Best all around semi auto caliber

[novalty]

I agree with you Palmetto, and usually stay away from these caliber threads, as they usually lead to people saying: "insert caliber" is useless/uneffective, or the I like "insert caliber" and it is the only one that will stop a bad guy. Or "keyboard" specialists that think "insert caliber" will "knock-down" bad guy right there. Usual words of wisdom is training and shot placement are key, a .50AE shot to the foot, probably isn't as effective as a .22lr shot to the heart/brain.

For the original poster, you have an advantage of having 3 of the most popular handgun calibers, which are widely available and with today's bullet technology, you can have a plethora of effective calibers for personal protection, as well as plinking/training. I would not feel under-gunned with either of them in my hand.

With that said I would go with .41 action express.

 

[Loy Loyola]

9 mm box of 50 = about $12

45 acp box of 50 = about $18

As an Army brat, I grew up with 45's and 1911's, but the economy is tight right now, so I am going with the 9 mm with the adage "it's all about shot placement".

good luck!

 

[epj]

I'm a big fan of the .45 ACP, but lately have grown fond of the 9mm as well. The cute little saying, "shot placement is King, penetration is Queen, and everything else is (non relevant)" is probably pretty accurate.
I also have to agree with the 10mm fan who pointed out that the 10mm can be loaded from bunny poot to very serious levels. I own a 1006 and wouldn't hesitate for a moment to use it in a SD situation. It's a bit big and heavy for everyday carry, but makes a hell of a bedside gun. Like a full bore .357, it WILL shoot through walls, doors, the neighbor's house, etc. Gotta be a bit careful where you aim it.

 

[Engineer1911]

45 ACP Mr Browning got it right!

It's a toss up; there's a pile of 1911 style semi-autos.

S&W 1911 45 ACP SS with target sights , all the special options and custom grips is top of the pile, but there are 14 & 13 round Paras, SA, 2 customs, Remington, 4 Colts, Kimber, 16 round Para 40 S&W, and an 18 round Para 9mm with little brother Kimber 9 mm.

Best caliber: 45 acp. Load a mild 185 gr SWC for bullseye, or a pin busting 255 gr SWC (45 LC bullet) with HS-7 and 24# recoil spring [works really great in compensated barrel].

40 S&W is ok because there is sooooooo much free range brass and 9 mm is easy for Mrs Engineer to cycle the slide.

 

[Badkarma 1]

In my opinion the nine is fine, I have no love for the .40, and as for the "Ancient Warrior" .45 ACP, it will do 90% of your handgunning chores!
But I'm more of a 10mm guy as it takes up where the .45 leaves off and as others have said, can approach .41 Magnum territory.
Now if left to my own devices and when S&W decides to build one, a Lightweight Commander in .38 Super is my pick of the litter! Dale
I'd like to add that recently I picked up a SIG P229 and converted it to .357SIG. Now here's an interesting round! It has replaced my enthusiasm for the Super .38, in a modern hi-capacity design that I have years of experience with.
And due to the recent mass buyings and ammo shortage, this and the .40 are abundant in my area, and I like this bottle necked hot rod! But then I like 7.62x25 Tokarev too. I like being different.

 

[stantheman86]

This debate is as old as the hills.......both .45 and 9mm are over 100 years old and have been popular since day 1. Europeans are in love with 9mm, we gave in to NATO standards and gave up our .45's in favor of the 9mm, since handguns play so little of a role in modern military usage anyway. I was an 11B in the active duty Army for 3 years and fired a grand total of 0 rounds through an M9.

There are a zillion handgun calibers out there and every one has fans that swear it's the best. I stopped giving advice on these threads because people are gonna do what they want anyway. There's always the "I use .44 Magnum for everything", "if you carry a pistol it better be in something that starts with a 4" and then "what about .357 Sig" and then the "I carry a .32 NAA all day every day" so choose what you like the best. There's even oddballs out there carrying Ruger P89's with European contract .30 Luger barrels in them because they think it's the best round ever devised, I even talked to a guy who carries an old S&W top break chambered for .44 American......

I personally like 9mm, it's cheap and available, and many of my favorite handguns were designed as 9's like the CZ75 and Hi-Power. That's just me, I like 9mm because I can load my CZ75 with 17+1 of +P HP's without having to carry a spare mag the size of a baton. It's my opinion and worth what you paid for it.

 

[Bob D]

Poor 9mm. I witnessed one penetrate a plaster wall, wooden lath boards, the other side wooden lath, plaster, ceiling plaster, wooden lath and a ceiling joist. 9mm bullet failed to penetrate the roof. Sure was loud inside though. (wasn't me)

 

[wproct]

As others have stated, the best of the three is what you shoot the best and what you are most comfortable with. I have pistols in both 9mm and 45ACP, don't currently own one in 40 S&W. I'm most comfortable with my S&W 5906 in 9mm.

 

[Joe in SC]

I like the 45acp and figure if the answer to the problem takes more than 8 rounds then I should have grabbed the shotgun or the AR. If you're not a reloader and want high capicity or to shoot alot choose the 9. Otherwise go for one of the larger bores. Some of the newer 9mm self defense ammo is rated very high as a fight stopper but you'll pay a very high price to practice alittle with it. The 45 bore has been TCB for over 100 years now. TMSAISTI.

 

[Acorn1754]

Am I going to be the only one here to defend the 40 S&W? I'm finding much more 40 S&W brass than 45 ACP at the range and actually slightly more than 9mm even! It gives more capacity, but still has great knock-down power. To me, it's the perfect compromise and is able to be in slimmer, easier to conceal guns than the 45 ACP. Now please, in NO WAY am I dissing either the 9mm or the 45 ACP, but for me, the 40 S&W is my go to round and it's popularity amoung law enforcement says a lot in my mind.

 

[SMSgt]

Of all the popular SD calibers, the best one is the one in my hand when I need it. Nothing else matters at that point.

 

[Lost Lake]

Am I going to be the only one here to defend the 40 S&W? I'm finding much more 40 S&W brass than 45 ACP at the range and actually slightly more than 9mm even! It gives more capacity, but still has great knock-down power. To me, it's the perfect compromise and is able to be in slimmer, easier to conceal guns than the 45 ACP. Now please, in NO WAY am I dissing either the 9mm or the 45 ACP, but for me, the 40 S&W is my go to round and it's popularity amoung law enforcement says a lot in my mind.

I have a .40 also so that means it's the best and all the rest of you are wrong.

I was a .357 magnum-beats-all kind of guy because that's what I had and liked to shoot. I could load .38's in it, and then really heat up some 158 grain hand loads to make a flamethrower out of the thing! Sure I was shooting a .44 magnum also, but I liked my .357. I really wondered how the rimless guys could accept those paltry loads a .40 or .45ACP puts out.

Then I carried a .22 for a while. Nice, light, and I was deadly accurate with it. Used to practice by hip shooting tin cans like in the old west. Anybody willing to take a dozen shots from a .22? Me either!

I carry a .40 now. I like the fact I can load 15 rounds if I want. I like the shape and feel. I like the gun. I like that it can be a 9mm for an $80 barrel change.

I ordered a .38 for CCW. I don't want to carry my .40 all the time. So now I like the .38.

In a nutsack, I think anything from .22 up to the new .50's are good carry guns. (forgot to mention my BIL has a 50 I like to shoot!)

You will like what you own, obviously or you wouldn't own it! I shoot my .22's the most because they are a blast and are so cheap to shoot. They are by far the most important gun anyone can own methinks. If you don't have a couple of .22's you are missing a great time.

 

[Smith Man]

Best Auto Caliber Bar None

The best all around automatic caliber is 9mm. Ammo is more plentyful and reasonably priced. This caliber is also a decent self defense caliber and recoil is very easy to manage followup shots with. Shot placement is far more important that the size of the bullet. As you go up in caliber the magazine capacity goes down and the size and weight of the gun goes up thus loosing capacity and conceal carry ability.

 

[4wheelin]

As a mechanic or carpenter you have several different tools in the chest to use depending on the need. This is no different..

For me it's:

.45 or .357 Mag. for home defense
9mm for carry
380 for dress carry

That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

 

[StuperDan]

Sure the all put nasty holes in stuff, but you all forget that when the zombie terrorists set off an nuclear EMP that destroys society, 9mm, being most common, will be the ammo most sifted from the rubble to fight off the dead survivors:!

 

[Goffman]

Sure the all put nasty holes in stuff, but you all forget that when the zombie terrorists set off an nuclear EMP that destroys society, 9mm, being most common, will be the ammo most sifted from the rubble to fight off the dead survivors:!

It's good to plan ahead.

 

[tbone1964]

kk gotta add my .02 thers a ballistics chart floating around here someplace, can't remeber the thread. But it shows that the 147 gr JHP has the EXACT penetration of the .40 hmm somthing to give a little thought to. The .40 was the answer in the 80's to better penetration and stopping power, but with better bullet tech, I dont think its the king anymore. shoot what ya like, shoot it often, and have fun!

 

[SMSgt]

Sure the all put nasty holes in stuff, but you all forget that when the zombie terrorists set off an nuclear EMP that destroys society, 9mm, being most common, will be the ammo most sifted from the rubble to fight off the dead survivors:!

I bet I can find enough .45 ACP to cover my rear.

 

[Lost Lake]

Interesting FBI report on caliber choice and bullet 'knockdown power':

http://www.firearmstactical.com/pdf/fbi-hwfe.pdf


Excerpt:

Goddard amply proves the fallacy of "knock-down power" by calculating the heights (and
resultant velocities) from which a one pound weight and a ten pound weight must be dropped to equal the
momentum of 9mm and .45ACP projectiles at muzzle velocities, respectively. The results are revealing.
In order to equal the impact of a 9mm bullet at its muzzle velocity, a one pound weight must be dropped
from a height of 5.96 feet, achieving a velocity of 19.6 fps. To equal the impact of a .45ACP bullet, the
one pound weight needs a velocity of 27.1 fps and must be dropped from a height of 11.4 feet.


And the final recommendation after 16 pages:

Kinetic energy does not wound. Temporary cavity does not wound. The much discussed "shock"
of bullet impact is a fable and "knock down" power is a myth. The critical element is penetration. The
bullet must pass through the large, blood bearing organs and be of sufficient diameter to promote rapid
bleeding. Penetration less than 12 inches is too little, and, in the words of two of the participants in the
1987 Wound Ballistics Workshop, "too little penetration will get you killed." Given desirable and
reliable penetration, the only way to increase bullet effectiveness is to increase the severity of the wound
by increasing the size of hole made by the bullet. Any bullet which will not penetrate through vital organs
from less than optimal angles is not acceptable. Of those that will penetrate, the edge is always with the
bigger bullet.

 

[Acorn1754]

@Lost Lake

I thought we were only talking about semi-auto calibers in this discussion? I mean I'm a much bigger 357 mag or 44 mag fan (I think it'll take me several thousands of rounds of each to figure out which one of those I like more :-D), but for semi-auto, I love the 40 S&W.

Lastly, I agree, having something on your person is better than nothing, I too will take a .22 pistol over leaving a larger caliber at home at day of the week.