.45acp vs 9mm

THEYARDDOG · #41 09-12-2009, 07:27 PM

With todays ammo it really not that much differance, for me it's the 9mm got (3) better price cause I don't reload. When hunting I carry 357 It will take any animal down here if needed

That the 06 can't get crosshairs on ; )

6shootercarry · #42 09-21-2009, 12:24 AM

.357 Mag (or 38 Spec +P) in a S&W Model 65, but I have my eye on a S&W M&P 45... It's gonna have to win me over...

gestu1 · #43 09-21-2009, 07:33 PM

Carried a S&W 686 357 magnum for awhile and loved it. Big gun to carry. Went to a M&P compact 9. Now carry a full size M&P 45acp. By far my favorite.

Glock Perfection · #44 09-21-2009, 09:28 PM

Basically it comes down to stopping the subject. A 45ACP with a 230 grain bullet is double your 115 grain 9mm. More blood lost at a faster rate will stop anything. The bottom line, if you want to stop someone, use a 45. If you want to piss someone off, use a 9mm. A 9mm is great for penetration, like shoot at a car door. The biggest problem is shot placement and making sure you hit what you are aiming at.I feel you should carry the biggest caliber that you can accurately shoot. My choice is a 45ACP, with a mouse gun 32ACP in your back pocket. What does a robber ask for? Your wallet right. You pull out your like 32 mouse back up and blast the scum bag in his face.If need be, you can finish the job with your BEAST stopper 45ACP.

MTS840 · #45 09-22-2009, 03:06 AM

Quote:

The military uses both calibers...Which is preferred as a carry round???

And Why???

In the civilian world, that depends on the individual. I think one should carry what he is most proficient with. All service calibers can work, and they all can fail. No matter which caliber you carry, you should expect a 'failure to stop' and train accordingly. As an LEO for the last 14 years, I've carried 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP duty weapons. In training, we did 'failure to stop' drills with every caliber. The number stamped on your slide is no guarantee of a 'one shot stop.'

Besides, the rest of the world is generally content with the 9mm, including our own Special Forces, the Bristish SAS and Israeli commandos, the latter of which are more far more likely to encounter determined terrorists than we are. Oh, and mostly, they use ball ammo. With the excellent crop of hollowpoint ammo that is available in most of the US, caliber doesn't mean as much as it used to. Find the most reliable weapon you are committed to carrying every day. Then pick the best defensive load that works best in that weapon. Then worry more about training and tactics than about handgun caliber. But what fun is that, right?

Ropadope · #46 10-06-2009, 10:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTS840

In the civilian world, that depends on the individual. I think one should carry what he is most proficient with. All service calibers can work, and they all can fail. No matter which caliber you carry, you should expect a 'failure to stop' and train accordingly. As an LEO for the last 14 years, I've carried 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP duty weapons. In training, we did 'failure to stop' drills with every caliber. The number stamped on your slide is no guarantee of a 'one shot stop.'

Besides, the rest of the world is generally content with the 9mm, including our own Special Forces, the Bristish SAS and Israeli commandos, the latter of which are more far more likely to encounter determined terrorists than we are. Oh, and mostly, they use ball ammo. With the excellent crop of hollowpoint ammo that is available in most of the US, caliber doesn't mean as much as it used to. Find the most reliable weapon you are committed to carrying every day. Then pick the best defensive load that works best in that weapon. Then worry more about training and tactics than about handgun caliber. But what fun is that, right?

You summed that up nicely. Excellent post.

Ropadope · #47 10-06-2009, 11:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Glock Perfection

Basically it comes down to stopping the subject. A 45ACP with a 230 grain bullet is double your 115 grain 9mm. More blood lost at a faster rate will stop anything. .

This is old school thinking, though not entirely off the charts.

First, with today's +P and +P+ pressures in 9mm Luger with a bullet such as the Corbon DPX your expansion rate is close to that of the .45 ACP, regardless of what anyone tells you. .930 is the expansion rate of the 115 grain 9mm Luger with the Barnes DPX bullet. With my Federal SXT 230 grain, the expansion is about the same, but which has done more damage in the temporary and permanent wound cavity ?? Both are pretty close, but if the slower .45 ACP doesn't expand untill as early as the 9mm Luger round than your wound cavity just might be that much of difference from a properly placed 9mm Luger shot, assuming your using this type of ammunition.

You can hit a man square in the heart with a .45 ACP, it doesn't mean he's going down immediatley, in fact I'd be placing additiona rounds COM or to the head until he drops to the ground and isn't breathing. Blood loss is blood loss, especially then more damage is done by a more effective bullet design and composition.

I don't have any problem carrying a 9mm Luger pistol with the right ammunition. I'm going to pull the trigger until my threat is emliminated, not just after two shots, let alone one shot. If I empty the entire mag on a would be bad buy then I'll feel confident that I did my job.

"Why'd you shoot him 16 times ?.......................Well, your Honor, I ran out of ammo"

6shootercarry · #48 10-08-2009, 12:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by gestu1

Carried a S&W 686 357 magnum for awhile and loved it. Big gun to carry. Went to a M&P compact 9. Now carry a full size M&P 45acp. By far my favorite.

My eBay auction ended and the money is in the Paypal account!! FirstDefense Firearms here I come!!! S&W M&P 45acp will be mine...

I love the model 65 and I shoot it well, but it's hard to hide in the summer. I’ll still carry it in the cool weather...It’s that good.
I plan to take a trip to the S&W factory in Springfield MA and have the performance upgrades done to the M&P and add the manual safety. Go figure the model with the manual safety is non compliant here in MA???? An added manual safety feature non compliant?? That’s MA for ya…

festus · #49 10-11-2009, 01:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 6shootercarry

My eBay auction ended and the money is in the Paypal account!! FirstDefense Firearms here I come!!! S&W M&P 45acp will be mine...

I love the model 65 and I shoot it well, but it's hard to hide in the summer. I’ll still carry it in the cool weather...It’s that good.
I plan to take a trip to the S&W factory in Springfield MA and have the performance upgrades done to the M&P and add the manual safety. Go figure the model with the manual safety is non compliant here in MA???? An added manual safety feature non compliant?? That’s MA for ya…

Good to hear another 45ACP fan out there.

Here is my thinking

9mm is really fast but unless you hit a major bone you are going to carry most of that energy out the far side of your intended target.

45 ACP is really slow You will deposit more of the kinetic energy in the target and less out the backside. It is all about the transfer of energy.

Both rounds carry a huge amount of energy one due to weight and the other due to speed. It how the energy is applied that matters.

There are some things that even thing up a bit Hollow Points and the like VS Ball ammo.

The only reason that the Military is so effective with the 9mm round is how they are trained to shoot. The Mozambique Drill and double taps are he rule of the day for them. Foe the average Joe you may not be as well trained and need every advantage you can get.

Remember the 45 ACP was the answer to drugged up insurgents that the 38 would not put down.

In combat most combatants are not drugged up but the guy who broke into your house to steal you blind for his next hit of meth is probably not wired right and you need all the help you can get to keep your family safe!

6shootercarry · #50 10-12-2009, 01:06 AM

My friends Steve and Steve (one's been dead for 4 years and the other lost the right to own firearms due to some drunk-driving arrests here in MA) both had some interesting weapons growing up. One had a Beretta model 92 compact in 9mm, a Walther PPK 380 auto and a Colt Python .357Mag w/ 6” barrel. The other liked big cannons and had a Desert Eagle in 44Mag and a nice colt 1911 45acp. My friend Sean (LEO) had 2 Glocks both 40S&W. Model 27 for off duty carry and a 22 for duty carry. I used to go with the Police Lt, his nephew and Sean to the GSSF events here in MA before Glock said “To Hell with MA”. I was able to shoot all of these weapons often and I recall the .40 and the .45acp were by far my favorite to shoot and I was able to perform better with the lower recoil from the slower 45 vs. the 357Mag I have now. I shoot the 357 better in single action mode (as do most) and prefer the .38 spec +P over the full 357Mags due to the recoil. I was looking at the S&W model 1911 but I’m trying to keep some of the money for x-mass shopping and I intend to use the .45 for carry purpose. Maybe later on I’ll get the S&W 1911 and trick it out for range use. The .45acp has been battle tested and proven to be more effective than the 9mm in critical defense situations. That’s why most of the police departments here in MA have gone to the .40 and the .45 as have other states. Our locals have dropped the 9mm and are using the .45