I prefer the .40S&W, but that's only my opinion. The reason I went with it is because that's what all the cops I work with are issued and they all had good things to say about it. The 45 is a great proven round also. You can't go wrong either way.
Both rounds will put a serious hurt on someone and you cannot argue with their popularity. Personally, I prefer the 40 ONLY because of the greater capacity and lower cost.
I just heard from one of the guys I work with that the FBI just did some re-evaluations on calibers using modern JHP ammunition. They found very little discernable difference in the on target effects. Shoot someone in the boiler room and they theoretically should go down without issue no matter what caliber you use of the 3 or 4 popular SD rounds.
I too like the .40 for more capacity and cheaper rounds. Around here, .45 ammo is roughly $18-19 a box and .40 is $12-13. I just finished watching "Best Defense" on the outdoor channel and their test of the two rounds convinced me that the .40 is plenty powerful for home defense, and for law enforcement purposes. Just my 2 cents
I was on the fence between 9mm and 45 ACP ... so I went with the 40 S&W as a nice medium. Plus, the fact that the Glock 27 was the same size as the Glock 26 sold me on the .40.
I go with the 40 just because it is cheaper and greater capacity. The 45 is a good hard hitting round that has been around for a very long time. Sure the 45 has less energy but it has more momentum than the 40.
I like my 40, itts cheaper, has better velocity and in most cases ( for home defence) most shots are taken within 20 feet. At that range a 40 will do more than enough damage.
Yawn......When the military switches to .40 I will be impressed, I think. They are in the business of killing people and the 1 mm difference doesn't seem to mean squat! They already abandoned the .45 as useless.
You boys work it out what you want to use punching holes in paper.
FWIW, the military also picks the worst possible ammunition for pistols available, because it is cheap, a known quantity, and possibly silly treaties we never signed.
Actually if you average out the ballistics for the two rounds ( not just looking at the best load for either calliber) They actually come out very close to the same.. The 40 operates at higher pressures and also tends to have more snappy recoil.
The caliber question is confounded by the large number of different bullet designs and cartridge loadings available. As far as I can make out, 9mm, .,40, and .45 are all about the same in self-defense effectiveness. I have a hunch that the increased shootability of the 9mm makes it the best choice.
.45ACP for big bores, 9mm for capacity. The .40S&W brings nothing to the table. The .45ACP has better shooting characteristics in terms of recoil impulse and the biggest practical projectile going in autos. The 9mm trumps it on capacity, shoots faster shot to shot, and performs just as well on everything but automobile glass--which is not an everyday concern of mine.
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