Pistol caliber comparison's 9mm, .40S&W, 10mm, .357 Sig, .45ACP etc

40 S&W. Very common round with good stopping power

 

For work Glock 21SF .45, for out of work Glock 19 9MM with +2 on hi cap. 18 rounds of speer ready to go.

Air in blood out is the name of the game, the more of both the better you are.

 

Eric, do you use regular or +P for your 9mm?

 

I really don't know. It's old work ammo in good shape. Speer gold dot and its the heavier grain.

Philly PD when to a heavy grain for the 9MM and are getting better results. They tested the 9MM, 40cal and 45acp all glock full frame. Results were the 21sf was the best shooting glock with recoil and disabling hit. 9mm dosent cut it for duty carry. 40 cal is stuffed in a 9mm frame and has a lot of pop due to it being in a 9mm frame. So slowly the dept is switching to 45 but has to fill 6000+ guns

 

My Taurus 4" SS .44 Mag. 285 Gr. is what I carry when out on the ATV.

 

Though I prefer .45acp, I'll use anything that goes bang when I pull the trigger.

 

my next handgun will be a .357 magnum.

i love the simplicity.

but between my 9mm and recent .45..the timespan was something like 12 years before the new purchase.

that .357 might be a distant purchase!

 

Why can a firefighter own the gun and EMS can't?

 

Federal +P 147 grain HSTs in a Glock 19.

 

X10

 

WHATEVER'S ON SALE!!

 

I shot the 9mm in the Beretta M9 version when active duty. It was a hunk of crap, partly to the age/maintenance of the firearms, partly because we were forced to use the NATO FMJ round, which has a well deserved bad rep for not stopping anything, just passing through the target and carrying on to hit whatever it wants.
I love the .40 cal, one of the best rounds IMHO.
Carry what you are comfortable with, and practice often.

I do have one other point...
I remember after Prez Barry got elected, there was a HUGE run on ammo, guns, etc. If that sort of thing happens again, the rounds like 10mm, .45 GAP, and .357 SIG might be hard to find, given the relative rareness of the rounds and the limited number of vendors. So do you guys have a massive stockpile of the "rare" ammo, or do you have back ups in the common sizes?
I have guns in the common sizes, i.e. 9mm, .40, and .45 ACP. I can usually find ammo in one size or all. I'm not begrudging anyone their personal preference, just food for thought.

 

Two excellent points.
Mil-Spec is, well, Mil-Spec...and buying a NATO-shootin pistola is always a better idea.

 

I also shot the M9 a long time ago and than they got rid of it and went with sig P226 or 229 i cant remember which one it was. I qualified expert in the sig. But i carry a 1911 so i like the .45ACP

 

My glock fires 357 sig. But I think im gonna turn it into a 40.

Only because the 357S is hard to find, and more expensive than the 40

 

We went from the M9 to the Sig P229 DAK .40. I like it a lot better then the M9.

My M&P shoots .40 but I think I'm gonna get a barrel for .357 Sig for increased capability and round selection. I should start stocking up on ammo tho lol. Check into Storm Lake Barrels. Thats where I'm gonna get the .357 ported barrel for mine.

 

Ya the navy is using the P226 9mm version

 

What command are you with? Only when I was in HVBSS, we were the first to get the sigs but went back to the shit barettas in Point Loma

 

i love 10mm can you tell? the G29SF is a handfull with full power loads!

G20 and 29SF

 

Before you pick a gun you need to decide what you want it for. Personal defense carry, personal defense bedroom gun, plinking, historical significance, enjoyment of shooting, etc.

The 9mm is very common and you should have no problem finding ammo. The 40 is a great multipurpose round and is also easy to find ammo. Both of these are good for smaller conceal carry weapons. You can more easily get followup shots placed accurately due to the lighter recoil.

The 10mm starts to get into the more powerful rounds but I've found the ammo is sparse and expensive. The 357 sig is about the same as the 10mm but ammo is even more difficult to find. I've owned but sold my 10mm and never owned a .357 sig so I don't have experience personally with that.

Now the 45ACP is a classic round. It's a big and slow and found in the totally awesome 1911 and Tommy gun. Many conceal carry a 1911 but not me. It's much too big and uncomfortable. To each their own. The ammo is reasonably priced but still on the expensive side.

A 1911 or another 45ACP is a good bedroom gun when using high quality hollow points. They expend most of their energy in the bad guy and won't go through, 3 walls, and into your neighbors house.

What ever you choose I would recommend good high quality expensive nickel plated hollow points for defense but go ahead and use cheaper stuff for practice.

All of the calibers are "fun".