9, 357, 40 or 45? which one help plz

[motogunner356]

im getting a pistol but im not sure which round to go with. at the moment im leaning towards .45acp. but i dont know much about the others and 9mm reminds me off 556. itll kill after good placement and enough shots. im looking for something to be a do it all for range and self defense. thanks

[rcserg]

im getting a pistol but im not sure which round to go with. at the moment im leaning towards .45acp. but i dont know much about the others and 9mm reminds me off 556. itll kill after good placement and enough shots. im looking for something to be a do it all for range and self defense. thanks

.45 of course! Start at the top then work your way down.

[aca72]

Stick with the classics: 9mm and/or .45 ACP.

[zdragon]

45acp...relatively inexpensive ammo if you reload.

[Excelsior]

im getting a pistol but im not sure which round to go with. at the moment im leaning towards .45acp. but i dont know much about the others and 9mm reminds me off 556. itll kill after good placement and enough shots. im looking for something to be a do it all for range and self defense. thanks

That depends on you. Are you an experienced marksman? Are you recoil sensitive? Are you buying the gun for recreation or home defense? I personally prefer the 10mm. To me, a Glock 20 is an absolutely wonderful weapon chambered for a great round. I also have a Glock 17L because it shoots far cheaper (and more available) rounds. Don't ever let anyone tell you that a 9MM doesn't have enough stopping power given some of the ammo available today.

My advice would be to spend a few bucks and go rent your favorite guns in 9MM, 10MM, 40 S&W and 45ACP and determine which feels best. Compare your findings with the cost and availability of ammo versus how much you expect to shoot and you're home.

[uberfiend]

I'm happy with 9mm +P, but as long as California has a ban on normal capacity magazines, the main reason to get 9mm is pretty much gone, assuming you can get .45 ACP in your favorite flavor.

[Ubermcoupe]

Why not all of the above!

Maybe some more information is required: Have you been shooting before? alot/a little?, Home defense/fun?, carry option in the future?, is $$ an issue? etc...

My pistol shooting began real young on dad's Ruger mark II (.22), I then stepped up to .38 WCs for target practice & he'd throw in a .357 for good measure. He picked up a Gen1 G22 (.40) got used to that while also starting on a 1911 in .45.

The first pistol I bought was a .45 1911. I reload (like zdragon mentioned) to keep costs down and I can't always find .45 available. So I favor a .45.

Tangent story, I know, but the question remains, what will this pistol be used for?

[DannyZRC]

all of the cartridges you mentioned are ~equally effective on unarmored targets.

the larger heavier bullets are more barrier blind.

9mm is the cheapest to practice with which will probably yield the best shot placement.

shot placement is the most important factor.

ergo, unless barrier blindness is important to you, 9mm is the correct answer.

or 42, whichever.

[Rekrab]

Sounds like you need to get out to the gun range and do some shooting.

Get to the range, handle some guns, test fire the ones that fit your hand and then come back after you've done your due diligence in research before asking here. You'll be better equipped to ask questions and we'll be able to give you better answers.

Good luck!

[Legasat]

I do not agree with some of the other posters. If this is your first pistol, 9mm is a great place to start, mostly because the ammo is much cheaper, and you can practice a lot more. 9mm will do the job if you get into that kind of situation. Shot placement is critical no matter what caliber (except maybe ICBM's). I would much rather have a good shot with 9mm than a poor shot with .45

Start easy, start inexpensively, and practice a lot!

[Joe]

9mm for sure. Because the ammo costs half as much as the others.

All modern handgun ammunition is equally ineffective at stopping a threat. All will take "good placement and enough shots"

[InGrAM]

I'm happy with 9mm +P, but as long as California has a ban on normal capacity magazines, the main reason to get 9mm is pretty much gone, assuming you can get .45 ACP in your favorite flavor.

+1. as a FIRST handgun for HD I would definitely get a .45 caliber. Like he said a 9mms best feature is retarded in this state due to the regular cap magazine ban. Now if you have regular cap mags for a 9mm.... thats a completely different story. Good shot placement and the fact that a 9mm has less recoil than a .45 is a good reason to get one. (quicker fallow up shots)

[InGrAM]

9mm for sure. Because the ammo costs half as much as the others.

All modern handgun ammunition is equally ineffective at stopping a threat. All will take "good placement and enough shots"

I'm pretty sure if you hit someone in the chest with a 10mm, .357, .45 or .357sig hp round its going to do more damage than a jacketed 9mm. (single shot)

[ianS]

im getting a pistol but im not sure which round to go with. at the moment im leaning towards .45acp. but i dont know much about the others and 9mm reminds me off 556. itll kill after good placement and enough shots. im looking for something to be a do it all for range and self defense. thanks

I'd rather have 5.56mm to defend myself over any handgun cartridge. They all require good shot placement. Even the vaunted 7.62X51/.308 requires good hits to immediately stop a perp or enemy combatant. Unless they're delusional no one who shoots any rifle, shotgun, or handgun in any caliber thinks, "Well gee, since I'm shooting this I don't really have to hit the perp in the vitals. I can just graze him and it'll stop him."(Okay maybe except .50 BMG) There is no magic bullet. Shoot what will help you make fast accurate controllable hits. Too many get a .45 and have delusions of grandeur. People lose all sense of proportion cause of that .10 inch. Its just a handgun.

[sargenv]

I am of the opinion that the 45 is really not a beginner's cartridge.. If you wish to become proficient, it is best to start with something that you will fire a lot.. and with the cheapness of 9mm ammo, you are going to put twice the # of rounds downrange compared to a 45 utilizing the same $100. I was hell bent on getting a 1911 as my first handgun back when I turned 21 and a friend in the know steered me towards a 357 magnum.. since I reloaded for shotshell, it was a given that I'd reload for metallic too.. the 357 loaded with reloaded 38's allowed me to practice for about half the cost that the heavier 45 acp would have cost me in projectiles alone.. After 20 years, I still don't have a 45 acp and don't feel the need since it's still twice the cost for projectiles over the 9 and 50% more expensive than the 40..

My advice is to try the calibers and guns you are interested in and then decide.. The op may have large hands that would be ok with a larger pistol or smaller hands that may make the larger 45 acp round difficult to grip and eventually master..