I like 9 mm because of hicaps and low recoil hence more percise follow up shots. 45 is great for stopping power but 16 in a mag + 1 in a chamber is much better IMHO.
Best Pistol Caliber?
I believe that the .45ACP is the best offensive handgun calber available, while the 9mm(9x19) is the best defensive handgun caliber.
When I say offensive I mean hostage rescues, and other situations where a handgun is more desirable than a rifle. When I say defensive, I mean a situation where a rifle would be better but carrying one would be impractical, like secondary weapons, pilots, and other situations where it would be useD if something went wrong(downed aircraft, weapon failure, etc.)
WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST HANDGUN CALIBER?
I like 9 mm because of hicaps and low recoil hence more percise follow up shots. 45 is great for stopping power but 16 in a mag + 1 in a chamber is much better IMHO.
just my personal opinion, but i'm all for stopping power. with 9mil theres' just too much chance that the target will keep on coming, whereas .45 or .40 will put him down for keeps. as far as mag. capacity, 12 rounds of .45 or .40 is fine by me. those 16 9mm rounds are going to go real fast when it takes 3-4 to put a single target down. the only downside to the higher calibers is that the handguns that use them are generally a bit too big for your average person to handle. you need big hands to properly use a good .45.
Although I have no experience in handguns as of to this date, only rifles, I'd still like to vote here and it went to the 10mm.
what appeals me with that round is the stopping power and the overall wide area of usage. You can get almost as many rounds as the 9mm in the same length of magazine, but with much more power to really get those bastards down.
But on a sidenote, Sweden has a specifically designed 9mm round to be used with the old kpist m/45 which saw limited use with US SF forces in Vietnam. The round uses a faster burning powder and has a reinforced jacket which penetrates NIa lvl III body armours with ease (Interceptor body armor has that status with out SAPI plates).
The only downfall with this particular 9mm round is that few handguns can shoot them without taking damage.
For general information, the round is called "patron m/39b".
Cheers!
// Micke
.40 is good, not to hard, though you need a strong arm, a shot around the head chest area and you are done.
9mm is enough. I own a SIG Sauer P228, as a civilian I can use HP ammo which has enough stopping power.
3 or 4 of 9mm rounds instead of 1 .45 to get down a target? I think it's a little exaggerated.
Sure the .45 is more efficient for stop capabilities, but...
Maybe it's one of the "American Dream Exaggeration"? No, I'm jocking :P
I vote for the .357, just for the Manurhin 73.
Yes ! I know it's not objective!
But I will say that the 9mm and .45 are the main efficient calibers and the choice between them will be let to the confidence of the user.
I disagree BMF.you need big hands to properly use a good .45.
Having spent considerable time firing a wide range of handguns I would have to say a person with small or average sized hands would find a more comfortable grip with a M1911 .45 frame than many/most 9mm high capacity frames such as the Beretta 92F or Glock 17 as the M1911 .45 frame is a "single stack magazine" compared to the Beretta and Glock "double stack". The M1911 frame is much easier to grip due to its smaller relative size(narrower grip).
One consideration (although not all-encompassing) when comparing the 9mm with the .45ACP is "throw weight"...the weight of the projectiles fired by the 2 respective rounds. Standard 9mm rounds are often around 115 grains in weight (fired at a a higher velocity) whereas the .45ACP is typically 230 grains (fired at a lower velocity).
Me.....I'll take a .45ACP shootin' iron any day over a 9mm. Having a handgun with a "Dirty Harry" sized hole at the business end does wonders for the confidence level. Unfortunately, I only get to "officially" range shoot a Sig P226 9mm...great frame...but not my first choice in calibre.
BMF - I'm with you. I'm an average sized guy with normal (I think) hands. I find the BHP and Glock 17 comfortable and easy to use. The Berreta is a bitch, too big and awkward. The old 1911 is a bit big, but I can use it comfortably. The Sig is a lovely weapon, but I hate it - it's too big for me to use comfortably...Originally Posted by Flagg
Horses for courses, for me it's 9mm and a toss up between the Browning (better for rapid, accurate double tapping) and the Glock (better designed and more accurate at +20m ranges).
a toss up between a Glock and a Browning? A Brock!!!!
damnit.....no Desert Eagle 50AE? WTF?
I am all for .45 ACP, although 9mm is a bit easier on the pocketbook
Has anyone actually seen someone hit in a critical area with a 9mm and still keep coming? It sounds like one of those episodes where people keep repeating as anedotal evidence of the weakness of the 0.38, the existence of UFO, etc, but had never actually seen it.
Ogukuo, think of it this way. In Somalia, the 5.56mm round was found to take several shots to drop Somalis jacked up on khat (a coke-like drug in plant form that you chew) whereas the 7.62mm would stop them dead in their tracks. The same really applies for the 45ACP vs. 9mm argument.
the problem with weapon size is that you need a double stack magazine to be a military handgun. a 1911 with is's 7-10 rounds(type-dependant) doesnt cut it anymore. just my opinion, but i'd say 10 rounds is the minimum. and as for the difference between 9mm/.45ACP. the .45 is a far larger round, so it carries far more potential energy when it hits the target. this is commonly known as knockdown power. the 9mm, in comparison makes up for it's lack of size with velocity. the problem here is that this dissipates faster, and thereby does less damage. simply: a .45 will knock a target down for good, whereas the 9mm cannot garauntee that. most training manuals persist that when using 9mm, you should put at least 2 rounds downrange. its all a matter of opinion really, i happen to prefer .40/.45, i tend to shoot better with them. some people are better with 9 mil.
45's for the stopping power that they have. 9mm's are cool but when faced against some "khat" crazed somali, I'd preffer the .45
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