Fire

time for the age old debate- what pistol cartrige is the best- .45, 9MM, .40, .357, or something else?- jump in w/ your opinion and lets have it out- may the best gun win.

To clarify parameters we are looking at home defense/personal carry, with the best acuracy and stopping power being the primary factor, but also considering control, overpenetration, and any other factors you guys wish to discuss

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im2smrt4u

.45

Powerful enough to potentially knock your target on his ass, and if it doesn't, he will have a lot to think about before he come at you again.

Plus, if he's so hopped up on drugs that center of mass shots didn't stop him, you can take off his legs! That will stop him!

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ggadgit

For me it would be a toss up between the 45 and the 357, my glock has 45+p hollow points in it but the 375 has allways ranked high in the one shot stop tests

Moonduck

.357 magnum has the single best record for one-shot stops amongst handgun cartridges. It also has the distinction of being a light hunting calibre, meaning it has dual-purpose use as self-protection on the trail.

The only major reasons why .357 magnum may be panned by some would be perceived harshness of recoil, and lack of capacity. Given that medium-framed revolvers are now widely available with 7rd capacity, the old standard of comparing the 1911's load to a .357 revolver's load is becoming more balanced in favor of the .357, worse if you compare aggregate kinetic energy.

I think any of the choices above are perfectly valid, and would trust my life to any of the calibres listed above (and have firearms chambered in each). It is more important to shoot what you are comfortable with and thus willing to practice the amount needed to gain proficiency.

Personally, being brought up shooting such things as .44 magnums (my Pop was fond of the round), a .357 magnum is not harsh in the slightest. I am also more comfortable with revolvers in most situations. That said, my primary carry piece is a Glock 19 (9mm). A .357 magnum revolver is usually tough to conceal in any shootable format. This discussion has nothing to do with concealment, but I did want to set the record straight for anyone that might be paying attention to my posts and not being able to connect the dots.

I would probably rank them .357 magnum, .45ACP, 9mm, .40S&W. I've had a number of bad experiences regarding poor accuracy performance in ,40's, thus the slight bias against them. (This is only comparing stopping power and accuracy on shot, not taking into account differences in gun)

hrdwareguy

Well, personal opinion here but, first off we must assume we are talking about the same kind of round for each caliber. Loaded with the same ratio of powder and pushing the same kind of bullet.

The 9 is a fairly light round with a more limited recoil than the other rounds so time to get back on target is is less. The 45 has a little more recoil and is also a little louder. The 40 has a faster muzzle velocity which means you don't get as much force for the stopping power, tends to go through more before slowing down. The 357 has a lot of stopping power, but the recoil and the noise put it down on my list. Shooting in a narrow hallway will make the ears ring like crazy with lound shots.

home defense - I would go with th 9mm, 45, 40, then the 357.
personal carry - 45, 9mm, 40, 357
accuracy (time to target) - 40, 9mm, 45, 357
stopping power -357, 45, 9mm, 40
control - 9mm, 40, 45, 357
penetration - 357, 40, 45, 9mm

That's how it breaks down for me. Personally I carry a .45 and my wife has a 380 (9mm short).

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edmos1

I would prefer the .40, more stopping power than a 9mm and still wieldable (not a word, but you know what it means) was the 1 other the .44Mag?

kel

I would say 9MM because it provides the balance of control and power that fits me. I can't shoot straight when I feel there is about to be a huge explosion in my hands.

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Cobalt_60

I have my Colt .45 1991 loaded with hydrashocks.

hrdwareguy

Hydrashocks are awesome

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debaser

Here's a solid vote for the 9mm. One of the most overlooked aspects in a shooting situation is capacity. 9mm has it, others don't.

Modern 9mm rounds are every bit as lethal as their heavier counterparts, the recoil allows faster follow ups, and the ammo is cheaper to practice with.

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SSJTWIZTA

The .45 is great for self defence. Put some black talon rounds in your .45 and you will put someone down.

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shakran

When it comes to defending myself, I believe that if I have a gun it should make large holes in people. I actually saw someone get shot with a 9mm once. Guy felt the bullet go in, then turned and kicked the crap out of the gunman. 9mm's just don't cause enough damage to be a reliable self defense tool.

For target shooting, though, gimme a 9 any day. Cheaper and harder to get a bullseye with.

Moonduck

9mm's work, you just have to be very choosy about shot placement and about the load that you use. 115gr ball (same ammo the military uses) might be lethal if it hits in the right spot, but it doesn't tend to cause sufficient shock trauma to generate a one-shot stop in anything but a few areas of the body. Move up to a 9mm Federal Premium Hydrashok and your one-shot numbers go up. Use a Mag-safe, and they actually get very impressive.

The reason my concealed carry piece is a Glock 19 is a combination of things. It shoots well, allowing good shot placement, it has a great capacity (15+1), it basically compact, and has a very corrosion resistant finish (I tend to destroy the finish on anything I handle a lot, acid content of my skin oils or somesuch). I like the ballistics of the .40 S&W better, but as I said, I've had some very bad experiences with them in the accuracy and reliability department. Thus I don't trust them, and you have to trust your carry piece.

I've been looking at .357 Sig and like what I see. We'll see if it sticks around long enough.

peeweesbigbong

man, black talon rounds are damn deadly. i heard they were illegal now?

and my personal favorite defence bullet is the .45, if ya dont kill the bastard with one sho you'll at least take off his arm

Moonduck

Black Talons aren't illegal (excepting some locales). Winchester did stop producing them due to overwhelming (and completely silly) media hype. They were making them under adifferent name with a very slight redesign and no evil black coating. May still be making them, haven't looked for 'em. XTP's or somesuch, for Extreme Terminal Performance. Basically the same bullet design overall.

As an aside, if you take someone's arm off with a .45ACP, it must not have been securely attached to begin with. It is not a particularly potent round, all things considered, just effective.

Nachtschleicher

I'm sure you've heard this over and over in the past, but in all honesty, it isn't about the caliber it's about shot placement. I've read stories where people killed a grizzly bear with a shot from a .22 rimfire.

However, there are very few people (if any), that would just completely miss all their shots, but a person who is indeed a bad shot, would WANT a big knock-down round to make the bad guy think twice. So, because of that, you go for the biggest round that you can handle.

I've seen people shooting .44 magnum revolvers with very short barrels, and when you watch them, they're so terrifed of the noise, the recoil, and the flash, that they can't shoot for crap. This is why I say, "the biggest round you can handle".

But anyway, enough rambling. I'd choose the .45

Have a good 'un!

theguyondacouch

If someone has that bad a shot, they shouldn't be carring! Thats makes them that much more likely to should me, not the bad guy!

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debaser

Don't forget: A gunfight is a very dynamic situation. Being able to put all your shots in the X ring at the range does not garauntee you to hit a target that is running behind cover and returning fire at you.

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Nachtschleicher

theguyondacouch, that's why you ALWAYS stay behind the shooter! Lol j/k

But seriously folks, if you were a bad guy and heard a round being chambered, would you stick around? Would you still stick around after even one shot?

Theguyondacouch has a good point though. If you ARE that bad of a shot, you need to take some classes. Even if you're a good shot you should take some classes.

So you all have a good 'un, and shoot straight.

Smoky

I voted for 9mm because overall being able to get back on target for shot #2 seems more important for the average shooter than the knockdown power of the shot.

My wife can shoot a 9mm and when I'm away that's what she keeps handy.

When I'm home, I keep a .44 Mag loaded with Glasers (don't want to kill a neighbor). That's knockdown power baby!

But I think the final word on home defense is a 12 ga. pump shotgun, hopefully the sound of working the action will scare off anybody with half a brain.

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lecas

IMHO, It doesnt matter which you use, what matters is using it well. (shot placement)

Echoing a couple of other replies, what ever you are comfortable with is the best round. I've shot a 44 for years and am damn good with it, so that's what I use.

someone who is not "well versed" in firearms use would be better off with a double barrelled 12gauge with external hammers, a friend of mine had a Rossi Coach gun that worked fine for him. ( but for someone who is a novice gun handeler should take a few lessons, say about 5 years worth)

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blockmaan2000

Whichever you can hit the best with. Shot placement is everything. A 22lr to the right spot is better than a .454 which misses the target.

Lebell

Points to note on CCW and self defense:

A .22 short mouse gun that you carried in your suit pocket is incalculably more deadly than the .45 Colt Commander you left under the seat of your car. (The gun you are willing to carry is more deadly than the gun that is inconvenient to carry.)

Dirty Harry is more deadly with a .22 than Woody Allan is with a .45. (Shot placement is more important than caliber)

Most gun fights aren't. The bad guy runs away when he finds out you are armed. (More crimes are detered by fear of guns than are reported.)



All that being said, most people agree that a 9mm loaded with a personal defense round (hydrashoks, speer gold dots, etc) is going to suffice for almost all your personal defense needs.

Let's face it. Even in the VERY rare event you need to use your gun, the chances that it will be against a 300lb crack maniac is even smaller.

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Damnfinn

Close your eyes and listen to a 12 gauge being cocked and tell me it doesn't pucker you up.
A friend was asked that very question when she asked what pistol to buy for self defense in the home. She had eyes closed aand it made her jump.
For me I prefer 45.

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Mustis

I'd have to go with .40 - packs a punch while still remaing controllable and very accurate.

G5_Todd

im a fan of 9mm because i can carry higher capacity magazines

but if i couldnt i would get a .40 or a .45 because you could have a max of 10+1 anyway

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thencrow

Actually if you get a Para-Ordnance LDA Limited High-Capacity you can get a .45 with a 14+1 capacity.

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Blistex

I vote for S&W .50 Cal.

Sure the capacity is crap and the recoil's a bitch. But with the most powerful handgun cartridge avaliable you're probably not gonna need any followup rounds to convince the perp and his friends to bugger off.

Dirty Harry himself would say it's overkill!

MrTuffPaws

Screw the caliber. Shot placement is key. I will let anyone shoot me with their 357sig or .45 as long as I can shoot them with my 9mm. I go first though.

BoomTruck

As has been said here, you don't hurt 'em if you don't hit 'em.

Im partial to the 10MM myself. Having 10 rounds with power almost equal to a .41 Magnum is a good thing.

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Dostoevsky

The most important thing to remember here is that it doesn't matter what caliber you choose if you don't hit your target. Practice, practice, practice ladies and gentlemen. That being said, I've always followed the advice that you should carry the biggest round that you can shoot accurately and quickly. For me that's the .45 ACP out of a glock 21. I also carry .357 mag from time to time in a Titanium taurus 617 revolver. As long as you can deliver COM shots any of the above calibers will be effective.

Hey Blistex... A friend of mine recently purchased a performance center .500 smith. I let you know how it goes when we fire it!!

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omega2K4

My .454 Taurus Raging Bull

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