As an officer, do you see a lot of cases of people attacked by windshields?As an officer I'd say .40. 45 is a little expensive and 9mm I've seen not make it through light glass (car). .40 is all around perfect!
As an officer I'd say .40. 45 is a little expensive and 9mm I've seen not make it through light glass (car). .40 is all around perfect!
I once went shooting with a buddy who was K-9/SWAT with Plainfield PD. While shooting his department issued Sig Sauer 9mm...we observed several rounds 'glancing' off various vehicle's windshields while shooting in an auto junkyard...whereas my .357mag GP100 penetrated nearly everything around!
Shortly thereafter, his 'backup/off-duty' weapon became a Ruger Security-Six with a 2.75" barrel!
9mm is perfectly fine. If you look around several PD's are going to 9mm from 40. On the "mythical" effectiveness of the 45 over everything else somebody didn't tell this guy how deadly the 45 is! His leg didn't vaporize or did he get knock back 10-20-30 or however many feet the story goes.
http://youtu.be/p3kJ6SU3ycs
For home defense, I would recommend the .45 ACP. Good man stopper, and the slowest bullet. Better transfer of energy to target and less threat of shooting thru walls etc.
Yes ,with most women Ive seen shoot the 45 it seems to be too much recoil and most are too much of a handful & recovery time is bad. the .40 ,better for them ,9mm with most just right and so much more managable,thus safer,enjoyable & more accurate shooting.
40s&w, won't over penetrate and doesn't have the massive recoil of the .45. All around great round!
Felt recoil depends a lot on size of the gun and length of the barrel. Also, someone else mentioned ergonomics....how the gun actually feels in your hand will make all the difference in the world.
. ...Thats why I prefer a heavy steel pistol or rifle,I never understood the concept of 'light' in any weapon. bad recoil & cant shoot as well. I have a 'mountain 'rifle,its a joke ,too light to hold it still,Im going to get a heavy stock and add 2+ lbs.Two examples why it is important to try different platforms in various calibers and form your own opinion.
Myself, I find the recoil in .45 not as bad in a steel framed gun as compared to a smaller caliber in a lighter framed weapon. While I have only tried the .40 S&W in polymer framed gun, I did find it to be the snappiest of the (3) calibers mentioned. Even 9mm can be a little snappy in a small, polymer package.