.45 vs 9mm

[wcd]

So there are a lot of other things to consider. Some of the things that may well come into play.

Have you done a threat assessment?

Are you likely to be in areas where peaceful demonstrations may erupt?

What is you physical fitness level?

Do you carry two to three extra Magazines?

Do you use a blue gun or confirmed cold edc to practice your draw stroke?

Is your edc set up to give you the best possible results, ie sights, etc?

As others have said train train, and train some more, find a place that will let you draw and fire from your usual method of carry. If you have not done this it’s a real eye opener.

What ever carry ammo you select vet it very carefully and on a periodic basis. Ensure that your range ammo and EDC ammo perform as closely as possible. Yes it matters.

Then I would look at doing some independent testing with your particular EDC Under conditions in which you may be forced to use your sidearm.

Unfortunately there is no easy answer to the age old debate. Ultimately what works for others may be a dismal failure for you.


Good Luck and enjoy the journey.

 

[gregkl]

If a grizzly is charging you do you want 9mm 147gr +p or a 45acp 230gr +p hard cast bullet to defend yourself?

I watched a guy dump a magazine of .45 into a wild hog. It still didn't go down. If we are talking about 4 legged creatures, even a guy like me that is perfectly comfortable with a 9mm, I'm taking something more substantial.

For me that is my .357 magnum with some hot hollow points.

I'd rather have a .41 or a .44 but I don't own either of those, so the .357 will have to do.

 

[DadSmith]

I watched a guy dump a magazine of .45 into a wild hog. It still didn't go down. If we are talking about 4 legged creatures, even a guy like me that is perfectly comfortable with a 9mm, I'm taking something more substantial.

For me that is my .357 magnum with some hot hollow points.

I'd rather have a .41 or a .44 but I don't own either of those, so the .357 will have to do.

Was he using hollow point ammunition, hard cast or fmj?

 

[mmpsteve]

where are our .22 LR devotees. we used to have a few pop up during the caliber wars...

... now that you mention it, wasn't there a record grizzly taken with a .22 LR up north somewhere ... by a little girl? I believe I read it on the inter-webz.

.

 

[mcapo]

... now that you mention it, wasn't there a record grizzly taken with a .22 LR up north somewhere ... by a little girl? I believe I read it on the inter-webz.

.

I recently bought a Nylon 66 and was reading up on the history of the Remington Nylons and it seems they were wildly popular in Alaska (especially in the fishing industry) early on because of their lightweight and reliability. Lots and lots of first and second hand stories of the lowly 22lr taking down pretty large game.

I've settle on 9mm for carry but I could make a solid argument for anything from 38splc wadcutters to a 44 magnum depending upon the carry environment, etc etc.

 

[DadSmith]

Now if you had a hot +p 45acp load it would penetrate even more.
9mm cannot beat a 45acp when it comes to penetration of flesh and bone.

 

[johntheplinker]

where are our .22 LR devotees. we used to have a few pop up during the caliber wars...

22 LR is all you need. It gets inside and bounces around tearing everything up. Also its what the Mossad uses.











purple inferred or not? you be the judge!

 

[MrSmitty]

If a grizzly is charging you do you want 9mm 147gr +p or a 45acp 230gr +p hard cast bullet to defend yourself?

A .22 would be just fine, shoot your friend in the knee and run!

 

[wcd]

22 LR is all you need. It gets inside and bounces around tearing everything up. Also its what the Mossad uses.











purple inferred or not? you be the judge!

Have you been listening to Sippy cup Joe?

 

[johntheplinker]

Have you been listening to Sippy cup Joe?

Every word! On pins and needles waiting for his next dispensation of wisdom.

 

[tcecil88]

Have you been listening to Sippy cup Joe?

He's just trying to keep big Pharma in business with surgery costs. Covid killed all their elective surgeries. If the .22 stays in them, they get money to remove it. 9mm, by virtue of removing the lungs from the body, deprives them of much needed income.

 

[BigRed]

I have been carrying a M&P .45 Shield for quite a while and felt quite comfortable with it. I recently purchased the same gun in 9mm from a member here (thanks Spencir) and find that I am very impressed with the feel of it. So much so that I am seriously considering making it my EDC and retiring my .45 to a HD pistol (along with my Maverick 12 ga that sleeps next to the bed) that will live in an end table next to my recliner.

My question is, would I be under gunned by going from 7 rds of .45 to 8 rds of 9mm? Have a ton of confidence in my .45, but not so sure about the 9mm. Could be due to the fact that I heard to many horror stories about the poor performance of that round back in the 80's and 90's (yes, I am that old).

Any and all comments or observations will be appreciated.

None of this matters.

What does matter is that you carry something designed by JMB and do not carry a Glock.

 

[BigRed]

I hear 9mm will blow your lungs out...

Just some general musings. Studies show that millennials don't have the hand strength of prior generations. Shortly after that all the experts came out and said caliber doesn't matter and 9mm was the best choice for self defense (although it seems like .380 is starting to gain acceptance by the same experts). Are the two related, I dunno.

I heard Glock shooters have superior hand strength because they spend a lot of time working their grip.

 

[Ziggidy]

I heard Glock shooters have superior hand strength because they spend a lot of time working their grip.

 

[biggggg]

A

After all of the completely "NON" scientific testing I and my compatriots have performed in this area I will never be convinced that the 9mm is totally equal to the 45ACP. Ball to ball the 45 rules over the 9mm (per our totally "NON" scientific testing )) per the consensus of the panel of non-expert's we gathered for this series of tests. SD to SD ammo it was ruled the same.
We based our findings on impact responses and amounts of materials dislodged and destruction rendered. Many different materials were used. Our tests usually included a 9mm/40mm/45ACP/10mm. It is easy to say that the 10mm was well ahead of the rest but not many sissies can run a 10mm a full range session due to recoil. I use the word sissies in jest as the 10 kicks butt. I have a few friends that live and die by the 9mm and when they were in these loosely organized tests even they saw the differences.

I do not wish to be shot with any round in any caliber. For obvious reasons.
But I will not hinge my life or the lives of my loved ones on a round I do not trust.
For competing I will run a modified 9mm CZ Shadow. The low in the frame bore centerline allows even less felt recoil and extreme accuracy. For a man-sized target, the 45 suits me well enough. Practice on full sized steel silhouettes proves out my opinion.

This debate will go on to the end of times.

Shoot/carry what works for you. Just get your facts together when debates come up and yes, they will come up.

My facts were up to snuff, per FBI. Steel silhouettes prove nothing compared to the complex human body. I do indeed trust the .45 ACP more than the 9mm...just personal preference on my part.

 

[churchmouse]

My facts were up to snuff, per FBI. Steel silhouettes prove nothing compared to the complex human body. I do indeed trust the .45 ACP more than the 9mm...just personal preference on my part.

Well we can all believe what we take in.
I meant No direct disrespect towards you.
When we takes 4 18”X24” piece of 3/16” thick standard steel plate and hang them to swing. One caliber per plate. The plate that received little punishment and barely moved was hit by 9mm rounds. Barely a splatter mark on the plate and some lite movement. No dents. Just a splatter mark. That was ball. SD ammo did hit just a bit harder and moved the plate a bit more. Still no real marks. Louder impact sounds.
The standard factory .40mm made the plate move. It also left a dent the exact size of the flat noses round with every strike. This was the ball equivalent. Pretty impressive. No SD ammo was available.
.45ACP beat the plate into a concave shape and it moved it a lot. The concave shape was noticed when closely examined for damage and yes there were dents all in the strike zone. That was unexpected. We flipped it around and attempted to beat it back. Hilarious actually. Like I said it was very
non-scientific testing.
The 10mm target rounds punished the plate and the hot stuff punched a few holes after repeated strikes.

Regardless of how you look at any FBI charts and such what we saw was brutal truth. Facts and figures be damned as they can be skewed and all too often are.
I will go with our findings. We did this several times over the years. I do not believe the 9mm is up to par. But please don’t shoot me with one Ok.
Thanks…..

 

[DadSmith]

Well we can all believe what we take in.
I meant No direct disrespect towards you.
When we takes 4 18”X24” piece of 3/16” thick standard steel plate and hang them to swing. One caliber per plate. The plate that received little punishment and barely moved was hit by 9mm rounds. Barely a splatter mark on the plate and some lite movement. No dents. Just a splatter mark. That was ball. SD ammo did hit just a bit harder and moved the plate a bit more. Still no real marks. Louder impact sounds.
The standard factory .40mm made the plate move. It also left a dent the exact size of the flat noses round with every strike. This was the ball equivalent. Pretty impressive. No SD ammo was available.
.45ACP beat the plate into a concave shape and it moved it a lot. The concave shape was noticed when closely examined for damage and yes there were dents all in the strike zone. That was unexpected. We flipped it around and attempted to beat it back. Hilarious actually. Like I said it was very
non-scientific testing.
The 10mm target rounds punished the plate and the hot stuff punched a few holes after repeated strikes.

Regardless of how you look at any FBI charts and such what we saw was brutal truth. Facts and figures be damned as they can be skewed and all too often are.
I will go with our findings. We did this several times over the years. I do not believe the 9mm is up to par. But please don’t shoot me with one Ok.
Thanks…..

Don't forget bowling pin shoots.
45acp knocks them off the table much better than 9mm does.

 

[700 LTR 223]

I have been carrying a M&P .45 Shield for quite a while and felt quite comfortable with it. I recently purchased the same gun in 9mm from a member here (thanks Spencir) and find that I am very impressed with the feel of it. So much so that I am seriously considering making it my EDC and retiring my .45 to a HD pistol (along with my Maverick 12 ga that sleeps next to the bed) that will live in an end table next to my recliner.

My question is, would I be under gunned by going from 7 rds of .45 to 8 rds of 9mm? Have a ton of confidence in my .45, but not so sure about the 9mm. Could be due to the fact that I heard to many horror stories about the poor performance of that round back in the 80's and 90's (yes, I am that old).

Any and all comments or observations will be appreciated.

I have a Shield in 9mm and 45 also and really wouldn't feel under gunned with the 9mm. Yeah I used to shoot in the 80s and 90s too! I think its fair to say that modern defensive loads today are far better than what was out 35 years ago when I first started shooting handguns. There was a time back then when I thought I would never own a 9mm but now have more 9s than 45s.

 

[mark40sw]

Don't underestimate the 9mm. It is the best selling less-than-leathal round sold today.

 

[wesnellans]

Well we can all believe what we take in.
I meant No direct disrespect towards you.
When we takes 4 18”X24” piece of 3/16” thick standard steel plate and hang them to swing. One caliber per plate. The plate that received little punishment and barely moved was hit by 9mm rounds. Barely a splatter mark on the plate and some lite movement. No dents. Just a splatter mark. That was ball. SD ammo did hit just a bit harder and moved the plate a bit more. Still no real marks. Louder impact sounds.
The standard factory .40mm made the plate move. It also left a dent the exact size of the flat noses round with every strike. This was the ball equivalent. Pretty impressive. No SD ammo was available.
.45ACP beat the plate into a concave shape and it moved it a lot. The concave shape was noticed when closely examined for damage and yes there were dents all in the strike zone. That was unexpected. We flipped it around and attempted to beat it back. Hilarious actually. Like I said it was very
non-scientific testing.
The 10mm target rounds punished the plate and the hot stuff punched a few holes after repeated strikes.

Regardless of how you look at any FBI charts and such what we saw was brutal truth. Facts and figures be damned as they can be skewed and all too often are.
I will go with our findings. We did this several times over the years. I do not believe the 9mm is up to par. But please don’t shoot me with one Ok.
Thanks…..

I brought this up several years ago in another thread. Momentum vs energy. Shooting pepper poppers in the day when the 45 guys would set them and me shooting 9mm... 45 hits took them down with authority with single hits, took double taps with 9mm to get the same job done.

Ran 45 from then on when I shot matches. Hands down.

That and bigger holes bleed more.

Not going to downplay 9mm effectiveness but I will never believe it's the equal of 40 or 45 in target.

FWIW.