If you had to pick: .45 or 9mm

As far as the defense firearm, the time when you are likely to have to use it, you will likely be affected by a multitude of factors. Just woke up, scared, adrenaline from being scared, surprised, etc. In that instance, I don't think anyone will be able to fully concentrate on making a great shot. Therefore, I choose to use a Glock 9mm with 17 rounds on tap.

 

... ^^^ ... Ditto ... ... Add a laser to make things easier & faster too ...

 

I like how everyone says "more knock down power" like you would only pull the trigger once when your in a bad situation. I don't know about the rest of you but if I pull the trigger once im unloading the mag.

 

9mm..Comming to me soon!

 

of the 2, my vote is the .45

I opted for the .40 cal though... Glock23

 

Glock 17 with autosear. Can't do this with a .45

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBjUDCyDCuI

 

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Technically, you could come close with a (.45) Tommy Gun ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5g5ct7cXKu4
.

 

I don't believe in the 1 shot drop stuff unless you are using 00buck.

Perfect hd pistol glock 17, you have 17 rounds of 9mm can't miss... Load those up with some hornady critical defense and you will have a good mixture of stopping power and round capacity. My hd weapon is my 12 gauge.

 

Or their critical duty round 135 gr instead of 115.

Also correct me if I'm wrong... The reason 9mm aren't effective at dropping enemy ocerseas is because we are firing fmj at them, right?

 

ohh yeah.. No expanding bullets is terrible

 

ok so I ran the numbers in my ballistics calculator. 45 and 9 finished 4th and 5th, respectively, in ft/lbs at 5 yards in the PDX1 Defender out of a 4 inch barrel.

1. 10mm 175gr 1273 ft/sec 629 ft/lbs

2. 357SIG 125gr 1331 ft/sec 492 ft/lbs

3. 40S&W 165gr 1129 ft/sec 467 ft/lbs

4. 45ACP 230gr 916 ft/sec 428 ft/lbs

5. 9mm+P 124gr 1188 ft/sec 388 ft/lbs

 

The really important factor is shot placement and speed. A .380 through the heart will kill anybody.

 

10mm ftw

 

My Glock 29 is my favorite handgun. 10 mm is sweet! Back on topic. You guys that think either one of these calibers is a one shot deal are living in a fantasy world. Yes if is the shot is placed right, even a .22 will drop someone in one shot, but to say a .45 is a one shot drop caliber is just plain ignorance on your part. Shot placement, shot placement, and only shot placement will end the fight. Use what you are most proficient with and can afford to practice with.

 

I voted 9mm, because of price, does the op shoot much? maybe easier to handle less recoil mean more shots on target, so might be better.

I only made it through the first page cant read all 5 pages.

 

not true, in OH not long ago there was a CCW incident where a fellow CCW holder had to shoot a perp twice, near point blank with a 45 in the upper torso, guess what? he lived

you guys and you're 45 comments crack me up, coming from someone that owns 2 45's i voted 9mm, more capacity, cheaper to shoot which means you'll shoot it more and be alot better off than the guy with the 45acp that shoots his pistol twice a year, with modern SD ammo a 9mm has plenty of power to get the job done

 

I have a S&W 1911 .45 and i love it, but also wanna buy a 9mm Beretta92. In the end it's your chose. I vote for Home Defense .45 and for recreation 9mm. You know for what you gonna used it more.

 

Good point ^^^^.

 

I have both the .45 and 9mm and prefer the 9mm due to cheaper rounds, lighter weight, less recoil etc. However, the .45 is more badass, but I see it like this that we can all relate to: A V8 Tundra is bigger and more powerfull than a Tacoma, but the Tacoma beats the Tundra when you wheel or rock crawl because the smaller size is just plain better there, regardless of the fact that the Tundra is a big badass nice truck.

I think the important question needs to be what manufacturer to choose. Quality that will not fail on you is 10000000x more important than the size of the bullet.