9mm VS .40 S&W

[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 would like to hear your idea on 9mm compared to 40 s&w. I am trying to decide between Glock 26 and 27 so I would like to hear all I can about the 2.

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.

[ronwill]

Maybe the following will help:

.40 S&W - 180gr = 968 fps muzzle velocity with 375 ft. lbs. muzzle energy.

9mm - 124gr = 1,181 fps muzzle velocity with 382 ft. lbs. muzzle energy.

It comes down to whether you believe a faster bullet with slightly more muzzle energy is better than a heavier bullet with slightly less muzzle velocity and energy. Different manufacturers change somewhat but what I've shown is an average. By the way, I prefer a .45 for my carry weapon.

[CMS23]

I shot the 27, the 26, and an M&P 9mm. I could hit better with both the 9mm's. The M&P was best, bust it's s slightly bigger gun even though it was the compact. Still not sure, there are pros and cons to each. I guess I'll just have to think about it a while.

[HK4U]

+1 on the 9mm.

[tattedupboy]

.40 S&W any day. I've carried both and shoot both well, but the .40 S&W is more of a man stopper, and that's why I prefer it.

[KimberRB]

I would have to agree with Tattedupboy. I just feel the 40 is a better man stopper. How ever I carry a 45 most of the time.

[mtndwell]

I feel I am more accure with my 9mm. I also find it faster to get back to target. And in a crunch situation, I would rather be more accure than shooting a bigger bullet. The extra rounds and decreased cost at the range are also a pluses.

[S&WM&P40]

YEAH WELL I CARRY a S&W 410 So beat THAT!!! lol, no i have been trying to make up my mind as well. I keep going from 9mm,40 and now i have been thinking about 45. But i am not really a hand gun person i do not really shot them a lot. The last handgun i shot was years ago and it was a 380. Now that i can own/buy my own handguns i am going to get back into it more. I am worried the 45 will fly out of my hand and i will not be able to hit any thing with it. The PD here carry's 9mm glock's so i think i am going to go with the 9mm. But i would love to hear more about it. On a side note CMS23 have you joined the M&P user group yet? if not please do so we can use more members.

[gestu1]

I have a compact M&P 9mm. It seems to be more accurate for me then the 40. I still prefer my 357magnum for man stopping.

[capo2186]

Honestly I say you are best off with what you feel more comfortable with. Yes the .40 is more of a man stopper, but if they are more comfortable with the 9mm then I say go with the 9mm. If they are a quicker shot with the 9mm because they are more comfortable with it, those extra seconds may save their life. Some of you say that it is better to have more of a man stopper, however I would much rather be shooting with something I know I am comfortable with. Some one on this site (can't remember who), has in their signature, "It is better to have well placed shots with a .22 than misses with a .44 magnum". I think this statement fits this question well.

In my opinion, two well placed shots to the chest with a 9mm can do just as much damage and stop a threat as a .40

I heard a quote one time by someone in the military. They were asked what they thought about the military switching to the 9mm round instead of the .45. The person who asked said it was stupid because the .45 was much more of a man stopper. The military person's response was "If I put two in your heart and one in your head...are you gonna know the difference?"

If you are comfortable with the .40, go with the .40. All I am saying is go with what you are comfortable with.