.40 Or .45 For Single Stack

[Putty]

Set up to reload .40, heard .45 is more accurate. Need to hear some reasoning for either in Single Stack Division. (Yes I did a search)

[oddjob]

My reloading set up is for both, but I shoot a .45. I don't have a .40 nor do I plan on getting one.......for now.

[blue edge]

40 is cheaper? Brass is almost FREE!! I think 40 is as accurate as 45.

[Alan Meek]

Sandoz,

If you already have one or the other they will both work fine.

If you need another gun and don't have one or the other good time to get the one you do not have.

If you are already setup to load .40 for limited, get a .40 single stack.

from the economics side there is a plethoria of .40 brass available and .45 is slightly harder to find.

As far as which one is more competitve, does not make a lot of difference.

But in the end it will always come down to personal preference.

Hope that helps some.

Alan

[Merlin Orr]

Alan just said it all.

[Loves2Shoot]

One of each. I like shooting the .40 better, it is cheaper, but if you don't have a SS .45 you need one

[Bob Hostetter]

Prior to playing around with the Single Stack Division I hadn't fired a 45 acp single stack in many a year. When USPSA created Limited Division I went directly to the 40 for it.

However since June of this year I have been playing with a single stack again and having both a 40 and a 45, I have settled on the 45acp. The recoil impulse in both are very workable while somewhat different. The 45 acp took a little getting used to again but now that I have spent a little time with it I like it better then the 40. The really key for me was the difference in accuracy. I have been able to get much better accuracy out of the 45 then the 40. Where my 40's would regularly group somewhere around 2-2.5" at 25 yards, the 45 is regularly going under 2" at 25 yards. This may seem a small difference to most people but I find it important. I have much more confidence in being able to make a tough shot with the 45, giving me the freedom to push a little harder if I choose.

[lynn jones]

i'm going with 9 mm, extra rounds and lot of A's.

lynn

[HSMITH]

I wouldn't shoot a 40 in competition if I had a choice, the 45 is a much more shootable gun to me. 100% personal preference for sure, but I just don't care for the feel of 40 recoil. It is almost mandatory in Limited so I have one for that, but other than Limited and a Glock 40 in the nightstand I don't have much use for 40.

The feel and timing of the 45 fit the little rusty crusty shooting clock in my head better than 40, I am quite biased on this subject because of that.

[R/T Performance]

Better chance to break a scoring line with a 45

Plus thats what single stacks are suppose to be

[tightloop]

The classic SS is .45...enough said..

[Mistral404]

I have both. My .40 is a tack driver and so is my .45. Accuracy is not an issue. Remember most limited guns are .40 --yeah yeah I expect everyone to say that is because mag capacity BUT if it was not accurate then mag capacity would be moot.

My reloading setup is for .40 only that is why I have a SS .40. It is significantly cheaper to shoot with regards to brass and bullets.

Reliable mags are an issue with the .40-get Tripp if you go the .40 route.

Most people send the SS .40 off to Benny Hill or Virgil Tripp to ensure reliable feeding, especially if you use factory ammo.

The next issue is money-custom built or factory? I feel the difference in the long run is very close. By this I mean, a factory gun that has been upgraded in better parts is almost the same price as a custom gun from Nowlin. This is something to think about. I say this because I purchase an STI Trojan then over a couple of years proceed to upgrade sights, safeties and fire control parts. I could purchase a custom gun for just a little more with all those and more. It just depends on if you want your money pain to be immediate or drawn out--

[Harmon]

I dont think bob was saying the 40 isnt accurate at all, i think he said it was less accurate than the 45.

under 2 inch groups at 25 yards vs 2.5 inch groups is kinda a non-issue for me...i simply cannot shoot groups that good(not offhand anyway) If it will hold the A zone at 25 yards offhand its plenty accurate for me.

all that aside, i would go with the 40 beacuse it goes both ways, you could shoot minor with 9+1 rounds which is the same as the 9mm or major with the downloaded mag

[Alan Meek]

Harmon, that is why my second SS is a 38Super so when I shoot minor I get 10+1 LOL

[Bob Hostetter]

I think the 10 plus 1 in minor, depending on the stages at a particular match, may be a very good option. Which is why I am converting my 40 single stack to 38 Super to go with my 45.

Most 40's are pretty accurate, at least mine are, but the 45 seems to be just a little bit better. That combined with the larger bullet diameter seems to buy me a couple of more points with no drop in speed. In Limited I shoot a 40, but that is because of ........capacity.........

The cost with the 45 is not an issue with me, I get 45 brass basicially for free, lead practice bullets cost me the same in 40 and 45, so the difference in match bullets makes it a wash.

[mike cyrwus]

i'm going with 9 mm, extra rounds and lot of A's.

lynn

You mean ONE extra round. You can have 9 in a mag, as opposed to 8 in 45acp.

[Jman]

Go with the .40

The 45ACP is a has been caliber, totally obsolete.

...I'm kidding, I'm kidding!

but 45 brass is becoming a bit scarce these days.

.40 S&W brass is cheap and it's all over the place.

[tightloop]

JimmyM

Smile when you say that brother...

[Bear23]

Me,

I like the .40. My single stack will feed my Limited gun .40 ammo all day and achieve the same power factor...So i don't need another toolhead, or press.

I do shoot a .45 as well, i prefer the .40 due to cost of brass, and the bullets are a bit cheaper...I shoot a moly bullet, or plated west coast.

[JakeMartens]

I have had the same question and since I have already been shooting .45acp and set up to reload that I decided to stick with it.

Yes the brass is a little more, but as far as getting the gun set up and running and mags that work, the .45acp is a clear choice IMO

[BOGA]

I wish TGO can answer this 40/45 accuracy question. He used a 40 this year at Single Stack Natl at Barry and he won. All other years he used a 45 and he won all those years too.

[Flexmoney]

I wish TGO can answer this 40/45 accuracy question. He used a 40 this year at Single Stack Natl at Barry and he won. All other years he used a 45 and he won all those years too.

That answers quite a bit, really.

[JakeMartens]

In FS he discussed why he used .40s&w over .45acp. He is sponsored by Winchester, their 230gr ball runs a 192 power factor. Their .40s&w runs more like 170's.In prior years he just shot the .45acp factory and dealt with the recoil, but since it was a Nationals he wanted the extra edge. Then he had trouble with the gun having all kinds of malfucntions 2 days before the match. He didn't want to switch guns and ending having to reload .40 and load it long to run. It was the first time he has had to reload in 3 years. In the article he said that if he knew he was going to end up reloading he would have just stayed with .45acp, since he cant tell the difference between 170pf 45 and 170pf .40 if using the same powder. He never discusses accuracy. (this is from the July/August Front Sight page 49)

I think if the gun is set up right accuracy would be very close to the same.

I personally like the nice big 200gr swc holes. There have been several A's that would have been C's in any other caliber.

[lynn jones]

i'm going with 9 mm, extra rounds and lot of A's.

lynn

You mean ONE extra round. You can have 9 in a mag, as opposed to 8 in 45acp.

10 in the mag +1 in the chamber

lynn

[BOGA]

My PERSONAL conclusion is CORRECT GUN SET UP AND THE SHOOTER AND NOT THE CALIBER.