40 S&W vs 45 ACP

[Plaz]

I sure would like some opinions on 40 S&W vs 45 ACP ammo. I intend to use a gun for both target and defense.
I will probably get a Sig gun.

Are the differences in recoil, cost and availability significant?

Thank you.

[Plaz]

40 S&W vs 45 ACP

Sorry if my request is a stupid question. I am new at this and I am an elderly senior needing all the help I can get. Whatever comments you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

[5968]

Both are common calibers and easy to find. You would be well served with either as a defensive round. I personally would get the 45 ACP. Recoil is felt differently by everyone. I really don't notice much difference between 40 and 45, but some will say there is a big difference. If you go with a Sig Sauer (great guns), I would get a Sig P220 (45) or a P226 (40). As far as ammo goes, you can usually find 40 a little cheaper then the 45.

[Ech0Sierra]

.40 has a weaker, but sharper recoil. It is less expensive than .45 ACP and I think is used by more Police Departments and the FBI. Both are great rounds, but .05 inches isn't much of a difference. The cost difference is around 1.50 per box of 50. It's nice to have the voice of senior citizens in this board.

[Waingro]

.40 has a weaker, but sharper recoil.

The wine taster of guns. Personally I don't know how to comprehend that. Could you explain? (not being sarcastic)

[kurac]

I would get the .45, it makes bigger holes in the paper targets thus making it easier to see if you hit the target

[Ech0Sierra]

It's like a .45 is a broad shove, but the .40 is more of a kick or a pop... Wine Taster out.

[Dont Tread on Me]

45 is a push. .40 is a snap. I'm a big guy but don't like the snap of a .40.

I'd urge you to consider 9mm. Cheaper and if you pickup some Speer Gold Dots you're have good man stoppers too.

[Waingro]

It's like a .45 is a broad shove, but the .40 is more of a kick or a pop... Wine Taster out.

gotcha - in my mind i imagined a big burley man and a skinny karate Asian guy and who i would rather fight. Last night must of taken a toll...

[bigkahuna04]

Sorry if my request is a stupid question. I am new at this and I am an elderly senior needing all the help I can get. Whatever comments you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

How old do you have to be to qualify to be an elderly senior ?


If this is your first purchase...go with the .40 caliber.....I have been invested in .45 caliber for many years...and I personally won't purchase a .40 for myself because that will be another type of round that I will have to stock up here at home. A good friend of mine handloads and he will load the .45 up a little hotter and then for us...there really isn't a significant difference in the effectiveness between the two rounds.

But for a new purchase...you have the unrestrained freedom of deciding what you want now. High capacity isn't an issue since in Cali. we are limited to a maximum of 10 rounds...and there are different mags for me to reach that in my 1911 type pistol.

Go shoot between the two...choose what is comfortable in your hands.

[brianm767]

PLAZ, Welcome to the board!



Personally , I like the .40 , only because when I bought mine there was no ten round limit for the magizines at the time and my .40 held 11+1 and most .45 at that time only held 7+1,

As far as recoil, I think most of the .45's I've shot did have a bigger kick to them, but the .40 is no pee shooter either, it has noticeably more kick than my 9MM

Cost is not really a factor, maybe a couple of bucks per box.

I think, but I could be wrong, the .40 cal is probably the most widely used caliber by law enforcement across the country now, it's a great compromise, it's more powerful than a 9MM which most departments have decided does not have enough knock down power for them, and it does not have as big of kick as a .45, while still offering the ballistics similar to a .45 , also the .40's hold more rounds then a comparable size .45, and some guns in .40 can have smaller grips to fit smaller hands, such as women officers.

But .45's are great guns , lots of power, you cant deny that,

I couldn't imagine a situation where a bad guy would be shot with a .40 and not go down, where if he was shot with a .45 he would have, I cant say the same for a 9MM though. this is why many dept have went to the .40 over the 9MM, there have been many documented cases where bad guys were hit with 9MM's and they did not go down, usually the .40 or .45 stops them

I would highly recommend finding a gun range where you can rent and shoot guns in both calibers and pick the one thats right for you,

I second the recommendation on the SIG P226 in .40, to me it's the Mercedes Benz of hand guns.

[Gnote]

Welcome to Calguns. As this is a discussion about ammunition, I've moved the thread to the proper topic.

[8200rpm]

.40 or .45, they're both effective as long as you do your part and put it where you want it to go. PRACTICING marksmanship makes your gun more effective than the caliber of your gun.

Just from the cost of practice ammo, I would suggest the .40 S&W. At Walmart, a 100 round value pack of Winchester full metal jacket practice ammo will cost...

$21.88 - .40 S&W
$28.98 - .45 ACP

As far as the make/model of the handgun, I personally prefer guns without a manual safety, i.e., just line up the sights and press the trigger.

I own SIGs which I love, but would recommend buying a Glock (~$500) vs. a SIG (~$800) and use the money you save on practice ammo.

I read on another forum where a poster stated... You shoot a SIG and realize why they cost so much money; you shoot a Glock and realize why they're such a bargain.

They're both great guns for self defense. Let your budget dictate your choice. Good luck!

[roor1200]

Just from the cost of practice ammo, I would suggest the .40 S&W. At Walmart, a 100 round value pack of Winchester full metal jacket practice ammo will cost...

$21.88 - .40 S&W
$28.98 - .45 ACP

a year ago it was 16.99 for a box of 100 at old wally world for .40s&w. having a sig P226 .40 and a 1911 in .45, like others have stated, choose what ever fits in your hand better. not having giant size hands, the sig 226 feels great in my hands. i like the full size feel of a pistol as well as having a all metal frame and slide (vs a glock).

[rue]

Go to a range and shoot both calibers in a Sig and see which one you like.