[ttusus]

I am in the market now for a hand gun.

What is the difference in a .40 cal and a 9mm, in regard to

knock down. Also which has less recoil.

I have a Colt Commander .45 now.

What to compare these above to it, in recoil and etc.

Thanks

 

[Bud White]

There all good but i prefer a 45 bigger is better and never gets smaller you get plenty of opinions on thsi just hang on a Few

 

[rocky]

fight stopping power is a much debated issue. I won't get into that. .40 will have a sharper recoil than the 9mm. 9mm will give ya more rnds in the mag. Get what you can shoot the best , if ya can test drive some guns.

 

[Euclidean]

I am in the market now for a hand gun.

What is the difference in a .40 cal and a 9mm, in regard to

knock down. Also which has less recoil.

I have a Colt Commander .45 now.

What to compare these above to it, in recoil and etc.

Thanks

Be prepared to get differing opinions here.

First there's nothing at all wrong with what you've already got. Are you just wanting to experience another gun or another caliber? Or are you looking for a BUG?

I've recently sold off my only 9x19 pistol and while I miss the cheap ammunition, I don't miss the caliber terribly. It IS a lot of fun and I think I will probably get either a 9x19 conversion kit or possibly another 9mm down the road, but I'm not looking for it.

My carry pistol is .40 S&W. It's a "sharper" recoil but honestly a little practice and you'll be fine. Remember that felt recoil is very subjective.

To me the service calibers are all pretty boring and you should just pick one and live with it. I wanted something common, and I don't care very much about capacity, so .40 S&W was my choice. I'm starting to appreciate the cartridge it even though I don't like it. It's available everywhere and I have confidence in it. That's the bottom line. I feel 9mm is the bottom threshold of calibers I feel comfortable with, so .40 S&W is just that much better to me.

If the gun is short, muzzle flip with .40 S&W will be an issue. My XD40 Service does flip somewhat, but a controlled pair is still entirely manageable and I'm getting better at controlling it. In all honestly, I think under stress in actual combat, I won't give a flying bag of crap about recoil or muzzle flip because I won't be thinking about it at all.

Neither caliber has "knock down" power. No handgun caliber does. Now as to which one probably delivers more energy to the target, that should probably go to .40 S&W. No matter how you compare it, the best, finest 9mm loads won't ever quite match up to their larger bore counterparts in raw performance. I honestly think they are plenty close enough however. But that's just my opinion.

However, shot placement matters most and some 9x19 slugs delivered in a successful failure drill are good goblin medicine.

Draw up a list of about 12 guns and start narrowing it down. Pretty much anything you can get in 9x19 you can get in .40 S&W and vice versa for reasons already mentioned I think.

 

[Bud White]

Also i forgot to add i dont like to shoot a 40cal For the way it recoils and this coming froma guy who shoots a 454 and love the 4" 500

 

[ttusus]

Thanks on all of the comments.

I have a 9mm P-89. I am looking at S&W M&P,SW99 and a 410.

I was surprised at the 40 having more recoil than my .45 Colt auto.

I can say, that there is a real varied input that you people have given me on this.

Thanks Again.

 

[Bruces45]

Heres my 2cents keep the commander, use the extra $$ for ammo for the commander, shoot it often and become one with that Colt. I would choose a nice 357 mag rev over both the 9mm or the .40.

 

[Rustyschaos]

Model 70 African. .458 Winchester should do fine. Your Neighbors may complain about the noise and your wife won't like the mess.

 

[P95Carry]

My SW99 is a very compact piece and is very handlable as 9mm's go - but I choose SIG 226 as carry - still 9mm - it has weight and size which I like and 15+1 capacity - for me it should get the job done if needs be.

Welcome BTW :smile:

 

[rocky]

nothing wrong with .40 cal. I own 2. But some don't like the muzzle flip of my light weight PT140. i think with the newer HP defense and combat loads the performance between 9mm, 40 acl. , .45 aCP and others is much less of an issue than shooting FMJ.

 

[fotomaker57]

I have a Glock 22 (40 cal) and a Glock 37 (45GAP). Both have the same frame so I can say shooting both side by side the 40 has a sharper recoil then the 45. Out of the two I much prefer the 45. Follow up shots for me are much quicker with the 45. Hope this helps.
Mike

 

[AutoFan]

Of the three you mention, 40 has the most (sharpest) recoil, 45 next (kind of a thud), 9 last and least.

I find the 357 Sig to be the worst of the autoloader cartridges (probably because I've never shot a full power 10mm).

 

[Tangle]

I am in the market now for a hand gun.

What is the difference in a .40 cal and a 9mm, in regard to

knock down. Also which has less recoil.

I have a Colt Commander .45 now.

What to compare these above to it, in recoil and etc.

Thanks

There's really no such thing as "knock down". If there were such a thing, it'd be advertised with the ammo just like velocity and energy. There is no handgun bullet that has enough energy and momentum to knock someone down.

I think what your looking for is stopping power. Stopping power is not very well defined, but loosely indicates how long it takes a shot(s) to incapacitate an assailant. Stops range from instant to minutes.

Of all the factors involved in stopping power, caliber is probably the least of the factors. Shot placement would be at the top and the number well placed shots being next. I personally saw a police video of a thin woman shot three times in the torso with a .45 ACP. She didn't go down, but instead ran around a car yelling, "He's shooting me!"

I personally prefer a 9mm hi cap. Sometimes I carry a .45 ACP because I like the round and I like Sig 220s, 1911s, and H&K USP .45s, but I'm not as comfortable with .45s as I am 9mms.

 

[firefighter4884]

ttusus...

it's in what you prefer. I perfer shooting my HK USPc in .40 to shooting a Sig 226 in 9mm, but then again, the USP is MINE and the Sig is definately not...

so...my suggestion? Find a range, take a wad of cash, and rent a few different pistols. As usual, try and stay with all the bigger names, and decide that way.

It comes down to this, picking a firearm is a very personal choice, and no one can make the decisions for you.

--Jim

 

[rfurtkamp]

I won't offer a 'Buy this' suggestion but rather direct you to do some research about what the FBI and major law enforcement research has shown: as stated above, no pistol round, no matter how large, has 'stopping power' per se. Shoot until the threat ceases to be a threat.

Shoot what you shoot well with, so you can do that.

Everything else is secondary, no matter what the gun rags say.

 

[CLASS3NH]

I've shot the 40, which has a sharp recoil. The 45 recoil differs with the size and weight of your weapon. The 9MM is the least of the recoil, and carries more ammo than the latter handguns. I also have a Glock 29 in 10 MM that I switch with a 357 Sig conversian BBL. This weapon (the G29) coupled with the 357 Sig Ctg is VERY good. The recoil is low, and the velocity of the Ctg is WAY UP there, with mild recoil, utilizing the G29 frame, matched with the 357 Sig conversian BBL.
Just my 2 cents worth here

 

[gunthorp]

It doesn't get any better than the commander. If you're looking for a challenge, try a titanium 41 or a scandium 44 to protect you and yours in the field. Try a P11 9mm for a backup or a P3-AT. The low pressure 45 delivers a heavier bullet than the high pressure (read ear busting) 40. or 9. Control = practice = fun = accomplishment = peace of mind.

 

[Rob72]

Model 70 African. .458 Winchester should do fine. Your Neighbors may complain about the noise and your wife won't like the mess.

I, myself, prefer the .375 H&H, but the .458 does have a bit more "oomph". My 14 year old daughter says I should feel under-powered...... :biggrin:

Seriously, I believe that anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. I started in 9mm, am heavily invested in that caliber, so until something with low recoil, "absolutely-no-doubt-guaranteed-one-shot-stop" comes along, I'm content with that. I've seen folks shot with most everything out there, and placement truly is the deciding factor. :wink: