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Carry--.45 or .40?

26098 Views 110 Replies 28 Participants Last post by  Bigbadaboom, 
A
Ok, guys, which cal. would be your preferred carry weapon?
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M
.40 between the two. It is cheaper to practice with and I can carry more of it.
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B
I've carried 9mm, .40S&W, .357SIG, and .45 ACP...I've never felt underpowered with any of them. Granted, with the 9mm it's always the 124 +P Speer GoldDot and I've practiced enough with that round that I feel confident in being able to put 2-3 rapid shots on target. The greater recoil of the .40 and .45 pose more of a problem in terms of accurately putting more than 2 shots on target in a SD situation, but I'm comfortable with their increased power levels to compensate. I had to quit carrying the .357 round because I couldn't afford to practice with it enough to feel comfortable putting more than one shot on target.
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P
Bla bla bla.... Speaking from been there done that. .45 acp baby!! Nothing does it better. The current score is Me 3 bad guys 0 and you can take that to the bank. Nuf said.
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J
To each your own. They will all fill up the BG with holes. I prefer the 40. bigger hole than a 9mm, smaller than a 45. More capacity, and cheaper slightly to reload. I also kinda prefer the bark of the 40 more also.



You'll find ballistics tests are very similar between the 2.
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G56
I really like the 40, it's a great caliber, easy to control and with more punch than a 9mm, and higher magazine capacity than a 1911. I love to shoot 1911's, but I didn't like the standard magazine capacities of the 1911, also didn't like the high capacity 1911's, the MP40 gives you roughly the power of the 45 with the magazine capacity of a 9mm, that's a win-win situation in my book! 8)
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A
Amen to that!!
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P
Its the trauma and the knock'em on their ass that sold me on the .45 in '74'.
Big bloody holes and massive tissue damage.
Being taught to double tap from birth and honed to two in the chest one in the head made a deadly combination. Im talkin real word FSU! The effect of a .223 thats into a tumble when it hits is pretty effective too, but thats another post.... Today I carry my M&P.40. I feel good about the wep, I trust it. In 1000 rounds not one failure. Control is a breeze.

And the .45 is just a matter of time.
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A
Ha ha. 2 in the chest and one in the head would work on me.
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P
Between My dad, Jeff Cooper, and the US Rangers, I had some good training. 8) 90% of my handguns are .45 and on the 1911 frame. I chose the M&P.40 because I get to use the same grip and I didnt have to re-train my muscle memory. A very important thing taught to me by Col. Cooper. :wink: It's a lifesaver under fire.
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A
I'll bet. I enjoy your posts.
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B
Jeff Cooper (I believe) is credited with a quote to the effect that, "Arguing about pistol calibers is like a couple of Privates arguing about rank."



That said, given my druthers, I'll take a .45. Toting a .40 is fine too.
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Bloodnut said:
Jeff Cooper (I believe) is credited with a quote to the effect that, "Arguing about pistol calibers is like a couple of Privates arguing about rank."



That said, given my druthers, I'll take a .45. Toting a .40 is fine too.
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True that, on both counts. And I have pics of him with a M1911. :wink:
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C
Your dad is Col. Jeff Cooper? That is the same Jeff Cooper who writes in "Coopers Corner" in Guns & Ammo magazine? That's pretty cool!! I enjoy his articles very much!! I am going to pick up his book.. "C Stories" one of these days...



My Dad is a Barber.. I love him, of course.. but it would be neat If I could claim myself the progeny of a gun guru!



Raymond
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N
Captain Ray said:
Your dad is Col. Jeff Cooper? That is the same Jeff Cooper who writes in "Coopers Corner" in Guns & Ammo magazine? That's pretty cool!! I enjoy his articles very much!! I am going to pick up his book.. "C Stories" one of these days...
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COL Cooper passed away about a month ago. Blue skies.
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J
Puffy said:
Between My dad, Jeff Cooper, and the US Rangers,
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I think he means he was trained by them.
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NousDefions said:
[quote name='Captain Ray']Your dad is Col. Jeff Cooper? That is the same Jeff Cooper who writes in "Coopers Corner" in Guns & Ammo magazine? That's pretty cool!! I enjoy his articles very much!! I am going to pick up his book.. "C Stories" one of these days...
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COL Cooper passed away about a month ago. Blue skies.[/quote]



I did not know that.




I havn't had much time as of late, to read my magazines.. I will miss reading him. He was pretty funny in his way!



Raymond
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ToolMaker
For a carry weapon….45ACP without a doubt.

Cost of ammo should not be a factor in determining the caliber of weapon you are going to carry.
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ToolMaker said:
For a carry weapon….45ACP without a doubt.

Cost of ammo should not be a factor in determining the caliber of weapon you are going to carry.
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-------------------

O so true brother....o so true. Its about him down, and out and you havin dinner with your wife and kids. AKA.. death from excessive lead in the body and bullet trauma.



There is no price involved in the safety of myself or my family. Me thinks someone needs a reality check. Even my wife laughed at the idea.
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ToolMaker
Puffy said:
Its about him down
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I have always said that I could not care less about velocity, wound channels, trauma, yada yada yada.



Stop the threat. That is all that matters. If a perp can fire his weapon at you, I doubt your family will find much comfort in the fact that he died later.



You should pick the round that you think will best be able to stop the perp from firing his weapon and killing you; death of the perp is just a side benefit. It doesn’t matter what any of us think the round should be, because you will pay the ultimate price for the wrong choice.



If a person doesn’t know which caliber to pick; a good starting point might be the caliber that all others compare themselves to when it comes to defensive handgun calibers.



Also…. Don’t buy into the “Shot placement” BS unless you are sure that you can place the shot in a fraction of a second at maximum adrenaline flow. Its tough to do that test. :mrgreen:
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