Re: Next sidearm
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: MinorDamage</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Downzero</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Why must it be a .45? You're giving up a lot with a .45. </div></div>
Really? Aside from not being able to carry 15 rounds (which you should not require for self defense) what else are you giving up? According to winchester, you have more muzzle energy in the 230 grain 45 than a 180 grain 40 S&W and you only lack 40 ft-lbs to the 165 in 40. I assume he will not be shooting hot handloads while carrying. 45 provides approximately 3 less ft-lbs of recoil impulse (7.9 vs 10.6). Less snap on recoil, damn close ballistically (if shooting factory ammo) and up to 10-11 rounds in the gun vs 15. A lot? Really? Maybe OP wants commonality of ammo. If you are not shooting competition with a comped pistol its a wash.
Josh </div></div>
1. The most common pistol cartridge in the world is 9mm Luger. I would venture to guess that it outnumbers all other pistol calibers by a ratio of 10 to 1 or more.
2. I do not care about muzzle energy.
3. I can't imagine why you'd compare .45 to .40 instead of to all pistol cartridges. .45 is a low pressure cartridge and not as snappy as .40. It also launches a big hunk of lead and has considerably more recoil than other cartridges. The standard I'd use is a 124 grain 9mm Luger, not a .40 S&W, which is the snappiest of common pistol cartridges.
4. I don't really care about capacity that much, either.
What I do care about is ergonomics, reliability, price, concealablity, weight, etc. Narrowing the requirements for a CCW pistol to .45 ACP nets the fewest number of of pistols available to the market in a common caliber.
There is no meaningful difference in performance between 9mm, .40, and .45 with the right bullets.
Note that this is not me saying that all CCW pistols should be 9mms. If you want to carry a .40 or .45, so be it. But you should recognize that limiting yourself, especially to the least popular of the three (.45), limits your pistol selection to the point that you may overlook something that you'd otherwise find useful.
I carry a 9mm 90% or greater of the time when I'm carrying. Sometimes it only holds 8 rounds. Other times, it holds 18. It's not about energy, recoil, capacity, or any other bullshit calculation. It's about common sense. 9mm pistols are cheaper to practice with, most common, softer recoiling, and will stop any threat with equal effectiveness. Absent some relevant consideration, I'm going to continue to carry a 9mm.
Have I carried a .45? Sure. When I feel like carrying a "real" gun, I pull out the VM-II and the 1911. I do enjoy carrying it, it is easy to conceal, and I don't feel that 9 rounds is insufficient to finish the job in most cases (and I carry an extra mag in case it doesn't). That said, my other pistols, chambered in 9mm but also available in .40 in most cases, are lighter and smaller in the dimensions that matter for most of my wardrobe, and so a better package for me to carry.
If I was looking to add another CCW to the lineup, caliber would be the last thing I consider. First would be whether it fit my hand. Second would be whether it placed shots where I aimed it. Third would probably be whether I found the sighting system useful for CCW. Other considerations would include size and weight as well as holsters available for the given gun. Caliber would be a distant last place.
Caliber just doesn't matter. There's no meaningful distinction between pistol calibers. Unless you're just some kind of Jeff Cooper tough guy, there's no reason why any of the common pistol calibers won't do the job.
<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Longshot38</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
What MinorDamage said. As for why I want to keep 45 ACP. It is simple, I'm already setup to load the round. I'd really rather just use the dies and bullets I already have. </div></div>
A set of dies is negligible compared to the cost of another pistol and you already have enough of a budget for a decent gun AND a backup gun, dies, brass, bullets, etc. That's just not a very good reason at all.
If you want to carry a .45 ACP, fine. Your options are much more limited than other choices. I'd get yourself a Glock 30 or 36 and be done with it if you don't want to think critically about your choices. Of course you can expect that reliability will be sufficient for CCW and you'll have plenty of $$$ left over from your budget.
Or you could think seriously about buying some 9mm or .40 dies, which will open up a lot more (practical) choices for you, and have a much lower long term cost of ownership. Remember...the most expensive gun accessory is ammo. .45 is more expensive to load and shoot than 9mm OR .40. That doesn't mean that .45 is a terrible choice, but it does mean that you may be less likely to practice with it...and practice is much more likely to save your life than some numerical calculation of muzzle energy.
A set of dies costs less than the price difference for a thousand projectiles between .45 and .40, or .40 and 9mm. That means that if you go with .40 or 9mm instead, your equipment will pay for itself in a thousand rounds. And after that, you'll be shooting a cheaper bullet out of cheaper brass and with less powder per shot than before.
It's a win/win situation for you to choose a less expensive, more popular CCW caliber.
