9mm vs .40 S&W vs .45 ACP
 

Is the .40 S&W really all that much more effective than the 9mm? .45 ACP penetration is awfully pathetic, but it's still a good anti-personal caliber. Out of these three calibers, which would be the best one overall?

As measured in what??? Sure, hard barriers, everyone knows smaller dia penetrate better. In tissue, the 45acp offers mor ethan enough penetration w/ any bullet wt. Which caliber would depend on what bullets I am required to use. With good JHP, they are all too close to call. With FMJ, I would be taking the largest possible diameter since I get no expansion. Bigger holes are better. Bigger holes going deeper are better still. After all, one of the reasons to use a good JHP in the 9mm is to get the frontal diameter larger to increase terminal peroformance & to limit penetration.

I have all three calibers and carry all three at different times,my 9mm ammo is Corbon 115gr +P, 40 is 180gr Speer Gold Dot and my 45acp is 230gr Federal HST,it really isn't an issue with me,I'm ok with any of them.

With proper JHP ammo, all service calibers perform equally the same.

a .40,,,, in a little bit bigger case of course:whistling:

Which ever one you can effectively and repeatedly put on target. In real world shootings the difference is minuscule.

That's my opinion also. I'm not a big fan of .40S&W because of the harsh recoil and although .45ACP seems more manageable to me I don't need another caliber to feed. I have a lot of confidence in 9mm for personal self-defense scenarios and I do believe statistics bear that out, just like they bear out the other two named calibers.

It is?

And if you are worried about too little penetration: .357 Sig :supergrin:

I shot them all in a variety of pistols. They are all fine. Load them with FMJ's and they all about equally ineffective. If they hit a nerve, bone, organ, the result will be better. With quality high-performance ammunition, they will all be very effective ... if hits are made on nerves, bone, organs,... you know.

Amplified,

“Which would be best”? Are you asking for concealed carry purposes? I carry a 9mm G26 with 2 round extension on the magazine that gives me 12 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124g JHP;

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/888798/speer-gold-dot-ammunition-9mm-luger-p-124-grain-jacketed-hollow-point-box-of-20

This type of bullet is a devastating round and is more than most people will ever need. Beyond this… well in my opinion you’re just into over-kill (no pun intended).

I would use any of them in JHP for self defense.

45ACP penetration against hard barriers leaves something to be desired, but in soft tissue it does just fine.

All three calibers will do their job with quality JHPs.

9mm vs .40 S&W vs .45 ACP
 

I personally go with the larger calibers because if a jhp fails to expand I still make a bigger hole.

+1
Using the best modern high tech SD ammo
any service caliber will serve you well.

Find out what you are most proficient with and use that.

Really? Caliber wars in the title? A discussion that is held over and over and over and over and over over and over and over and over over and over and over and over?

Given today's modern ammo, the most critical factor is the gun which you are most accurate..................

I'm leaning towards the .40 S&W out of these three. With Double Tap's 135 grain load, it's getting over 1,400 fps out of a 4" barrel. Pretty good!

I shoot a .40 (22 & 27 ), I don't see myself changing ............

I'm a .40 and .45 guy myself, and 10mm too. 800x throws 135gr Nosler JHP's at over 1550 fps from my bone stock G23. I think the .40 has the edge over the other two (9 and .45), but I do have those too, I just think the .40 has more potential.

Really????
 

If one can find a professional gun writer that will echo this notion - then I will welcome it as the gospel truth! Cheers.

Placement. Not a big difference between them truth be told. Some .45 guys hate this, since they're spending almost 2x the amount of money on ammo compared to the 9mm guys. (no, not counting reloading)

Fact of the matter is, and like others have mentioned, handgun is a mediocre stopper. It should be used as a last resort, and even then should be used to either

1.get yourself out of the situation
2. get yourself to a bigger gun IE shotgun or rifle.


But since you asked my opinion on caliber, and what's a good anti-personell round, I'd opt for 12 gauge 00 buckshot with 2 and 3 quarter inch shells. That's 9x 9mm balls traveling at 1325 fps.

My 2nd load of choice would be a 1 oz slug (.74ish) caliber in diameter, clocked in at 1600 fps, you know, if i really need penetration. :supergrin:

Actually it gets 1375 fps out of a 4" barrel. It has to be shot out of a 4.5 or longer barrel to achieve 1400 fps.

Caliber wars are nothing more than "my dad is bigger than your dad" arguments. Everyone wants to think what they have is the best. You'll notice that people that have several different calibers understand that it is the shooter and not the gun or ammo that is the most effective. The best caliber is the one that you shoot the best with and are most comfortable with.

And most 9mm shooters keep telling themselves their 9mm are just as good.:whistling: Confidence in ones gear is important so keep up telling yourself it's all good.:supergrin:

all 3 will do the job. I like the 165 grain CorBon in .45 ACP. IT KICKS!