advice please - .40 or 9mm for CHL

I am late to the party, but so what, too bad!

I too was thinking about that original question when I bought my pistol (.40 vs. 9 mm). I had rented and shot both (our daughter LOVES shooting guns). I went for the 9 mm because of the milder recoil. "The gun you practice with is better than the one you won't."

On the other hand, our Tai Chi instructor is also a cop. He and almost all of his cop buddies carry the .40.

When I got out of the army in late '93 I wanted to get something either in 10MM or 40cal, the latter being very new, even compared to the fairly new 10mm. I had yet to start appreciating Glock's, which again, were still fairly new themselves. I really wanted the attempted re-boot of the Bren Ten, the Peregrine Falcon. My friends dad was an FFL dealer & he started looking for one a year before I got out, he said they were almost impossible to find & would easily be over $1,000 (in 1992 $) I looked at a few other 10mm's like the Colt Delta Elite & the S&W 1006 but despite my champagne & caviar tastes, I could only afford beer & pretzel's. I finally chose a 40 cal & got the very affordable Ruger P91. :flail:

I've had numerous 40 caliber handguns (now a carbine too) over they years now. My wife likes shooting it & EDC's a Ruger SR40c, my kids, even my girls since they were young liked shooting 40 cals. Of course I hadn't filled their heads with the notion that a 40 cal has more kick than a 500 S&W magnum (& less knockdown power than a 22lr according to many on the interwebz) & I also started them shooting 22lr pistols so they could learn how to shoot in a very quiet & essentially no recoil platform.

Ultimately you need to pick the gun that works best for you, and that applies to both caliber & platform. Try out several models & calibers to find which one you are comfortable with. Also remember that while you may like a 1911 Long slide or a Desert Eagle 50ae best, for EDC purposes, those might not work too well. I also wouldn't let something like a small difference in ammo price deter you. The minimum caliber I personally would feel comfortable carrying would be 380acp & that ammo is more expensive than 40 cal, even though it is essentially a 9mm short. I'll gladly pay a few more cents a round to have a caliber than gives me a bit more knockdown power. That being said, shot placement is more critical than caliber. To keep practice session prices down, you can find a lot of good practice ammo that is cheaper than your premium defense rounds. Winchester white box, Remington has green & yellow box (which I think is green & white now) Also CCI makes 2 kinds of blazer, brass & aluminum cased. I shoot the aluminum at our indoor range as I am not able to pick up the brass there. If you don't reload, the aluminum stuff may work best for you. Remember though, you will still need to shoot about a box or so of your EDC rounds after practicing, so you know it's hitting in the same spot, or if it's not, adjust your sights or aim point. When I go to the range, I shoot the mag I've been carrying in my EDC pistol 1st to see how it functions & accuracy. Then I practice with the cheap stuff till I am ready to go, then I shoot one more mag of my EDC ammo to confirm everything again. :judge:

Good luck on finding something that works for you & also, plan to get a lot of holsters. :grin:

Also, for some good no nonsense information on firearms & self defense, I recommend checking out this guys youtube channel. I don't always agree with 100% of his stuff, but easily over 85%, probalby over 90% of it.

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9mm and 40 calibers is negligable. Both are excellent. What matters is shot placement.

Ever hear the story of the indian woman out foraging berries in alaska. This was i the 50s or 60s. She had a single shot 22 rifle.
A huge bear came nosing by and came right for her. She shot it with her 22 and killed it. She shot it in the eye, into the braincase. dead.

DCFusor said:

The pros use .40 almost 100%, few exceptions.

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Pros might, Law Enforcement is going back to 9mm from 10mm & .40cal.
As RETIRED LEO I would recommend a good new 9mm or a good police "retired" /turn-in. I prefer Berettas and Hammer actions but to each their own. A retired weapon you should be available to watch an inspection,breakdown, and re-assembly of the pistol. Know as much as you can about the weapon before you purchase it.
The second most important thing is to PRACTICE,PRACTICE, PRACTICE. Clean it after practice get comfortable with field stripping and re-assembling.
When you tire of practicing practice some more.
Getting a license is not the same as getting training. GET TRAINING, and PRACTICE what you were taught.
Best of luck.

Taurus GX4 in 9mm from Palmetto State Armory is an excellent value @ $300.. I carry a Ruger LCP and Glock 42. Boths are .380s. I have many others, but those are my 2 favorites, but the LCP only has a 2" barrel and is not very accurate past 20 feet.

I would definitely have no problems with thecGX4. I might buy one on Black Friday.

I used to have some nice .40 pistols, now long gone. I go with 9 for a defense round, why, because it's the most ubiquitious round out there. Like .22LR, it's available everywhere. Bet it's easier to find 9mm than .40 in any small town you come to. That's part of my standard these days.

Bonzo said:

Thoughts on .357 Magnum? I like saying Magnum.

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Ruger SP101 with a 2.25" barrel in SS. I have one, swapped the springs and polished it up. It shoots .38spl like a velvet pillow. .357 mag is longer, but you can also shoot 38.

The .40 is considered a .45 short just like .380 is considered 9mm short.

I know that I am real late to the party, but here goes anyway.

One the things to consider is the availability issue. Being an older caliber, the 9mm is more than plentiful, more like really abundant. It will probably be much more abundant into the future. Its been around for years and there are some very good pieces on the market. Both as new and used. Given the ammunition it is just as good as any other ammo that's out there. I expect that the 9mm will always be available, but probably not always at low cost. Spreading out your purchases will remedy that. There are some really nice 9mm autos out there that as small and effective.

The .40S&W is a hot round, faster than either the 9mm or .45acp. Being faster than either of those calibers, the recoil could be an issue for new shooters and women. But that is something that can't be overcome by training. New shooters will tend to flinch when the bullet is shot

I really would recommend going to a range that rents out guns and try both calibers and make a determination then and see for yourself what really is best for you and your hand size. A small hand is really not suited to big frame piece neither is a big hand suited to small frame piece either. Some some small frame guns have a magazine extension that will be reall good for a large hand's pinkie finger. This will allow you feel what what the recoil is really like.

If you get into the market for some ammo cans, be sure to check out Harbor Freight. They are just as good as the gi cans.

I have both 9mm and .45acp. Being ex-military I prefer the .45 but really like the 9mm however.

The .30cal ammo cans hold a lot of 9mm and are easier to store. If you download the 9mm by one or two bullets you can store loaded magazines until you need them in an emergence. It has been my experience that storing down loaded magazines will not affect the magazine spring to a degree that is detrimental to use. But if you do this be sure to place dessicant packs in the ammo can for long term storage.

Colion Noir has some nice videos on the decision to shoot 9vs40vs45......he makes a compelling argument against the 40...not gonna go into his reason...just saying....if you want to know more look him on the the Tube.

Another vote for the LCP .380 as an every day piece. With formal wear, I like my Kahr PM9--it fits well in my hand.

I would skip the .40 because some of the models are not robust and the frames crack plus they are snappy.

Good CCW choices are:
Glock 43X
Glock 42
Glock 26
Sig P365
Ruger LCP Max
Ruger 9 Max
Phaser
Light Saber

I bought Glocks 23,27, 35, all 40's. When the price of ammo spiked I switch to 9MM's because I shoot about 8,000 rounds a year.

nickndfl said:

Ruger SP101 with a 2.25" barrel in SS. I have one, swapped the springs and polished it up. It shoots .38spl like a velvet pillow. .357 mag is longer, but you can also shoot 38.

The .40 is considered a .45 short just like .380 is considered 9mm short.

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No, the 40 is quite literally a 10mm short. The FBI switched to the 10mm after the Miami shootout, but most females & some smaller males couldn't get their hands around the grip as well which also made it harder to handle the recoil of a full power 10mm. The FBI asked Winchester to make some ammo with less kick. Win realized it could just as easily fit it in a smaller cartridge which would also make grips smaller & even easier to control as well as compared to a full power 10mm pistol. The worked with S&W & created the 40S&W even though Glock got a pistol on the market in 40 before S&W did.