9mm vs 40 sw

[Mackey]

The "Job" your gun will most likely do is provide you with hours of entertainment, and building your skill with a firearm.

Pick the round that allows you to do that, and forget thinking about which fictional hypothetical badguy you will likely never meet would go down to a .40 when he wouldnt do a 9.

That is my advice.

Chance of life being threatened. 1 in 100
Chance of life being threatened and situation requires the use of deadly force. 1 in 1000
Chance of life being threatened, deadly force required, criminal shot with a 9mm and you DIE because he would have been stopped with a .40...

What? 1 in 100,000?

Play the lottery before worrying about those odds.

This is a perfectly good response. You should go with it. I agree totally.
Unless, of course you want to impress your gun enthusiast buddies... then you must have a .40 (sorry, bigger is better).

 

[shooter1054]

I have an XD40sc as my EDC. I used to carry a Taurus 9. I like the 40 better. It is a little snappy, but it isn't as "bad" as people say it is. It is something that you get used to. Both are fine rounds and both have the ability to stop a threat. Bottom line, get what you want. I, personally have no intention of going back to a 9.

 

[NinnJinn]

If you are going to shoot with it on a regular basis and aren't as you put it, "worried about the stopping power" then go with a 9mm.

I personally went with a 40sw as my first gun due to several reasons,

1. Besides a .22LR a 40 was what I was trained on and comfortable with.

2. I was offered 1,000 rounds as a "congrats on your first gun" if I bought a 40sw

3. My instructor/uncle is a retired Federal LEO after 30yrs and then a Retired firearms instructor after 10yrs. He showed me numerous video of how "If it was a 40 instead of a 9mm, this or that wouldn't have happened." especially the major bank robbery that happened in Florida years ago which killed several officers and agents.

4. I had a imo a so called "starter kit" for reloading. about 50lbs in lead, 60lbs+ of wheel weights. a 40sw Die set I could borrow.

I have my 40 mold, and plenty of lead plus 1,000+ of 40 brass so I really don't see having to purchase factory ammo anytime soon. I do have a box of factory ammo for my defense magazine. but thats about it.

So I guess if you want a 9mm, then get a 9mm.

 

[ThrottleJockey]

Well, I'm in the process of converting my arsenal to .357 and .40 only...I may get a drop in 9mm barrel for a gun or two just because ammo is cheaper for target practice. My vote has to be .40.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I personally prefer the 9mm. It is effective enough for SD, those that say it's not are FOS in my opinion. 1. 9mm is cheaper for me to reload. 2. Higher capacity. 3. Less felt recoil, which means faster follow up shots.

 

[ray d]

Shot placement is far more important than caliber.Go with the 9mm .

 

[Yup!]

Ok i have decided on getting an M&P full size but not sure what caliber to get a 9 or 40 and why.
It will be used for home defense and target/competition ie Friday night steel or some of the practical shooting courses. I'm not going to get to shoot them both to make a comparison I'm not worried about the stopping power a hole is a hole in someone and will slow them down if not stop them. My EDC is a 380
I did a search because I'm sure this has been covered before but didn't find anything. I'm leaning towards the 9 mainly do to cost of ammo.
Thanks for the input. Hoping yo put one in layaway soon.

I've wondered this too... I also want to know:

Canon or Nikon
ARMY or Marine Corps
Nike or Adidas
Tomato - Tomato
J-Lo or Beyoncee

 

[U.S. Patriot]

If you are going to shoot with it on a regular basis and aren't as you put it, "worried about the stopping power" then go with a 9mm.

I personally went with a 40sw as my first gun due to several reasons,

1. Besides a .22LR a 40 was what I was trained on and comfortable with.

2. I was offered 1,000 rounds as a "congrats on your first gun" if I bought a 40sw

3. My instructor/uncle is a retired Federal LEO after 30yrs and then a Retired firearms instructor after 10yrs. He showed me numerous video of how "If it was a 40 instead of a 9mm, this or that wouldn't have happened." especially the major bank robbery that happened in Florida years ago which killed several officers and agents.

4. I had a imo a so called "starter kit" for reloading. about 50lbs in lead, 60lbs+ of wheel weights. a 40sw Die set I could borrow.

I have my 40 mold, and plenty of lead plus 1,000+ of 40 brass so I really don't see having to purchase factory ammo anytime soon. I do have a box of factory ammo for my defense magazine. but thats about it.

So I guess if you want a 9mm, then get a 9mm.

No offense to your Uncle. However, the whole "if it would have been a .40" is irrelevant. Fact is, the difference in wound cavity size between 9mm and .40 is minimul at best. They also create the same level of penetration depending on bullet weight. Tell me why people have died from .22 caliber bullet wounds, and I mean .22LR, but have survived wounds from a .40 caliber bullet? When you can explain that, I'll believe the hype!

 

[Mackey]

Then why have so many police departments switched to the 40?

 

[Skip]

I like calibers that start with a "4", after that, it doesn't matter to me..............

That being said, a 9mm that hits is much, much better than anything with a "4" missing!


It would depend on what you, your wife or whoever shoots better. Shot placement is King, enough penetration is Queen, all the rest is Angels dancing on the heads of pins.

FWIW

 

[Aaronhome27]

I reload so ammo price is not a factor to me. Brass for both is cheap as well as reloading for both. I have a normal firm "push pull" grip so recoil is not a factor to me. If you carry a high cap mag and one to two rounds less bothers you then go with a 9mm. There are a lot of people out there that only carry one third of the rounds that these high cap guns can carry. I like the .40 to shoot and reload. I have 3000 cases ready to fill right now and I have about $70 in them. You have to decide what suits you. Both are great rounds. shoot both and decide what YOU like. Most folks like the 9mm to start and never change because it is a good round. Others just feel they want more power and move up to the .40. If you only plan to buy ammo and not reload I would recommend 9mm because it is just cheaper when buying commercial ammo.

 

[Ricnzak]

I would personally go with the 9mm. With good defensive loads it will get the job done easily. Lower recoil than the .40 which means faster follow up shots. Cost of ammo is a lot cheaper to shoot 9mm than .40

If you go with the .40 and then change your mind you can always get one of these..
Storm Lake Conversion Barrel Smith Wesson M&P 40 S&W to 9mm Luger 1 16 Twist 4.25 SS

This^^^^^^

I have a 23 with the Lone Wolf conversion and love it. I can afford to shoot more often and it only takes 20 seconds to convert back and forth. Like having two guns in one.

 

[gabrigger]

Get what you are most comfortable shooting. A hit with a .22 beats a miss with a .44 mag every time. Shot placement is key. However, my personal preference is .40.

 

[sgreen3]

Im a fan of the .40S&W thats what I carry. I think its a perfect blend between the 9mm and .45acp. Little more expensive than 9mm ammo but not as expensive as .45acp. I think its a good all around caliber.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

Then why have so many police departments switched to the 40?

Explain why the Military is still using the 5.56 caliber as well as 9mm? Hell, since the .45 is a one shot man stopper, why do LEO departments not switch the the .45 caliber?

 

[Fordtough25]

Pick one and shoot the heck out of it. I've had a lot of calibers, still do I guess but no .40's. I had one, Glock G22. It shot great and was accurate, and utterly destroyed every coke can I shot at. But so do my 9mm's and 45's. I got rid of my .40 to slim down 1 caliber. Yes the .40 is a high pressure round, but unless you plan on shooting at people wearing kevlar on a regular basis any of these calibers will get the job done. I shoot a lot of 9mm and 45, 9mm is y cheaper. 45 does put big holes in stuff though, and it does interesting stuff to kevlar. I'd go 9mm just for the cheaper practice, conversion barrels are nice more money. My fiance's M&P 9mm shoots and handles nicely.

 

[Fordtough25]

Explain why the Military is still using the 5.56 caliber as well as 9mm? Hell, since the .45 is a one shot man stopper, why do LEO departments not switch the the .45 caliber?

I would say already present training, vast stockpiles of ammuniton and weapons, and Nato. And the 45 acp round will do some amazing things. Not knocking 9mm in any way but I digress.

 

[dross]

Let's walk down the logic road for a second.

9mm is cheaper.
9mm has more capacity in the same gun.
9mm has less recoil.
40 is slightly better on impact, but only slightly. Some 9mm rounds hit harder than some 40 rounds.

There's a significant jump if you go to 357 or 45.

So, do you gain enough effectiveness with the 40 to offset the lost capacity and higher recoil? I think not. Throw in the cheaper ammo and I think 9mm is the logical choice.

 

[U.S. Patriot]

I would say already present training, vast stockpiles of ammunition and weapons, and Nato. And the 45 acp round will do some amazing things. Not knocking 9mm in any way but I digress.

Right, but they chose that caliber for a reason to begin with. Also, the whole .45 will do amazing things is just more hype. It's not like we are comparing 9mm to .357 Magnum.

 

[BE Mike]

Ok i have decided on getting an M&P full size but not sure what caliber to get a 9 or 40 and why.
It will be used for home defense and target/competition ie Friday night steel or some of the practical shooting courses. I'm not going to get to shoot them both to make a comparison I'm not worried about the stopping power a hole is a hole in someone and will slow them down if not stop them. My EDC is a 380
I did a search because I'm sure this has been covered before but didn't find anything. I'm leaning towards the 9 mainly do to cost of ammo.
Thanks for the input. Hoping yo put one in layaway soon.

The type of competition you decide to shoot might dictate which caliber to select based on power factor. If the .40 S&W isn't required for your competitive shooting, then I'd choose the 9mm. Ammo is cheaper and recoil is much less. The advances in defensive ammo over the years has made the 9mm a much more formidable round that it was in the 70's. If power is the only criteria, then by all means go with the .40 S&W. It will outperform the 9mm when premium ammo is used in the comparison.