30 replies to this topic

[Ehjay]

I'm curious what the individuals of this forum can tell me about the differences between .45 and 9mm. In my limited experience, I currently prefer 9mm as I feel I can control it easier, and because it's quite a bit cheaper to plink with.

I'm asking for opinions because I have the opportunity to buy a very nice Colt 45 series 80 for a more than fair price. I have been able to poke holes in paper with this particular firearm, but noticed that my follow-ups take more time than with a Glock 17/19 for example.

Any opinions would be appreciated.

AJ

[Mr. Fife]

The 45 will poke bigger holes in the paper.

[Vaden]

Both have the ability to stop a threat with proper shot placement and appropriate ammunition. You should choose and train with what you feel more comfortable with, if the 9mm lets you be accurate and place 2 quick shots when needed then by all means dont let some internet commandos tell you that it wont stop a threat.

[ike]

Buy it. Anytime you can get another gun at a good price ,jump on it.The more you shoot it ,the better you will become. And as far as 9 vs 45 ? Nobody can answer that but you .they are both great. and with proper ammo, each will meet the challenge

[Ehjay]

Quote

The 45 will poke bigger holes in the paper.

I did happen to notice the holes in my paper were of 2 different sizes. Thanks for clearing that mystery up for me  

Quote

Both have the ability to stop a threat with proper shot placement and appropriate ammunition. You should choose and train with what you feel more comfortable with, if the 9mm lets you be accurate and place 2 quick shots when needed then by all means dont let some internet commandos tell you that it wont stop a threat.

This is pretty much what I had been thinking. I try to take the "stopping power" argument with a grain of salt.

Quote

Buy it. Anytime you can get another gun at a good price ,jump on it.The more you shoot it ,the better you will become. And as far as 9 vs 45 ? Nobody can answer that but you .they are both great. and with proper ammo, each will meet the challenge

This is a good point. Kind of obvious, but one that I haven't been considering.


Thank you for the replies so far (especially Fife! )

[GarandFan]

I like both 9mm and .45.  They each have their pros and cons.  As one person suggested ... if you can afford it, buy the Colt.  Get to know it.  The "answers" to these various questions about caliber often come down to personal preference and experience.  The best way to gain that insight is to own and shoot both.  

If you come to greatly prefer one to the other, you can always sell the one you like less.

[Buzzard]

GarandFan, on 08 April 2012 - 01:17 PM, said:

I like both 9mm and .45.  They each have their pros and cons.  As one person suggested ... if you can afford it, buy the Colt.  Get to know it.  The "answers" to these various questions about caliber often come down to personal preference and experience.  The best way to gain that insight is to own and shoot both.  

If you come to greatly prefer one to the other, you can always sell the one you like less.

Exactly.

But, I like Colts!

[snubjob]

GarandFan, on 08 April 2012 - 01:17 PM, said:

I like both 9mm and .45.  They each have their pros and cons.  As one person suggested ... if you can afford it, buy the Colt.  Get to know it.  The "answers" to these various questions about caliber often come down to personal preference and experience.  The best way to gain that insight is to own and shoot both.  

If you come to greatly prefer one to the other, you can always sell the one you like less.

+1 Very well put.

[howie]

I'm a .45 guy myself.  I won't take credit for the phrase....someone else said it, but it goes like this....."There's a chance a 9mm may expand to the size of a .45, but absolutely no chance a .45 will shrink to the size of a 9mm."

OK, enough of that.  I don't have a huge amount of 9mm shooting experience.  All my pistols are .45ACP for a couple reasons...1.  I just like the round, that's a big chunk of lead going downrange.  Reason #2 is I try to keep my caliber inventory to a minimum, to make reloading a little easier and cheaper, and, heaven forbid, if the SHTF someday I don't want to have to worry about matching the right ammo to the right mag to the right gun.  Between all my guns, they cover 5 different calibers.  Some would argue that the more diversified your firearm inventory is the better chance you have of scavenging ammo, and I suppose that's a valid point, but I choose to keep my collection chambered in VERY common calibers.....less stuff to carry.

If you get the opportunity,find a place where you can shoot several different 9mm's and .45's, just to see what you like, then make a decision.  It matters not what anyone else says....you're the one who's going to have to shoot whatever it is you get, accurately and comfortably FWIW.

[GarandFan]

I hear you on the caliber diversity issue, and I can totally see your point.  Simplify, simplify, simplify.  Good general rule of thumb.  I follow it in some cases, but not in others.  Sometimes it's hard to keep my stuff organized!  I've got guns in the following calibers (copied from my ammunition inventory list):

.22 cb
.22 lr
.22 magnum
.22 short
.30 Carbine
.30-06
.303 British
.32 auto
.357 Magnum
.38 special
.380 acp
.40 S&W
.410 bore
.44 Magnum
.44 Special
.45 acp
12 gauge (1375)
5.45x39
5.56x45
6.5x55
6mmPPC
7.5x55
7.62x25
7.62x39
7.62x51
7.62x54r
7.65x53
8mm Mauser
9mm Luger
9x18mak

[TyGuy]

Use what you can effectively employ.

[gogo gadget glock]

There are obvious ballistic differences between 9mm luger and 45acp that you can easily find on the web.

Apart from ballistics, whether you enjoy firing a 45 or not depends on two major factors imo; your shooting style and the weapon you are using. If you fire a full size 9mm with ease you won't have much trouble handling most 45 autos.

My best advice is this: if the Colt feels "easy" to shoot at first and you are still comfortable firing it after you've pumped 100 rounds through it, you'll be fine. Get the grips, sights, and trigger customized for you and it will begin to feel like part of your body.

If it doesn't feel easy and comfortable at first, you will be reluctant to take it out of it's case and no amount of customization will make you love it.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGSII using Tapatalk

[jkrzos]

Howdy,

My input would be-BUY BOTH & PLENTY OF THEM.

I have never, repeat never lost money buying guns!

That being said, I have both, shoot both competitively, and enjoy my performance with both.  Do I win always, Heck no, but "a bad day at the range, is always better than a good day at work"

I shoot for the fun in it.  I will not win throphys, they just collect dust.  When I shot Cowboy Action, you needed to dress like your catagory-Hats,boots,leather,etc.  No one know your name, you went by a handle(just like the CBers) and just had fun.  Thats my kind of shooting.  Sorry for the rant, just my .02............

Buy both & shoot, become proficient with both-it will  pay back in the future.

jkrzos

[Jeckler]

As stated above, buy both.  If you buy the colt at "more than a fair price" and you don't like it, I'll be first in line to buy it from you at "more than a fair price."

There would be a long line of members who'd be interested.  Get it.  Consider it a rent to own.  If you like it, keep it.  If you don't like it...let me know.

[vezpa]

.45 Ammo costs a whole lot more to have just as much fun shooting.

[Jeckler]

http://www.armslist....iv-series-80-ss

Just in case you wanted to benchmark the price, here's a recent listing for a series 80.

[Getzapped]

If you have a good deal on a colt 1911, then BUY IT!  If you pass it up you will be sorry, because eventually you are gonna buy one!


This is my copy and paste opinion everytime this question is asked:    

hate these loaded questions, but i always have been a fan of the 45, 40, and 9mm.
Simple math shows the breakdown of the cartridges in power factor.
9mm m/v 1300 f/s 115gn p/f 150
.40 m/v 1050f/s 180gn p/f 189
.45 m/v 900 f/s 230gn p/f 207

If you wanted a fact then yes 45 has more power,
it also has more recoil.
9mm less force more controllable.

If you are looking for opinions between the 2 cartridges.

i say it is all BULL****!! NOBODY wants to get shot by anygun. If the need arised to have a gunfight you are not gonna be thinking about the stopping power or the recoil. The best caliber is what is loaded in the gun you are carrying. I am sure plenty of crimes have been deterred by a 22lr revolver being produced. If I were really concerned about having the most effective stopping power I would have a 50ae.
I have and do carry all three calibers and I don't think that it will really matter much when the time comes. Plenty of people have been killed by lesser cartridges.

see thread
http://illinoiscarry...=1

[citrix_guy]

Getzapped, on 09 April 2012 - 06:49 AM, said:

i say it is all BULL****!! NOBODY wants to get shot by anygun.

agreed!

the weapon you want is the one that you can quickly and repeatedly put rounds on target with. Period, stop, end of story.

You could have a cannon putting half inch diameter rounds down range and hitting nothing, or you could have a pea shooter and put 2,3 or 4 rounds center mass in a couple of seconds. if that is the case take the pea shooter. If you can control the cannon, rock it.

If you feel more comfortable with the 9mm use it. can there be arguments for a bigger round? sure. In a handgun is caliber as big of a deal as shot placement? I dont think so. a 9mm center mass or a .38 or .357 or.40 or .45 center mass is all pretty much the same to the guy sporting a new hole in his body. a .22 might be a different story, but you said you were more comfortable with the 9mm, so rock it.

Edited by citrix_guy, 09 April 2012 - 04:07 PM.

[kurt555gs]

A little math

360 Grain Buffalo Bore .454 Casull 2589 Ft/Lbs energy at the muzzle
230 Grain .45 ACP Ball 356 Ft/Lbs energy at the muzzle.

My calculator says it would take 7.27 direct hits with a .45 ACP to do the same damage as one bullet from my Ruger Alaskan. Even more from a .40. Prolly a whole box of 9mm's

Just FYI.

[GarandFan]

Massive overkill with the .454 Casull, unless perhaps you're in the Alaskan backcountry.

[kurt555gs]

GarandFan, on 10 April 2012 - 05:03 AM, said:

Massive overkill with the .454 Casull, unless perhaps you're in the Alaskan backcountry.

Luckily The Alaskan can also fire .45 Long Colt. I keep Hornady 225 Grain FTX rounds in it for home defense. I didn't look up the specs, but I imagine they are more than adequate for the home or carry.

I was just making a point.

[citrix_guy]

kurt555gs, on 09 April 2012 - 09:35 PM, said:

A little math

360 Grain Buffalo Bore .454 Casull 2589 Ft/Lbs energy at the muzzle
230 Grain .45 ACP Ball 356 Ft/Lbs energy at the muzzle.

My calculator says it would take 7.27 direct hits with a .45 ACP to do the same damage as one bullet from my Ruger Alaskan. Even more from a .40. Prolly a whole box of 9mm's

Just FYI.

True, but you are assuming that a specific amount of damage is needed. The .454 may take your head off, or be able to punch through 3 feet of ballistic gel, but is that much damage required to stop the target. Lets not confuse the guy looking for a 9mm... it will kill just as well as a hand cannon.

Edited by citrix_guy, 10 April 2012 - 06:43 AM.

[Xwing]

Personally, I prefer 9mm.  Relatively low-priced rounds (so I can spend more time at the range), easy to fire accurately, fits in small guns that are easy to conceal, and my wife will shoot 9mm (I finally got her to try something other than 22LR, even though it took more than 10 years to do).


But it’s an individual decision.  What is best for 1 person isn’t necessarily what is best for another.  Buy (and shoot) whichever you are more comfortable with.  There is no wrong answer.

[ChiShooter]

I think 45 is a bit stronger but both will do just fine. So it's a matter of personal preference. I prefer 45 and it's mainly because of the way it feels when fired. Not too strong, not too weak, just feels right to me. But that's just me - whatever works for you better is the one that is better.

[belercous]

I prefer a .40, but usually carry a .38 snubbie. But if I had to chose between a 9mm & a .45, I'd carry the.45. My Glock 30 fits the bill nicely. 10 rds. is more than enough.

[Ehjay]

Thank you for all the replies and opinions in this thread.  For now, I'm leaning toward not buying the 45 in question, mainly due to price of ammunition for it and limited funds .  I will say, however, that I do plan on running 50-100 more rounds through it just to make sure this is the right choice.

For those wondering, it's a series 80 colt with a few mods on it (recoil spring system and comp, ext. release, magwell, commander hammer, and skeleton trigger). I'll be honest and say I'm not sure exactly what all is good there, but I do like the extended slide release and the progressive recoil spring and comp.  Looking at it, it could definitely use updated sites.

Thanks again!
AJ

[Getzapped]

Be warned!!!  If this is a "killer" deal and you pass it up you are gonna be upset later on!!!  Everybody ends up with a 1911 at some point!!  (except maybe the people who drool over glocks)

[Lou]

Getzapped, on 12 April 2012 - 03:46 PM, said:

Be warned!!!  If this is a "killer" deal and you pass it up you are gonna be upset later on!!!  Everybody ends up with a 1911 at some point!!  (except maybe the people who drool over glocks)

It doesn't have to be an either/or.  
I had three 1911s and two Glocks ... until I turned them in to Father Pfleger at his last gun turn-in fiasco event.

[kurt555gs]

Ehjay, normally I like revolvers. I have a good selection of automatics as well. When I have to conceal carry, I choose my Kimber Super Carry Pro 1911. It molds in better than a double stack pistol. But mostly I feel confidant in the 1911. One hundred year old design our not. They got it right.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[howie]

GarandFan, on 08 April 2012 - 03:40 PM, said:

I hear you on the caliber diversity issue, and I can totally see your point.  Simplify, simplify, simplify.  Good general rule of thumb.  I follow it in some cases, but not in others.  Sometimes it's hard to keep my stuff organized!  I've got guns in the following calibers (copied from my ammunition inventory list):

.22 cb
.22 lr
.22 magnum
.22 short
.30 Carbine
.30-06
.303 British
.32 auto
.357 Magnum
.38 special
.380 acp
.40 S&W
.410 bore
.44 Magnum
.44 Special
.45 acp
12 gauge (1375)
5.45x39
5.56x45
6.5x55
6mmPPC
7.5x55
7.62x25
7.62x39
7.62x51
7.62x54r
7.65x53
8mm Mauser
9mm Luger
9x18mak

Mebbe you should have listed the calibers you DON'T have!