Greetings from Arizona...

[Giddyupgo]

Stumbled across this site and decided to join up.

I am currently trying to decide on which pistol to purchase. I'm leaning towards .40 or .45 and looking in the 500-600 range.

I would like some information about these rounds for self defense and how they relate to number of rounds you can carry in a clip ect... ect... I priced some ammo today for the two and they seem fairly close in price.

I have been heretofore a wheel gun person and have several revolvers I'm quite happy with. However, given the political climate I'm thinking now might be a good time to pony up and get a pistol while they are still available and one can still buy extra clips. Maybe I'm just over reacting and being paranoid.... who knows?

Anyway, any strong feelings on the .45 over the .40? Disadvantages. I've been in several gun shops and get just overwhelmed with salespeople and so many different models. I don't want to spend a fortune. I'd like some opinions from "users".

I have a CC permit and carry ALL the time. Seems the pistols might be easier to hide than the Model 66.

And yes we ran the air conditioning today..... sorry had to throw that in.

[Stampeed Valkyrie]

I spend time between both PA, and Arizona and I can tell you this you are definitely not missing anything out here except cold and snow..

As for pistols my advice is to try out as many as possible before you buy. As you already are aware with revolvers, automatics all have a different feel to them. For example while the Glock is a solid pistol, I personally really dislike the way the handle sweeps back. Because of this I will never buy a Glock, but many friends of mine swear by them.

As for caliber this is a matter of personal preference. I chose to carry .45acp and the 2 pistols I routinely carry are a 1st Gen Springfield XD, and an H&K USP compact. Both are roughly the same size... the XD has more of an outline when concealing. I chose the .45acp caliber for its high knockdown rate. The .40 also has a good knockdown rate and its close enough to not base the decision on that alone.
Obviously the next decision would be price of ammo.... I shoot alot... seriously way out of control over here... However I stocked up on .45 ammo way back and have plenty. But from what I see now .45 ammo is definitely heavier on the wallet then .40. plus some pistols have conversion kits which allow you to shoot both 9mm and 40 cal by swapping barrels and mags. Might be something to think about.

Try before you buy if possible and listen to what others say.... but don't base your decision on someone else's preferences as they are not you.

You may also wanna keep an eye out for a used automatic as I scored my barely used H&K w/2 mags for a little over $200. New prices are way out there.

Rob

[27hand]

Originally Posted by Giddyupgo

Stumbled across this site and decided to join up.

I am currently trying to decide on which pistol to purchase. I'm leaning towards .40 or .45 and looking in the 500-600 range.

I would like some information about these rounds for self defense and how they relate to number of rounds you can carry in a clip ect... ect... I priced some ammo today for the two and they seem fairly close in price.

I have been heretofore a wheel gun person and have several revolvers I'm quite happy with. However, given the political climate I'm thinking now might be a good time to pony up and get a pistol while they are still available and one can still buy extra clips. Maybe I'm just over reacting and being paranoid.... who knows?

Anyway, any strong feelings on the .45 over the .40? Disadvantages. I've been in several gun shops and get just overwhelmed with salespeople and so many different models. I don't want to spend a fortune. I'd like some opinions from "users".

I have a CC permit and carry ALL the time. Seems the pistols might be easier to hide than the Model 66.

And yes we ran the air conditioning today..... sorry had to throw that in.

Welcome to the site.

There are so many fine firearms available it would be my suggestion to rent or try various models.

I don't think caliber is all that important, especially with the ever rising cost of ammo. If cost is a factor, 9mm would be my suggestion. You will shoot more.

Are you partial to 1911 style or polymer?

Lot of variables here. That's why i think you should try quite a few.

27hand

[mikey]

First of all...Welcome to the forum!! I'm sure you will find a wealth of useful information here.
One thing though, we call them magazines, not clips. I don't really have a problem with it, but others here will say something if I don't.
I am new to having a .45 myself but I would recommend it over the .40 in that you have several choices in sizes and makes. I also think .45 ammo is a little cheaper because of its popularity. Either is more than capable of doing the job but I believe shot placement is more important.
My particular model, with a pre-ban magazine can hold 16 in the mag and 1 more in the chamber. This is not common though with .45's so if you are looking for a high capacity, you are limited in the make. The XD model holds 13 +1 I think, and is also a good option.
Arizona is where I plan to go when I retire. I loved it when we visited in 2007.

[gf45acp]

Howdy Giddyupgo, and welcome to the forum.

I lived in Tucson for a couple of years 78-80.

When I was in Az, it was my Colt Combat Commander for me, Series 70 Mk IV.
Back then 7+1, cocked and locked, and did just fine with it.

Went to it from the S&W 19.

For me, I take the .45acp over the .40 any day.

Back when I lived there Az had no CC, it was all OC or nothing.

At least you have air, all I had was a swamp cooler!

[Giddyupgo]

One thing though, we call them magazines, not clips. I don't really have a problem with it, but others here will say something if I don't.

LOL... as soon as I hit "submit reply" I noticed I typed clip instead of magazine. I had a magazine from my North American Arms .32 pocket pistol laying in front of me at the time. It screamed at me in outrage. I thought to myself "here it comes". Oh well. Now that thats out of the way.

Thanks for all the quick replies to everyone.

I was searching out .40 caliber on Google earlier and found a short clip of a situation where a guy was shot twice in the chest by police and was still up and walking around. Running actually. He was caught, but this seems incredible that two rounds to the chest would not incapacitate an individual. I'll try and find it again if anyone would like to see it.

Found it....http://www.crimefilenews.com/2006/03...t-on-tape.html

[eulogyADD]

Originally Posted by Giddyupgo

e.

I was searching out .40 caliber on Google earlier and found a short clip of a situation where a guy was shot twice in the chest by police and was still up and walking around. Running actually. He was caught, but this seems incredible that two rounds to the chest would not incapacitate an individual. I'll try and find it again if anyone would like to see it.

Found it....http://www.crimefilenews.com/2006/03...t-on-tape.html

OK, a .40 cal bullet is 10mm, a .45ACP is ~11.4mm. Not much difference there. When the bullet expands (HP of course) there is still not much of a difference. Is there a difference? Sure, but consider this.

Here is where the 9mm comes into play. Standard 9mm in the $500-$600 range have 10-19rnd mags. .40cal have 9-14rnd mags. .45 cal have 7-14rnd mags. (Generally speaking)

So to me if a smaller round will do basically the same amount of damage as a bigger one, I look for capacity over size. (people will still swear by bigger is better for everything, no matter what a person who does not need to compensate says. )

The biggest factor for me is the cost of ammo. I like to shoot a lot. And with 9mm being ~$9/box and .40 and .45 being ~$16 (in PA). I'll take the former and practice/shoot 2X as much as I could with the others. As this will be your first Semi-auto, you will need to practice a lot. I want from nothing but Semi to revolver so I can vouch.


Here is a sticky about caliber choice, I found it very helpful.
http://forum.pafoa.org/pistols-41/17...g-handgun.html (Expert advice on selecting a handgun)

I think I said enough and put my foot (or both) in my mouth a few times. So, if .40 and .45 are your only considerations, go with .45, more accurate imo.

NOTE:I'm not trying to put anyone down, I just want to save you some money and expand your mind to an underrated round.

[Flingarrows]

And yes we ran the air conditioning today..... sorry had to throw that in.

ok, thanks.....

[andrewjs18]

I got family in Concho, AZ. About 7 hours from you. I'm trying to make a trip out west this summer to see them.

As far as pistols, I'd look at the Glock, XD or M&P. All reliable and in your price range.

Originally Posted by Giddyupgo

Stumbled across this site and decided to join up.

I am currently trying to decide on which pistol to purchase. I'm leaning towards .40 or .45 and looking in the 500-600 range.

I would like some information about these rounds for self defense and how they relate to number of rounds you can carry in a clip ect... ect... I priced some ammo today for the two and they seem fairly close in price.

I have been heretofore a wheel gun person and have several revolvers I'm quite happy with. However, given the political climate I'm thinking now might be a good time to pony up and get a pistol while they are still available and one can still buy extra clips. Maybe I'm just over reacting and being paranoid.... who knows?

Anyway, any strong feelings on the .45 over the .40? Disadvantages. I've been in several gun shops and get just overwhelmed with salespeople and so many different models. I don't want to spend a fortune. I'd like some opinions from "users".

I have a CC permit and carry ALL the time. Seems the pistols might be easier to hide than the Model 66.

And yes we ran the air conditioning today..... sorry had to throw that in.

[Giddyupgo]

Originally Posted by eulogyADD

OK, a .40 cal bullet is 10mm, a .45ACP is ~11.4mm. Not much difference there. When the bullet expands (HP of course) there is still not much of a difference. Is there a difference? Sure, but consider this.

Here is where the 9mm comes into play. Standard 9mm in the $500-$600 range have 10-19rnd mags. .40cal have 9-14rnd mags. .45 cal have 7-14rnd mags. (Generally speaking)

So to me if a smaller round will do basically the same amount of damage as a bigger one, I look for capacity over size. (people will still swear by bigger is better for everything, no matter what a person who does not need to compensate says. )

The biggest factor for me is the cost of ammo. I like to shoot a lot. And with 9mm being ~$9/box and .40 and .45 being ~$16 (in PA). I'll take the former and practice/shoot 2X as much as I could with the others. As this will be your first Semi-auto, you will need to practice a lot. I want from nothing but Semi to revolver so I can vouch.


Here is a sticky about caliber choice, I found it very helpful.
http://forum.pafoa.org/pistols-41/17...g-handgun.html (Expert advice on selecting a handgun)

I think I said enough and put my foot (or both) in my mouth a few times. So, if .40 and .45 are your only considerations, go with .45, more accurate imo.

NOTE:I'm not trying to put anyone down, I just want to save you some money and expand your mind to an underrated round.

Thanks EulogyADD, that article was a great read. Gonna go back and review it some more. Actually I have been looking at the 9MM as well, just failed to mention it earlier.

I priced some 9mm Luger at our local Chinese Import Manufacturers Place...CHIMP for short.... and the 9mm Luger was $10.97 for 50 rounds. The .45 target around $17-18 I think. There is a big difference in price.

I also wanted to get a feel from the members here on what they feel is a sane yet circumspect amount of ammo for each caliber of weapon one has on hand in case ammo gets scarce for any reason. Obviously I have many many .22 rounds for the rifle and Ruger Super Single Six (plinkers), but when you start talking these larger caliber rounds it gets so pricey in a hurry. I shopped some .45 rounds today at a local gun shop and some of the 20 round boxes were over $24-27 each! WOW!

andrewjs18, you stumped me on Concho, had to look that one up! Very nice area of the state by the way.