Concealed Carry Gun - 9mm or .40? (Fact Specific)

[Superman]

One more reason to stay with the 9mm is the possibility of an ammunition shortage in the USA in the near future. With the new President and congress, I look for heavy taxation and/or restrictions on the manufacture of ammunition, and with the recent economic downturn, some companies may be forced to close their doors for good.

The 9mm round is produced worldwide, and there seems to be ample supplies here in America. The .40 S&W round is a favorite of law enforcement and may become more difficult to find in the future with the ammo companies producing only enough to satisfy the various police agencies because it is more profitable to sell to them rather than selling ammo to civilians.

Let's hope that never happens, but it may be wise for one to have at least one 9mm pistol in his or her arsenal just in case.

With that logic, coupled with the 9mm being the "gangsta gun" most hoodrats carry, the .40 would be a better bet for ammunition because you've got a security blanket if they ban "the all new assault weapon, the 9mm" and it's ammo.
Cops will always buy .40's meaning they'll be made somewhere.

There's no telling how far Obama will go. Some of his quotes scare the bejesus out of me.

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[crzy4guns]

There's no telling how far Obama will go. Some of his quotes scare the bejesus out of me.

I agree with you on that one. The 2010 congressional race can't come soon enough IMHO. Hopefully none of us will have to experience any shortage of defensive carry ammo!

[dukalmighty]

I normally carry a 45acp,but I'm steering my daughter to a 9mm I feel she will have better control with faster followup shots,she asked me if a .22 was big enough,I told her noway,if you have somebody drugged up or so enraged they don't feel the pain they will walk right thru it and probably kill you long before they ever bleed out or go into shock.Personally I don't like anything smaller than a 9mm but the .380 ammo today can be very good at stopping a threat

[joelg]

I carry a .45; had a .40, nice round but was less than thrilled with the recoil; found less recoil and more control in my .45 - but that's just me. Lots of people love the .40, it's received favorable reviews in gunfights, and I still give it some thought. But I happen to like the .45. The 9mm has some very favorable characteristics, one of which is the number of rounds one can carry, a tendency today towards multiple perps, and it's an easy round to handle. Lots to argue about or discuss.

[be44321]

With the new S&W M&P40's there's no recoil issue compared with the 9 from other manufacturers. It's just a matter of how much lead you want to put in the BG.

I have shot both the 9mm and .40 M&P compacts. I settled on the .40 which feels virtually the same to shoot. In your situation, I would probably stick with the 9mm though.

[me]

I went with a .40 because it was what the family already had. Dad and Uncle carry .40s and it was then 1 ammo to share at the range.

I have sense picked up a 9mm Sigma to play with and Mom has picked up a 9mm Kel-tec to carry. I will be steering the little sister to a 9mm minimum even though I carry a Kel-tec .380 as a bug (I want a PM9 or PF9).

[SigSire]

Thanks, guys, for all the input!!

[tns0038]

I know one of my best friends purchased an H&K 40, sub compact, and even after shooting 200 rounds through it, he could not shoot it reliable.

So, he traded it in on a Sig 225 9mm, and a Walther PPKs 380.

He carries’ the Walther and keeps the Sig for home defense.

He is not an LEO, but after only 50 rounds of practicing with each, he is able to pass the state qualifier for state officers.

As you stated, caliber is not the key factor, but placing the round in the right place is. And being able to place multi rounds on target is even better.

So, choose the pistol and caliber your most conferrable carrying and can shoot well.

For me that a Glock 26 or a Kel-tek 380 to carry and a Glock 17 for home defense.

[NY27]

I carry .40 most of the time. It is what my dept issues. Altough I do carry my G19 sometimes off-duty. It sounds like you should get 9mm. As mentioned, with the SD ammo on the market today you will be fine. I carry Speer GD 124 gr +p in mine.

[Rob72]

I'm not sure if this is a taboo question to ask (although I get a feeling it is a sensitive subject), but how much "stock" is enough nowadays....or in days to come ? For instance, is 1000rds of range ammo and 500rds of the good stuff enough to have "in stock"?

More is always better, but: 2K half-n-half. Then whatever you can buy for practice.

A good .22LR for fire-practice is the best investment. Trigger control, sighting, etc., are the same. 9mm recoil is hardly substantial. A daily dry-fire routine with the service caliber weapon will maintain your familiarity.

[Devone6]

Handguns rounds are "marginal" at best for stopping a threat.

With that said, I have no problem depending on a 9mm as long as good ammo is used. If I can't select my off duty ammo, or I can't get what I consider a decent, reliable ammo then I would take a larger caliber.

With that said, I don't like the 40. I think it was designed and promoted for faulty reasons. The F.B.I. went to the 40 because their agents couldn't handle the 10mm. Not all of them, but enough of them to make them download the 10mm thus creating the 40. They don't call it "Short & Weak" for nothing. If you want more than a 9mm I'd select a 45 ACP for ammo availability. The 357 Sig is a great cartridge too, but very pricey and hard to find in some locales.

Having a selection of various calibers is nice, but gets to be a pain in the rear if they are all for defensive usage. I myself rely on three main calibers, .357 Magnum, 9mm and 45 ACP. The 38 SPL BUG goes without saying.

That's my $0.02 on the subject.

Biker

BikerRN
I am the exact opposite, I don't like the 9mm. You refer to the 40S&W as "short and weak", but it is more powerful, ballistically speaking, than a 9mm, but granted not as powerful as the 10mm if that is what you mean.

Who are we kidding though, "ballistically speaking", good 9mm ammo is as good as most .40S&W ammo, and good .40S&W ammo as good as most .45 ammo, with good 9mm ammo being right there with the .45 too. And none of that matters in stopping potential, that's all shot placement given the fact "Handguns rounds are "marginal" at best for stopping a threat." which I agree with completely.

I rely primarily on the .40S&W, .357SIG (but I again agree with you "very pricey and hard to find in some locales"), and the .45.

All that said, even though I don't like the 9mm, I think based on the reasoning SigSire and everyone has mentioned, and the fact I admit we are talking about tomatoes/tomotoes on power, I agree that he would be better off going with the 9mm.

[Deanimator]

In a metal framed gun, I'd go with the .40S&W. You should have enough weight to somewhat mitigate the "whip" of the .40S&W.

When I was choosing between a Glock 19 and a Glock 23 for CCW, I took into account the sharp recoil impulse of my Glock 22. I ended up buying the Glock 19.

[380ACP]

I was recently deciding this for myself, whether to choose 9mm or .40 S&W in a certain model handgun. I went with the .40. Only bad side is the more expensive ammo, but it's manageable.

I don't think you could go wrong either way, but what tipped my decision was...you'll never regret having chosen the larger caliber should you ever be in a situation where it is necessary to use your carry gun.
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[flaboatbum]

Today I decided and ordered(after long deliberation) a .40 EAA Witness Compact. It's only 3 oz less ( 30 oz vs 33 oz) than their full size, carries 12 + 1 AND can be quickly converetd to .22 LR, 9mm, 45ACP or 10mm with a reasonably price kit...around $200. What's not to like?

My .03 centavos worth.

[anchor44]

I have had ten pistols in the last year.Two were .40's, the rest were 9mm's. I sold the .40's, Glock 27 and Springfield XD(M). I don't like running out of a particular kind of ammo because I have to manage multi calibers. I could have gotten rid of the nines and gone all .40's but I didn't because I can empty a mag of 9mm quicker and more accurately than .40. There's less recoil in a 9 so I'm back on target almost as fast as I can pull the trigger. All my mags hold between 14 and 17 rounds. That will kill anything if it ever comes to it. YMMV.