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Here we go: 9mm vs. .45 ACP

There is no question that the .45acp is a much more effective round than the 9mm. The 9mm is like an ice pick whereas the .45 is more like a cannon ball. The question is how much are you willing to compromise in the name of practicality. Can you afford to feed a .45 often enough to be proficeint with it? Can you conceal a .45 as well as you can a 9mm? Can you handle the additonal noise/recoil of the .45? These are the areas where the 9mm has the advantage. Now with some of the newer 9mm +p and +p+ loads the 9mm can be very lethal but they will never have quite as much energy as the .45 when it comes to putting the metal to the meat.

A good compromise would be the .40sw. More stopping power than a 9mm, higher magazine capacity and easier to conceal than most .45s.

Carry what you are comfortable with and are able to use effectively. A lot of it comes down to shot placement. A 9mm to the chest certainly wont tickle. Besides, how many of us are carrying little pocket .380s now? Damn you Ruger LCP! I never knew how uncomfortable my Glock 23 was before I had you!
 
Depends on the application. Inexpensive target practicing.....9mm. A round I can count on to totally "F" someone up.........45acp. As far as capacity is concerned. Yes, more is better, I will not argue that. How could you? BUT, if you are TRAINING often like you should, then you WILL NOT need a but load of rounds. I train on a weekly basis with ALL of my pistols........yes, even mah 9's, but when it comes to my primary carry weapon it's almost always going to be a .45acp.

The key is TRAINING.....not target practice! Real, under stress, realistic action shooting. If you are fortunate enough to own rural land I suggest you set up a small training course and run some action drills. At my house I have built a small course consisting of various walls, targets and obstacles which recreate some of the possible scenarios I could face in a day to day setting. We often switch up the drills to keep it fresh. We almost always use a stopwatch just to add that factor of pressure and competitive drive. Each wall or obstacle is a different checkpoint from which we move to and fro in various order. We have numerous targets in different positions that we shoot at from the various checkpoints. In this course we will shoot at 10" - 6" metal plates from 25yrds - less than 5yrds. During these scenarios we incorporate mag changes and deliberate jams. We also run the course with our carbines. You wouldn't believe how much better of a shot I've become under these conditions.

Uh.....back on target here. The .45acp is the clear winner for me.........but it dont make a difference what you carry if you ain't prepared to effectively use the dang thing.

Coming to your place today to run the course!!! LOL

I completely agree with you ..I try doing the same on my friends land we will set up some scenarios and try to keep the pressure on while practicing.
 
I feel comfortable with my Bersa Thunder .380 with the Federal +P hollow points for concealment when my family and I are out to dinner or shopping. A double tap from 2 of these little sumbitches will make you think twice.
 
there is no chin under his beard, there is only another fist!

Hard to believe hes in his 70's now. Did anyone else ever notice that for a lot of the time when he was Walker Texas Ranger he carried a Taurus PT92? Only Chuck Norris can make a $300 POS look badass! lol
 
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