The cost of practicing with 45 or 40 can easily be addressed by reloading. I reload lead bullets for around $5 per 50 and TMJ for around $7.
Im always shocked at how many don’t do it on this forum. I loaded up 200 last night in about 10 minutes for a class at my club tonight.
In my research, comparing like ammo to like ammo, the cost of 40 cal. is exactly half way between the 9 and 45. The cost is determined by the amount of material contained within.
As a general rule, there is a difference in platforms. For a 45 to have higher capacity it has to have a larger frame, making it larger than optimal for most people. Even then their capacity is several rounds shy of what a 40 holds.
If you’re going to call the man out, elaborate.
I guess Dr Roberts assertions are “crazy” as well.
I’ve taken and taught multiple classes with 40 caliber handguns. Whats the supposed issue with it?
I guess if you only take eyeball shots you will be fine with .22.
Gomez’s assertion that modern ammunition of different calibers is engineered to be equal is just crazy.
Obviously they are not engineered to be equal, rather, they are engineered to meet a specific performance requirement. I recently participated in some rather extensive ballistic testing with three ammunition manufacturers (ATK, Winchester and Remington) and yes, they are able to engineer rounds in 9mm, .40 and .45 that meet the requirements. Some perform better than others, but that’s why we do testing.
Im going to steal a quote by travis haley in the latest recoil issue.
“Im not just going to shoot you once. I’d rather have more bullets to solve more problems. Obviously a 230 gr ball with a 45 is gonna cause more damage, but that’s with one shot.”
Recoil is an excellent magazine by the way. And my vote is for the 40.
I think its because many training schools/classes dont allow the use of reloaded or remanufactured ammunition.
So you only shoot your guns in classes?
Rules I heartily ignore!
I don’t know about that…I’m fairly small and I have no issues with the 45ACP…I don’t favor one over the other, but I definitely don’t have issues shooting 45ACP well.
I am a self admitted 45 fan boy. I enjoy shooting it and when I had time to reload religiously cost wasn’t an issue. Now days its what I have so it’s what I use. Over the years I have carried 9mm platforms and never felt at a disadvantage. I agree with Mr. Gomez’s assessment that with modern ammo the differences between calibers is marginal. The relative low velocities of the rounds, IMO, mean that temporary wound cavities are not a significant player in the wounding mechanics. So basically you are looking at a well designed 9mm expanding to around .68" and a well designed 45 expanding to .72". That’s a difference of .04", and while I won’t say that having that little larger hole won’t help it’s also not a significant enough difference to freak out about.
In my very inexperienced and untrained opinion, given that we all agree that pistols suck, the biggest factor in the effective use of a handgun for self defense is shot placement. That means that you use what you shoot the best. If that 45 so be it, if it’s 9 so be it. Hell IMO you’re probably better off shooting a 22 and hitting the vitals than missing with a hand cannon.
Another thing to consider is how fast skills deteriorate. If you can’t practice cause the budget is messed up you’re going to loose that ability to place rounds in critical areas. This is one of the reasons why I’m contemplating trading one of my 45’s for another 9mm. With the family growing and spare time shrinking its hard to get a case of 45 loaded up, so I find myself shooting fewer and fewer rounds which means my skills are slowly drifting out of spec. Not a good thing.
Something else to note, here in California us civies are limited to 10-round magazines. So as far as rounds go, might as well go for the biggest one since we can only carry 10-at-a-time.
That pesky 11th round…is it any more lethal than the 10th?
I would rather shoot a 45 acp for the Feel, but the contract overrun bonded 40 S@W cartridge prices can’t be beat
Yes it is. It also has the capacity to control your brain and turn you into a raving sociopath.
Even in an states, I think you’re better off carrying a caliber that you can reliably and quickly deliver rounds on target with than a larger bullet you are marginal with.
Every person I’ve known that reloads doesn’t really save much on their ammo costs for the year as thy just end up shooting more often. I’d like to get a dillon setup in the next year or two for this reason as I can bump up my number of rounds shot per year significantly
I prefer the RECOIL CHARACTERISTICS of .45 ACP over .40 S&W in similar platforms. In a steel 1911 the .45 ACP feels “perfect”.
I also prefer shooting 9mm over .40 S&W as my scores are higher in all drills except for accuracy.
That said, .40 S&W is PROBABLY the best overall compromise but I do find it less forgiving than either of the other two calibers. Therefore, I’ll stay with 9mm and .45 ACP for primary handgun with the nod to 9mm as the pistols are more size efficient - I, too, prefer to have more ammo even if it’s not needed. Just like seatbelts and insurance.
I can just about shoot 3x as much for the same money in 45acp
Anyone that uses James Yeager as a reference is a No-Go in my book.
This!!!