need help in choosing caliber

[johnchamp]

hi guys i need help in choosing a calibre for an m&p pistol. im between a 9mm & a 40 s&w please help me john.

 

[snw19_357]

I like 9mm but when I bought my M&P, I bought the M&P40. One of the reasons was because the M&P40 held 15 rounds and the M&P9 only held two more, 17 rounds.

 

[FirebirdV8]

Go to your local range and rent an M&P in both calibers. Find which one works best for you. Both guns will treat you well, it becomes a matter of taste.

 

[BillyWayne]

I like the 357 Sig myself. But between your choices I would go with the 9mm. I have had less issues over the years with 9mm than with 40.

 

[shotslow]

I have the perfect solution. You can do as I did. I picked up a M&P 40 5 inch Pro yesterday. It matches my 9mm Pro and the M&P 4.5 inch 45 acp. There is a problem. How am I going to find enought time to shoot them.

Actually, you have to consider what you are going to use it for. A 9mm is cheaper to shoot. Buying ammo or reloading. A 45 acp is more powerful. A 40 is a fine round. Many ranges have rentals so you can test fire the different calibers. Pick the one you like best or get all three like me. Hey. I'm a poet and don't know it.

 

[ken158]

If you get a 40 then you can get a 357 sig barrel and have a 2 for 1

 

[anomad]

9mm is a little cheaper. If you are just starting out, or if money is tight I'd say get 9mm.

If money isn't so tight I'd say get a 9mm and 1000 rounds of ammo!

 

[sheepdawg]

Why get a round named for a German pistol when you can get one named 40 S&W?

 

[ncbengal]

The 9mm is a little puny for my book. The 40 is very close ballistically to the 45. Don't forget the ultimate need for having/carrying, and it ain't for punching holes in paper.

 

[pberry]

If you are going to carry it for self defence, you need the most stopping power you can get for carry. Practice with cheap light loads if you can find them, but carry the hot stuff. Hornady critical defence rounds 9mm 115gr 1440fps, muzzle energy 332. 40s&w hornady critical defence 165gr 1175fps, muzzle energy 506.
If your life is on the line which one do you choose. A 250 to 300 pound attacker may take a lot of 9mm before he goes down. If you carry a 9, you need to be good at placing your rounds, like in his face. Think about it.
Phil

 

[Lost Lake]

hi guys i need help in choosing a calibre for an m&p pistol. im between a 9mm & a 40 s&w please help me john.

Buy the .40 and then for $65 you can buy the 9mm barrel and drop it in. Total cost will be under $465 and you will essentially have 2 guns. You can also add the .357 barrel if you would like.

With such versatility I believe buying the .40 is the best deal out there.

 

[johnchamp]

ok guys i bought the m&p9 i have sinned but i had a bunch of ammo in my safe thanks for the input guys i will let you know how i made out at the range john.

 

[agksimon]

Shot placement to a vital will incapacitate quicker than bullet diameter and 'knockdown power". Practice, practice, practice.

 

[Double-O-Dave]

I had the same dilema and solved it by buying the 40c. My pistol was used, but looked like it wasn't shot very much, if at all (the magazine followers were pristine, no scratches or residue of any kind). I experienced a few FTF and the slide locked back a few times on a loaded magazine a few times as well, but that may be due to me as I have surgically repaired wrists that cause me to "limp wrist" under a lot of recoil (usually anything > .45ACP). I recently purchased a 9mm barrel and will test fly that soon to see if I still have problems.

Best of luck,

Dave

 

[4inch357]

firearmstactical has a number of good articles on wounding etc., if that is your concern it would be well woth your time to spend some time reading them; it will give you some things to think about in the endless caliber debates.

 

[Knochen]

Stopping Power...a Study

If you are going to carry it for self defence, you need the most stopping power you can get for carry. Practice with cheap light loads if you can find them, but carry the hot stuff. Hornady critical defence rounds 9mm 115gr 1440fps, muzzle energy 332. 40s&w hornady critical defence 165gr 1175fps, muzzle energy 506.
If your life is on the line which one do you choose. A 250 to 300 pound attacker may take a lot of 9mm before he goes down. If you carry a 9, you need to be good at placing your rounds, like in his face. Think about it.
Phil

Check out this article by an instructor for both the Ohio Peace Officer's Training Academy and the Tactical Defense Institute:
An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power | Buckeye Firearms Association

 

[ET.]

ok guys i bought the m&p9 i have sinned but i had a bunch of ammo in my safe thanks for the input guys i will let you know how i made out at the range john.

I think you will be happy with the 9mm M&P. My neighbor has one and is thrilled with it after he spent $150 on his trigger (now a 2 lbs. competition trigger). I went the other direction & bought the 40s&w Pro. It came with a 4 lbs. trigger & that's as light as I want on my gun. It allows me to shoot 9mm, 40s&w & 357sig...all reliably from the same gun. Some people don't want the hassle of changing out the barrels & mags (when going to 9mm). I really prefer the versatility of several different barrels & mags for the same gun. Different preferences for different people. Different strokes for different folks. To each his own. Etc., etc.

 

[agksimon]

If you are going to carry it for self defence, you need the most stopping power you can get for carry. Practice with cheap light loads if you can find them, but carry the hot stuff. Hornady critical defence rounds 9mm 115gr 1440fps, muzzle energy 332. 40s&w hornady critical defence 165gr 1175fps, muzzle energy 506.
If your life is on the line which one do you choose. A 250 to 300 pound attacker may take a lot of 9mm before he goes down. If you carry a 9, you need to be good at placing your rounds, like in his face. Think about it.
Phil

I was just looking over Hornady's ballistics chart and the fastest 9mm 115gr. round listed is the XTP at 1155fps.

 

[Mikey Idaho]

Knochen, thanks for linking that study on stopping power, was very enlightening and thorough and unbiased, theoretically it puts to rest a lot of the defensive caliber wars, but of course it will do nothing of the sort on these forums lol.

 

[chuck s]

Hint: It's the bottom one...

Next question?

-- Chuck