10mm or .45 ACP for HD?

Status
Not open for further replies.
I would say both are good, but you should go to a rental range and test fire each. Then make your decision on which feels best and shoots more accurately for you.
 
Last edited:
.45 ACP.

If you don't believe it, just fire one round of each inside your bedroom.

The .45 ACP runs 21,000 PSI pressure and hurts your ears inside a room without hearing protection.

The 10mm runs 37,500 PSI and has a muzzle blast that will make your ears bleed!

rc
 
Kinda like asking what kind of truck you'd rather be run over by. :)

Given the choice, I am a .45 ACP fan. For home defense, you'd want a cartridge with stopping power while at the same time also minimizing the aspect of over-penetration (through the dry wall, into a bedroom, etc). I would tend to favor a heavier hollow point bullet at slower velocities.

Just remember, there is no magic bullet.
 
The .45 ACP runs 21,000 PSI pressure and hurts your ears inside a room without hearing protection.

The 10mm runs 37,500 PSI and has a muzzle blast that will make your ears bleed!
Click to expand...
Yep!!! A big reason why I all but completely disregard the .357.
 
I like and own them both. For home defense, I don't see as either one having a particular advantage over the other. If you pick a 10mm, plan on reloading or paying a lot for your practice ammo.
 
I went to type, but rcmodel pointed out what I was going to mention. Having fired various calibers in indoor training scenarios, I want the lowest pressure/still useful round available.
 
I wouldn't want to shoot any handgun indoors. Even a single .22LR shot from a pistol outdoors will make your ears ring (yeah, that was stupid). I don't think I'll need to shoot through car doors or windshields to protect my home. Nor do I expect a grizzly bear to knock down the front door.

So I'd take the .45 ACP for a gun strictly chosen for home defense. The only downside I see is 1-2 less rounds.
 
10 mm has a larger number of uses (hunting, etc.), but it's probably a bit much if you're just looking for HD. .45 ACP is cheaper, recoils less, and penetrates less. If you want the gun to double as a trail gun, then by all means get the 10 mm.
 
Don't just laugh off the effects of flash and muzzle blast. They are a serious consideration. I know that if you fire any weapon inside your home it is going to be with good reason (like saving your life or a family member) but there are going to be consequences. Many years ago we rented an old farm house out in the middle of no where. We had all kinds of beasts around the property and some pesky pack rats in the walls of the house. One night my wife heard something in a walk in pantry off of the kitchen and opened the door with a .22lr revolver in one hand and a flash light in the other. Up in the corner of the small room was a hole and just inside that hole was a pack rat looking back at her. She drew a bead on those eyes and at about 15 feet put a bullet right in the center. One dead pack rat but the blast from that .22 deafened her for several minutes and effected her hearing for at least another 3 days afterward. I am a retired police officer and our training occasionally required firing inside buildings. We had hearing protection but with those .40 S&W's we still suffered some effects from those close quarter practices. Just thought I would mention these things for the folks that have not had the experience of firing a weapon inside a house. As far as .45ACP vs 10MM as home protection I prefer my 1911 in .45ACP but either one will get the job done.
 
.45 ACP.

If you don't believe it, just fire one round of each inside your bedroom.

The .45 ACP runs 21,000 PSI pressure and hurts your ears inside a room without hearing protection.

The 10mm runs 37,500 PSI and has a muzzle blast that will make your ears bleed!

rc
Click to expand...

Huge +1 right there. It's exactly what i was going to say.
 
I'm .45 ACP all the way, indoors or anywhere. But what's missing from this discussion is the .40 S&W. It's essentially a low end 10mm and highly favored by many police. Worth a look. More power than a 9mm, still small enough to afford large capacity.
 
I would say both are good, but you should go to a rental range and test fire each. Then make your decision on which feels best and shoots more accurately for you.
Click to expand...


+ 1

I would select the one you are more comfortable with, and can fire faster, more accurately.

IMHO it will be the .45.
 
Well since my primary weapon is a 12ga shotgun a pistol is just a back-up weapon.


But since you ask I use 10mm in a Glock 20.

Better capacity and a bit more power than my .45s which are 1911s.


If for whatever reason you feel a full-power 10mm load is too much for around the house just use factory loads from the big ammo-makers, these are all pretty much loaded to .40 levels and ballistically are very similiar to a .45.


I certainly wouldn't feel naked or under-gunned with one of my .45s either.




Like I say though I'd rather be holding a 12ga shotgun loaded up with 00 buckshot than either one. ;)
 
Shotgun, since it is less likely to penetrate walls and hit someone you really don't intend to hit. And it works well in low light.
Click to expand...

Anybody else getting sick of people giving this answer when it was specifically NOT asked for...?



I sleep with a Glock 20 at my side every night. However, to be honest, the main reason it's there over some of my others is the fact that it is the only gun bigger than 9mm that has night sights. I actually plan on having my M&P45c equipped with NS sometime soon at which time it will probably become my bedside piece as well as one of my EDC's.

I obviously think the 10mm is a good HD choice, but a .45 is just less likely to overpenetrate (plus I just happen to think it's about the best common caliber for man-stopping :D). The 10mm is my woods guns in theory.
 
The .45 ACP runs 21,000 PSI pressure and hurts your ears inside a room without hearing protection.

The 10mm runs 37,500 PSI and has a muzzle blast that will make your ears bleed!
Click to expand...
Ain't that the truth!!
That's why my HD handgun is loaded with .38 Special ammo instead of .357 Magnum ammo.
 
rcmodel wrote: "The 10mm runs 37,500 PSI and has a muzzle blast that will make your ears bleed!"

Can you document that?
 
I've been in a VERY VERY tight space (smaller than a bedroom) when a Remington Golden Saber 125 grain .357 mag was discharged. I did not have hearing protection on. Sure my ears rang for a bit, but hearing returned to normal quite quickly with no *apparent* lasting effects. Hearing was intact the ENTIRE time. No bleeding. Just saying.


Would I want to experience that again? Obviously not. But with this knowledge, I wouldn't choose a weaker/ lower pressure round based on the assumption that my hearing will fair better in a defense situation. I would however choose a weaker/ lower pressure round if I could shoot it with better accuracy and more consistency.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

5
  • Locked
Cutting Edge 10mm and .45 HG Solid Bullets
Replies
20
Views
2K
Zaydok Allen
Zaydok Allen
Lennyjoe
  • Locked
Suppress a .45 ACP or 10MM?
Replies
24
Views
5K
JR24
JR24
B
  • Locked
The "new" 10mm craze
2
Replies
37
Views
6K
Brian Williams
Brian Williams
U
  • Locked
10mm Norma question
Replies
3
Views
394
creeper1956
C
N
  • Locked
10mm vs. .45 Super
2
Replies
29
Views
17K
Nightcrawler
N
Back
Top