9 vs .45

[k9870]

Age old topic. Lets see what you think.

I think with modern bullett tecnology for civilian self defense it doesn't really matter. Both will take someone down. I say for Law enforcement a .45 or .40 is better, since they may have to shoot through windshields, car bodies, etc. Military I think should use .45 since there reglated to FMJ.

Personally I wold shoot .45 out of heavy, full sized guns like a 1911 or 4506. Any sub compact carry type gun Id ratehr have 9mm as little gns are hard to control with bigger calibers.

I also think the best solution to 9 vs 45 is buy both.

[S&Wshooter]

Damn straight. Both calibers have their pros and cons but they're both suitable for their intended roles

[ManiacallyChallenged]

What about .45 GAP? I've heard it sort of fills a role that doesn't even exist.

[S&Wshooter]

Originally Posted by ManiacallyChallenged

What about .45 GAP? I've heard it sort of fills a role that doesn't even exist.

No, it's just a testament to how stupid the Glock R&D people are

[Yournamehere]

The .45 GAP cartridge is ballistically similar to a.45 ACP depending upon the load, just shorter. That being said, it's also a highly proprietary and rare caliber and it's maximum capacities in the Glock pistols that use it is 10 rounds. With that, you're better off with a standard .45 ACP 1911 as you now have a common ammo type, a more than common gun, good ergonomics and a drop of only 2 rounds. It's even better argued if you're a purist or hate safe action pistols, but all in all a 1911 in .45 ACP to me is better than a Glock 37 in .45 GAP.

We've already discussed this at length so I don't know why we brought it up again, but I feel that 9mm overall is the better cartridge from a civilian's economic point of view. You can argue velocity and ballistics and whatever all day, but overall the 9mm is cheaper, more common, and it's easier to find high capacity firearms chambered for it. I like .45 ACP and my 1911 but I like shooting my 9mms more because I can get more rounds for my money (and my magazines). In the military or a few years ago, ballistics might come into play, but then there's modern bullet designs so on and so forth. Overall, 9mm is better for what I do.

[S&Wshooter]

I'm a .45 guy through and through, but it never hurts to have a 9mm

[Excalibur]

For a compact, I'd stick to 9mm with hollow points. Full size gun I'd use .45

[k9870]

I like the versatility of a .357 revolver. Light .38 lrn or wadctters for plinking, .38 +P JHP for home defense, 125 grain 357 mag hollowpoints for self defense, 158 grain hard cast for animal defense. All there in one gun.

[S&Wshooter]

I agree. All in all I shoot alot better with revolvers and I never have to worry about a jam because a jammed revolver is a very uncommon sight. If I could ever find a reliable source of .38 and .357 rounds I probably wouldn't own as many autopistols

[MT2008]

Originally Posted by Yournamehere

We've already discussed this at length so I don't know why we brought it up again, but I feel that 9mm overall is the better cartridge from a civilian's economic point of view. You can argue velocity and ballistics and whatever all day, but overall the 9mm is cheaper, more common, and it's easier to find high capacity firearms chambered for it. I like .45 ACP and my 1911 but I like shooting my 9mms more because I can get more rounds for my money (and my magazines). In the military or a few years ago, ballistics might come into play, but then there's modern bullet designs so on and so forth. Overall, 9mm is better for what I do.

Amen. I think that's a perfectly reasonable argument, too. As a "plinking" caliber for pistols, 9mm is unbeatable, as far as I'm concerned. For home defense, it may not have the performance characteristics of .40 or .45, but it still performs perfectly fine. I'm not the least bit worried that if I shot an intruder with my SIG 226 (9mm), he wouldn't go down. A lot of the rumors about 9mm being insufficient to stop drugged-up BGs are mostly just that...rumors.

Also, one other thing about .45 ACP...I don't know how many people here keep and reload their brass, but .45 ACP is a real pain in the ass to get right. Most .45 ACP pistols are pretty finicky about powder content, including my S&W 4506. So doing reloads is pretty hard. My Dad and I have had almost no problems with 9mm reloads in either my Taurus PT92 (when I still owned it) or my SIG 226. Whereas the .45 ACP reloads we did caused stovepipes in my Smithy almost every time we tried them. We used to joke that you had to be accurate to within a few grains of powder.