All Purpose Handgun Caliper

[brotherbrown831]

I am not new to firearms, but have only recently really taken a serious interest. For years my only handgun has been a SW Sigma 40VE. It was cheap and has served its purpose well, but I feel its time for me to get something a bit nicer. My philosophy on weapons is keep things simple by having as few unique calibers as possible. This means that what ever caliper I choose will need to be capable as a household defense round, a CCW round, a target/plinking round.

So here is my question, if you were going to have only one handgun caliber, what would it be. I'm kind of torn between 9mm and 40sw. 9mm is a bit cheaper and you can carry slightly more rounds in any given platform, but 40SW has better stopping power and I already have a reloading setup for 40SW.


Possible long term plans:
1. Glock 17 for the house, Kahr CM9 or PM9 for CCW, and maybe a Keltec-sub2k later just for fun.
or
2. Glock 23 for the house, Kahr CM40 or PM40 for CCW, and maybe a Keltec-sub2k later just for fun.

P.S. please excuse the typo in the title

 

[aeropb]

1. Get a 9mm. M&P, Glock, or XD are all pro choices that don't cost too much.
2. There's no such thing as stopping power.

 

[dennishoddy]

Sorry to be a smart ass, but my all purpose handgun caliper is a Brown and Sharpe.

 

[Road Runner]

In the past, I would have suggested to go with 9mm for low recoil, reasonable stopping power, cheaper to shoot and ammo is plentiful. After the last couple of months, ammo for 9mm has proven very difficult to find. However, there has been a decent variety of .40 on the store shelves. Since you are already setup to reload .40 S&W, my vote would be to go with .40 S&W as the caliber of choice.

For reliability, it is hard to beat a Glock. If you want a compact, go with the Glock 23 for .40 S&W (Glock 19 for 9mm). If you want subcompact, go with the Glock 27 for .40 S&W (Glock 26 for 9mm). The Kahr options you mention are also a good choice. I am partial to the PM models for a pocket gun. The sub2K is fun, but in my experience, it is not as reliable as Glock and Kahr.

 

[Dr_Mitch]

9mm is really ideal, especially because of capacity. Aiming is priority number one, but having a lot of firepower is exceptional. I'd like to reiterate that THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS STOPPING POWER while this thread is good and young.

 

[brotherbrown831]

Understood, in the future I will not use marketing terms like "stopping power".. What I was trying to convey is there is a reason .22LR is not an acceptable CCW round. And since I'm trying to pick a single caliber to fill all handgun roles, lethality and efficiency matters..

Right now in my mind 9mm is winning because the round are slightly smaller and lighter, meaning I can carry more per magazine and save a few ounces while out hiking, and under normal circumstances they are cheaper..

However, every time I begin to lean towards a 9mm I get an image of a black bear or boar charging me on a hunting trip and thinking to myself.. "well damn, this little round isn't going to stop that thing!, why didn't a bring a sidearm with more stoppi....umm... Lethality!" :-)

 

[mblndl]

I like the 40 and 9mm equally well, They each have their strong points and weaknesses. I personally like the 45 but you generally can carry fewer rounds. So it's more a matter of personal preference.

 

[aeropb]

Understood, in the future I will not use marketing terms like "stopping power".. What I was trying to convey is there is a reason .22LR is not an acceptable CCW round. And since I'm trying to pick a single caliber to fill all handgun roles, lethality and efficiency matters..

Right now in my mind 9mm is winning because the round are slightly smaller and lighter, meaning I can carry more per magazine and save a few ounces while out hiking, and under normal circumstances they are cheaper..

However, every time I begin to lean towards a 9mm I get an image of a black bear or boar charging me on a hunting trip and thinking to myself.. "well damn, this little round isn't going to stop that thing!, why didn't a bring a sidearm with more stoppi....umm... Lethality!" :-)

The vast majority of bear ambushes against armed individuals end in loss of life, no matter the caliber of the weapon carried.

 

[jerbo]

The Israeli air marshalls used to carry Berretta 22's and i like a 22 for lots of reasons, but i feel more comfortable with a 9mm or 40 cal on my hip. I like the 9mm the best because its got the hi cap mag.

 

[SoonerP226]

However, every time I begin to lean towards a 9mm I get an image of a black bear or boar charging me on a hunting trip and thinking to myself.. "well damn, this little round isn't going to stop that thing!, why didn't a bring a sidearm with more stoppi....umm... Lethality!" :-)

The differences in ballistics among 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP under those circumstances will be negligible; if anything, 9mm would have a slight advantage in that it is generally easier to get more rounds on target faster due to its lower recoil. 9mm is, IMHO, the best all-purpose handgun caliber of those three because of price, availability, and variety of commercial loads, at least under normal circumstances.

Plus, in a SHTF scenario, you can make like Clyde Barrow and steal ammo from the military.