Thoughts please - .40, .45, .380, or .357?

[jayman9207]

We have four 9mm's now and love them all but in part due to the mad ammo rush we were thinking on getting another handgun that is not a 9mm. We already own a M&P9 Pro, M&P9c, Glock G26, and a Kahr PM9. We are not quite sure what we want yet but I wanted some thoughts on a caliber other than a 9mm. We would be using it more for home defense and fun at the range. We are not sure what kind/size new gun we want yet but three of the 9mm's we have already are our soon to be EDC guns (our CHL class is on the 26th) so we are kind of leaning towards a full size of some kind. I know they all go "bang" but are there any pros and/or cons to the other calibers? Thanks.

 

[long colt frazier]

I am a sucker for the 45. I have been able to find ammo at reasonable prices and shoot it in both revolvers and semi auto.
I have a lot of 357 mag handguns but tend to grab a 45 to go play. Around here 40 cal ammo is scarce and expensive. 380 IMHO is under powered and expensive.

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

agree with long colt. Go with either .45 or .357 Easier to get and less expensive than .380 or .40 at least down here. Plus with a .357 you can also shoot .38's. Interesting though , but I find that .38 is harder to find than .357 and when you do, it's almost as expensive! I like shooting heavy bullets out of my snub .38's but they are impossible to find-all there are are the 125 grainers and less. Hard to find a box of 148 or 158-which I like out of a snub.

 

[Zjnovak]

I am a sucker for the 45. I have been able to find ammo at reasonable prices and shoot it in both revolvers and semi auto.
I have a lot of 357 mag handguns but tend to grab a 45 to go play. Around here 40 cal ammo is scarce and expensive. 380 IMHO is under powered and expensive.

I agree. 40 is easier to find than 9, but its still drying up. 380 is more expensive than 45 up here in WI. I would go with 45. I really want the new XDS, but cant seem to find one.

 

[jayman9207]

I was leaning towards the 45 as well as I did notice that the shelves at the stores always seemed to have some still on it. That is what my brother was recommending as well.

 

[Flathead]

Go with whatever ammo is most available in your area. During the last frenzies .40 was the only caliber in abundance here and it was inexpensive. With the recent bulk buys from various governmental agencies that may not be the case now.

 

[litenlarry]

Since you have a G26,assuming you have a holster for it, get the G27..They both use the same holster..The 40 cal is a good round for home defense..
It's not on the list, but for plinking fun you can't beat a .22, cheap and normally ammo is available, just not lately..

 

[Tenn2]

I know I am going to catch h--k for this but.... it sounds like you already have a good selection for home and EDC. Have you thought about a .22 to get in some good inexpensive practise? Maybe an M&P22?

 

[Fishinfool]

Personally, I think a 38 /357, or a 45acp make sense. What ever you buy, invest a couple hundred bucks in a basic Lee loading set up, along with some components. You'll have ammo when you need it, and for a lot less money..

Larry

 

[Arik]

In my area prise wise 40 and 38/357 are about the same. Practice ammo is about $14-16/box with defensive running about $20-25/box. 45 starts at about $18 for range and $25ish for defense.

That being said there are + and - to all of them and they are all good defensive rounds.

+40 is closer to the weight and thickness of the 9.
+/- 40 splits the capacity as well. More than a 45 less than a 9.
+40 can be converted to a 357sig and some (Glock) have conversions to 9.
- 40 ammo price is closer to the 45
- 40 has sharp recoil
+ 357mag has great rep for stopping power.
- 357 hold less rounds then a mag fed handgun and require more training for fast reloads.
- 357 would require you to carry one extra reload to have the same amount of ammo as a 40, and on some cases a 45, have in the gun. If you carry a semi auto with an extra mag thats 1-2 additional reloads for a revolver.
- 357 will shoot 38
+ generally revolvers point better then semi autos.


You cant really go wrong with any. If it were me i'd get a few rentals to try out first especially 40 and 45. They have completely different recoil and a lot of folks dont like the snappy-ness of the 40. Also the 40 has a higher rate/probability of FTE in a polymer gun from limp wristing. Theres less weight to soak up some of the recoil from the high pressure 40 cal.

Afterwards I'd get one in the same gun that way you are familiar with it already.


I would stay away from 380 all together. Less stopping power then a 9 with the price closer to the 40. Also less ammo. Capacity that of a revolver but no where near 357 capabilities.
Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

 

[sps282]

The .45 caliber would be a good choice usually the ammo is available but around here it does cost more than .38/.357. The .40 caliber is sold out often and seems to cost more than the others. As mentioned .22 is a good choice for target shooting. It doesn't hurt to have one of each, that's being prepared!!

 

[BearBio]

38/357 would likely be the most versatile. I usually recommend it to the "one-gun person". If carry is not an option, a good 6" revolver is the 30-06 of pistols.

I am a 45 man. My preference is a 1911 platform (I have at least a half-dozen). From a compact Officer's acp to a 38 Super and a 45 Gold Cup. My go to gun, if I need/want an autoloader.

That being said, I fell in love with a S & W 40 cal autoloader at the shop. Worn but it fits my hand, hits where pointed and packs a reasonable punch.

380? My wife carries one; a Bersa Thunder. Excellent gun, inexpensive (We got her 2= a 380 and a 22 lr). Ammo is pricey. Accurate and packs more punch than most people know (or will admit!)

 

[jaykellogg]

I think you are pretty well set. I assume you have a .22 rimfire, if not, get one. The 9mm is a good defense caliber and is the cheapest of all centerfire calibers. I would try and find some online and get at least 1000 rounds. For a house gun I like a 12gage pump. If I was going to branch out to a different handgun caliber it would be .45. The disadvantage of the .45 is it has fewer rounds due to the larger size. In hollowpoint ammo, there doesn't seem to be much of an advantage in stopping power. I like the 1911 and I think everyone should own at least one. (I own four). Slickguns.com had a pretty good deal on the S&W M&P .45.

 

[growr]

the only caliber I would not suggest from your list is the .380 ACP...for many reasons already noted. All service calibers will do a great job for you.
Randy

 

[mg357]

.357 magnum, .357 magnum , .357 magnum, .357 magnum.

 

[roarindan]

We have four 9mm's now and love them all but in part due to the mad ammo rush we were thinking on getting another handgun that is not a 9mm. We already own a M&P9 Pro, M&P9c, Glock G26, and a Kahr PM9. We are not quite sure what we want yet but I wanted some thoughts on a caliber other than a 9mm. We would be using it more for home defense and fun at the range. We are not sure what kind/size new gun we want yet but three of the 9mm's we have already are our soon to be EDC guns (our CHL class is on the 26th) so we are kind of leaning towards a full size of some kind. I know they all go "bang" but are there any pros and/or cons to the other calibers? Thanks.

Cast and reload your own!!

 

[Marshwheeling]

+/- 40 splits the capacity as well. More than a 45 less than a 9.

Sometimes less is more.

 

[crofoot629]

I made a conscious decision to narrow the number of calibers I have.
I also moved towards uniformity of platforms.
For me the auto-loaders are down to Glock 9MM’s, and 1911 45’s.

Texas is clearly a gun friendly state. However none of us know what’s coming down the pipe as far as Federal legislation.

Perhaps a .357 revolver to hedge your bets?

I’ve kept my Glocks and AR’s, but also have revolvers, M1 Garands, shotguns, and sadly only one lever gun to cover my bases.

Emory
---------------------------------------------------------------
Hard To Kill

 

[truckemup97]

All I can tell you is what I've done. You mentioned the range and home defense. Two different animals, IMO. A .22LR is my choice for the range, probably because it's cheap and easy, like me. But at home, there's a 12 gauge pump and a .40S&W next to the bed, along with whatever I carried the day before. The EDC is usually either a .357 or a .380, so I obviously have nothing against them, but they have their purposes in my life as do the .40, .22, and 12 gauge. You just have to figure out what fits you (and your wife) best.

 

[Grayfox]

Since you already have 4 semi-autos, I think you should learn the joys of a good .357 revolver.
I also agree that you can't go wrong with a good .22.