9mm,40, or 45?

PhylumofDoom · Post by **PhylumofDoom** » Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:33:34

I've decided to buy a Taurus 24/7 pro. What I have'nt decided is if I should get it in 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 Automatic. I've checked with my local dealer and the price is the same for every caliber. I already have a Taurus pt92 9mm police special and a 12g mossberg I Inherited from my father when he passed. So this will be my first time buying a firearm myself and my first new one. My question is which caliber would be best for open carry and general self protection of myself and my family?

pedal_pusher · Post by **pedal_pusher** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 00:03:10

i personally like 45ACP in general but, i've read the 24/7 runs best in 9mm.

ProShooter · Post by **ProShooter** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 06:47:28

IMO, .40 S&W is the hands down winner, but I've never shot that model of gun before so I dont know how well that caliber may run through it.

.40 is a fantastic choice and is what I carry.

Post by **zephyp** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:20:55

Of the 3 you picked .45 ACP is the winner IMO. The only advantage to a 9 is more in the mag, but you can also get hi-cap .45s. .40 sits in between.

If you're looking for stopping power in a smaller caliber you cant beat .357. It far outshines 9, 40, and 45 ACP in terminal performance.

WRW · Post by **WRW** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:46:20

I got the chance to shoot one of those in .45 and found it to be quite accurate.
The best ammo is the one you can afford to practice with...a lot.
That said, I am partial to the .40.

BluemontGlock · Post by **BluemontGlock** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:25:35

great carry gun IMO...

small frame, handable recoil...damm accurate for a 3" barrell...

I have a Tarus Mil Pro in .45...a GREAT Pistol, which to my eye, is basically the predesessor to the 24/7...

eats anything i feed it...grip is big enough for me to get all fingers on it for resonable control for a small pistol...

having said all that... i really like the the 40 S&W round...and would be really interested in the feel and hadling of a 24/7 in .40...

and throught this entire ammo shortage, i have been able to jkeep myself in plenty of .40 while going weeks with out seeing a round of .45 ACP...

obvious suggestion: fire both, & pick the one that feels "right"

jdonovan · Post by **jdonovan** » Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:29:48

PhylumofDoom wrote: What I have'nt decided is if I should get it in 9mm, .40 S&W, or .45 Automatic.

Question #1 is a holy war starting subject, so I'll take question #2 first.

PhylumofDoom wrote: My question is which caliber would be best for open carry and general self protection of myself and my family?

What I tell people is:
Any gun is better than no gun
A gun you can shoot accurately with is better than the one you miss with.
This is your first new new gun, hopefully not your last. This one doesn't have to be the perfect do-it-all firearm.

Now back to #1
All three calibers are fine and adequate personal protection choices.

I'll with only a very slight bias steer you to the 9mm.

It's less expensive to shoot, so hopefully you'll shoot it more often and practice makes perfect. So if the need arises to defend yourself you may be able to shoot it better than something you don't practice with as much.

It has less recoil so hopefully you won't develop bad habits that inhibit good and accurate shooting. Less recoil may also make the other members of your family more willing to shoot it.

15 years ago I would have very quickly given the nod to the 40/45, but with the advancement in projectile design the 9mm is not quite as far behind as it once was.

If you have some friends that can take you to a range and let you shoot an assortment of calibers see what your personal tolerance for recoil is, and what you can shoot well and make a decision from there.

PhylumofDoom · Post by **PhylumofDoom** » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:49:27

I decided to with the .40 there is a good supply around here and i can affored it so it makes sense. Thanks to all who posted for your advise and time.

BlueTiki · Post by **BlueTiki** » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 20:27:48

PhylumofDoom Nice choice in the .40. If you have a Wal-mart around you. You will find that .40 is on the shelves more often than the other two choices. The other thing is Wally World sells their Plinking ammo at $12.47 a box of 50 and its generally Federal or Blazer Brass. I've never had a single problem with either one of those brands and they shoot nicely. Federal's tends to smoke more and fouls up the gun faster. But both are very good and cheap!!

Post by **zephyp** » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:12:53

Spot on. I see more .40 than anything else. Rick also has plenty of .40 I think and he gives VGOF members a 10% discount plus fast shipping. Here's the link:

http://vagunforum.net/announcements/dis ... l-t67.html

40shooter · Post by **40shooter** » Thu, 01 Oct 2009 21:21:56

phylumofdoom, good choice.

I'm a little late to the party, but guess which one i would've picked.

pedal_pusher · Post by **pedal_pusher** » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 00:52:27

40shooter wrote:
I'm a little late to the party, but guess which one i would've picked.

ummmmm 22LR?? lol

SgtBill · Post by **SgtBill** » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:15:22

Good choice. Most Law Enforcement Agency's across the country now carry weapons in .40 cal.
Bill

BluemontGlock · Post by **BluemontGlock** » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 12:30:16

IMHO...great choice!

I have never pulled the trigger on my Glock and thought "gee, that really didn't have enough -umph- behind it..." and i think that .40 gives you some good choices in ammo...

The self defense loads for the .40 from both Hornaday and Speer have a bit more recoil vs. the FMJ from blazer or winchester that you would noramlly practice with (i have a couple boxes of winchester .40 JHP but have yet to pull the trigger on a round of it, so can't compare that to a target round)

so once you get comfortable with your new piece, if you have the luxury, fire off a clip or two of self defense loads to feel the difference in recoil and muzzle flip...which is not bad, just different, as I find they feed smoother with the nickel plated cartridges and with the increased powder load, cycles the action better, etc...making things like double taps with self defense loads a quicker action, but requiring greater control...allows you to "feel" the difference in a high quality round

I am also kinda retentive about the differences between ammo, etc...so please ignore me if i am going over the top

prep, practice, prep, practice, prep, practice...

WRW · Post by **WRW** » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 16:21:05

Good round, that 10mm lite...

Paliden · Post by **Paliden** » Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:21:48

Just my 2 cents, You buy a 45, 2 reasons:
1: It's plain silly to shoot twice!
2: They don't make a 46
Yeah, I know it's corny but there is truth in it! Your first shot may be the only shot you get, so it better be good.

jdonovan · Post by **jdonovan** » Sat, 03 Oct 2009 06:29:36

Paliden wrote:Just my 2 cents, You buy a 45, 2 reasons:
2: They don't make a 46

But they do make a 46... well a 460, and even if you miss the muzzle blast should take them out

And if your hand are large enough a 50AE is a hoot to shoot.

FrankLonghammer · Post by **FrankLonghammer** » Sat, 03 Oct 2009 09:52:15

herohog · Post by **herohog** » Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:43:31

In my book, the 9mm, with the right projectile, is plenty for personal protection. It isn't too bad on recoil and you can carry a lot of ammo in a small package. Does the .40 and .45 pack more punch? Sure! Is it enough for the trade off in recoil and rounds carried? Not to ME.

Post by **zephyp** » Sun, 04 Oct 2009 08:27:38

herohog wrote:In my book, the 9mm, with the right projectile, is plenty for personal protection. It isn't too bad on recoil and you can carry a lot of ammo in a small package. Does the .40 and .45 pack more punch? Sure! Is it enough for the trade off in recoil and rounds carried? Not to ME.

I would agree and disagree. There is not a real big difference in the energy of those 3 cartridges at the muzzle. You only see a significant difference when you go to a magnum cartridge such as .357 or .44 magnum.

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