Help me WANT a .45 acp

[dom1104]

Hey guys, need some help.

I NEED to buy another M&P for home defense, competition use and carry, I have a 4.25 9mm that I love, but when it is with me, its not at home for my wife to use if needed.

I would like to buy another M&P 4.25 inch gun, but the thing is....

I am having trouble talking myself into spending the extra money, reloading equipment etc... when I am pretty convinced that 9mm is plenty for most any job, and the best for most competitions.

On the other hand, buying two identical guns.... somehow rubs me wrong.

Lately EVERYTHING I have read has shown the 9mm to be the practical equivalent of the .45 in self defense shootings.

I am just not convinced that the 40 is worth the recoil, the .357 sig is worth... anything , and the 45 just seems like a way to spend 2x as much per shot.

On the other hand, the 45 does have one redeeming factor, I could use it for bowling pin matches.

Am I missing something? have too much faith in shot placement and the 9mm?

I guess I will just get a .45 acp even if it spends most of its time in the drawer as a HD gun, just to avoid the whole duplicate gun thing.

A 625 JM 45ACP revolver is not out of consideration either.

If anyone can remind me of neat things that can be done with a 10 shot 45 that cant be done better with a 17 shot 9mm... I would appreciate it.

Help me decide it is worth.. new bullets, new primer size, new shell holder, new brass....

 

[DammitBoy]

You can't have one.

 

[legion3]

No I agree that the 9 is fine for most any job. Does not stop me from having a 45acp or two.

But convince you to buy an M&P no thanks just joking!

Get the 45!!!

 

[Wishoot]

Because you don't have one. That's all the reason you need.

 

[Hammerhead6814]

I'll talk you out of it. For one thing you already have an M&P. An M&P that shoots cheaper ammo, and that you can buy cheaper hollow-points for.

Anyone who is anti- 9mm needs to ask why just about every stinking military uses it. I actually can't think of anyone but the Chinese who don't. Unless I'm missed the memo and the Chinese do use the 9x19.

If anything, you get more practice with the 9mm. Practice makes perfect. If it really bothers you, buy a .40 S&W, still spend less, and get similar results to a .45. Not perfectly similar, but as close as you can get.

 

[dom1104]

The only thing that bothers me hammerhead, is that the gun cant be in two places at once.

I cant carry it and have a house gun at the same time.

so I am trying to decide between 2x 9mm M&Ps, or a 45 acp revolver, or a 45 acp m&p.

Actually I am kind of leaning towards the 45 acp revolver lately.

 

[Hammerhead6814]

Your favorite gun is a CZ SP-01. Forgive the assumption, but I assume you own that?

 

[wow6599]

Why not get a M&Pc in 9mm? You already reload 9mm, you seem to really like the M&P (so do I) and are comfortable with it.
Leave the full size at home and carry the M&Pc.
Or just get the .45

 

[dom1104]

Yeah I do have a CZ sp01, but its modified into an open gun, red dot, single action trigger, no FPB, there is no way I would even consider using it in self defense.

It has a 22 conversion on it most times anyhow.

thats a "kept in the safe" gun.

 

[dom1104]

Why not get a M&Pc in 9mm? You already reload 9mm, you seem to really like the M&P (so do I) and are comfortable with it.
Leave the full size at home and carry the M&Pc.
Or just get the .45

an M&Pc is an option, dont really have any issues concealing a full size tho... and the crimson trace laser wouldnt interchange like it would with the 45 and other 9mms.

I guess I COULD get a long slide 9mm. carry the 4.25 inch 9mm, leave the 5 incher at home.

 

[hogshead]

Well. Waiting on the 9mm vs 45 debate.

 

[John Wayne]

.45 ACP is a lot more fun to reload for than 9mm

Seriously, 9mm is one of my favorite cartridges. I love shooting it in matches, where the low cost and quick follow-ups come in very handy.

I bought a gun in .45 ACP (Glock 30) mainly because I hate fiddling with the dinky little 9mm case when reloading. I do not particularly care for the .40 S&W round, and do not feel like I need something bigger than 9mm; I just wanted to reload for .45.

Once you buy one, it just feels so American. If you were to go the revolver route though, I would get something in .45 LC, .41 mag, .44 mag, etc. No sense in handicapping an N-frame revolver by chambering it in a weaker auto pistol cartridge.

 

[Hammerhead6814]

Look into a .40 S&W if you don't want to swap out the parts on the SP-01. My 1911 sits in the safe because I can't afford to shoot it until I can reload for it. Right now the cheapest, CHEAPEST .45 ACP in my area is $22.95 a box of 50 rounds. That's just Wolf ammunition. The cheapest box of hollow-points is $35.99.

Getting in good range time for practice means spending (for me) over $100 on a single shoot! That's not with the Hollow-points which you'd want to use so you know what your handling in self-defense. Ask anyone, switching rounds means potentially small-to-large differences in felt recoil, the direction of recoil (once again potentially), and the function of your weapon. One round could have an increased potential for jamming.

Unless you intend to go all out and reload, .45 ACP may shoot you out of house and home (using a metaphor guys).

Post heavily modified to prevent nit-picking.

 

[gbelleh]

This is a pretty good reason to have a .45...


This pic was posted on another forum a few years ago.

 

[gofastman]

^ that guy sure has some amazing photography skills

 

[Hatterasguy]

9mm is fine, if you are worried about stopping power the 9mm is a fine round, you are not undergunned with it by any means.

Having said that shoot a nice 1911, like a Wilson Combat, than come back and say you don't want a .45!

 

[Hammerhead6814]

No one's saying the .45 isn't effective. I'm just saying for the price of shooting 500 rounds of those 230 grain Ranger SXT's,, which would be $399.50 before tax and shipping, you could buy a whole other gun.

All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be at the ammo counter making life decisions. You'll look at those SXT's and go "Did I eat today? Man I can't afford to get two boxes I only got 3 cigarettes and a quarter of a tank."

 

[Hatterasguy]

Yeah but shooting that much is a waste get a .22LR version of whatever you are shooting.


You should own two pistols. The primary in whatever caliber you want to use for self defence, and a secondary in .22LR so you can put 500 rounds down range a week to get training time in.

 

[gbelleh]

Just trying to help with excuses

But if $ is really the main concern, it would be smarter to skip the .45 and just buy reloading components for 9mm. For the HD drawer gun, get a Kel-Tec or Bersa 9mm.

 

[Hammerhead6814]

You should own two pistols. The primary in whatever caliber you want to use for self defence, and a secondary in .22LR so you can put 500 rounds down range a week to get training time in.

.22 lr and .45 ACP don't exactly have a similar recoil. .22LR can be good for learning how to shoot, aim, and make repeat shots. But different calibers means differences in recoil, differences in how you hold the pistol (example: A Ruger Mk-III and a CZ-75b), both of which means your personal accuracy will vary when switching from the .22 to the 9mm or .45 ACP or whatever your shooting.

If you intend to carry a pistol for self-defense accuracy is a big must. There was a post here a week or two ago about a guy who got shot 5-6 times with a .45 ACP and walked away from the hospital because none of the shots landed where it counted.

I'm just saying that if you have to choose between buying ammo and driving home, maybe you should look into something else. Or buy a reloading press. Nothing wrong with rolling your own (once again, a metaphor). A friend in KC is reloading .40 S&W and is paying .16 cents a round right now. I've read of guys reloading .45 ACP and spending as little as .25 cents a round. If you can do it make your own boo-boo. But if you can't, there's a whole lot else out there that does the same job for less.

 

[dom1104]

I guess I should list what I do own.


1. CZ SP01 single action with a red dot in 9mm
2. CZ Kadet 22lr conversion for that SP01
3. CZ P01 in 9mm <which I am going to get ready to sell, rubs my knuckle wrong.>
4. M&P pro series 4.25 inch 9mm

so I do have that 22lr gun, but looking for a gun to leave in the handgun safe while my wife is home and I am at work.

I guess I really am leaning towards the long slide version of the 9mm M&P. Slightly different, but uses the same mags / parts / caliber.

thanks guys. appreciate bouncing ideas back, I think I will continue down the 9mm road.

 

[orionengnr]

No one's saying the .45 isn't effective. I'm just saying for the price of shooting 500 rounds of those 230 grain Ranger SXT's,, which would be $399.50 before tax and shipping, you could buy a whole other gun.

First, how much does 500 rounds of 9mm Rangers cost? Probably nearly as much. Who shoots 500 rounds of SD ammo at the range anyway?

Second, you have already said you are a handloader. If you handload, the cost to load 9mm is about the same as the cost to load .45acp.

I own .2LR, 9mm, .357M, .41M, .45LC and .45acp. I am set up to reload for all but .22LR.

I shoot .22LR and .45acp in equal measure (about 100 of each today). Everything else is a "once in a while" deal.

 

[Hammerhead6814]

Who wouldn't eventually shoot 500 rounds of SD ammo at the range? You have got to keep sharp. If you only shoot it once every six months then every six months is going to feel like a first date.

The 9mm Rangers cost $25.00 by the way. That's .50 cents vs .80 before tax. In other words, for 200 rounds of the 9mm, you'd only get roughly 125 rounds of the .45 ACP.

Once again, if you reload, this whole conversation is irrelevant.

 

[yeti]

first, how much does 500 rounds of 9mm rangers cost?

$339.95

 

[Robert101]

I'm not going to compliment the 9MM - it is just OK. It is not in the same class as a 45 ACP. The .357 Sig and 40 S&W are in the same class as the 45 ACP. There is no other round (including the 10MM which I love and adore) that has more of a proven drop dead reputation. You can quote paper ballistics, show me gelatin, and calculate the cost of ammo all day but the 45 is king in the combat semi-auto handgun world. Now I will compliment the 10MM which is by far the best combat round available - that was off topic.

Get yourself a 45 ACP handgun, the reloading dies, and truly experience the sport of semi-automatic shooting. Then go to the range with those 230 grain bullets and pull the trigger a few times. Then take a deep breath and the answer to your question will become clear - very clear.