Which caliber do you prefer? Why?

[Rhome11]

9mm, its light, fun and fast. Although there are times that short, fat and slow are called for.

 

[nvgdude]

I shoot .45 acp far more accurately than any other centerfire caliber.

 

[Basher]

My baby is the .45, but arthritis has me limited to the 9mm these days. I don't feel undermined at all, but I do miss the nuclear power of the big 230 grain slugs.

Dude, no way you're old enough for arthritis! Sorry to hear that!

I'm a 9mm guy. I started with a Beretta 96 (.40S&W), then moved on to a .45ACP (1911A1), and then on to a 9mm (Springfield XDM, purchased from the arthritic old man quoted above!). I carried that for two years before joining the dark side and getting a G19, which I've carried ever since. I still enjoy the 1911, but I don't own a .40S&W anymore, and don't really plan to again in the future. I do have numerous 9mm purchases on the wishlist though! Why? As other's have noted, high capacity, lower recoil, faster follow-ups, and it performs about as good as anything else out there with the advent of modern defensive loads.

 

[Winmagbill]

I'm a 22/9/45/380/40/357 kinda a guy. I like them all! By Volume it is hands down 22. For Carry mostly 9mm but only because of capacity and price. I enjoy shooting the 45 the most. The rest are side-calibers. Keep one 40 around because I still remember when that was the only ammo you could find on the shelf.

 

[shooter444]

45acp, I like defense projectiles to be bigger, heavier, and with deepest penetration.

9mm has more penetration than .45 ACP. The velocity of 9mm is considerably more, with a smaller caliber = more penetration.

Agreed, but not exactly what I had in mind.

Any SMALLER / FASTER projectile should have deeper penetration, unless it happens to be one of the modern wonder projectiles designed for less penetration.

You have skipped over the key adjectives in my post, BIGGER and HEAVIER. Both of those attributes added to DEEPER PENETRATION is my favorite.

I don't think comparing the penetration of a supersonic projectile with a smaller diameter to a subsonic projectile of larger diameter is quite fair.

Do you?

I believe, if we match the velocities of the heavy 45acp with the velocity of the lighter 9mm, or vice versa, results will be better penetration with the heavier projectile.

 

[Dogslayer]

For my EDC, a Ruger LC9s Pro is what I prefer. It hides well in an ankle holster so I can take it to work.
Weekends, a Kimber Pro CDP II In 45 ACP in an IWB leather holster carried at 4:00/4:30 is my primary weapon.

 

[Winston_Wolf]

... old guy here, I still prefer .45ACP
I do however have quite a few chambered in 9MM

 

[Chinaheart]

I know I'm in the minority, but 357Sig is my preference. I group way better with it than 9/40/45. It also has a healthy bark that gets attention at the indoor ranges.

That said, my carry gun is either my Glock 19 or my Sig 220 compact, mainly because they're much easier to carry than my 226's & 229's in 357Sig.

 

[Pro2a]

Mostly carry 9, and rarely .45
Caliber debate is boiled down to shot placement.
If you cant hit it, 50cal is useless

 

[Berd]

9

For all the reasons Rizzo said

 

[Flash]

.45 ACP because I shoot it better in my P220s than I shoot 9MM in anything else.

 

[338lapua]

Mostly 9mm these days. Being the tough guy many years ago shooting every hand canon I could buy or borrow has left me with severe nerve damage in both hands and extending up to my elbows. Full size pistols now and I prefer heavy steel frames. Hand pain has got me back into 1911's again as they don't hurt as much as a plastic pistol.

 

[TriggerFish]

I shoot 9mm suppressed but carry a 45 Shield and have a PPQ 45 bedside HD pistol. These two are very soft shooting and easy to be very accurate with... for me. YMMV

Now this 1st run G21 (with antique red laser) is not one of my favorite .45 pistols to shoot. :lol:

-Gerber Blackie Collins Design "Frisco Shiv" boot knife-

 

[Extender32]

I prefer .44Mag. My dad had me shooting his Ruger Super Blackhawk when I was about 6 and I fell in love. In addition, I love shooting a big heavy bullet and if I ever had to protect myself, I want to make sure they'd go down on 1-2 shots. I do own several 1911 .45 ACP's and several .357's too.

 

[Muzap]

9mm is my go-to these days. I still love .45 - back in the day I had a couple of Canada-made Para-Ordnance .45s, including a P12-45 for carry, before I drank the Glock kool-aid - but for all the reasons stated above by others, 9mm just makes more sense these days.
I'll probably never stop shooting .45, though. My FNX-45 tactical is right up there with my favorite pistols... just not as practical as the Glocks.

 

[DHG388]

Tuff choice between the 9mm and 45. I am pretty split down the middle but I do prefer reloading 45 more than the 9. But because of the AR 9mm I voted for the 9mm. Do they make an AR in 45?

 

[Crippledtrigger]

Oh yes! Many places make AR platform weapons in 45. I'm not sure if they are all dedicated/designed Glock mag lowers or if there is an adapter block for 1911 or grease gun mags. IIRC I think there is one for standard 1911 mags but that would seem not feasable cost wise. Especially with Glock mags and clones cheap and plentyful. The cost of the block and mags would seem too expensive compared to cheap lowers in pistol calibers. Still, I'm sure someone would want interchangeability over dedicated platforms.

 

[Hansen]

9mm, The reason why is because I want them all the same caliber.

 

[John Kuhns]

This is a tough one for me. I carry the 9 more but still carry and train with .45 enough that it still has a place. Especially the G41 Gen4. Same with the P220s.

 

[428cj]

I go with 45 & 10mm.