Home defense: 15 rounds of 9mm or 10 rounds of .45acp?

[Safety Is On]

I agree with the 00 slug use as primary. Just the action on that unit is enough to scare any misguided intruder. I back that up with 8 rounds of 45 ACP jhp if needed.

[JT1989]

00 slug eh? That's new to me. Where can I buy some?

Lol. Generally you should use your handgun to fight to a rifle. If slugs don't take an intruder down, then .45acp is gonna feel like bee stings lol. Oh and..they might be trying to eat your brains cause they're a zombie

[MasterYong]

Originally Posted by Safety Is On

I agree with the 00 slug use as primary. Just the action on that unit is enough to scare any misguided intruder. I back that up with 8 rounds of 45 ACP jhp if needed.

That is an EXTREMELY dangerous misconception. Never think that the sound of your weapon will deer an intruder. That's like the folks that think an attacker will stop just because they have a laser sight trained on his chest.

You have to remember that ANYONE that attacks you or breaks into your home is either: 1. Insane, 2. On drugs, or 3. BOTH.

Normal, sane people are scared of the sound of a shotgun rack. Crazies, criminals, drug addicts... they don't have the same logical thought processes that most of us do... if they enter your home they're already taking a huge risk.

[wildog8812]

For me it is 10 rounds of 40 S&W in the gun and another full mag next to it, but to the OP, the best advice I can give you is to shoot the biggest caliber gun that you can effectively shoot. That means if fire good groupings at a semi-fast rate as if your life depended on it, because if you have an HD gun you are training for that situation. Also if you have a wife and can not afford 2 guns make sure it is a gun she can control, because if you are not home or God forbid go down in a fight it needs to be a gun she can use too. If that means 9mm, 45 ACP, 380, or 500 S&W pick the one that suits your need best. What is the point in having a gun that is perfect for someone else but not you, this gun is for you. As far as rounds go, you really should not need more than 2-3 per target; so if you think 5 people will break into your house maybe the 9 mm otherwise which works best for you. Also you can always have extra mags.

[tbhracing]

OP- I have 16 rounds of Golden Saber 9mm JHP in my Glock 17 for HD. (I go 1 light on the magazine spring)

[mauritz45]

why pick one over the other? if you need more then 10 rounds you are in deep kaka, and high performance bullets are available for either.
i picked 45 because my 9mm is being built.
i like the saying...use a hand gun to fight your way to a rifle/shotty--cam

[1911su16b870]

Whatever you shoot most accurately! For me its the 45acp.

[ALSystems]

"One round of either with proper shot placement.
As my instructor was fond of saying (years ago when it wasn't politically incorrect): Two to the chest and one to the head, makes me happy, makes him dead."

I voted for 15 rounds of 9mm. I'd rather have too many than not enough.
You should pick whatever caliber you can handle well and:

*Practice enough so you can hit a target with several fast shots
*Aim for center mass or preferably the attacker's small heart
*Get high quality JHP bullets (FMJ is for target shooting only)
*Put the gun and magazines where it is accessible or it is useless for home defense
*Don't assume that even a fatal shot will be enough to stop an attacker
*Assume there might be several targets
*Keep shooting until the attacker is no longer a threat no matter how bullets that takes
*Stay behind cover if possible
*Don't get too close
*This is a high stress moment which won't help your aim
*Make sure your gun is reliable with the bullets you've selected (some guns don't work well with all types of bullets)
*Check your magazines and test them all. I usually load to 1 less than capacity (Some guns like the Browning Hi Power have known jamming problems if loaded to full capacity)

Personally I like a Sig 226 in 9mm. Also have a Browning in 45cal.

Most people who don't pactice much are better at aiming a long gun like the Marlin Camp Carbine (9mm) with mild recoil.

A 12 gauge with 00 Buck or Slugs is a real stopper but you have to get used to the heavy recoil. At short distances, the spread is minimal.

For detailed info on which bullets are best, I thought Evan Marshall's book, "Street Stoppers-The Lastest Handgun Stopping Power Street Results" was good.
http://www.amazon.com/Street-Stopper...7520937&sr=1-1

His formula for comparing various bullets was:
90.52 + (0.896 x depth) - (0.0534 x depth x depth) - (87.65 x e(-diameter x energy / 63.93))

Depth = Penetration in inches in 10 percent ballistic gelatin
e= scientific number = ~2.7128
the part after the e is an exponent (-diameter x energy / 63.93)
Diameter = initial bullet diameter in inches 9mm=0.355, 40cal=0.40, 45cal=0.451
Energy=Muzzle Energy in Foot Pounds

I prefer:
9mm in 115/124gr bullet preferably in +P or
40cal 165gr Golden Saber or
45cal 185gr JHP

[MikeV]

I picked 15 rounds of 9mm. Who says there will just be one intruder? I've read enough news reports of home invasions involving three to four intruders, so the more ammo the better. 9mm's have actually been known to kill people, despite how ineffective some people on internet forums make them out to be.

[microstencil]

How about 16 rounds of .40?