# 9mm or .40 for first handgun



## INhunter63 (May 30, 2011)

Im and 18 yr old male and am looking into getting my first handgun. I should also say that im definetly not new to guns just handguns. Im pretty set on the Springfield XD .40 Service model, But am having a hard time deciding if i should get it in .40 S&W or 9mm. I mostly want to use it when i go hunting or camping or anywhere in the wilderness where thery could be potential for crazy animals and crazy people. If you could give me "advice" on what caliber would be best for me and why that would be great! Thanks for your time.


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## hud35500 (May 8, 2010)

I prefer the .40, but with the right ammo, there isn't much to choose between the two. The .40 has slightly more recoil, so follow up shots may be a tad slower. Might I suggest a .45 ? The XD45 is a super handgun. The XDM45 is even better. 14 rounds of .45acp should handle most "crazies".


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## INhunter63 (May 30, 2011)

hud35500 said:


> I prefer the .40, but with the right ammo, there isn't much to choose between the two. The .40 has slightly more recoil, so follow up shots may be a tad slower. Might I suggest a .45 ? The XD45 is a super handgun. The XDM45 is even better. 14 rounds of .45acp should handle most "crazies".


Thanks for the reply! Anyone else have an opinion, im kinda worried about ammo cost too since im getting ready to go to college and funds will be kinda tight.


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## ozzy (Apr 16, 2011)

I like and have the .40 myself but the .9mm will be a lot cheaper on ammo.


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## Triple7 (May 9, 2011)

I like the 9mm better myself. Not as snappy easy for newbies, can have 17 in a clip. Ammo cost is cheap if you plan on shooting alot


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## cougartex (Jan 2, 2010)

I vote for the 9mm.


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## srommes (Apr 11, 2011)

I'd say 9mm as well. With +P/+P+ ammo available for the 9mm nowadays it just makes more sense to go the 9mm route. You can fire the cheaper, regular 9mm ammo when at the range and load your gun up with the +P/+P+ ammo when you are out in the wilderness etc.


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## dondavis3 (Aug 2, 2009)

I believe that the 9mm is much more functional for a new shooter.

It's much easier to shoot and the cost for 9 mm ammo is 1/2 of the .40 ca.

If you shoot much the money you save on ammo alone will pay for another gun.

:smt066


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

ozzy said:


> I like and have the .40 myself but the .9mm will be a lot cheaper on ammo.


Yes, but is it enough to make a difference to the O.P.? I see CCI Blazer ammo listed on Able's Ammo:

9mm: 11.15/50 rounds
40: $17.50/50 rounds

This is practice ammo; if you shoot 50 rounds per week (2,500 per year), it adds $6.35 per week to your shooting expenses. Percentage-wise it is a big jump, but (for me, at least) the $6.35/week is not a persuasive argument.

If you are not recoil sensitive I think the .40 is a better round. If you are recoil sensitive then the 9mm is better.


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## dondavis3 (Aug 2, 2009)

I don't personally shoot blazer ammo.

I can buy 9mm on sale for 9.95 per 50 at Cabella's & Academy.

.40 Cal for $18 to $19 per 50.

$10 a box times 52 weeks = $520 = the money I'm saying to buy another gun.

But to each his own.

:smt1099


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## ozzy (Apr 16, 2011)

I carry a Taurus PT140 but am thinking about picking up the same gun in 9mm just for practice.


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## Packard (Aug 24, 2010)

dondavis3 said:


> I don't personally shoot blazer ammo.
> 
> I can buy 9mm on sale for 9.95 per 50 at Cabella's & Academy.
> 
> ...


Yeah, but still that's just two beers a week.

My point is, if you think the .40 is a better round, I think you can come up with the $10.00/week difference. If you don't think it is a better round then it would be foolish to spend the extra money.


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## Aaron1100us (May 26, 2011)

What kind of crazy animals could you run into? Crazy raccoon? mountain lion? bear? squirrel? A 9mm or .40 might due if it's small, otherwise I'd look at a bigger caliber.


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## Mr.Williamson (May 31, 2011)

Glock 17. If your talking about animals, why not go to a higher caliber? Better to overkill than not kill at all...


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## whtsmoke (May 25, 2011)

I do not like the 9mm too much never have, carried one in the field in Viet Nam that was picked up, but I think the 9 is your best bet due to economics. I have switched to one for a range gun and I am comming around to it but its fun to shoot and pretty cheap. Wally World sells Federal 115 grains for 10.47 a box.


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## Ala Tom (Apr 1, 2011)

You need low cost and good potential to learn about pistol. The 9mm would be best.


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## chessail77 (Mar 15, 2011)

You might consider getting the .40 with a 9mm conversion barrel for range and practice......


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## cluznar (Mar 11, 2012)

*9mm or .40*

Why limit yourself to 9mm and .40? If there are Bears or mountain Lions where you camp maybe you want a .357 which can also be cheap for practice with .38 ammo.


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## SigmaBoy (Mar 18, 2012)

I have a 9mm and a 40sw. Let me just say that I'm glad I still have a 9mm. They are very capable caliber and are easier to shoot than the 40sw. Yes, the 40sw is more powerful but they both depends on the ammo you use, they make a difference.


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## Hurryin' Hoosier (Jan 8, 2011)

9MM (of the Beretta 92/M9 variety).


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## SpaceFlunky (Apr 2, 2012)

i just got my first handgun about 2 months ago and it is a compact .40 cal. After shooting my friends M&P 9mm and 45ACP, i have started looking at those 2 calibers more and more.
I am thinking now on getting a 9mm for the heavier range use (and possible carry later on) and the 45 as a home defense gun that will get lighter range use, mostly due to ammo costs.
It just seemed to me that the .40 kicked harder than the 9mm and 45, thus making follow up shots longer to line up. Tho this is coming from a guy who has only had a gun for 2 months, so take it as you will but those are my plans. I have been working on my grip and stance, which has helped me control the gun better but it still too "sparky" for me.


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## sonja (Sep 16, 2011)

As someone said, the 40 actually kicks harder than either the 45 or the 9mm. Actually, I think it's more "different" than harder. 40 tends to be a sharp and snappy recoil impulse - the 45 ACP is more a push. 

In any case, I'd start with a 9mm. Easy to shoot, lot's of ammo out there. Some inexpensive ammo is quite good. Back when 9mm aluminum cased Blazer was really cheap, I bought quite a bit of it. Over the years I've shot many thousands of rounds of it -- never had any sort of problem. Always goes BANG, cleaner than WWB, never had a hard primer issue the way I did with some European Ammo. 

9mm -- if you get to like shooting a handgun, you will tend to shoot more than 50 rounds a week. Doing that with a 40 or 45 can become quite expensive.

Also, 9mm self defense rounds seem to be quite efficient. Lots of choices.


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## berettatoter (Sep 1, 2011)

sonja said:


> As someone said, the 40 actually kicks harder than either the 45 or the 9mm. Actually, I think it's more "different" than harder. 40 tends to be a sharp and snappy recoil impulse - the 45 ACP is more a push.
> 
> In any case, I'd start with a 9mm. Easy to shoot, lot's of ammo out there. Some inexpensive ammo is quite good. Back when 9mm aluminum cased Blazer was really cheap, I bought quite a bit of it. Over the years I've shot many thousands of rounds of it -- never had any sort of problem. Always goes BANG, cleaner than WWB, never had a hard primer issue the way I did with some European Ammo.
> 
> ...


I agree with this post here. I have been shooting more 9mm due to expense. There is nothing wrong with the 9mm for self defense. There are lots of holes in the ground that are occupied by the bodies of those who found out the hard way.


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## SouthernBoy (Jun 27, 2007)

The modern .40S&W is a premium self defensive pistol caliber and just about as good as it gets. But ammo is more expensive than 9mm so if range work is a priority and funds are limited, the 9mm is your better choice. With high quality loads, the 9mm would serve you well for defense against human predators. As for dangerous animals, between these two calibers I go with the .40S&W. Don't expect to be well armed against a bear or large cat with a 9mm or a 40. For animals like that, I would prefer a good .44 Magnum. Bears are tenacious and take some hard hitting bullets in heavy bone to bring them down.

So for self defense against two-legged predators and with a limited budget, I would go with the 9mm and practice with it a lot.


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## Rockhound (Sep 28, 2011)

Go with 9mm. It is easier to control and cheaper to shoot.


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## Ala Tom (Apr 1, 2011)

I generally favor the .40 but that is only for people who are fairly proficient at pistol shooting. The best first gun does depend heavily on who you are - your age, health and build. For the young person, such as the young guy who started this, I think 9 mm is the best place to start. But with a year or two of active shooting (2X per month) I'd expect you to move to a .40 or .45 with perhaps a 9 mm mouse gun for backup. The point would be you need to learn to shoot accurately given moderate recoil before working up to heavier recoil. If you are middle age or older in less than great shape, you should consider a smaller caliber than 9 mm, perhaps .22, .32 or .380. (I recently noticed a .22 round - the "stinger" - that has enough energy at 190 ft lb to be useful in self defense.) You could work into a .40 cal with practice. For people older than 70 who have never shot a gun before, I'd recommend they learn and stay with the small caliber auto and, perhaps the revolver if they cannot operate the slide or load a magazine. 

I am 68 and use a small .40 cal. But I learned to shoot many years ago with a range of calibers. Still loading the magazine and operating the slide are things I have to practice to do well. I can shoot it fairly well as well as a medium-sized .40 cal. I tried smaller 9 mm guns with mixed success. I have been trying to advise my 91 year-old brother-in-law on a self-defense gun. He can operate the slide on my .40's but can't load a magazine. He's the one who showed me the "Stinger" .22 loads in his Beretta .22 LR. I am hoping to move him up to a .380 with a laser - another feature older people can use. I use an LGS/Range in a medium southern city and regularly see oder men and ladies buying guns and shooting on the range for the first time. People of all types feel a need for protection.

One thing that is clear, everyone can have fun shooting on a range as they learn. It does not have to be work.


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## barstoolguru (Mar 3, 2012)

Get a glock 23 in 40 and get a conversion barrel to shoot 9mm


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## Wildman1024 (Feb 25, 2012)

I just started shooting handguns within the last few months myself. I have a variety of guns and calibers already. I would honestly say go with the 9mm 1st or a 45 ALL METAL GUN. I have a CZ 75 compact 40 and even though its heavy it has a sharp recoil and I shoot the worst with it.

Look into either the FNP-9 which is a very nice gun for less then $500 or the Stoeger line in either 9 or 45. I have the stoeger in 45 and its a great gun with barely any more recoil then the FNP-9. Both can be had NEW for less then $500. 

Just remember you can shoot 100 rounds of 9mm for the price of 50 rounds of 40 or 45. 9mm is very capable also


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## David_Pavlich (Apr 20, 2012)

Wildman1024 said:


> Just remember you can shoot 100 rounds of 9mm for the price of 50 rounds of 40 or 45. 9mm is very capable also


I just received a Stoeger in 40mm, haven't had a chance to get to the range yet, and just ordered a Ruger P95 in 9mm for the exact reason as stated above.

David


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## Donald (Apr 20, 2012)

9mm is cheaper to shoot


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## tarmac (May 25, 2008)

I have a Glock 23 40S&W, I then purchased a Lonewolf 40 to 9 conversion barrel and two Glock 19 magazines. That gave me both the 40 S&W and 9mm. Then just recently I bought a Glock 32, 357 Sig barrel. With the Sig barrel I can use my G23 magazines. So for a total of about $850 I have a 40 S&W, 9mm and a 357 Sig. all in one pistol and any of the combinations have been 100% reliable.


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## rickohio (May 4, 2012)

Ala Tom said:


> I generally favor the .40 but that is only for people who are fairly proficient at pistol shooting. The best first gun does depend heavily on who you are - your age, health and build. For the young person, such as the young guy who started this, I think 9 mm is the best place to start. But with a year or two of active shooting (2X per month) I'd expect you to move to a .40 or .45 with perhaps a 9 mm mouse gun for backup. The point would be you need to learn to shoot accurately given moderate recoil before working up to heavier recoil. If you are middle age or older in less than great shape, you should consider a smaller caliber than 9 mm, perhaps .22, .32 or .380. (I recently noticed a .22 round - the "stinger" - that has enough energy at 190 ft lb to be useful in self defense.) You could work into a .40 cal with practice. For people older than 70 who have never shot a gun before, I'd recommend they learn and stay with the small caliber auto and, perhaps the revolver if they cannot operate the slide or load a magazine.
> 
> I am 68 and use a small .40 cal. But I learned to shoot many years ago with a range of calibers. Still loading the magazine and operating the slide are things I have to practice to do well. I can shoot it fairly well as well as a medium-sized .40 cal. I tried smaller 9 mm guns with mixed success. I have been trying to advise my 91 year-old brother-in-law on a self-defense gun. He can operate the slide on my .40's but can't load a magazine. He's the one who showed me the "Stinger" .22 loads in his Beretta .22 LR. I am hoping to move him up to a .380 with a laser - another feature older people can use. I use an LGS/Range in a medium southern city and regularly see oder men and ladies buying guns and shooting on the range for the first time. People of all types feel a need for protection.
> 
> One thing that is clear, everyone can have fun shooting on a range as they learn. It does not have to be work.



I think he needs a Lula Universal loader.


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## SteveC (Apr 27, 2012)

I guess I'm repeating points a lot of people have already made by noting that 9mm is cheaper and a bit easier to shoot and a perfectly capable defensive round especially with the right ammo. For a new pistol shooter the benefits of a higher caliber when it comes to hitting power are offset IMHO by the benefits of 9mm - you'll be able more easily to develop good shooting basics and you'll want to shoot a lot to develop skills and the cheaper ammo will make that more fun. Plus there's a pretty good chance you'll be looking for another pistol in the near future (it just works like that lol) and you can move up in caliber then.


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## Ala Tom (Apr 1, 2011)

9 mm is best in most respects but not if you expect to meet big angry bears or people. It depends on where you live. In Grizzly Country, you need a revolver with at least a .41 magnum hole in the end. For general shooting and defense against troublesome people, a .40 is better than a 9 mm as long as you have nearly a full size XD. Springfield makes a great sub compact but you need that in a 9 to start with. You will adjust for ammo cost with the frequency of your trips to the range. You need a lot at first and then not so many.


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## Pistol Pete (Jan 8, 2010)

I'd opt for the 9MM. Ammo is a lot less expensive and it has less recoil. Shoot it enough to be competent with it, bullet placement is usually more important than the difference between the 9 and the .40. I've shot both and found the 40 to be a lot snappier than the 9.


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## Ala Tom (Apr 1, 2011)

Where I shoot, 9mm costs $13 and .40 costs $15-18 depending on how picky you are. Not that much difference. I still pay $1.20 per bullet for defense loads but don't go through many of those.


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## lamrith (Apr 23, 2012)

Here locally the cheapo ammo at the range $12.96 for 9mm, 22.99 for 40. The stores I have looked at retain roughly the same price spread comparing same brand/model of ammo.

One thing I noticed yesterday while looking was that all the big box stores with cheap ammo were OUT of 9mm, as in cleaned out of the cheap stuff. I finally found a 100count box @ wallmart for $19.98, and got the last one. That puts it @ 9.99/50. The 40 they had was more than double that.


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## dondavis3 (Aug 2, 2009)

I don't know where you're buy ammo, but:

Walmart
Cabela's
Bass Pro Shop
Academy Sport & Outdoor

are all approximately 

9mm $11 + or -
.40 $22 + or -

Prices change daily, but .40 is always about double the cost of 9mm.

:smt1099


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## BurgerBoy (Apr 24, 2012)

Go with 9mm.


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## TOF (Sep 7, 2006)

Get Ammo Prices here: 9mm Luger (9x19 Parabellum) handgun ammo ammunition - AmmoSeek.com

If you shoot much buy in bulk and get more bang for your buck.


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## Grunt (May 5, 2012)

If possible, go to your local gun store or range & try both out & see how they work for
you, as to recoil, and how well you shoot each ( same gun in each, of course ). Go with
what you shoot the best. The price of ammo isn't what you're going to be concerned about
when it hits the fan with a bad guy. 
I've had both, still do, actually, have no problem with either. My carry gun is a 40, as is my
duty gun. 
Asking someone else which caliber you should buy, is like asking which woman you should marry.
Personal choice. JMHO


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## dman (May 14, 2012)

Crazy animals and crazy people in the woods I choose G-20 , long barrel 10mm.. It will stop a bear and where I pack there many bear.


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## Desertrat (Apr 26, 2007)

9mm.....ammo concerns......


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## Russ (Aug 19, 2011)

Packard said:


> Yes, but is it enough to make a difference to the O.P.? I see CCI Blazer ammo listed on Able's Ammo:
> 
> 9mm: 11.15/50 rounds
> 40: $17.50/50 rounds
> ...


Packard:

$6.35/week x 52 weeks (one year) = $330.20 x 10 years = $3,302 or a Cruise to the Caribbean for my wife and I. If that isn't persuasive to go 9mm over 40 caliber nothing will persuade you.

Youtube has extensive ballistic gel tests using Gold Dot 124 grain +p vs. 40 Gold Dot and there really is not enough difference to go 40 caliber. The penetration is 13 inches for the 9mm and 3 inch wide gashes. The 40 caliber is less than one inch more penetration.

Enjoy your 40 caliber. I will be thinking about you on my cruise.

Russ


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## jd_mitchell (Jan 17, 2012)

Try a couple of each & see which you like. Should be easy if you have friends or a gun club nearby that have members that will let you.


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