges others may have lying around.

My 40 cal reloads are effective, and a lot cheaper than your new technology 9mm factory loads.
Old technology 9mm factory loads and all fmj loads in 9mm still suck.

So why would I choose an inferior cartridge and pay more for barely acceltable ammo, when I can continue to use the better cartridge, and produce my own ammo.

Recoil? I cut my teeth shooting a 357 mag, then spent another decade shooting a 44 mag.
The 40 cal does not recoil enough to notice, and honestly my new 10mm does not recoil much either.

If you are issued good modern commercial defense ammo by your employeer, then a 9mm is an option. Keep in mind its going to take an average person several years, and several thousand rounds before shooting becomes automatic.

If you have to buy your own ammo, you would end up shooting military surplus 9mm FMJ ball ammo, and those rounds poke tinny little holes in people. Shooters buy the cheap surplus 9mm strickly as range ammo, but I suspect they will get stuck using it for defense, because its all they had.

Civilians who must buy their own ammo would be much better served buying a 40 cal pistol, a Dillion 550B, dies, and a casting mold, and start filling a 5 gal pail with empty brass.

 

Lol...I see we have a ballistics expert in the house. First...ALL fmj ammo descent expand..it only penetrates...no matter what caliber. I have seen this proven time and again. Further...if you're shooting for defense and use anything but a good expanding bullet...you're cheating yourself. Ill take my G17 against your marginally reliable 1911 any day. Lastly...if you hate 9mms so bad why do you let your wife trust her life to it?

 

I hear it all the time as well...from limp wrists and people that can't aim.

 

The best cal. is the one you like.
Hitting your target is much more important than cal.

 

The best cal. is the one you like.
Hitting your target is much more important than cal.

This is one of the main arguments for 9mm IMHO.
Most 9's carry more rounds than the similar sized .40 or .45. More ammo = more opportunities for a hit.

Only hits count.

Now, you lose that in mag restricted commie states, but you perhaps still have a slight controllability advantage. That's subjective though.
That said, if I'm limited to seven or ten rounds, I would probably carry a .45, unless it's some micro 9 like my CM9.

 

Well, one of the arguments is it’s close to a .38, less recoil and most importantly it allows you to stay on target better. If you can stay on target with the .45, no real reason to change. The .45 certainly has more stopping power with a single shot..

 

are you sure about that? how do you quantify "stopping power"

 

Caliber wars... fun fun. 9mm bullet technology has come a long way but so have all the other calibers. I've come full circle... carried a P220, then a sr9c, Sig ultra in 45 (officers size 1911) and now I'm back to a 4" 1911 in 9mm. The 9mm +P adds a bit to a carry gun and you can carry a lot more 9mm than 45.

I also have a P226 in 40/357 sig and a 10mm long slide double stack that I would feel more comfortable with if I ever truly needed it. The flipside is that both are cumbersome to carry and its a lot easier to grab a wonder 9 and a couple spare mags. Carry whatever you like.

 

BELIEVE ME...

"EVERYONE" does not pray to that god.

I have a group of 20 friends I have known and shot with for about 40 years. ALL of them have years and years of experience with a lot of them combat vets from our time and not a one carries a 9mm. Some .40s, a couple of 10mm, but the rest .45acp in a 1911 of some form.

 

My LEO neighbor's Dept switched their duty guns from .40 to 9mm but his off-duty carry gun is still a 1911 in .45ACP.

I carry a Taurus PT145CA 10+1 pistol in .45ACP.

 

With the correct ammunition (premium hollow points), the 9mm simply can perform approximately the same as a .45acp. If you're limited to ball ammo, the .45 offers better performance.

If you like the .45, keep it. But as it's probably obvious, the 9x19 offers tremendous advantages of lower cost (which equals more training and stockpiling), lower weight per round (you can easily transport or carry more), and greater capacity, sometimes twice as much for the same size/weight gun.

And as much as I like a 1911 in .45 as iconic and a workhorse, those guns are less reliable, far heavier, and 1/2 the capacity as a modern polymer 9mm. And a good one generally costs 2x or more than another pistol. That's just the reality. Almost nobody much carries the 1911 for serious jobs anymore.

I have many calibers and the .45 is in my stable. But the .45 is rarely my first choice in home defense or carry.

From a practical civilian, concealed carrier, prepper, ammo hoarder, or armed professional the .45 acp and 1911 really don't offer much in terms of practical performance over all the 9mm offerings.

Two typical scenarios, with approximates:
*1911 in .45
* Quality reliable tuned 1911: $1000
* .45 ammo generally 40 cents per round
* Magazines generally 7-10 rounds
* Weight 44+ oz (3 lbs) loaded

Glock 19 or 17 9x19
* $500 and generally totally reliable
*9mm ammo is 20 cents per round
* Magazines hold 15-17 rounds
* Weight loaded ~31 oz (2-2.5 lbs).

So, in summary, guns costs more, weigh more, carry less and more expensive ammo which also weighs more, and you have lower capacity and the bullets do essentially the same damage.

YMMV.

Happy trails.

 

With the correct ammunition (premium hollow points), the 9mm simply can perform approximately the same as a .45acp.


.

IF...and that is a HUGE IF... it works as advertised.

If a 9mm works GREAT.. it gets to .45

With a .45 you are starting at .45 and if the bullet expands it only gets better.
I saw a Black Talon .45 pulled out of a body at an autopsy that was an .71 when it came to rest in the dead guyz innerds.

No 9mm is ever making that one.

 

What ever works for you. Don't count on getting more ammo from other places. Shoot now to develop your skill while its both legal and there is cheap ammo.

 

Springfield xdm in 9 holds 19 +1. In 45 it holds 13 +1. Both work well.

I look for ease of hitting the target, follow up, and the speed the person shot will stop. The 45 provides a larger hole. Most shootings are only a few shots. For me I choose reduced capacity for a quicker bleed out speed.

 

Offrink Offrink.
I agree with you. So what huh.
When the army tried out the 9mm it rejected them because in jungle warfare
(close) the bullet had a tendency to run thru a enemy and they kept coming where a 45 has the stopping power they needed.

 

I generally agree with all the above
The 9mm is a very efficient case
You have to decide what works for you
I like 150 plus grain subsonic cast bullets with the biggest possible meplat
I have a lot of both, .45 ACP and 9mm among others
Get what you like, use what you like
Not assuming this is a troll thread, but the horse is dead, why keep on beating it ???

 

Not assuming this is a troll thread, but the horse is dead, why keep on beating it ???

A rhetorical question, right? Beating the dead horse seems to be about all some can do.

 

I have a fairly wide selection to draw from and the 9mm is among them. It's probably the easiest (next to 22LR) to stack deep without breaking the piggy bank. Anyway the 9mm is kind of a catch all cartridge. It doesn't excel and yet it doesn't exactly suck either.

 

It's America, you are FREE to choose, ain't it great.

 

Buy the gun not a caliber

for me a G23/19 is about the perfect combination of weight and capacity for a sidearm to carry all day.

To go to .45acp it means a bigger heavier gun, but I like the .45acp in revolver as a hunting/woods gun.

I’m no 9mm fanboy but I am smart enough to keep a couple around because of .17cent ammo and availability.


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Top .45 ammo has a 92% stop rating while a 9X19 has a 91%. 9 mm are popular because so many government institutions have switched to them. They do not necessairly use the top rated ammo. You are not likely to buy the top rated ammo.

I have both. The argument is not worth getting into a twist over. It is like the rating. Such ratings are just a way of comparing guns and ammo. The most important factor is hitting your target. A hit with a .22 and a 29% rating is better than a miss with a .357 and a 96% rating. Pick the gun you can shoot best followed by what you like. Like meaning what you will like carrying all the time.

 

I have both and enjoy shooting both.

 

And next up:

- Why does everyone say get a .45ACP
- Why does everyone say get a .40S&W

Hundreds of threads like this on who knows how many forums. To stay on topic though, 9mm is the predominate pistol caliber in this house and the extended family. The wife, kids, and grandkids all prefer to shoot it (though the wife is like a brain surgeon with her .380) whereas I don't really care. I shoot whatever I grab off the shelf that day. Though at the moment the .40s are all in the safe.

For the record, 9x19 has been in service around the world for far longer than .45ACP. It must be an effective cartridge otherwise it would not have survived for 117 years now.

 

For the record, 9x19 has been in service around the world for far longer than .45ACP. It must be an effective cartridge otherwise it would not have survived for 117 years now.

9mm always was capable of sufficient penetration +, which is why it often worked well, now it can expand well at the same time.

 

What do you get with 9mm that you can’t have with 45 acp? More rounds for one thing. Cheaper ammo for another. Better ammo availability and choices. More guns to chose from. Smaller lighter guns. Less recoil.

Really the advantage of 45 acp is only if it’s suppressed , since it has better available sub Sonics.

 

yeah, i forgot to mention that one, 45acp is better suppressed being the most common ammo for it, 230 grain, is always subsonic.. 124 grain is right at the borderline usually, having to spend more for 147 grain ammo for subs.. so there may be some cost savings on subsonic ammo there for the 45acp

 

Its cheap, its effective, its used by every military and police in the planet, fits more rounds in the mag, it has moderate recoil while still being efective, without a doubt the most succesful combat handgun round of the century bar none. Its also the most developed and perfected. A bit like 22LR , stretched to its maximum potential over the years. You have bigger, faster, more powerful, I happen to think 357SIG is about as ideal as a combat handgun round gets, but still, none combines all traits like the 9mm.

 

Its cheap, its effective, its used by every military and police in the planet,

That is not a true statement.

 

Why do you feel you have to choose? I have many pistols in both 9 MM and .45 ACP. (I have zero interest in the .40 S&W, because it was basically a marketing ploy, that went on to become a solution to a non existent problem). Today new interest in that cartridge is dwindling. Pistols in that caliber languish on dealer shelves for months. While the same guns in 9 MM are gone in days.

But even with that said, it's a good cartridge from a stopping standpoint. Admittingly it took a while for me to warm up to the 9 MM, because good, reliable expanding self defense ammunition didn't really come around until the millennium. Now that it has, the 9 MM has proven itself to be just as good of a stopper as the .45 ACP, and others.

Some .45 ACP lovers will always come back with this whole argument that the same improvements have been made to .45 ACP ammunition as well. And they are correct. However the 9 MM has shown much improvement in actual police shootings. Where the .45 ACP really hasn't. It all comes back to the old argument, you can't kill anything "deader". Not to mention the 9 MM is more controllable for many people. And much more concealable in like model pistols.

Today the 9 MM's popularity is ever increasing. Which is why so many recommend it. It is also easy to control, cheap to shoot, and is available in just about every pistol produced by mankind. Pretty tough to beat.

 

Why do you feel you have to choose? I have many pistols in both 9 MM and .45 ACP. (I have zero interest in the .40 S&W, because it was basically a marketing ploy, that went on to become a solution to a non existent problem).

If I could fit a Glock 30 into my pocket I'd carry a .45
I cant, so I carry a 27.

40's in 9mm sized guns is why I have them.

 

It's more or less a free country do what you want.

That said 9mm is clearly the superior round these day but really all pistol rounds suck at stopping so

 

Please provide statistical proof.