9mm VS .40 S&W

[netentity]

Originally Posted by tattedupboy

What about the 10mm? I hear that it's basically a .45 on steroids, but that the recoil is also a beast on them.

The 10mm is basically a "magnum" .40 S&W. The only difference is that the 10mm came before the .40 S&W. Historically with your special/magnum rounds, the special round is first then the magnum round is engineered later. In the case of the .38/.357 and .44 the late Elmer Keith along with Remington and S&W engineered the magnum rounds. There is talk of a .500 S&W special. The .500 S&W magnum came first engineered by Cor-Bon and S&W.

I own three 10mm pistols and looking to add a fourth; a steel frame Para P-16.40 which can easily be converted to 10mm. It should just require a barrel replacement. With a heavier recoil spring the 10mm shouldn't be too bad.

I can comment that not only is the recoil a beast but the ammo is pretty expensive because it is no longer a mainstream caliber. The recoil and wear and tear on pistols is why the FBI dropped it in favor of the .40 S&W. It is popular enough that the ammo isn't difficult to obtain. It's also a very good round to reload.

I don't think that muzzle velocity is that important at close range (and I plan to do any defensive shooting at very close range), and aside form the accuracy (anything going into the heart or the head is a stopper), I would think that what the bullet does inside the body is important, thus jacketed hollow-points in my .40.

[gvaldeg1]

The Buffalo Bore (BB) 40 S&W +P are the best 40 cal rounds that you can get. However BB posts a warning that these may not be safe in some pistols that don't fully support the case head. This is directed primarily at Glocks which don't fully support the case head. In any event, if you can use them, their 155 gr +p will produce almost 600 foot pounds (ft-lbs) of energy in a 5-inch barrel and and over 500 ft-lbs in the 3.75-inch barrel of the little Sig 229. These are close to .357 mag energies and way better potential stoppers than any 9mm load.

1. Item 23A/20: 155gr. Speer Uni Core

a. Custom made 1911 with Nowlin (5inch barrel) = 1318 fps
b. Taurus PT 100 (4.9 inch barrel) = 1249 fps
c. Sig 229 (3.75 inch barrel) = 1221

Anyway, just my opinion and opinions are kind of what makes this forum so much fun!

[danhill]

Personally, I carry a .357 Magnum snubby most of the time because it is more concealable than any of my three 9mm's. To me it matters less that I only have five shots instead of 15 or 17 because I know I can place them where I need to and an accurate triple-tap with a .357 is just as good as a Howitzer because the end result is the same - one dead dirtbag! I can put 15 shots into 2" in rapid fire with my P89 and can put all five in the same area rapid fire with the .357, so either way it adds up to a bad guy leaving in a body bag. I am getting a .45 though, but just because I want to have it while I still have the chance to get it. Bottom line is, as someone said earlier, a well-placed shot with a .22 is just as good as one with a .50 cal. Go for whatever you can handle the best and is most accurate for you.

[1ofmany30]

I like the 9mm. i never have an issue finding ammo its cheep and most of all i am comfortable shooting the 9mm. the discussion of what is better will last forever. but when talking about stopping power i do have this to say. I work as an EMT in a busy metro city and I have seen more GSW's than I care to remember. but, i have never seen a bullet that did not win when it was shot in self defense. be it a 22 a 357, 380 a 40 or a 9mm ect. when i show up on those calls, all my patients are either dead, about to die or injured to the point that they no longer present a threat.

I truly believe that your training with a hand gun is more important and effective than what caliber you carry/shoot.

[melloyello]

It depends what, how and when.

Concealment, 9mm or even .380.
Stopping power 45 (night stand)
Car/truck console 357/40
Backup hunting 357/44

If a person doesn't stop and think after 3-4 9mm JHP, not sure a 40 will make much of a difference.

Maybe I need to carry my 7.62x25 Tokarev, it's slim, just need more practice...

85 gr FMJ 1,650 ft/s 511 ft lbs
85 gr JHP 1,700 ft/s 527 ft lbs

7.62x25mm Tokarev - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[docholiday]

Originally Posted by 1ofmany30

i truly believe that your training with a hand gun is more important and effective than what caliber you carry/shoot.

amen!!

[Ironhorse]

Between the 2, I prefer the .40 for its slight advantage in power, if I were choosing a weapon for personal defense. If I were choosing a range gun, I'd go with the 9mm, for the more readily available (and somewhat cheaper) ammunition. The 9 would would also be my choice for "If TSHTF" for the same reason listed above.

That being said, my defensive weapons aren't either caliber - they're .45 ACP and .357 mag, for those 2 calibers' better "knockdown power" than the 2 in the poll.

However, I cast my vote for the .40.

[old salt]

Originally Posted by lukem

I'm sure there will be quite a bit of opinions on thins including other calibers. But I wanted to start a thread about this since I just got an email from a user with the following question:

I'll give my own opinion about them. Mainly, I think you need to shoot both and figure out what you like best. My favorite caliber is .40 S&W. At first all of my carry guns were .40. I think its a bigger round so I would hope it would stop the threat quicker than a 9mm. But you also may have less rounds when going with a .40.

Recently I decided to go with the 9mm Glock 27 as my carry gun. I haven't been getting to the range as much and I can just control the 9mm better in the subcompact. I also kind of just wanted a different caliber other than a .40. Now if I was practicing more like I should be I would probably have stuck with a .40 Glock 26.

Another thing is that it should be cheaper too shoot but I don't think the difference was that much so it was not really a deciding factor for me.

But, the gun I keep in my car and on my nightstand are .40. I am not concerned about concealing those so the larger guns.

My full time used to be a 9mm G26 but now I've moved to the 40. A new G27 is my full time carry. I now like 40 so much I picked up a G23 to shoot IDPA. Love that 40.

[melloyello]

Well after reading the comments and quite a few friends, CCW holders and LEOs,
I decided to get a 40 and see what it will do..

Trying this first, 40 S&W SW40VE,
S&W SW40VE .40SW Black/Stainless for Sale at Buds Gun Shop $349.00