the 9mm vs .45 debate

a 22 long will go through Kevlar
why the need for anything else?

I prefer .40 myself, but I would not want to try and catch any of these rounds downrange. A woman in Atlanta recently made a home invader "good" after shooting him seven times with a .22 rimfire handgun - go figure....

Originally posted by Shadowalker
There isnt any debate. 9mm for the ladies
.45 for the gents. .40 S&W for the metro gents.

Um - I'm a lady quite comfortable with the 45,
Thank you.
That said I am shopping right now OP so I appreciate your post.
Any gun is only as good as your accuracy, which requires practice and vigilance about safety.
If you can't use the gun in a safe (to you) way - with some measure of accuracy it doesn't matter what you shoot.
The 9mm has the advantage of cost efficiant ammo - which makes this a good purchase for those who need range time, and plenty of it - and most of us do. The 45 is a big, bang fun shoot - but more costly to practice with. I am going to explore the 40, which might be a nice compromise.

I have both a 1911 and a WW2 P-38

My 1911 has less recoil then the P-38

I replaced the barrel on the 1911 and went from the stock barrel to a 6 inch that sticks out about 1 3/4 inches from the slide.
Being a machinist i ported a 7 hole pattern in the top of the barrel to control the recoil.
and i use 165 grain hydroshocks.as they give better expansion because of there higher speed and lower recoil.

reply to post by JROCK2527


Just.. shoot them in the head..

It's not like we're going to be fighting Wolverine or the Teminator.

That's the answer to your question.

reply to post by blackrain17


Hickok 45 has the best firearms related show on YT! Life Is Good!

In all honesty this 9mm vs .45acp debate has been on every firearms forum I've been on , it's the topic that won't die , new member joins and either asks "what's better the ak or ar?" or It's "9mm vs .45" or it's "Mossberg 500 vs Remington 870" , I don't mean to take it out on you OP, but seeing these same threads over and over is like getting "Rick Roll'd" (Yet I can't stop replying to them...lol)

I'm going to say here what I say everywhere, the priority should be on SHOT PLACEMENT!!! Any service grade caliber (9mm or above) is fine as long as you train well and put your shots where they're supposed to be. Training on the fundamentals of marksmanship is what you should be focused on. With a 9mm you can put A LOT of lead on target very quickly and very accurately due to the non existant recoil, with modern JHP's you have more energy transfer than you did back in the 80's when there was a larger disparity between 9mm & .45acp ball. With a .45acp , you don't need to rely as much on expansion as you would with a 9mm and since .45 acp is a heavier round, it usually has better terminal performance through intermediate barriers (windshields, car doors, walls)

I run a .45 (although If I was running a 9mm, I wouldn't feel outgunned) I try to go with as much bullet as I can effectively shoot well. I prefer the .45 over the 9mm, I prefer the 7.62x39 over the 5.56. These decisions are personal and work well for the situation Im In right now , YMMV.

reply to post by EyesWideShut


I agree. Every time I watch his reviews, it makes me want to live in the mountains. Away from the concrete jungle and set up my range in the backyard...

reply to post by JROCK2527


9mm are junk,accuracy sucks,no range.45,total devistation,big holes,and if you miss the report alone will deafen anyone close,fear factor is very high,no one wants to look down the barrel of a 45

reply to post by JROCK2527


If you're gonna throw a rock, throw a BIG ONE. Majority of firearm engagements result in 1 - 3 shots fired from each person. The 9mm pros about carry more ammo really doesn't apply to civilians. Of course, when a civilian is forced to fire more than 3 shots, then he/she is in a world of pain. Because the shooter can't hit the target or there are way too many targets.

My uncle is a weapons trainer for a police department. After examining many firearm engagements, they found the following:

- 9mm will normally take 1 - 3 shots to knock the opponent down to the ground
- 45 ACP will normally take 1 - 2 shots to knock the opponent down to the ground

Ever since my uncle told me that, I've been focusing more on .45 ACPs. I'd rather have that extra punch to stop my opponent than have chance ruin my day. But it never hurts to have more than 1 caliber.

Originally posted by Miraj
reply to post by JROCK2527

 

Just.. shoot them in the head..

That is a very ignorant statement.

If you shoot them in the head, then you better have a clear explanation to the cops, jury, your peers, and the public.

After you survive your engagement with a criminal, the battle isn't over. You have to worry about what the cops see when they arrive to make their report. Then you have to worry about criminal court. After criminal court, you then have to survive civil court. The family of your opponent may be justified to win against you since you decided to "assassinate" your "victim" because you're a blood thirsty animal who is dangerous to the public. Trust me it has happen.

There is one way you have a chance of not losing in both courts. It is when your target is behind cover and you had no choice but to shoot him in his exposed head. Even then, it is not a guarantee win in both courts.

45 hands down, the 9 is a save on weight/ less kick alt, once they, the Gov, realizes the "man down" can still shoot at you and kill you, they will put the 45 back on.

Originally posted by JROCK2527
ok so as far back as i can remember there have always been people debating on this topic so i figured why not discuss it on here. so what do you believe to be the better of the two calibers personally i own both and have my reasons for likeing both so lets hear everyone elses oponion

45 carries power and kick low accuracy in distance
9mm carries power less kick more accurate

SOL carries kick-power and LOVE weapons lol now the plasma kinds, well........ZAP

reply to post by Shadowalker


Well I guess I don't fit in. I carry a Kimber Pro Carry II 1911 in .45 an Hubby likes the Beretta F92 in 9mm. We argue about this frequently. I win!

I have both a Browning Hi-Power (9mm) and a standard Colt .45 M1991A1.

I prefer shooting the .45 and so does everyone else I let shoot the guns. I don't know if it's the caliber or the gun design (though both of these guns are extremely similar) that makes the .45 a more appealing shooter.

Originally posted by theson


9mm are junk,accuracy sucks,no range.45,total devistation,big holes,and if you miss the report alone will deafen anyone close,fear factor is very high,no one wants to look down the barrel of a 45

*SIGH*.

9mm "accuracy sucks" per your reply? HUH?

Since when does the cartridge size have anything to do with a shooters ability to line up their sights of the pistol correctly with a target??

Does the 9mm cartridge magically come alive inside the chamber and start fiddling and shaking violently while the shooter is trying to align their sights on the target??

If anything, one can argue that the smaller round cartridges make it easier to be more accurate due to less recoil.

But to say that the 9mm is less accurate just for being a 9mm is quite asinine.

But even the recoil thing varies from pistol to pistol as my heavier than average .45 has less recoil than my compact lightweight 9mm.

I find MY particular 9mm to be slightly more accurate than MY particular .45. But this just comes down to the particular firearms themselves and has NOTHING to do with cartridge size.

I have yet to hear of a chambered 9mm round coming alive and doing the 'funky chicken' dance while a shooter is trying to aim the pistol at the target causing accuracy issues. Jeez, man c'mon!!

Originally posted by Lil Drummerboy
a 22 long will go through Kevlar
why the need for anything else?

Because a .22 doesn't make a very big hole. The fact that a .22 can penetrate Kevlar is not really the issue. .45 hollow point expands upon impact and DOES make a very big hole. You can confirm this by looking at gellatin ballistics. You can click on any caliber on that web site to see the results in both penetration and size of the hole. If the object is to stop the threat, a big hole is much more likely to bring about the result you desire. A .22 doesn't even begin to compare with the larger calibers. For paper target shooting, small game hunting, and expense of round, a .22 is great and great fun, but it's not what anyone would want to depend upon to stop a real threat.

reply to post by JROCK2527


You know, in general, any ammo would do. As long as you are willing to use any gun for protecting love ones against criminals who wish nothing but ill, you are good to go. Just make sure you hit true.

May none of us ever have to be in a gunfight.

time for a history lesson.

anyone know WHY the .45 was invented?

during the us/Philippineo insurrection, the us noticed it had a problem. they would shoot the rebels, but they would just keep coming, so the .45 was invented so that when shot they would actually be incapacitated.

need stopping power, then get something that was invented just to stop people. when minor wounding doesn't work you need the STOPPING power of the .45.

Originally posted by generik
the .45 was invented so that when shot they would actually be incapacitated.

Great history lesson, generik. And the statistics my uncle has from the police force proves the .45 ACP has a better chance of knocking down your opponent.

Everyone knows the saying, "Never bring a knife to a gunfight." But let's expand on that. "Never bring a pistol to a rifle fight."

If you know trouble is coming and you have time to grab 1 gun between pistol, shotgun and rifle, what would you choose? Answer: The best gun for the situation...

Scenario A - concealability is required, then bring a pistol if you don't have a PDW
Scenario B - outdoors with targets ranging more than 50 yards, bring that rifle
Scenario C - CQB, I'd go for my boomstick, but not the only answer

Of course, if I had time and choice, I'd bring both a pistol and a longgun.

I personally love my 9mm...anybody who says the accuracy is junk is just a horrible shooter...ammo is generally cheap and plentilly available as well...