9mm vs. .45 ACP

[Ron Burgundy]

I'm looking to buy a handgun for self defense. I can't decide between 9mm and 45. I'm planning to get a Glock because of their reliability and affordability. But if you think something else is better, post it.

I'm not an experinced shooter, and I don't plan on spending a huge amount of time practicing.

I'm assuming the 9mm is easier to shoot, but the 45 has better stopping power. Is this correct? Are there any other factors to take into account? What's the difference in price for the ammo?

[Borodog]

9mm has higher capacity magazines.

"Stopping power" is largely irrelevent when you have 18 rounds in the gun.

[amplify]

Glock 30 is everything you could ever want in a handgun. 10 rounds of .45 caliber stopping power, 100% reliability, and extreme accuracy out of the box.

[amplify]

Hey, it took until the 2nd reply for this to turn into an anti-gun thread!

[Peter666]

[ QUOTE ]
Glock 30 is everything you could ever want in a handgun. 10 rounds of .45 caliber stopping power, 100% reliability, and extreme accuracy out of the box.

[/ QUOTE ]

Right on. I would only consider the 9mm if you get squirmish around a 45. The 9mm is nicer to shoot, but a 45 is superior for self defence if you are comfortable with it.

[GTL]

i have a question. i'm thinking about getting a gun to shoot at the range. not going to use it for home defense. would you guys suggest a 9mm or are the larger calibers more challenging and therefore more fun to shoot? i have never been to a shooting range. would i be able to go down there and shoot a bunch of different guns? do i need to get some kind of license or training before they will let me shoot certain pistols?

[amplify]

GTL,

Judging from your avatar I'd suggest you perhaps look for a different hobby [img]/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[FocusedOne]

[ QUOTE ]
i have a question. i'm thinking about getting a gun to shoot at the range. not going to use it for home defense. would you guys suggest a 9mm or are the larger calibers more challenging and therefore more fun to shoot? i have never been to a shooting range. would i be able to go down there and shoot a bunch of different guns? do i need to get some kind of license or training before they will let me shoot certain pistols?

[/ QUOTE ]

I have spent hundreds of hours at the range and I can tell you that buying .40 and .45 ammo gets expensive in the long run, so much so that I am rarely using anything but a 9mm at the range these days.

[Blarg]

[ QUOTE ]
9mm has higher capacity magazines.

"Stopping power" is largely irrelevent when you have 18 rounds in the gun.

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't go that far. If you're being shot at too, you need to land your hits firstest and mostest. Plus, you don't want to shoot up the neighborhood, especially if you have kids in the house.

[TexRef]

[ QUOTE ]
"Stopping power" is largely irrelevent when you have 18 rounds in the gun.

[/ QUOTE ]
In a self-defense situation you are probably getting 1-2 shots off. Quality (accuracy) >>>>>>>>> Quantity in this case and it's not even close.