40s&w or 45acp

[reflex26]

Hi,
I'm new here and glad to join.I'm interested in ether a 40s&w or a 45acp for self defense mostly at home but some at concealed carry.Can any of you give me your opinions on which caliber is best as far as acurracy and recoil and also which pistol you would recommend as far as handling and concealment.Thanks in advance.

[astute]

The 45 is by far the most accurate, though for self defense purposes this won't be noticeable. As far as recoil, there again the 45 is a bit heavier, but really unnoticeable. 9mm is the most affordable to shoot. so when you step up from there, why stop 1/2 way. My opinion says "45". They make some pretty small 45's. I shoot a Taurus PT145 Millennium and find the recoil is very manageable. As far as reloading, if you do that, 40 can be unsafe in some guns (Glock) do to the higher pressures of the 40 and the unsupported section of chamber. 45 is a low pressure round and more adaptable to reloading. Lots of people shoot 40 so it can't be bad, But I say "GO 45"

[KimberRB]

I have the S&W M&P in 40c and I also have a Kimber 45. I love both guns. And like Astute said if you end up getting a Glock don’t try to reload the brass from a Glock I have seen that brass split in the gun what a mess. Most important hold the gun and if you can try it out. Rent one if you can. Get the one that fits you best. The one you feel most comfortable with. There are a lot of good guns on the market. Just remember any thing is better than nothing, and if you don’t like it you will not use it.

[DarrellM5]

While the .45 holds a slight edge in performance, I opt for the .40 for CCW due to the magazine capacity. I'd rather have 12+1 rounds in my Sig P229 or 16+1 in my Springfield XDm-40 than 8+1 in my 1911. I am a big advocate of proper shot placement, but I also know that a lot of training goes out the window in a life or death situation and would feel more comfortable with extra rounds.

[reflex26]

Thanks for the advice.I've been leaning towards a 45 because of past experience[Marines] but you can always learn and I wasn't sure about the 40S&W.I'm thinking of a Springfield xd.Thanks for the info.

[Boomboy007]

I have to cast my vote for .40 S&W. I believe that it is the perfect balance between the magazine capacity of a 9mm and the power of a .45. The one caveat that I might give is that Glock makes a very weak .40 S&W. They took their design for their 9mm and chambered it for the much higher pressure .40 S&W. For all you Glock fans, don't get mad! They make great 9mm and .45's!

My personal pick is the Steyr M40. It utilizes the same trigger safety as the Glock (actually designed by former Glock engineers), and they designed their .40 S&W first, and then chambered the heavier duty design for 9mm. This makes it, for me, preferable to Glock.

Just my $0.02

[{TEX}Hawaii((]

Boomboy007 Wrote:

one caveat that I might give is that Glock makes a very weak .40 S&W. They took their design for their 9mm and chambered it for the much higher pressure .40 S&W. For all you Glock fans, don't get mad! They make great 9mm and .45's!

So is that why more law enforcement agencies nation wide use The Glock 22 than any other pistol in the market?

Glock .40 cal pistols are just as good as their 9mm and .45s. I'd love to see your evidence to back this claim.

[Germanicus]

Originally Posted by Boomboy007

My personal pick is the Steyr M40. It utilizes the same trigger safety as the Glock (actually designed by former Glock engineers), and they designed their .40 S&W first, and then chambered the heavier duty design for 9mm. This makes it, for me, preferable to Glock.

I have used both the Steyr M40 and M357 extensively and they are great guns. They are extremely comparable to Glocks, but I prefer several Glock models to the Steyr M-series for durability reasons.

Good choice on the .40 S&W.

[astute]

Originally Posted by {TEX}Hawaii((

Boomboy007 Wrote:



So is that why more law enforcement agencies nation wide use The Glock 22 than any other pistol in the market?

Glock .40 cal pistols are just as good as their 9mm and .45s. I'd love to see your evidence to back this claim.

Law enforcement don't shoot reloads and if they did I doubt it was reloaded from previously shot from Glock cases. There has been to many warnings about this, The problem comes from the weakening of a section of the brass at the point where the chamber does not fully support the case. This makes the gun more reliable with a variety of ammo, but not good for reloaded ammo, Glocks are great guns. They are just not the best to shoot reloads from, especially in 40 S&W. To shoot reloads it is recommended to use an aftermarket barrel. These have standard rifling and a fully supported chambers.

[Scarecrow]

I have a full size baby desert eagle in .40, and I have a full size .45 EAA Witness. love them both. conceal them both. I would have to say I shoot the baby eagle better I think could be due to the trigger pull being lighter and the grip fitting my hand slightly better. both are great guns/great calibers. see if you could find a range and rent both calibers in different models and see which you are most comfortable with. I don't think you could go wrong with either caliber. just get what you feel you can control better.