Post questions here about open and concealed carry, as well as general law questions.

Which one Which one?

9mm
12
34%
40cal
11
31%
45cal
12
34%
 #88300  by Taurus247
 
I am looking to get a new carry pistol. I have carried 9mm for a few years now but im starting to think that upgrading to 40 or 45cal. Any thoughts?
 #88301  by Guard_Duck
 
If 9mm is what you have and you're happy with it, no problems in staying with that caliber. If you move to 40 or 45, you're throwing looking for and buying ammo in a second caliber.

If you don't mind that, I say 45.
 #88304  by myopicvisionary
 
My carry, competition and bump in the night pistol is a .45ACP.
 #88307  by SasquatchAF
 
Depends what you are looking to do with it and what you are used to/comfortable with.

9mm is up to par as a defense round, and offers up better capacity overall when compared to a .45 of similar size. It is a faster round but smaller.

.45 is a slower round but much bigger/heavier and gives you more recoil. Your mag capacity is less overall, but if you are proficient and keep rounds on target under stress and faster follow up shots, the extra rounds may not be needed.

Personally I daily carry a .45 full size 1911 whether I OC or CC. I prefer the .45 and have more range time with it, so thats what I use. The single stack mags hug the body better when CCing and give less of an imprint due to slimmer profile.

But if you are not used to the .45, and you decide to buy one, you definitely need to practice a lot and become proficient with it and develop good muscle memory; especially if you switch to a new platform like a 1911 coming from something like a glock/xd etc with no manual safety and a different layout.

Whatever you get, if it is you defense piece, dont skimp on price and buy a quality unit. After that it takes practice practice practice so you are so used to your carry piece it is second nature to manipulate the weapon under stress.
 #88308  by SasquatchAF
 
And as far as .40 goes, I cant stand it. It is a proven round, but I still dont like it. Extremely snappy especially in a smaller size weapon. And the chamber pressure is much higher to begin with, so you have much more of a chance of something going kaboom that shouldnt, especially in a carry piece. Most folks who carry will chamber a round before carrying and then unload at some point if it isnt part of their home defense setup. .40 is very picky when it comes to rechambering the same round over and over like some people do on a consistent basis.

When a .40 cal round has a bullet seated far enough you can see it with the naked eye, you have already surpassed the threshold for the possibility of a chamber letting loose on you when you need the weapon most.

I dislike .40 very much, so I will get off my soapbox now.
 #88326  by whatevah
 
This is one of the trickiest questions on every gun forum... lol everybody has their favorites and will answer accordingly. Personally, I like .40 but will show some pros and cons for each.

9mm - Pros: least recoil, smaller frames (for baby CC guns), widest selection of ammo (both range and carry), cheaper range ammo (pre-ammo crisis). Cons: smallest expanded HP bullets.

.40 - bigger expanded HP bullets than 9mm, bigger expanded HP bullets from short barrels than .45 short barrels, more small frames than .45. Cons: more recoil than 9mm

.45 - biggest expanded HP bullets with correct load and barrel length. Cons: more recoil than 9mm and .40, 1911 platform guns are less reliable than polymer guns (until broken in, which I think is bogus)


I personally use .40 for my subcompact carry gun because I can control the recoil (which means quicker followup shots) and even with a short barrel, there are several hollow points that have excellent expansion. If I couldn't control the recoil, I'd go with a 9mm gun with the hottest round I could control. If I was more of an OC guy, I'd probably get a polymer frame .45 like the Ruger SR45 or maybe the Beretta Px4-SD. Ultimately, this is a choice everybody has to make for themselves after several hours at the range with rental guns.
 #88329  by spillanej
 
whatevah wrote:This is one of the trickiest questions on every gun forum... lol everybody has their favorites and will answer accordingly. Personally, I like .40 but will show some pros and cons for each.

9mm - Pros: least recoil, smaller frames (for baby CC guns), widest selection of ammo (both range and carry), cheaper range ammo (pre-ammo crisis). Cons: smallest expanded HP bullets.

.40 - bigger expanded HP bullets than 9mm, bigger expanded HP bullets from short barrels than .45 short barrels, more small frames than .45. Cons: more recoil than 9mm

.45 - biggest expanded HP bullets with correct load and barrel length. Cons: more recoil than 9mm and .40, 1911 platform guns are less reliable than polymer guns (until broken in, which I think is bogus)


I personally use .40 for my subcompact carry gun because I can control the recoil (which means quicker followup shots) and even with a short barrel, there are several hollow points that have excellent expansion. If I couldn't control the recoil, I'd go with a 9mm gun with the hottest round I could control. If I was more of an OC guy, I'd probably get a polymer frame .45 like the Ruger SR45 or maybe the Beretta Px4-SD. Ultimately, this is a choice everybody has to make for themselves after several hours at the range with rental guns.
I would like to present an argument against the reliability issues of any time of weapon.... you get what you pay for. A $1800 colt will beat anything polymer that comes close to the price or intended value... a $500 version of a $1250 1911 model will suck... its not the guns fault its your wallet
 #88331  by whatevah
 
I don't want get into a 1911 argument (that I realize Istarted) but I watched a fairly new Colt New Agent malfunction repeatedly and hear 1911 owners talk about the time about how long it took for their $1000+ gun to break in.
 #88338  by spillanej
 
Do you own a glock? No disrespect intended :p

I have picked up a sig 1911 new in the box without needing break ins... but it was a sig lol. Lucky me I guess