40 or 45 that is the quedtion I ask of thee....

[Muddy41]

I am going to be buying 2 pistols as soon as taxes come back and was wondering what everyone's thoughts were in regards to this... I will be buying a 9mm for sure to shoot the crap out of it.. Ammo is cheaper..

But I am trying to figure out the 2nd one.. This gun will be my ccw gun and I am looking at either 40 or 45..I have some good things and bad about both but would like to see what my fellow Minnesota friends have to say about which one to buy... I know the cost of ammo is not a deal breaker here I just want something to carry but yet take it to the range and fling some bullets out of it while having fun with the 9mm
...

So please let me know your opinion on these calibers... The gun will be some type of compact either in 3.8, or 4 depending on what brand... XDm or Glock or M& O, or something else not sure yet..

Thanks for any insight you can give me..

[shooter]

I found this interesting - Perhaps it will help you in your choice.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

[farmerj]

22 short.

[bulletproof]

45 Long Colt is the the answer to your quedtion.

[rugersol]

I'd say 9mm

[farmerj]

my experience with going into sub-compact and compact guns is that bigger calibers suck.

They flip and the recoil gets to you. May not be bad for one or two magazines, but for a day of practice, it gets to be too much.

[Pat Cannon]

I found this interesting - Perhaps it will help you in your choice.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

That is interesting, thanks!

[farmerj]

yeah it is. Very interesting. Time to go load up the old Mark II

[Shipyard]

oh boy....

short serious answer - it's not the caliber, but the platform for a carry gun.

decide your budget - then...

go to bills and rent a few or hook up with a few folks and shoot what's comfortable in your hand.

bear in mind HOW you want to carry - pocket vs inside the waistband vs outside the waistband vs full out open on your hip like a cowboy

next, narrow down compact vs sub-compact, double vs single stack, revo vs auto, glock vs 1911 vs kahr etc etc etc.... there's literally a thousand possible combination's!

get the patform narrowed down, then pick a flavor. 40 tends to be snappier than 45, really just a personal preference when you got something in your hand.

all in all, the caliber is the easiest component of your quest in my opinion. good luck, ask many questions and pull a LOT of triggers!!!!

[Holland&Holland]

.45 all the way. Tough to find .405 Win these days so I would stick with .45-70.

[Spike]

45-70!

[westhope]

Good reading.

I disagree with his statement that a small 38 Special is slower to get repeated shots than a 9 mm. I've ran many IDPA BUG matches that the J-frame shooters are just as fast (and accurate) as the 9 mm shooters.

Recommended reading for everyone.

[Muddy41]

I found this interesting - Perhaps it will help you in your choice.

http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/node/7866

Very interesting data...THanks for sharing the link with me...

[Snowgun]

.40 S&W: Not powerful enough to make up for the snap, not controllable enough to make up for the decreased capacity, and not fast enough to compensate for the decrease in diameter, the .40 Short and Weak is the Crystal Pepsi of ammunition.

If it's between that and a .45, go for a .45. Otherwise go for a 9mm.

[minnesotatv]

I am going to be buying 2 pistols as soon as taxes come back and was wondering what everyone's thoughts were in regards to this... I will be buying a 9mm for sure to shoot the crap out of it.. Ammo is cheaper..

But I am trying to figure out the 2nd one.. This gun will be my ccw gun and I am looking at either 40 or 45..I have some good things and bad about both but would like to see what my fellow Minnesota friends have to say about which one to buy... I know the cost of ammo is not a deal breaker here I just want something to carry but yet take it to the range and fling some bullets out of it while having fun with the 9mm
...

So please let me know your opinion on these calibers... The gun will be some type of compact either in 3.8, or 4 depending on what brand... XDm or Glock or M& O, or something else not sure yet..

Thanks for any insight you can give me..

Suggestion: hold off buying anything until you get a chance to try out several different ones
and different calibers.

Bill's Spring show is coming up in about 6 weeks. If the format is the same as in prior years
its a great place to try out different handguns for just the cost of ammo (purchased there).
You'd get chance to feel and try different handguns and see which, if any appeal to you.

FWIW