Handgun question: Would you rather have.....

I'm pretty anti 9mm for no good reason. That said I will always take double the ammunition over perceived "knock down power"
 
15. Cuz mo bullets is mo betta IMO ! The 9mm has killed so many people it's gotta be doin something right. ( I'm assuming we're talking self defense situations here!)
 
I'd take 7 rounds of 45 any day. Why? It could be I watched The Wild Bunch the other night, not sure. It's just hard to beat the classic 1911. I've had plenty of time around 9mm. It's fine. If I had to choose it would be the 45 though.
 
i would choose the 9mm.. I have used the 9mm in hostel situations and been in a situation where i have run out of ammo, when being shot at.. Not a good thing..
9mm will drop a man where he stands, and i hate running out, so 15 works better..

Also in the heat of the moment, a 45 kicks more, a 9mm less (usually and assuming factory guns) butt a hopefully well placed shot with a 9, and if not, i have enough to double tap.
 
Yeah, I would go for the 9mm unless we are talking using ball ammo and then give me the 45. There is such good 9mm ammo out there now it aint even funny. With some of it having one shot stopping power in the 90% range it rivals the best .357 Magnum ammo.

And even though I do have a nicely customized Series 70 Colt 1911 that will shoot well better than I can shoot it, if it came time for sh*t'n and gettin then I would probably rather have a double stack 9 than a single stack .45 ACP.

Oh, and I have had a few stoppages with my .45 over the last 20 years or so but not a one with either of my 9mm's. Just sayin'.
 
I really like the 9mm for several reasons. One is like said, double stack, means more rounds in hand, reasonably prices ammo,quality of the self defense ammo as Rusty has said. Although I love the looks of the 1911, I just never been a 45 fan. Keep it going folks! Good reading again.
 
If you are concerned about a private citizen self defense situation, historically the average situation involves approximately 2-3 rounds to resolution at close distances...While I'm not a real fan of the .45acp in general, there is no denying that it is much more effective than the 9mm when it comes to absolute knock down power at close ranges..

LEOs tend to go high round count due to two factors, when involved in a critical situation, most are not that great of shots under non-stress situations and when stress is involved they get even worse, and secondly, their critical incidents can turn into a drawn out 'run and gun' situation where they are pursuing a suspect over a more than average distance and the availability of an adequate amount of ammunition may be an important factor in the outcome..

If you are concerned about the personal comfort of a 1911, there are other .45acp handguns that are much more comfortable for some to shoot from Glocks, to HKs, to Sigs...
 
Originally Posted By: OldTurtleIf you are concerned about a private citizen self defense situation, historically the average situation involves approximately 2-3 rounds to resolution at close distances...

Bill nailed it. Look guys ... you're not going to run up against The Dalton Gang. Any self defense scenario you might encounter will be over before you can fire over 5-6 rounds at the most. I'll take the firepower of the 45acp any day. And I won't need those extra 12 rounds that your 9mm holds. Sure, they are both great cartridges. But if you are basing your decision on the amount of ammo you have you're kidding yourself. Not to mention the added weight you're carrying around for no reason.

Now ... if you're going into the theater for battle that's a whole different scenario and I would choose the larger capacity every time.
 
I'd pick the 9mm

1) It's plenty powerful for self defense
2) They are typically lighter weight which makes for better carry
3) They are typically thinner which makes for better concealment
4) More ammo is better....maybe I won't need it or maybe I'll have enough for the 8th-15th gang member that comes in
 
Well, another thing to take in to consideration is what happens if in a shootout you don't connect with your first 8 or 9 shots? Politely ask the bad guy if he will hold on a minute while you reload your magazine or search for another? I want to be able to keep hurling lead at the perp for as long as I can. Or need to.

And I am a fan of big bores. I really love my .44 Specials and my .44 Magnums. Much enjoy my .45 Colt and even my .460 S&W Magnum. Great guns all. And I have some vintage Black Talons (remember those?) in my .45 ACP right now just in case of a serious social encounter and the villain is not patient enough to let me go get my 870 Remington to start blasting at him with.

But we don't live in a perfect world do we? Too many times if not most times a shootout is a spray and pray situation. And just being able to keep pulling the trigger during the duration of the crisis is comforting to me.

I live in a very safe community. Doors unlocked at night and keys in the ignition sort of place. One reason why I live here. But if the caca ever hits the fan and some dumbsh*t ever does pick my house for a home invasion I am going to do my best to make sure that he will never make that mistake ever again.
 
15 of 9mm; Probably the same bulk as 45 ACP
Sure like 6 rnds. of me .357 Magnum though...
Still comfortable w/380 CCW..tucks away nicely.
 
I'll take the 45. My carry guns get used on hogs, yotes and deer as well and I am comfortable, competent and confident with it.
For me these factors offset added capacity. I am really a big fan of 10mm and my usual choices of weapons are a Glock 29/30 or 1911. These are easily interchangeable between 10/45 without issue for me. I guess the 10 would give me an intermediate capacity.
 
Originally Posted By: Dixiedog1I'd pick the 9mm

1) It's plenty powerful for self defense
2) They are typically lighter weight which makes for better carry
3) They are typically thinner which makes for better concealment
4) More ammo is better....maybe I won't need it or maybe I'll have enough for the 8th-15th gang member that comes in

1) Yes, I agree
2) High capacity 9s weigh more than single stack 45s
3) There are 45s that are way thinner than a double stack 9mm
4) That 8th-15th gang member shot you a long time ago .....

Have any of you guys ever seriously studied what happens in 99% of the times that a handgun is used in self defense? It lasts less than 10 seconds. Basing a carry weapon that you are betting your life on by the amount of ammo it holds is silly. If the gun FITS, is comfortable to shoot, and is of adequate caliber to be effective is far more important than the amount of rounds it carries.
 
I read an interesting article in American Rifleman about the stopping power of different caliber handguns. If gave results shooting into ballistic gel mainly because they couldn't find volunteers to be shot. The 9mm held its own with many calibers as far as penetration goes. What the article did stress was that the main thing was STOPPING power. Not killing but stopping the attack. The two main things were FEAR and PAIN. This will stop an attack as quick as anything and in a bullet, no matter what caliber, these were the main factors. A bullet that expands rapidly causes trama which causes pain which includes fear. Made sense to me.
 
In a carry gun, that your life may depend on I would chose which on I'm most comfortable ya with and shoot best. A well placed 22lr is better then a bad placed 44mag!
 
With modern hollow point ammunition there is so little difference to not matter given all the many things that can factor into any given shooting situation. All recently manufactured high quality hollow point ammunition in any reasonable self defense/duty cartridge is designed to meet the FBI protocol for expansion, barrier penetration and four layer denim tissue penetration. I've said it before; shot placement is King, penetration is Queen. All else is gravy.
 
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