My next buy- . 40 or 9mm?

[BehindBlueI's]

You can convert a .40 to shoot 9mm and .357 sig if you need to. If your happy with the .40, why change?

 

[seabassnfg]

No I haven't. I'm comfortable carrying my 4" xd. I don't want to go shorter than that. Although it's not ideal for conceal carry, I don't mind concealing it. I don't want to go any shorter than a 4" barrel.
But you do bring up a good point, I thought about my next handgun being a 5". I'm curious how much more accurate it will be

 

[88E30M50]

What are your goals for the second gun? If you are happy with the current gun for carry, are you looking for something different or are you adding a bit of resilience to carry routine. If you are looking for something different, yet still want it to be a good EDC gun, a 9mm might do the trick. Are you looking for a good full size home defense gun, maybe a G21 in .45 ACP might be good. There are lots of good choices out there so it's tough to give a decent recommendation without knowing what you want from the new gun. What ever you do, don't buy a CZ 75 though. It will spoil you and every gun you buy after that will be a disappointment in comparison. Those should be legally mandated to be no sooner than the 5th gun a person buys.

Also, don't expect to see a noticeable difference in accuracy based on barrel length alone. There are arguments that go both ways in regards to the impact of barrel length on accuracy. Some feel that a shorter sight radius makes it easier to pick the front sight up easier. There are videos of a Glock 27 being used to plink steel at 200 yards using a 3.42 inch barrel (Search for Hickock45).

 

[HSC]

I took all the sage advice from our brothers and was still undecided. I eventually went with the 40 but I also bought a 9mm barrel to fit it and it was the smartest thing I ever did as now when I'm out I carry the 40, the 9 gives me ammo purchase options and the 9's are cheaper to plink with. God forbid we ever get in another ammom situation as the one we came out of but I feel as if I've somewhat got it covered.

 

[mrortega]

I carried my Glock 23 all the time and figured I'd get a bigger version just for home defense so I bought the G22. After shooting them a few times at the range I starting thinking, "why would I want to have two different guns? I should train with just one and use it in all circumstances so I have the same feel whether it's at home or on my belt." I sold the G22 and now just use the one gun. I don't even bother to put the larger mag in the 23 for home. If I can't do it with 13+1 15+1 probably won't help much more. (Besides, my primary at home will be either my Mossy 12ga with 00 buck or my AR. The handgun is strictly a back-up.)

 

[mrortega]

Wow, so many replies in such a short period. Thanks for all the info!
I have been eyeing the M&P. 40 because I heard you can turn it into a 9mm by simply buying a barrel and clip. Any thoughts on that idea? Thanks again everyone!

The same caveat as with any other brand swap. I have a 9mm barrel and magazine for my G27 (.40). I've heeding the warning to not just change out the barrel and use if for possible combat. The reason? The 9mm case is a little smaller in diameter than the .40 (.357 vs .40.) I've never had a failure to eject with the switched barrel but the extractor could slip off the 9mm rim because it's sized for the .40. You don't want that when you're trying to defend yourself. It's great for practive but if I wanted to convert full time to the 9mm I'd change out the recoil spring and extractor.

 

[mrortega]

To the post about barrel length and accuracy, I was surprised to find that my shorty G27 in .40 cal is a little more accurate at 10, 20 and 30 yds with 180gr Federal HST than my bigger G23 is with its favorite, 180gr Speer Gold Dots. BUT, even though the 27 holds a little tighter the center of the group moves up and to the left at the longer ranges. The 23 opens up a little faster but stays centered on the original aim point. Because of that I consider the 23 to be, if not technically then realistically, more accurate.

 

[seabassnfg]

My main goal for my second gun is for home defense.

Seems like too many people don't like the .40 caliber.. Why is that? When I bought my. 40 I thought it was the perfect compromise. Between 9mm and.45

 

[Rocketscientist]

My main goal for my second gun is for home defense.

Seems like too many people don't like the .40 caliber.. Why is that? When I bought my. 40 I thought it was the perfect compromise. Between 9mm and.45

I say go for a 9mm just for diversity. At the end of the day, its no more or less capable of punching a hole in something (or someone) should the need arise, right? Plus you'd be giving yourself one more option to add to the list.

I bought a .40 G22 years ago when a lot of the police departments were switching over to .40. It was the latest and greatest. Now the trend has been heading back toward 9mm last I knew. So now I carry a 9mm as my EDC. That being said, (law-types please chime in), would it not be better for you if you carried what most LE agencies carry should you find yourself on trial? Maybe I'm misguided on that, maybe not, but that's one of my big deciding factors on what to EDC. What's everyone's take on that?

 

[88E30M50]

My main goal for my second gun is for home defense.

Seems like too many people don't like the .40 caliber.. Why is that? When I bought my. 40 I thought it was the perfect compromise. Between 9mm and.45

I'm with you on this. I have nothing against the 9mm, but I do think the .40 round is the perfect compromise. You don't lose the capacity you would for a similarly sized .45 and you don't lose the energy that going to a standard 9mm would entail. I've found 9mm +P to be close to the energy of a .40 but it's almost as snappy and you still lose 50 thousandths in diameter. That 50 thou can be the difference between nicking an artery and severing one. And that can be the difference in stopping a threat in time.

I don't understand why there's so much .40 angst. 9mm and .45 are great rounds, but so is the .40.

 

[IndyGlockMan]

I don't understand why there's so much .40 angst. 9mm and .45 are great rounds, but so is the .40.

Because this is INGO... there's angst around every corner... but I still like it

 

[LANShark42]

I don't understand why there's so much .40 angst. 9mm and .45 are great rounds, but so is the .40.

Law enforcement seems to be dropping .40 in droves. That's good enough for me...

 

[Jagunn]

I have a few different carry guns 380, 9, and 40. If you like to practice and be comfortable with what you shoot amd not spend a lot of money on ammo I would suggest the 9, Plenty of knock down power. ive owned several 40s from full size to sub compact and they are all snappy, I carry my 40 95% of the time. I would choose the 9 if you already have 40 gives u a variety and is cheaper to practice with.

 

[Toughestsoldiers]

the thing that i have found in the 40 is its a very flippy round. it doesnt kick as much as the 45 but it really lifts the muzzle asnd makes follow up shots harder. that said as a person defense round i think its great bc it has high capacity with a +p pressure and velocity.

 

[Grelber]

Buy a shotgun for home defence.

 

[Toughestsoldiers]

I like 40 but i also second shotguns for home defense and 9mm otherwise. One nice thing about 9mm is they gain a handling advantage when you are talking poly pistols versus there all steal counterparts.

 

[seabassnfg]

Thanks for all the input. I agree with me needing to have a shotgun, I plan on it one day..

And I decided to go with a 9mm for my next purchase. I decided I would like a round that has a more controllable recoil. My .40 is very snappy like a lot of you are saying. The cheaper ammo is a plus too!

 

[Toughestsoldiers]

Another nice thing about getting the 9 is that it gives you some versatility if shtf. I dont believe in the inevitable doomsday but its kind of comforting that if i ever have to scavenge i can scavenge multiple very popular calibers.

 

[Tomahawkman]

Another nice thing about getting the 9 is that it gives you some versatility if shtf. I dont believe in the inevitable doomsday but its kind of comforting that if i ever have to scavenge i can scavenge multiple very popular calibers.

I agree, I currently carry a glock 19.
aside from my 1911 being in .45 i am going to try to keep any future handguns in 9mm.

 

[mpd]

I will be buying my second handgun within the next few days.
I currently have a Springfield XD. 40 which I use as my carry and home defense weapon.

I will be buying another handgun so I can have one dedicated to be my edc, and the other to be my dedicated home defense weapon.
I wanted my next purchase to be in the same caliber to make things more simple when buying ammo, and also the same feeling when firing both guns.
I recently started considering 9mm because of the increased capacity.

I am interested to hear what you have to say should I. Stick with. 40 or should I invest in a 9mm.
Thanks!

Plus and minus with both.

I went with a 9mm... higher round capacity in mags considering the same model vs .40.

However, you mentioned you already have a .40...If I had a .40 already I'd probably lean towards that type of gun because as you mentioned you already have the ammo. At the same time 9mm is often easier to locate and cheaper.

Good luck. Safe shooting.