SA XD .45 vs 9mm Which to buy?

**rimini** · November 2nd, 2007, 12:45 AM

Hey Guys,

I never owned a gun before. After reading on this forum, I made up my mind on the model I want to buy. It's Springfield Armory XD Compact with 4" barrel. But one thing that I don't yet fully understand is the difference between the .45 and 9mm calibers. What are the pluses/minuses of each caliber. I need the gun for target shooting and self defence/CC purposes.

Thanks, Gene

**XD45** · November 2nd, 2007, 12:55 AM

.45 is big and slow, 9mm is small and fast... Some people would never carry a 9mm for self defense because its to small, some won't carry anything but... You will have more shots with a 9mm on the same size pistol. Your not going to cause instant death unless you interrupt the CNS, or a main bloodvessel with a pistol, so as long as you have a service caliber, and an accurate shot thats all that matters IMO, they are all atleast marginally close to one another. another thing to consider is cost of ammo, your going to want to get as much practice in as possible, and 9mm is about half the price as .45. Also being your first gun i'd recommend a smaller caliber,just easier to get the hang of things IMO.

**Punisher** · November 2nd, 2007, 01:24 AM

Originally Posted by rimini

Hey Guys,

I never owned a gun before. After reading on this forum, I made up my mind on the model I want to buy. It's Springfield Armory XD Compact with 4" barrel. But one thing that I don't yet fully understand is the difference between the .45 and 9mm calibers. What are the pluses/minuses of each caliber. I need the gun for target shooting and self defence/CC purposes.

Thanks, Gene

Originally Posted by XD45

.45 is big and slow, 9mm is small and fast... Some people would never carry a 9mm for self defense because its to small, some won't carry anything but... You will have more shots with a 9mm on the same size pistol. Your not going to cause instant death unless you interrupt the CNS, or a main bloodvessel with a pistol, so as long as you have a service caliber, and an accurate shot thats all that matters IMO, they are all atleast marginally close to one another. another thing to consider is cost of ammo, your going to want to get as much practice in as possible, and 9mm is about half the price as .45. Also being your first gun i'd recommend a smaller caliber,just easier to get the hang of things IMO.

excellent points and good advice.........

**JSPA** · November 2nd, 2007, 08:11 AM

+1 on previous info...

also:
the xd compact is available only in .45; jumping to 9mm, or any other cal, will put you into the "service" or "sub-compact" model.
example:

xd compact:
http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?model=23
-this is the only compact model w/4" barrel (uses a sub-compact frame w/ a 4" .45 barrel) but can be made full size with the included mag extension.

xd service:
http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?model=3
-this is the original and standard 4" barrel xd in several calibers. uses the full size frame.

that being said, id still go with the standard service 4" 9mm xd; i have one in the bi-tone and its an amazing pistol.
many people will also agree.
in time you will end up with many firearms (we all do... ha ha)
so start with that one and you can always get something else later on...

.... like this subcompact in .40:
http://www.springfield-armory.com/xd.php?model=2

hope this helps without me sounding like a dummy/dick.
good luck

**SteveXD** · November 2nd, 2007, 08:17 AM

9mm ammo is way cheaper and if it's your first gun you'll be able to shoot twice as much for practice...

Opps I see that xd45 already said then

**PisnNapalm** · November 2nd, 2007, 08:19 AM

How much experience with firearms do you have?

If you have little to none then I would suggest the 9mm. If you can afford it I'd also suggest you get a .22lr pistol as well. Get some instruction in the proper handling and usage of it too. It's much easier to develope good habits the first time around than to get rid of bad habits.

If you go for the .45 then you're likely to develope a fliching habit which will cause your shots to be low. You'll anticipate the recoil and flinch. That's why I say to learn proper stance, grip, trigger pull, etc... with a smaller caliber pistol first.

A .45 packs some serious recoil. It can be intimidating to a new shooter.

**SSCUSTER** · November 2nd, 2007, 08:28 AM

I have a 4" service XD in each caliber and love them both. If I had to choose only one, I'd keep the 9mm. I shoot it more often then the .45 because ammo is cheaper.

As for self defense, I would not want to be shot with eather pistol. If you are forced to use only full metal jacket ammo, like the military is, then, with out a doubt the .45 is the way to go for self defense. However, we civilians have all sorts of great hollow point self defense ammo available to us that levels the field between the two calibers.

**BradC** · November 2nd, 2007, 08:42 AM

I have a 4" service model XD9 and love it. You won't be disappointed.

As others here have pointed out, any pistol is not a sure-fire man-stopper...so don't listen to the people that say "9mm sucks, get a .45".

I would go to a range that rents them and shoot both calibers, and buy what you are most comfortable with!

**ca2pa** · November 2nd, 2007, 09:27 AM

my first pistol was the glock 19 (9mm) and had tons of practice with it, and has since been my carry piece. i have also purchased .45 and loved it, but i like having 15 rounds in the mag and 1 in the chamber ready to go for carry. + ive gotten really confident with shooting the 9 mm! and like everybody else has said, ammo is less expensive. Go to gun store with range on site, and try them out. Everybody has different tastes...tell us how it goes!

**RocketFoot** · November 2nd, 2007, 09:37 AM

SA-XD is a fine choice. The caliber is pretty much personal preference! My self, I would go with the .45 acp if you're gonna use it for mostly self defense. If you want to shoot it a lot...9mm may be more economical. For carry, I would use 9mm +P hollow points for maximum stopping power!