9 or 40

[Perd Hapley]

I also might be the last person on earth who carries a 1911 with 7-rd mags too..

I do. I think Hawkmoon does.

You obviously don't hang out much on the 1911 fora. 

[brimic]

I do. I think Hawkmoon does.

You obviously don't hang out much on the 1911 fora. 

Nope, don't have time for too much internetting anymore.

[K Frame]

Find yourself a range that rents said guns.

Try them.

Pick the one you shoot the best. If you can shoot it well, and can hit with it, it doesn't matter if it's a .40 or a 9 or whatever.

Don't listen to the 'tards who bleat about "9mm pea shooter, .40 short and wimpy, .45 reaper of souls, progeny of God's beloved JMB!" Basically Guns & Ammo reading kool-ade drinking douchenozzles.

Whatever you pick, practice with it. A lot. To make sure that it both functions as intended AND you're able to place your bullets where they need to go. Practice with your chosen carry ammo, not just hard ball or whatever cheapest.

And, again, don't listen to the bleating 'tard kool-ade drinking douchenozzles who thing the size of your junk is directly reflected by the cartridge you choose for personal defense.

[K Frame]

Oh, and just for the record?

My chosen carry gun is most often a Smith & Wesson Centennial J frame in .38 Special.

5 rounds.

[brimic]

Oh, and just for the record?

My chosen carry gun is most often a Smith & Wesson Centennial J frame in .38 Special.

5 rounds.

And, again, don't listen to the bleating 'tard kool-ade drinking douchenozzles who thing the size of your junk is directly reflected by the cartridge you choose for personal defense

So you are saying that its actually an inverse proportional relationship? 

[MechAg94]

I would agree with shooting the guns if you can.  IMO, there can be a big difference between how a gun feels in the store versus how it feels shooting.  If you are only going to buy one, make sure it is the right one.

[T.O.M.]

I've talked with several Shield owners.  The 9mm is  the .40 not so much.  I've got a .40, a SIG P239, which is way over on the large end of compact handguns.  The reason it's a .40 and not a 9mm is because that's what my buddy was trading away. 

My opinion, stick with the 9mm.  Common caliber for your working guns makes everything simpler and cheaper.

[Hawkmoon]

9

[roo_ster]

If I remember correctly, the .45 has a lower capacity (though a higher capacity of awesome). I don't know what the 9mm version carries, but I recall distinctly that the .45 holds 6 in the flush magazine, and 7 in the longer version.


zahc, in my inexpert opinion, you may as well stick with the point-nine-millimeter. You and your wife are both used to it. Having the best (most effective, most accurate) self-defense cartridge is probably more crucial than adding an extra millimeter. This advice is worth the price.

Also:
http://www.handgunsmag.com/shot-show-2016/first-look-federal-hst-9mm-micro/

That 9mm micro loading looks interesting.  Ought to try it in my wife's 3.5" bbl 1911 in 9mm.  Looks like they are trying to move into .38spl heavy bullet territory: 150gr@900fps.

Also, the bullet looks an awful lot like the old Starfire projectile, which was supposedly designed by the same guy who designed hte Hyda-Shok post/hollowpoint.

[Hawkmoon]

I do. I think Hawkmoon does.

I do, except when I'm carrying an Officers ACP, which has 6-round mags.

[HeroHog]

I'm quite happy with my 9s. I currently have 3, S&W Model 59, GLOCK 19 and SUB-2000. Our other carry gun is dad's Model 10-8 S&W .38 SPL. We have a .44 but it's not a practical carry gun...

[K Frame]

So you are saying that its actually an inverse proportional relationship? 

Nah.

I'm saying you're a douchenozzle.

[K Frame]

A few weeks ago I got my first .40, a Smith 410. Couldn't pass it up -- $300 and change OTD, and it's in very lightly used shape.

Still haven't found time to shoot it. I've shot other .40s -- HK, Glock, a High Power (that was subsequently recalled because of a very bad tendency for some of the first ones to, well, explode), an early HK UPS, and a few shots out of an HK P7M10. They didn't make many of those, and they were not particularly pleasant to fire.

I've never been all that enamored with the concept of the .40, and probably still wouldn't have one were it not for the good price on the Smith I found, but I don't discount its effectiveness or power.

I did have for a number of years a 10mm CZ, but I ended up selling it to a friend. I just wasn't all that hep on it, either.

[Andiron]

Good luck, but the physics of the situation darned near dictate the results.

I'll just leave this here...

[Fitz]

all guns are beautiful

all guns matter

#AllGunsMatter

[Scout26]

Welcome to APS !!!

It has been 859 0 Days since our last at fault Caliber War.

[Fly320s]

9 vs .40 vs .45

Caliber doesn't matter. Keep shooting until you get the results you want.

For example: https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/

[wmenorr67]

I have the S&W M&P .40C.  Love it....but that is my preference.  I also love my Ruger P series 45.

Looking at my next pistol purchase to be a S&W Bodyguard.

[T.O.M.]

9 vs .40 vs .45

Caliber doesn't matter. Keep shooting until you get the results you want.

For example: https://www.policeone.com/police-heroes/articles/6199620-Why-one-cop-carries-145-rounds-of-ammo-on-the-job/

That's a hell of a story, which kind of kills the caliber debate.  Like you said, shoot until the threat ends.  Period.

(When I went on search warrants as a prosecutor, I carried a Glock 19, a pair of spare Glock 19 mags, and a pair of Glock 17 mags with the +2 adapters.  I never wanted to be holding a pistol with the slide locked back praying for a miracle.) 

[Fitz]

"Basic load" for an AR pattern rifle is 7 full mags.

In combat, I carried 13 on my body, and many more in a small bag in the truck.

And the amount of HE-DP I carried? Whew!

[Grebnaws]

Recoil is definitely not an issue with my xds in 9mm. Girlfriend approved. It is very soft shooter for a subcompact 9mm. I compared it to a walther pps, kahr cm9, ruger lc9, and s&w shield. It feels considerably smaller than a double stack pistol under the belt and has a bit more heft than the S&W shield and quite a bit more than the pf9. They are much less expensive than they used to be and I would buy another if anything happened to this one. If you're considering a 9mm you should try one of these out, I have as much confidence in federal hst 147gr +p as anything else.

[brimic]

Nah.

I'm saying you're a douchenozzle.

Coming from the King of the Douchnozzles, I'll take that as a compliment. 

[MechAg94]

Some guy did a statistical analysis of police and civilian shootings.  Injuries due to 9mm, 40, and 45 were an order of magnitude worse than injuries with smaller calibers.  They saw no effective difference between the 3 main calibers as far as deaths/serious injury/stopping the attacker. 

I don't remember who did the study.  I heard an interview on GunTalk.

[K Frame]

Coming from the King of the Douchnozzles, I'll take that as a compliment. 

Yeah, just another poser jealous of my nobility....

[lee n. field]

Some guy did a statistical analysis of police and civilian shootings.  Injuries due to 9mm, 40, and 45 were an order of magnitude worse than injuries with smaller calibers.  They saw no effective difference between the 3 main calibers as far as deaths/serious injury/stopping the attacker. 

I don't remember who did the study.  I heard an interview on GunTalk.

I think it might have been Greg Elefitz (sp?).  IIRC, the big divide was .380 and up, being markedly more effective than anything smaller.