Posted on 10/26/2005 1:36:11 AM PDT by bramdawg
Going onto a local PD in los angeles area. Have heard stories both about .40's and .45's what is really the difference. I know comfort is important put I want to know if I will be safe with a .40 or if I should go with .45. I want the best gun for my job.
Simple solution-
Buy both, a Dillon 550, the right dies and shoot the hell out of both.
As far as which is better for Police use-the folks that say shot placement and hitting the target are right.
A hit with a 22 is better than a miss with a 44 Magnum
I never ever had any trouble with the M1911 .45 - you can't go wrong with this round. Insist, however, on match-grade ammo.
lol I'll add my opinion.
.45 definately
No better handgun for self defense.
What did I miss?
.40 vs. .45 is kind of a silly question, it just doesn't matter.
Department policy, selecting a handgun with the features you need, and ensuring it fits are far more critical than choosing between two calibers that have proven records.
Finally, and most critical, learn how to shoot it well and maintain proficiency.
With a quality bullet - Gold Dot, HydraShok, SXT, Golden Saber - the difference between .40 and .45 is nil. Pick the one you shoot the best.
I've seen these threads many times and figured it was one of us having a lot of fun. Heck, it's a slow morning, maybe it IS the Mod.
He might have been thinking of the Colt 1991 A1. It is a Plain Jane version of the 1911. It was the only Colt that I could afford until my Dad passes his 70 series to me.
Assuming, of course, that the .44 Magnum Desert Eagle has been disqualified.
S&W now has the 686-5, a seven shot wheel gun with a 5" barrel, a very nicely balanced weapon.
Nice 1917. It that the original finish?
I carry a 9mm Baretta. No kick. Plus, I am such a good shot I only would need to use the first 3 rounds out of 15. The .45 is overrated. The .40 is a .45 mini-me. The 9mm is only crap for people who can't shoot straight.
9mm is relatively effective loaded with modern JHPs, especially in +p loadings. Most problems with 9mm overpenetration and under-incapacitation are the result of using FMJ ammo.
Still, the overwhelming majority of US law enforcement agencies have switched to 40SW, because it has a well deserved reputation for both controllability and effectiveness, and offers capacity comparable to 9x19.
thanks for the web site it really helps.
Department policy, selecting a handgun with the features you need, and ensuring it fits are far more critical than choosing between two calibers that have proven records.
Finally, and most critical, learn how to shoot it well and maintain proficiency.
With a quality bullet - Gold Dot, HydraShok, SXT, Golden Saber - the difference between .40 and .45 is nil. Pick the one you shoot the best.
Hey! .38 Super ROCKS!
agreed. i run +p loads thru my p220, and its accurate enough to bust (stationary) clay pigeons at 50 yards. paid $200 less for it than my 1911 springfield .45 and it shoots a heck of a lot better. can't wait to see what it does to a deer.
Hardly! The primary handgun carried by my uncle during his tenure as a Secret Service Agent was a full-size Colt's Government Model in .38 Super- he considered his 2½-inch barrelled S&W M19 as his last-ditch backup gun, and was a lot more comfortable with it only after Lee Jurras introduced his line of 110-grain jacketed hollowpoint ammunition in the early 1970s.
A lot of the older feds preferred the .38 Super Colt to the .45, though many of the photos of those fellers misidentified their weapons as *Army .45 pistols*. The .38 Super was thought to be just the ticket for dealing with armed felons wearing first-generation body armor, particularly those in the bank business. That included S/A Melvin Purvis, the agent of the Justice Department's Division of Investigation [not yet then named the FBI] who ambushed a suspect later identified as *Public Enemy Number One* robber John Dillinger outside Chicago's Biograph Theatre on North Lincoln Avenue in 1934.
One other old *fed trick:* For those not wealthy enough to buy a GM or Gold Cup .38 Super or for whom department regs prohibited semiauto handguns, using .38 Super ammo in a S&W or Colt revolver chambered foir .38 S&W [NOT .38 special!] was a possibility, though pretty hard on the service life of the weapon. That may have not been much of a consideration for those being shot at, and carrying 6 rounds of the *hot stuff* for reloads if the first six didn't get the job done was not unknown among either feds or uniformed street cops in the l950s and '60s when the glut of surplus S&W Victory models in the .38 S&W chambering preferred by our WWII British allies made them a not-uncommon choice for many small-town cops looking for inexpensive belt guns or chopped-down belly guns. And, of course, for at least one pretty high-profile shooting suspect, never convicted of any crime....
To further deepen the waters:
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.