New Shooter-.9mm or 40

[kwrangln]

I didn't read the whole thread. But from the first few posts. I would say 9mm. the 40 kicks worse than a 1911 45 in the Beretta, SIG and Glock.

Hmmmm....I've got both .40 and .45 single stacks and I don't see that difference with similar power factor ammo.

Me thinks it will be a bit different with off the shelf ammo running at factory PF. As a newbie myself, I don't reload, don't have access to reduced PF loads, and am stuck with what comes off the shelf at wallyworld. With that in mind, I'd rather shoot a .45 over the .40, and 9mm is better still when trying to shoot quickly at the newbie level.

[G-ManBart]

I didn't read the whole thread. But from the first few posts. I would say 9mm. the 40 kicks worse than a 1911 45 in the Beretta, SIG and Glock.

Hmmmm....I've got both .40 and .45 single stacks and I don't see that difference with similar power factor ammo.

Me thinks it will be a bit different with off the shelf ammo running at factory PF. As a newbie myself, I don't reload, don't have access to reduced PF loads, and am stuck with what comes off the shelf at wallyworld. With that in mind, I'd rather shoot a .45 over the .40, and 9mm is better still when trying to shoot quickly at the newbie level.

Honestly, with factory ammo in both I'd give the edge to the .40 in ease of shooting. Factory .40 tends to run right around 170PF give or take. Factory .45 is often 185-195PF+ easily. I'm pretty sure that Atlanta Arms .45 is pretty mild for a major load but their .40 Major is definitely softer than factory .40 like WWB. R,

[BigH]

Well I am definitely hitting the range tomorrow to test out every 9, 40 and 45 I can get my hands on. After shooting about 50 rounds thru my buddies 6 inch 357 Colt Python with magnums this afternoon I am thinking the other calibers should seem a little more tame. What a beast of a gun

I am going to really try and listen to all the great advice and take my time to see which model feels the most comfortable. I will also spend some time shooting the different calibers to see how they feel.

What do you pay for 9, 40 and 45 ammo. I am trying to figure out what the difference in cost would be based on 10,000 rounds. I looked up the price of 500 rounds on the ammunition to go website and it looks like .9m is $134, .40 S&W is about $145 and .45 is $164. I am well aware that is probably not the ammo you guys are using because of quality but the difference from .9 to .45 would only be $600. As you can probably tell I am a numbers cruncher

How many rounds a week do you guys go through. Am I way off with my figures?

[McAllyn]

Well I am definitely hitting the range tomorrow to test out every 9, 40 and 45 I can get my hands on. After shooting about 50 rounds thru my buddies 6 inch 357 Colt Python with magnums this afternoon I am thinking the other calibers should seem a little more tame. What a beast of a gun

I am going to really try and listen to all the great advice and take my time to see which model feels the most comfortable. I will also spend some time shooting the different calibers to see how they feel.

What do you pay for 9, 40 and 45 ammo. I am trying to figure out what the difference in cost would be based on 10,000 rounds. I looked up the price of 500 rounds on the ammunition to go website and it looks like .9m is $134, .40 S&W is about $145 and .45 is $164. I am well aware that is probably not the ammo you guys are using because of quality but the difference from .9 to .45 would only be $600. As you can probably tell I am a numbers cruncher

How many rounds a week do you guys go through. Am I way off with my figures?

WWB 9mm from WallyWorld is 19.97 per 100. Atlanta Arms 9mm run 11.97 per 50 at my local range. I don't buy .45 enough to know prices off-hand, and I don't have a .40 yet. I just recently got into reloading with all the brass I've been collecting for the last few years, and my ammo prices have dropped like a stone. Now I can load a round that feels like a .22 out of my 9MM XD Tac.

As far as how many rounds per week, I generally run about 300-400 per week.

Oh, I forgot to mention, while the Beretta 92 is not used often in comp for it's DA pull, changing out the mainspring to the "D" spring will help greatly.

Mac

Edited March 9, 2009 by McAllyn

[BigH]

I am going to seriously need to familiarize myself with all the abbreviation and acronyms.

I appreciate all the awesome advice. I am off to the range to practice with my Ruger Mark 3 Hunter which I love and test out everything I can get my hand on.

Thanks

BigH

[BigH]

OK. Shot about 500 rounds yesterday in .9mm, Super 38, .40, and .45

First I shot the .40 and it felt like a canon. The gun was a Glock 22. I shot 50 rounds. Tons of power and recoil. I was not that accurate at about 10-15 years

I then ran 50 rounds thru a Glock 9- It felt like my .22 after shooting the .40. What a difference- hardly any recoil and I was able to shoot a nice grouping at about 10-15 years

I then ran 50 rounds of .45 thru a Glock G37. I probably would never look to shoot .45 again BBUUTT

I then shot 50 thru a 1911 Wilson Combat-Holly S-Now I know whey everyone loves these guns. The heavy frame absorbs a good amount of the recoil and I was fairly accurate. Unfortunately I found out what they cost and almost fainted.

I then fired a clip from a Colt .38 Super-what a nice gun. The guy at the range told me that they run out of this ammo fast which means that it is probably not good for someone like me who does not reload

So now- I am going back to the range today to see if I can test out some other guns. If I go with a .9 it will most likely be the S&W M&P 5". I will not make my final choice until I shoot the SIG 226 and CZ SP models in 9 and .40

I am going to see if i can get used to the recoil of the bigger .40 before making a final decision

[duct tape]

I use the Glock 34 and the Springfield XD. Both are good guns, but I prefer the 34 over the XD

+1

The way a gun fits in your hand in a gun shop is often different from how it feels on the range. I liked the XD-40 and bought one to compliment my Glock 34. After several shooting sessions however I traded it in for a Glock 35. Both Glocks just feel better to me, gun fit, recoil, mag release etc. YMMV. If you have a chance, check one out with a rental or borrow a friends.

[duct tape]

I was not that accurate at about 10-15 years

I haven't been too accurate since about that long ago too.

[G-ManBart]

I was not that accurate at about 10-15 years

I was able to shoot a nice grouping at about 10-15 years

I then fired a clip from a Colt .38 Super-what a nice gun.

Uh, I'm pretty sure you mean "yards" right?

In this case, it's not a "clip" it's a magazine. Clips are literally that...fixed pieces of metal that hold ammo and the gun has a spring/follower built into it to move the ammunition. Magazines have a spring in them to move the ammo upwards.

TV news reporters, bad actors and street thugs call the clips

Edited March 12, 2009 by G-ManBart

[MemphisMechanic]

If you're not reloading, you'd be completely insane to buy anything larger than 9mm. 9mm will bleed your wallet dry amazingly quickly as it is.

Get a 34 or XD or M&P9. Shoot them all and pick the gun that likes your hand. Not the one you think you SHOULD like.

Problem is, we can't really answer the 'what gun, what caliber?' question until we know what division you will really want to shoot.

Limited/ Lim10? Sucks to be running a 9mm over here.

Singlestack? Okay, now we're looking at skinny 45s exclusively

Production whores like myself? Grab a Glock 34 or M&P 9 and go.

Edited March 12, 2009 by MemphisMechanic

[hawk45]

If you're not reloading, you'd be completely insane to buy anything larger than 9mm. 9mm will bleed your wallet dry amazingly quickly as it is.

Get a 34 or XD or M&P9. Shoot them all and pick the gun that likes your hand. Not the one you think you SHOULD like.

+100

9mm is pretty light pop... .40 is more agressive "snap"... where the .45 is a mild "push" as opposed to a "snap". If you reload you can tame all these loads to be VERY mild.

If you really want to practice and are recoil sensitive, and aren't going to be reloading then 9mm is your choice. It is cheapest, lowest recoil and will do everything fine. Then in a few years move up to something like a .40 or .45 if you start reloading and want to develop light/minor loads. But .40 is most versitile for reloaders I think.

I agree the G34, XD or M&P 9L are your best options.

[G-ManBart]

.40 is more agressive "snap"... where the .45 is a mild "push" as opposed to a "snap".

You really think full house, factory .45acp is more mild than factory .40????? That's nuts man

[msshooter]

+1 on the 9mm Glock. Doesn't feel right for most people who are used to 1911 style guns but after you shoot a couple hundred/thousand rounds through one, you'll get used to it. I shoot a Glock 17, works great for me, but I know alot of people who prefer the G34 b/c it's a 5". Either way, great guns IMHO! Just remember, They seem to almost always go Bang!

[mgood]

.40 is more agressive "snap"... where the .45 is a mild "push" as opposed to a "snap".

You really think full house, factory .45acp is more mild than factory .40????? That's nuts man

I do, in a way.*

Like he said, the .40 is more of a snap while the .45 is more of a push.

While the .45 may be pushing harder than the .40, I find the nature of the .45 recoil at least as easy to control as my .40.

I've owned two Smith & Wessons in .40S&W and have shot a couple more.

I'd never fired a .45ACP or any type of 1911. So I wasn't sure what to expect when I bought a little 3" barreled, aluminum framed Kimber. Apples to oranges, I know. It may be where my grip is in relation to the bore more than anything else, not sure. But I was pleasantly surprised at how easy the .45 is to hang on to.

*Opinions subject to change at any time.

[Solidgun]

9mm for new beginners as many get turned off from shooting regularly due to high cost in ammunition.

But if they are shooting for fun, I recommend .22LR.

[njl]

Some .40 loads do have nasty recoil. Try some 155gr Blazer if you can find it. Compare to 165gr Winchester white box (one of the softer .40 loads).

If you're going to reload, then you can probably make .40 tamer than some factory 9mm loads, and the cost of reloading .40 isn't going to be tremendously more than 9mm, but the bullets do cost more, and brass may be harder to come by / more expensive.

If you're not going to reload, definitely stick with 9mm. Even if you think you might reload, I'd stick with 9mm. It's going to be the cheapest to shoot.

If you haven't already, try to test fire a full size Glock (17, 34) or full size S&W M&P. My preference is Glock. Simpler design. Durable as a cast iron pan, and lots of accessories available.

[G-ManBart]

Some .40 loads do have nasty recoil. Try some 155gr Blazer if you can find it. Compare to 165gr Winchester white box (one of the softer .40 loads).

If you're going to reload, then you can probably make .40 tamer than some factory 9mm loads, and the cost of reloading .40 isn't going to be tremendously more than 9mm, but the bullets do cost more, and brass may be harder to come by / more expensive.

If you're not going to reload, definitely stick with 9mm. Even if you think you might reload, I'd stick with 9mm. It's going to be the cheapest to shoot.

If you haven't already, try to test fire a full size Glock (17, 34) or full size S&W M&P. My preference is Glock. Simpler design. Durable as a cast iron pan, and lots of accessories available.

You can actually load .40 to be softer than even reloaded 9mm at the same power factor. 9mm minor with 147s is pretty mild, but .40 minor with 180s is even softer. Still, anybody that need something softer than minor 9 with 147s might have some bigger concerns!

Right now, .40 brass is easier to get than 9 in many places. I can always scrounge up .40 for friends, but 9 is hard to come by. Fewer departments and agencies are using it and so many have gone to .40 that the two seemed to have swapped places in availability. If you gauge of Brassman's prices the two cost pretty much the same now. $35/K of 9mm or $85/2.5K for .40.

No doubt a Glock or a M&P FS would be excellent choices. All my Glocks have been super reliable, but I bought an M&P Pro for Production as they point better for me and don't beat up my fingers.

[njl]

The M&P does have a really nice trigger. From limited use of a friend's, I'd say stock, the M&P trigger is preferable to Glock...but with a little work, the Glock trigger can be made lighter and smoother than stock.

[JoeGlocker]

If reloading .40 brass is to come buy, and is within a penny or less of 9mm, if not reloading 9mm, as far as guns, what feels best? you'll end up with everything once you get the bug!!!

[toddrod]

Don't forget about the CZ platform. A full steel CZ is very controlable with 9mm and 40 S&W.

[diablodawg]

I was in kinda the same boat when I started about 5 years ago. I wanted something reliable, proven, and maintenance free. I chose a Glock .40 primarily because I believe it is a better defensive round. Started shooting in Limited, but wasn't really competitive with an unmodified gun (I know mostly the shooter, but whatever) then moved to production with factory loads. A .40 factory is more than competitive in production; its a manner of practice- I put 5K rounds through it the first year, mostly WWB, Speer Lawman, and Blazer. I never won much of anything, but the caliber/ gun didn't hold me back. Started reloading with a friend and was much more competitive with mouse-fart 180 grain minor loads. The real benefit of the .40 is its versatility; add a couple hundred bucks of parts and you have very competitive Limited or Limited-10 gun that you are used to and has proven itself. 9mm is a bit cheaper, but it depends on how much ammo you are putting through it; will it be more than the cost of a new limited gun in a year or so if you think about changing to L or L-10?

I also bought a CZ SP-01 for my ex and used it a few times; with mods I think it is hard to beat for a pure production gun (especially with mouse fart 147 grain loads) but it will probably be a bad choice in L or L-10 (unless you are far more accurate than others.)

In any case, buy what feels good for you and meets your needs and spend the majority of your money on ammo until you are satisfied with your performance. To date, the only thing I have done to the Glock is put TruGrip on it; 7500 rounds or so later.