9mm vs. 45 acp?

[mwt1980]

Which round do you prefer and why?

May have already been discussed. If so, can someone please provide me the link to the thread.

If not, i would love to see it discussed.

as far as purpose is concerned...well.... self defense and paper punching.

[ranburr]

.45 in a 1911, 9mm in anything else. With hp ammo one is as good as the other.

[opmike]

I prefer 9mm for reasons of ammo cost (more training) and the fact that I shoot it better.

And yeah, caliber discussions have all been done many times before.

[buckshot1220]

I tried really hard not to reply to this...but alas I've come back. I'll try to keep it short.

9mm and 45 with modern JHP's from a good loading (Gold Dot, Ranger, HST etc.) will get the job done if needed. Every round has its pros and cons on paper. In all seriousness, it is shot placement and follow up shots that will make the difference. All the anecdotal data in the world won't make a damned difference if you can't make fast, accurate hits. Try to get your hands on a few of the guns you are looking at. Run some drills and pay special attention to how long it takes you to put follow up shots on target. Also, make sure the caliber is in a gun that is roughly the same size and weight as what you'd be buying, shooting a 5" barreled 45 will not give you an accurate indication of how a 3.5" barreled carry gun will recoil. For me, I started out with 45, and although I shoot the round/gun very well, the added capacity of 9mm's and the quicker (almost effortless) follow up shots have swayed me.

[kmrtnsn]

Neither. I prefer to split the difference and take the best of both, 9mm velocity with near .45ACP bullet mass in the .40S&W.

[TheSmiter1]

I tried really hard not to reply to this...but alas I've come back. I'll try to keep it short.

9mm and 45 with modern JHP's from a good loading (Gold Dot, Ranger, HST etc.) will get the job done if needed. Every round has its pros and cons on paper. In all seriousness, it is shot placement and follow up shots that will make the difference. All the anecdotal data in the world won't make a damned difference if you can't make fast, accurate hits. Try to get your hands on a few of the guns you are looking at. Run some drills and pay special attention to how long it takes you to put follow up shots on target. Also, make sure the caliber is in a gun that is roughly the same size and weight as what you'd be buying, shooting a 5" barreled 45 will not give you an accurate indication of how a 3.5" barreled carry gun will recoil. For me, I started out with 45, and although I shoot the round/gun very well, the added capacity of 9mm's and the quicker (almost effortless) follow up shots have swayed me.

EDIT: http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=53568


+1 to the follow up shots and capacity. I had a .45, sold it because I realized I wasn't going to be able to practice with it as often as I'd like, and moved to a 9mm. Far, far cheaper, even when the round count only hits 1k. Follow up shots, even with 9mm NATO rounds, are very easy.

I'd rather have a 9mm loaded with FMJ that I can shoot accurately and fast, than a .45 with Gold Dots that I couldn't shoot for shit. Chances are, unless you're rich, you'll appreciate the 9mm a lot more. Even for organizations with lots of money, 9mm translates into more practice, no matter how much money you have.

That said, go with what makes you comfortable. I am very comfortable with a 9mm. My pot-smoking moron of a friend thinks 9mm is weak (basing this off of what, I do not know), and uses a P226 in .40s&w. He cannot hit the broad side of a barn with it, literally from 5 yards away. And he uses this weapon for CCW. But hey, at least it's not 9mm.

[SSMOKE]

EDIT: http://m4carbine.net/showthread.php?t=53568


+1 to the follow up shots and capacity. I had a .45, sold it because I realized I wasn't going to be able to practice with it as often as I'd like, and moved to a 9mm. Far, far cheaper, even when the round count only hits 1k. Follow up shots, even with 9mm NATO rounds, are very easy.

I'd rather have a 9mm loaded with FMJ that I can shoot accurately and fast, than a .45 with Gold Dots that I couldn't shoot for shit. Chances are, unless you're rich, you'll appreciate the 9mm a lot more. Even for organizations with lots of money, 9mm translates into more practice, no matter how much money you have.

That said, go with what makes you comfortable. I am very comfortable with a 9mm. My pot-smoking moron of a friend thinks 9mm is weak (basing this off of what, I do not know), and uses a P226 in .40s&w. He cannot hit the broad side of a barn with it, literally from 5 yards away. And he uses this weapon for CCW. Buy hey, at least it's not 9mm.


No hope in dope.

[TheSmiter1]

No hope in dope.

Sorry if that was off-topic or if it offended. He's a moron regardless, but I really don't think the weed helps.

[opmike]

No hope in dope.

:rolleyes:

[120mm]

I currently prefer .45 ACP because of the M1911 platform. I just shoot M1911s better. I suppose it's the trigger.

But I own and shoot 9mm as well.

As far as cost is concerned; reloading .45ACP is childishly simple and forgiving. Nothing expensive about that.

[Bob RI]

I currently prefer .45 ACP because of the M1911 platform. I just shoot M1911s better. I suppose it's the trigger.

But I own and shoot 9mm as well.

As far as cost is concerned; reloading .45ACP is childishly simple and forgiving. Nothing expensive about that.

This is where I'm at as well.....
Overall, I'm not very concerned about 9mm vs 45 and own both. For me, the 1911 is THE platform to launch 45's. I 've owned just about every type of 45 out there and keep going back to the 1911 above all others. My M&P 45 is a distant second. As noted in the above post, the 45 is also easy to reload. I do like the capacity of the 9mm and prefer carry sized guns in 9mm vs 45. M&P compact, P2000SK etc.

Like ranburr said - for me, it's the 1911 in 45 and 9mm for everything else.

[Omega Man]

I prefer 9mm because:
I can achieve faster follow up shots than 45.
I like having more bullets, if the SHTF.
The ballistic profile of quality hollow point ammo, is very close between the calibers.

[Moose-Knuckle]

9mm for me. Inexpensive, widely available world wide, I don't like having mulitple guns in mulitple calibers, and with modern ballestics it's a no brainer.

[TOrrock]

9mm vs. .45 ACP?

Really? Hasn't this been hashed out ad nauseam over the past 100 years?

Take some time to read some of the stuck threads in the Terminal Ballistics forum here.