The debate over the 9mm and .45 ACP is one of the most talked about in the firearms community.Both handguns/calibers have a huge following thanks to their popularity and success in the field.
Posted on 07/10/2018 4:56:17 AM PDT by w1n1
The debate over the 9mm and .45 ACP is one of the most talked about in the firearms community.
Both handguns/calibers have a huge following thanks to their popularity and success in the field.
9mm vs .45 ACP Match Ups
One of the biggest mistake that most people make is taking a black-and-white stance (only looking at ballistics stats) on the .45 ACP and 9mm.
Many will say that the .45 is better because it shoots a bigger caliber bullet, or that the 9mm is better because of its higher magazine capacity.
Both points are spot on and provide good reasons to prefer one over the other.
Even if you think more bullets is better, you have to admit having bigger bullets with more bullets on tap are both worthy considerations when choosing one gun over the other.
If you look at the bigger picture is that neither gun has a total advantage over the other one, and your own preferences will play a lot in determining which handgun is for you. Read the rest of this 9mm vs 45 story here. Which do you carry?
I am a cheapskate. Therefore I prefer 9mm.
There are probably 400 threads on this topic, or sub-threads where this topic is covered, in the FR archives. And is there a topic on which more electrons have been used on gun forums, since the invention of the Internet? I doubt it.
This again... oldest debate since the chicken and the egg.
I want knock down power. I have a 45acp.
Just saying: the ballistics against my wallet have me reaching for the cheaper box.
More clickbait at a 5-year-old reading level. Get a fricking editor.
There, fixed it.
But according to the media, wouldn’t that be an “arsenal”?
By the way, clickbait, have you donated? There is a fundraiser going on.
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Uh, how about .357, .380, ..... yep, beaten to death.
Try a whole mix. I have a .45 and .40. The missus has a 9mm.
Don’t forget, that the 1911 was created to fight in jungle warfare to defeat Philippine Moro guerrillas, because as we discovered, the Moro’s would take drugs that desensitized them so that they would not feel pain and could fight on, even wounded by the .38 cal. The Army had to bring back the .45 caliber Colt M1873 single-action revolver as it was more effective against the Moro guerrillas. Not only that, but even after shooting it a couple of hundred times, you could also use it as a hammer (just kidding, but it is way more durable than the Gucci 9 MMs of today).
It wasn’t until the military started allowing females in to various rolls that they had otherwise been excluded from in 1986 that the military dumped the .45 Cal 1911 in favor of the smaller, less recoil 9 MM...You can disagree with me all you want, but there was actually a lot written about this back then when the decision was made and why and while it was wildly unpopular to “state the obvious,” none-the-less, it was still the truth — Women in the military have a harder time handling the .45.
I asked my wife this once who is a retired Army LTC. What would she prefer in a fight. 13 9mm’s or 7 45’s
She said she would only need 4 of the 45’s and I believe her. Her reasoning, if you are not going to miss, why skimp on power.
Then the cameraman turned to interview a neighbor about the guy and the neighbors said "what's the b ig deal about 500 rounds of ammo about? That's just 1 box of 22 ammo that you can get at any Walmart for $20!"
Yep...really old debate.
My wife and I got into CCW certification some six years ago. Although interested in fire arms for decades, I never really got the fever until the CCW thing for us came around.
We both qualified with a S&W .357 using .38 special rounds.
I got her a real sweet, Walther .380 PPK/S. For me...well, I always thought the look of a 1911 .45 ACP with a 5” barrel was “the way things ought to be.” So that’s what I got for myself. And both the .380 and .45 ACPs are children of the great John Browning.
Occasionally the family and friends will gather at Mom’s farm for a little shootin’. I just get a smile on my face when the .22LR pistols go “CRACK”, the 9mms go “BANG” and my .45 goes “POW!”
Lots of fun, and I have no beef with any of the calibers people choose to use. They key is “to each his own” and most importantly they’re armed.
The most important part is actually hitting what you’re aiming at.
The best caliber is the caliber that we train much with. Just remember to study the ballistics for the chosen caliber and pick the cartridge with the best bullet and load for circumstances likely to be encountered, too (bystanders likely or not, coats worn or not, animal or human threat, etc.).
We need someone to claim the ballistics of modern 9mm JHP ammunition is for all intents and purposes just as good as 45 ACP.
We need someone else to provide anecdotal evidence of a 45 stopping a criminal or wild animal where 9mm did or would have failed.
We need someone else to chime in randomly that .40 is the best compromise and that LEOs are abandoning the 9mm for the .40.
Someone else will point out that 9mm are generally more concealable, and that any gun you have with you is better than one left at home.
Someone will jump in here and point out they carry a .380 just for the aforementioned reason.
Another poster will point out that the 1911 in 45 has been around for over a hundred years for a reason.
Then there will be the claim that under stress people miss, and the generally larger magazine capacities of 9mm are better.
The previous point will be countered by someone who says he/she never misses, and that even a nick on the shoulder from a .45 is a fatal wound.
Shot placement.
Stopping power.
A hipster of the firearms world will chime in with his/her favorite caliber most of us have never heard of before that'll make the rest of us go google it.
An old-school bad-a** will state how he/she only carries "wheel guns" because they're far more reliable than those fancy semi-autos.
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