9mm or .40 S&W

[Rustyinfla]

   I know a lot of Departments are going with the .40 now, but is there proof of how good it is over the 9mm?

[Cottonwood]

   I know a lot of Departments are going with the .40 now, but is there proof of how good it is over the 9mm?

Without doing a national survey some still carry the 9mm cartridge like Huntsville Al (HPD) NYPD still carry the 9mm cartridge as well  But the departments that do carry the 9mm cartridge still are far and few between.  We may find as much as 10% of the agencies out there may still carry the 9mm for on duty use.  Is it more effective than the .40 cal cartridge?  That I don't know for sure, but shot placement still rules and is king over all in any situation.  With todays premium ammo that is out there, I do believe the 9mm still can be a very effective man stopper, again with proper shot placement.

But just for reference most other departments use.

.357 Sig, .40 cal,  .45 Gap,  .45 ACP and 10mm Auto

Some departments allow officers to carry what they qualify with as well, and then you will have a mixture of firearms and calibers carried within the department itself.


 

[Lawndart]

I own a couple of both (glocks, kahrs, H&K) and I like the 40 s&w better.  To me, it is as easy to control as a 9mm and carries a bigger hunk of lead...the up side of a 9mm is: ammo is better now, than before  and you will have a few more rounds in the gun.  JMO.

[superdown]

I would rather have more bangs for my buck and shoot more and be more accurate (what really counts) than to just have something bigger.

[Keith L]

I would rather have more bangs for my buck and shoot more and be more accurate (what really counts) than to just have something bigger.

If you are talking about personal defense the more you shoot the better you will be.  Most folks think they will be Joe Cool and have lots of time to take careful aim, but when being attacked, normally at close range, there is no time to consider the situation and muscle memory has to take over.  If you will be able to shoot more with the 9MM then it will be your better choice.  Knowing that you are less likely to be able to take the perfect shot then the larger, more powerful round will take larger chunks out of the target.  That and the extra noise are more likely to turn an attacker in the likely event of a less than perfect shot.

I have a 9MM and a 45ACP.  I know that I won't have time if attacked to get more than the eight shots in my .45 clip, so that is normally my choice for a defense weapon.  If I had a .40 that would be my choice.  My Glock 19 is smaller and hides easier, so at times that is the best choice.

[superdown]

If you are talking about personal defense the more you shoot the better you will be.  Most folks think they will be Joe Cool and have lots of time to take careful aim, but when being attacked, normally at close range, there is no time to consider the situation and muscle memory has to take over.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
That is pretty much what i was getting at it's better to hit a target with a smaller round then to miss with a bigger one. with all that being said i carry both a 9mm cz and a kimber 1911 in 45acp depending on weather and clothing.

[HogFan]

I have both a 9mm and a 40 S&W. I don't reload, and I can find 50 round boxes of 9mm for $9.97, compared to $16.97 for the cheapest 40 S&W ammo. I guess that's why my newer 9mm has more rounds down it so far than my 40 S&W.

[Shiner]

I prefer a 9mm over a 40, as far is if one is better than the other, I guess it's up to the user. I have both, but as already mentioned 9mm ammo is cheaper, which allows me to practice more. Almost no recoil allows me to stay on target better, and higher magazine capacity, are all things I like about the 9mm. With the modern loads out there now I don't feel undergunned at all. I carry Cor Bon 115 grain plus P's in mine.

[Lawndart]

I have both a 9mm and a 40 S&W. I don't reload, and I can find 50 round boxes of 9mm for $9.97, compared to $16.97 for the cheapest 40 S&W ammo. I guess that's why my newer 9mm has more rounds down it so far than my 40 S&W.

That's a good point on the price.  Most stores here have a few boxes of 40, but it's pretty hard to find 9....and 380 is sorta like bigfoot and ufo's, all I ever hear about are sightings...

[Shiner]

I have both a 9mm and a 40 S&W. I don't reload, and I can find 50 round boxes of 9mm for $9.97, compared to $16.97 for the cheapest 40 S&W ammo. I guess that's why my newer 9mm has more rounds down it so far than my 40 S&W.

That's a good point on the price.  Most stores here have a few boxes of 40, but it's pretty hard to find 9....and 380 is sorta like bigfoot and ufo's, all I ever hear about are sightings...

I know what you mean. 380 ammo is really hard to find where I live. At the gun shop where I do all my business, the guy that owns it has about a case of 380 ammo. But, the only way he will sell it is if you buy a 380!! He said that he was missing sales, because people would want to buy a 380, and then when he told them he didn't have any ammo for it, they wouldn't buy the gun. It does seem to be getting a little better though, I was in last week and they had quite a bit of 9mm, 40, 45, and most all popular rifle calibers.

[Rustyinfla]

  I'm thinking there's a reason why they call it the .40 short and weak.

  When I was a LEO I carried a .41 Mag with mid range loads. Not even close to the same class as far as I'm concerned.

  The 9mm has a long track record and the Israelis don't use what doesn't work. My son is wanting a G19 for his 21st birthday. I guess that's the way we'll go.

[Cottonwood]

  I'm thinking there's a reason why they call it the .40 short and weak.

  When I was a LEO I carried a .41 Mag with mid range loads. Not even close to the same class as far as I'm concerned.

  The 9mm has a long track record and the Israelis don't use what doesn't work. My son is wanting a G19 for his 21st birthday. I guess that's the way we'll go.

Ah the ol .40 S&W name it... we all know why the S&W is attached to it, but the reference to the "Short & Weak" is only because its not a full house 10mm Auto load that we 10mm auto guys have to reload for to get it away from that stuff that is sold in retail stores.  The stuff the Israelis is using as we all know is NATO 9mm FMJ loads.  So we are talking Apples to Oranges here when comparing what we get, and what they use.

Money wise the 9mm gets the vote, cost less, so you can practice more. 

Now with todays premium ammo, I would not feel undergunned carrying a G19 or G26 for that matter.  Shot placement rules in putting a would be thug on the ground in a self defense situation.

Practice, practice and then practice some more.

[Rustyinfla]

AMEN!! On the shot placement.

  A hit with a 9mm beats a miss with any other caliber you'd care to name.

[HogFan]

I have both a 9mm and a 40 S&W. I don't reload, and I can find 50 round boxes of 9mm for $9.97, compared to $16.97 for the cheapest 40 S&W ammo. I guess that's why my newer 9mm has more rounds down it so far than my 40 S&W.

That's a good point on the price.  Most stores here have a few boxes of 40, but it's pretty hard to find 9....and 380 is sorta like bigfoot and ufo's, all I ever hear about are sightings...

I know what you mean. 380 ammo is really hard to find where I live. At the gun shop where I do all my business, the guy that owns it has about a case of 380 ammo. But, the only way he will sell it is if you buy a 380!! He said that he was missing sales, because people would want to buy a 380, and then when he told them he didn't have any ammo for it, they wouldn't buy the gun. It does seem to be getting a little better though, I was in last week and they had quite a bit of 9mm, 40, 45, and most all popular rifle calibers.

I am starting to see more ammo, but .380 still seems to be rare

[Keith L]

I got 6 boxes of .380 with a  piece of crap Byco I bought to keep my Administrative Assistant from plugging her husband.  Maybe I should go to a gun show and sell the sucker.  Maybe someone will buy the gun for the ammo.

[Cottonwood]

I got 6 boxes of .380 with a  piece of crap Byco I bought to keep my Administrative Assistant from plugging her husband.  Maybe I should go to a gun show and sell the sucker.  Maybe someone will buy the gun for the ammo.

FREE Pistol with the purchase of 6 boxes of .380 ammo. 

[chucky52]

Almost all IDPA competitors shoot 9 mm Glocks. Cost of ammo is a big factor. I used a 9 mm Springfield (great handgun; but not for carry). My vote goes to the 9; because, unless you are a pro it's much better than trying to control the .40. The 9 is a point and shoot caliber and I'm with those above, this isn't 1975 anymore. Modern 9mm ammo is serious stuff.

[Tonk]

Rusty the 9mm Luger caliber has come a long long way in the last 10 years or so! The 9mm is faster in velocity than the .40 Smith & Wesson. The bullet weight of most who carry the 9mm Luger is usually the 115 or 125 grain bullet. The .40 Cal has the heavier bullet and most would believe it penetrates deeper because of "Sectional Density" however I found in my tests run in wet newspaper, this was NOT the case, they were just about equal in penetration length. A 125 grain bullet verses a 165 grain bullet! My theory is the same as Elmer Keith's: BIGGER IS ALWAYS BETTER!

I personally like the .40 cal because it has the heavier bullet and makes a larger entry hole in the target. I like the 165 grain bullet in a .40cal, believe it is the better choice for the .40 cal. I personally reach for the 45acp and the 10mm both Glock's.

PS...My wife used to shoot the .380-auto, then the 9mm Luger and after some 6000 rounds of practice, has moved up to the Glock 22 in .40cal. as her CCW weapon of choice.