What made you realize you should have gotten a 9mm instead of a .40 S&W?

[Ron AZ]

Nothing, nothing at all. I have both. My HD and carry in the field guns are .40's either full size (M&P) or compact (G23). My subcompacts and micro's are 9's. That makes recoil a non-issue to me.

Being a smaller person and living in the desert, the size and weight of the 9's are more concealable on me. But I like having .40's to carry when they can be suitably concealed or appropriately carried openly, like when I am hunting.

 

[TexasRaider]

"Also if you do research into terminal ballistics data you will find that all service pistols perform pretty much the same."

No. Not even close. Nope. A 85 gr .380 ACP or a 147 gr 9mm will not, cannot and won't ever achieve the massive wounding potential of a .357 Mag 125 gr SJHP. Period. FBI dreamers and 9mm apologists can tell this story all day long, but it doesn't make it true. Physics still apply, at least outside of Quantico.

I'm not saying a 9mm cannot be effective, but claiming that low recoil mouse fart 9mm subsonic rounds produce the same results in human tissue as a 1300 fps 125 gr .357 Sig, a 1400 fps 135 gr 10mm or even a hot 9mm like the old Illinois +P+ 9BPLE at 1300 fps, is simply ridiculous. Absurd when compared to the aforementioned .357 Magnum load.

It's fine with me if a person decides to carry a deep meat drilling subsonic 9mm if they feel that's all it takes to protect their hide, but trying to ignore 40+ years of street results and jump on the latest trendy bandwagon doesn't change history. High speed lightweight rounds have had a very successful record in putting deadly felons down "NOW". Time will tell on the Feeb-Eye approved nines, but I'm no guinea pig. I'll wait 'til there's years of data to back up those claims....

 

[Ross226]

Control, accurate follow-on shots, terminal ballistics. All six of my semi-autos are 9mm, I've been shooting 9mm since the 70s and reloading 9mm for more than 25 years and I have never second guessed my decision to stick with 9mm.

 

[DJDave]

In Cental New Jersey I can see 9 for $14.99 and 40 for $29.00

In stock ammo, guns, magazines, and reloading supplies

40sw ammo handgun

 

[gman51]

I like the 40 and with the right gun the horrible 40 snap isn't even there. Iam retired and shooting 100 rounds of .40 cal in my Ruger SR40C is no problem for me but I don't have arthritis in my hands either.
For SD a 40 is the smallest caliber in semi-auto that I want. I basically carry a revolver for SD with 38+P. I don't care what caliber a person shoots because shot placement means more than caliber size does.
I have two 9mm semi-autos and I seldom even shoot them. I practice more with what I carry so the 9 sits in the safe.

 

[fyimo]

I have two 40 S&W pistols and they are a SIG P226 and a Sig P239 and I also have a 357 Sig barrel for both pistols. I like the 40 S&W and it is easy to reload as it uses the same primers as the 9mm and not a lot more powder so I wouldn't say the costs were 2x of what the 9mm ammo costs.

 

[snubbert]

What made me realize I want a 9 instead of 40 is that my main gun goal is carry, which for me means a smaller, lighter gun, which means the 9 is more pleasant to shoot, offers more rounds for a given size, and is very effective. I wanted to, and tried very hard to love the 40. I still do, but don't own any guns for it.

Primary round is now 38+P carry and 38 range in a revolver, with occasional excursions into 9 territory when I want more capacity or energy, and 357 when I want more bang.

 

[SmokelessPowder]

The first gun I ever bought was a 9mm, it was boring so I got rid of it and never got another one. I now have quite a few 40's and I have developed a few 40 loads that I can make at a good price that I like to shoot. Besides carry ammo, I think I've only ever bought one box of factory 40.

 

[brucev]

I have had a number of 9mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP pistols. Can't think of one that I didn't like. Like them all. When it comes to buying range ammo, I prefer the 9mm simply due to cost. As well, gun for gun, I've found the 9mm to be the easiest with which to get good on target results. Very much like the Glock 22 for the .40 S&W. Wonderful combination of gun and caliber. Very easy to use effectively.

As to on target effectiveness, it's a wash. Hits in the right spot get results. Caliber is not to terribly important. Hits that are off... poorly placed produced poor results. Cannot see any worthwhile gain in using a larger caliber simply because it is larger. Simple facts of life are that people are not bullet proof. If they are wearing some sort of ballistic armor, no common handgun round is going to be effective.

Granted I've not shot any human beings. Have no desire to shoot any human beings. Have shot a lot of medium/large game animals using a variety of medium calibers ranging from .243 Winchester up through .308/.30-06 to 8mm Mauser (using some nice hot Normal loads). At any distance well placed hits produced one shot kills. Have seen deer poorly hit with .270 Win., .30-06 Springfield and 7mm Rem. Mag. More power or a bigger bore would not have improved the poor results of those shots.

This past Tuesday I had the pleasure of getting to visit my grandson. While he was asleep, I was able to scoot over to a local range. To a new to me Springfield 1911 in... 9mm and shot a standard qualification course. It was a real pleasure to shoot that pistol and see nothing but a nice hole develop in the 10 ring of that B-27. Then... as the distance increased... that 10 ring kept getting chopped up. Jerked on shot into the 8 ring at 3 o'clock. Put a couple more in the nine ring again at 3 o'clock. Everything else was in the X/10 ring. Hitting is cool. For the range ... indeed for just about anything... the 9mm is just about ideal. If I ever need to make salad... I'll unload on the lettuce with a nice big .45 ACP JHP. Otherwise... very pleased with the 9mm.

 

[rwt1405]

Sure, I bought some .40's in the 90's, however I would not/ nor will not buy any more.

Current ammo has created the situation of .40's offering nothing over good 9mm ammo.

 

[dlombard]

The SD9VE is waiting for me now because I just want a softer shooting gun, honestly. I'm keeping the SD40VE because it's a boss, it's good to have a spare in case one is down for repair, or experiences a serious malfunction or damage, and for SD purposes, I feel like it's a winner. But a 9 is just as good, but without the trigger finger blisters and lengthy sight-on-target re-establishment time.

Another reason I'm fond of the .40S&W caliber is here in southern California, you can actually *find* the stuff. It's not 150% more expensive than 9x19 here, and honestly, they keep selling out of the stuff. I mean constantly. It's a hard ammo for most of the shops here to keep in stock (especially the JHPs). But I can *always* find .40 FMJ range or JHPs.

 

[Ron AZ]

In Cental New Jersey I can see 9 for $14.99 and 40 for $29.00

Looks like you are shopping the wrong place. Last 2x time I bought Federal HST SD ammo, I paid less for .40 S&W 165 and 180 grain than the 9 mm 124, 124 +P, or 147+P HST's. Try SGAmmo.com if you are allowed to online order ammo in NJ. (Or aren't you allowed JHP's because of some weird NJ law I seem to remember?)

Last several times i bought range ammo I paid only .02/rd. more for .40 than 9mm.

 

[jeffreybehr]

Absolutely nothing made me realize I should have chosen a 9 instead of a 40. I still believe the 9 is a little wimpy, but I suppose by writing that I invite the wrath of the 9 fanatics.

Oh well...what would one expect with such a presumptuous question?

 

[Horseless Trooper]

I bought my first .40 last year, a pristine Gen 2 Glock 22. It was a whim purchase as I went to the shop to look at the Shield and the SR9c. I don't find it a lot more snappy than 9mm. I do find I carry it a lot just because of the weight but I still carry my R1, Hi-power, 5906, 709, Model 10, 65 etc. depending on mood, alignment of the planets and such. I have even been known to venture out with a .32acp or 38S&W as primary on occasion. I would however dump the Glock in a heartbeat if I had to choose between 9 and .40