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40 caliber versus 45 caliber for home defense?

61K views 24 replies 23 participants last post by  stmcelroy 
#1 ·
Are these two ammo's really about the same in neturalizing a BG?
Will either one neturalize faster then the other?
I know that eventually all calibers will have the BG bleed out (besides a 12 gauge shot-gun) but that takes a few minutes while the BG could be doing some serious damage to you!
This ammo would be used for home defense!

6 months ago my wife and I called the Police Dept. on 2 intruders trying to enter our home-so I am very aware of how crazy parts of society are getting!
Does anyone have any street knowledge on what caliber ammo works the best?

Many thank-You's for your thoughts!
 
#2 ·
Both will do the job as well as a handgun round can be expected, provided you do your part and place the bullets in a vital area. Bottom line caliber matters less than placement. Most experts advocate 9mm or bigger for defense.
Personally I use a .223/ caliber rifle for higher capacity , more accuracy.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Sounds like there were no ill affects from the attempted break in, and for that I am glad. :congrats:
I have no first hand experience with .40 caliber performance/ballistics so I can't comment.
I have seen the effects of the .45ACP though. For that reason I've accepted it as my choice of a personal defense round.


Jack
 
#4 ·
I tend to think of this as driving a nail in a piece of wood and how many times you are willing to strike it in order to set it. Your selected tools are 12oz framing hammer, or 16oz framing hammer. Which do you think you'll have to swing less times?
 
#6 ·
Are these two ammo's really about the same in neturalizing a BG?
Will either one neturalize faster then the other?
Does anyone have any street knowledge on what caliber ammo works the best?
There are probably no definitive answers to your questions. My opinion is that either works well. I have both in my defensive arsenal. The VT shooter was very effective with "only" 9mm. One school of thought says that all pistol cartridges are equally weak compared to rifle cartridges.

The link below alleges to answer your third question. Scroll down this loooong page for details on many different brands, sizes, and 1-stop ratings for most pistol cartridges.

http://www.internetarmory.com/handgunammo.htm
 
#9 ·
Just in the short time I've been a member here I've seen several threads almost identical to this... 357 Sig vs 40, 40 vs 45, 9mm vs 40, the list goes on...

I think .40 SW or .45 ACP are both fine choices if you select good SD ammo, and PRACTICE! Shot placement > bullet size.

Do you really think a BG gives a rat's bum if you're hitting him with a 230gr at 900fps or a or a 180gr at 1050fps? Nope.
If you use proven self defense ammo, and your shot placement is decent, I doubt anyone but a coroner will be able to tell the difference :smile:

My input: Use whichever you can control better. Since you should be practicing a lot, you might also consider going with whichever one is more economical.

Peace,
Pete Zaria.
 
#12 ·
I have both calbers. I shoot the .45 (1911) better than I do the .40. I prefer the Magtech Guardian Gold, 185 gr +P JHP for my 1911. It goes fast - 1148 fps and puts out an amazing 540 # muzzle energy. My prefered load for my .40 is also Magtech Guardian Gold 155 gr JHP. This yields a whopping 500# muzzle energy. Both calibers expand very well. Compare these specs to other brands and I think you will be surprised.

#1: Make sure your gun shoots your chosen ammo WITHOUT ISSUES! This will take several trips to the range with several different boxes of various ammo.
#2: Be able to accurately shoot whichever one you choose
#3: PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE
 
#14 ·
What do you shoot best? If it's for home defense, then size does not matter. So if I look at a full size SIG P220 with a magazine capacity of 8+1 rounds, compared to a full size SIG P226 with a magazine capacity in .40S&W of 12+1 rounds.

With no pressure and in an ideal situation you should be able to stop anyone with one or two shoots with either a .45 or .40. Under stress you will probably miss a couple of shoots or possibly not hit center mass. How many will it take to take the BG down?

Personally, I like the idea of having a few extra shoots even if I don't use them without having to reload.
 
#15 ·
bigger is always better, I say .45... but mostly I would go with a 12ga. I can only imagine the blast on a target 10 foot away. Imagining this is mighty impressive, imagine the wound channel.:gah:
 
#16 ·
One shot of 12 guage is like a full magazine of 9mm.

Shot placement is really important - one hit beats 10 misses.

I think it was Clint Smith who said that if you know you are going to be in a gun fight, bring a rifle. Bring lots of friends with rifles. At short range a shotgun is almost as good as a rifle.

I gotta buy a rifle next.
----------------------------------
This is my first post, so I feel I must thank the members of this group for their helpful postings. The signal-to-noise ratio here is very high, unlike most of the internet.
 
#18 ·
http://www.neiassociates.org/caliber.htm

This is one of the best reads I’ve ever come across, related to your subject. No it’s not another clinical “stopping power” test. But, rather Evan Marshall actually collected data from Police shootings, and offers information for calibers of 380 to 45 ACP.

In his column you’ll see that the type of bullet you use, and shot placement is far more important than the caliber.
 
#19 ·
nice read TNS.
 
#24 ·
I gree with most everyone here that it comes down to personal preference. I just had this debate when making a decision on my new gun. I choose the .40 over .45 because my wife likes the recoil of the .40. And since the gun was for primarily for the bedroom I want her to be able to practice with it.
 
#25 ·
Whichever you can shoot the best. Either round when loaded with a quality HP bullet will work virtually the same. Pick a good round like Winchester Ranger or Federal HST and you will be well served.

But yes, a 12ga is a much better home defense weapon. If possible get both and use the handgun only to get your family into the safe room. Once there transition to the 12ga for protection.
 
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