40 S&W or 45 ACP

[Alaskaman]

I’ve decided to buy the wife and I some new pistols to carry while we are out four wheeling. The wife has been shooting a Colt detective special. I’ve been looking at the Smith and Wesson MP in 40 S&W caliber and also the same pistol in 45 ACP. Has anyone had any experience with the Smith & Wesson MP? I’m leaning towards the 45ACP, but do you think it will have significantly more recoil than the 40 S&W? I don’t want to get her flinching because of excessive recoil.

[crabo]

Why don't you go ahead and by the 45 for you and then let her shoot it?  Then let her decide if she wants a 40.  There would be a lot of advantage to having two guns, same magazines, same ammo..... and the 45 can always be loaded down for practice.

Crabo

[Savage]

The .40 operates at almost double the pressure of the .45acp. This shorter recoil impulse and higher recoil velocity makes the .40 a bit more "snappy" than the .45, with it's longer recoil impulse feeling like more of a push. A lot of shooters feel that the .40 has more recoil than the .45. I have heard some good things about the M&P. I have personally held one, but have not fired it. Most owners I've talked to, think that it is Smith's best effort to date, and as good as most other polymer pistols currently on the market.
Savage

[Redhawk1]

I agree 100% with Savage. I have shot both at my local range when S&W came in with there rep and new guns. I personally think the 45 ACP is a better set up. The .40 had a bit of a snap in the recoil that the 45 ACP did not have. 

[gypsyman]

I have a S&W MP40, and a standard 1911 .45. I bought the Smith because I never owned a hi-cap handgun. Not sure of the MP in .45 cal, but I really like the .40. Doesn't seem to be quite as accurate as the 1911, but then I havn't shot 3 or 4 thousand rds.thru it yet. I honestly believe that the .40 will do anything that the .45 can, loaded with the right ammo. I prefer the 180HP, in the .40. And plastic milk jugs blow up real good with them. While in the .45, 200gr.HP work nice. Which ever you choose, I do believe you'll like it. We keep trying peace, it usually doesn't work!! Remember (12/7/41)(9/11/01) gypsyman

[jaybird]

My wife prefers to shoot my 45s over her 40 due to the recoil.

[possumpacker]

I wanted my wife to learn how to shoot since I work nights. I,m a 1911 guy but have a new M&P 40 that I won at an USPSA shoot. I thought the 1911 might be to complicated for her. She shoots the 40 well an she said recoil wasn,t an issue even with factory 180 gr. I,m almost converted myself, I cant say enough about the M&P, it,s awsome.

[SHOOTALL]

Ain't the 40 a comprise to get close to 45 ballistics in a smaller gun ?
If so why comprise if you can use the 45 , hand fit grip etc.
in the defense handgun world everything is compared to the 357 mag. or 45ACP , then the 357mag is compared to the 45 if it expands !
start with the one that all the rest must be compared to ! that is the real story !
of course the gun rags and PR departments at gun makers will not like it !

[Lloyd Smale]

id take the 45 anyday over a 40 but if it was for wife id consider a 9mm just because of the light recoil and the fact that there are so many compact light packages that fit a women so well being made in 9mm. Loaded with white box or wolf its cheap plinking fun as ammo is about half the price of the others and you can still buy a box of good stuff that will almost give you 357 ballistics for self defence.

[SHOOTALL]

can't say i have seen 9mm with 357 ballistics , have some win. sxt +p+ and they don't !
anyway if you do have 357 ballistics in a lighter gun , would the kick be greater ? and defeat the purpose of going to a smaller round ? My wife has 2 , 357's one for the bag and one for the house ! said 44 took up to much space in bag !
still think 45 is way to go !

[gypsyman]

SHOOTALL, right again. I always got a kick out of all the article's back in the '90's about which is better, 9mm or .45etc.,etc. The .45 is the standard they were measured up to. I figured with the anti gunners gaining in congress, another hi-cap/assault bill  would probably be likely in the next couple of years. And the 16rd. .40 in the M/P fit my hands better than anything else I shot. The recoil on the .45 is more like a push, where the .40 is a little quicker/snappier. Alaskaman, if your wife has been shooing a det. special, she shouldn't have much problem with the recoil of either caliber. We keep trying peace, it usually doesn't work!! Remember(12/7/41)(9/11/01) gypsyman

[SHOOTALL]

gypsyman , i like hi-cap mags as much as anyone , but hate the weight ! I believe that more credit is given them than should be , can have them , can't have them , etc.  etc. it is govt. assisted marketing !
around here a glock-17 hi-cap mag went for $ 75.00 to $100.00 dollars then $ 20.00 now there is fear it will go up . getting like gas ! consider , " don't put all your eggs in one basket " drop a basket ( mag ) and all your eggs are gone i mean bullets ! 2 8 round 45 mags or 1 glock 17 mag !
so a 7-8 shot 45 is just fine , figure if i try to unload a hi-cap mag in a fight some one will locate me and take a shot ,  better to seek cover and learn to reload fast !
still vote 45 !

[Alaskaman]

Thanks everyone for the Info. The wife really likes “Her” Detective Special.  I purchased the gun in the 1970’s and it is still in excellent condition. I was thinking about putting it away for my son to inherit someday. I told the wife that we should get her another gun to carry and save the Detective Special for our son. She thought it was a good idea, but right now she said “there are more important things to spend money on than a new gun for me.” Boy is she going to be in for a surprise! I sold a couple of rifles that I never shoot and was just collecting dust for years. Plus for years I have been stashing away money every month into an account that I use for anniversaries gifts etc. (there is nothing worse than having the wife look in the check book and see how much you spent on her gift!) So now it looks like I’m going to have to go out and do what the wife calls “Retail therapy” and buy two new guns. Boy I tell you a mans job is never done!

[SHOOTALL]

do they teach them that in school or what ?

[Lloyd Smale]

I guess you missed the almost in that statement. When you take published 357 ballistics and put them to real world chrono test out of a 2 inch snubby see what you end up with A ton of muzzle flash and not much more then +P+ 9mm out of a compact 9mm that usually will have a 4 inch barrel and has a closed breach.

can't say i have seen 9mm with 357 ballistics , have some win. sxt +p+ and they don't !
anyway if you do have 357 ballistics in a lighter gun , would the kick be greater ? and defeat the purpose of going to a smaller round ? My wife has 2 , 357's one for the bag and one for the house ! said 44 took up to much space in bag !
still think 45 is way to go !

[papajohn428]

I'm a firm believer in the 40 caliber, I think it's fully the equal of the 45, and maybe better.  Modern bullets are far superior to what we had just 15 years ago, and the 40 gives you more shots per magazine.  I don't notice any difference in the recoil, especially in an all-steel gun, in polymer guns they're both pretty snappy.  13 rounds of 40 VS 8 or 9 rounds of 45?  I don't even have to think about that one!  Watching the 40 vs 45 on bowling pins, they both knock them flying with good hits, I doubt any bad guy on the planet could tell the difference!

Papajohn

[SHOOTALL]

i would still feel better with 158 gr. slug , and some of the new ammo has tamed the flash !

[Old Griz]

My wife is pretty medium, 5'5" and . . . over 50 (ain't gonna say how much over in case she sees this!), and she loves shooting my .45 ACP. Men worry about recoil much more than women do I think.