9mm or .40

[bluetrane2028]

Ill be the lone voice of dissent here: 40 S&W is a great round in modern duty sized guns that were designed for it. Its a bit much in compact guns, IMO, but very manageable in full sized pistol.

It puts .45 acp levels of muzzle energy into 9mm sized pistols, and it only comes at the expense of a few rounds of capacity. Whats not to love?

Its almost as though cartridge design evolved over the course of the intervening century and we got a round thats just plain better than 9mm or 45 ACP.

I really dont understand why everyones running away from .40 cal, but I hope it continues. Ill take advantage of the great deals that result.

I hate to contradict you, but muzzle energy of standard 115gr 9mm is often the same or higher than standard 230gr .45.

I do agree though, if you want a pistol for a bargain, look at .40. Not a darn thing wrong with the caliber, but many folks seem to gravitate to what the Feds use. They switched to 9 from .40, so did the market as a result.

[Emptymag]

To be fair, at the time I had that G27, I was working an office job and my wrists were feeling the effects of working with a mouse and keyboard all day.

No issues with the wrists these days, but I still wouldn't buy a 40 again. I don't have any technical stuff to back up my reasoning - just cost of ammo mostly.

[jmh308]

In my opinion, the 40 doesn't offer that much of an advantage over the 9mm. Now if you were to compare the 10mm to the 9mm, I'd probably have to lean towards the 10mm.

I hate to contradict you, but muzzle energy of standard 115gr 9mm is often the same or higher than standard 230gr .45.

I do agree though, if you want a pistol for a bargain, look at .40. Not a darn thing wrong with the caliber, but many folks seem to gravitate to what the Feds use. They switched to 9 from .40, so did the market as a result.

For basic FMJ, 45acp and 9mm are neck and neck at around 350 ft lb. 45 Acp has an advantage tho as you move toward defensive ammo and/or +P ammo in each caliber.

Of course that also depends on barrel length, etc. and the water starts to get muddy very quickly.

I think this is an interesting question to consider: "If 40SW had been invented first, would anybody want a 9mm?"

[Carson]

I still carry my optional Glock 22 on duty. There is talk of standardization and everyone going back to 9mm. If that happens I won’t complain. I am starting to be affected by the extra snap of the Model 22 as compared to the Model 17.

And at this point I think 9mm Ammo has improved to make it a moot point.

[Emptymag]

I honestly don't give a crap if 9mm ammo has been "improved" or not.

It's good enough for me.

[bluetrane2028]

For basic FMJ, 45acp and 9mm are neck and neck at around 350 ft lb. 45 Acp has an advantage tho as you move toward defensive ammo and/or +P ammo in each caliber.

Of course that also depends on barrel length, etc. and the water starts to get muddy very quickly.

I think this is an interesting question to consider: "If 40SW had been invented first, would anybody want a 9mm?"

Probably. People buy all sorts of stuff.

[Daycrawler]

I forget where I was when having a gun discussion. That happens a lot with me. One guy said the 40 is a dead round and wont be around much longer. IDK what his area of expertise was, he may have had a DD in BS. But anyhow I say go with the 9 because my favorite pistol is the G19 and I have a DD is BS.

[unclejumbo]

Something to consider if buying a used .40. A lot of manufacturers found out that the life of their firearms was greatly reduced by the extra recoil produced by the .40 in guns designed for 9mm. Our first Beretta 96Ds were cracking slides, it's why they had such a short service life. The next iteration had the beefier slide to overcome that.

[DClan]

Personally, I carry a Glock 31 in .357 sig. That said, it is also a multi-caliber firearm, as I have a second barrel in .40sw and plan to purchase a 9mm conversion barrel and mags as well. It may not make sense for everyone, but as my primary weapon I like the flexibility the multi-caliber option gives me.

[Krichardson]

Personally, I carry a Glock 31 in .357 sig. That said, it is also a multi-caliber firearm, as I have a second barrel in .40sw and plan to purchase a 9mm conversion barrel and mags as well. It may not make sense for everyone, but as my primary weapon I like the flexibility the multi-caliber option gives me.

I like that too and I wasn't aware that the G31 could fire three different calibers.