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Need a new Carry Gun...

lamebums

300 yards into the woods.
Jul 4, 2007
646
4
Concealed Carry passed, much to the dismay of rapists, muggers, robbers, and liberals all over the state.

<snip>

Although I currently carry a Ruger LCP in .380, if I had to choose between what you've listed, I would go with a .45. I chose it on sheer conceability more than anything else - although a poorly placed .380 would likely just piss the mugger off, it's certainly better than nothing.

I'm probably in danger of stirring up a hornet's nest here by down-talking the .40 and 9mm (and I own several of the latter category), but the U.S. Army for over a hundred years chose John Moses Browning's 1911 for a reason.

In the late Indian Wars of the 19th Century, many U.S. Army units tested out Luger's design (the .38 caliber, which later became the 9mm) as well as several smaller ones (the .32, etc). and one complaint came back: the round was simply too small.

Same thing with the Phillippine War of 1898-1902. There's stories of Moro tribesmen hacking American soldiers to death despite being filled with .38 caliber bullets fired from their new double-action revolvers. Eventually the US Government had to re-issue the old single action revolvers in .45 Colt, and that solved the issue.

The superior stopping power of the Thompson submachine gun versus comparables such as the MP-40 are well documented in World War II (the 9mm of the MP-40 was also inferior to Soviet submachine guns, which fired a significantly more powerful pistol round, the 7.62x25).

Even today, Special Forces units prefer the .45 for a reason.

From talking to a few friends who have done tours in Iraq, they've all heard horror stories of insurgents being shot full of 5.56mm and 9mm rounds and still living to tell the tale.

In war, it may be preferable to injury an enemy soldier and this tie up four times as many guys in the rear echelon with the resulting wounds and treatment. But this isn't war, this is self-defense. You don't want to injure the guy - you want him to stop mugging/burgling you.

And in that case (and for home/vehicle defense situations), I go - and would recommend you do it, too - with the tried and true 45. I don't believe any of this stuff about 'wonder nines', as cool as they may sound.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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LameBums - I agree. The power of the 45 trumps the 9mm no doubt.

I have a feeling that the difference here is the projectile. Like you said, this is self defense, not war. We don't have to abide by the Geneva convention which rules against hollow point ammunition used in war. When it comes to FMJ bullets, you're only option is frangibility. You need high velocity to do that and pistols just don't get anywhere near the velocity to achieve that. So basically in a war zone you're only option is poking holes in your enemies since that's what a FMJ does. Obviously the bigger the hole you poke, the more tissue is damaged, the more they bleed the faster they die. Hitting CNS is the same regardless of bullet type or caliber so we should focus on non-CNS hits when comparing projectiles .

The technology placed in current projectiles is amazing plain and simple. +p and +p+ rounds are available for 9mm which can put larger rounds downrange faster, couple that with with the advanced projectiles available, I believe the 9mm is an honest good choice for self defense.
 

Clugnut

Gimme some roombas!
Aug 13, 2006
3,423
1
+1

With ball ammo, no doubt that .45 is by far superior to 9mm. With hollow point ammo, .45 is still superior, but a +p 9mm with a Black Talon or similar bullet is nothing to sneeze at. If terminal performance is the only issue, then just go 10mm and be done with it. Every cartridge is a compromise, its just what you are comfortable with. Personally, .380 is borderline small for me unless I know I could place them. I have a couple 9mm's that I am comfortable know I could land the shot if I needed to.

I've heard the 9mm horror stories, too. The round is too small for our military which must use FMJ. So is the .223, but that is another argument....
 

sssmokin

Retired and loving it
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Jul 2, 2006
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I have a Glock 37 in .45 GAP, and it's a great cartridge...........but you're right. It's hard to find, especially in a small town. Also have this S&W Model 19 .357 which I love.
armory 001.jpg
 

Youngun5

Beware of the Phog!
Aug 26, 2004
2,734
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Thought I'd stop by long enough to recommend the Smith M & P.

I have the 9C. Liked the ergonomics better than the Glock, and shoot it much better. Conceals very well in my Comp-Tac Holster. I can't speak to their reliability...I haven't had any problems, but I've maybe only run 3 boxes through mine in a year.

I know you love Glock...but it might be worth trying...
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Thought I'd stop by long enough to recommend the Smith M & P.

I have the 9C. Liked the ergonomics better than the Glock, and shoot it much better. Conceals very well in my Comp-Tac Holster. I can't speak to their reliability...I haven't had any problems, but I've maybe only run 3 boxes through mine in a year.

I know you love Glock...but it might be worth trying...

I've shot all the current ploy framed weapons. I'm most accurate and comfortable with the Glocks.

3 boxes through your carry weapon? That would make me nervous. 300 rounds of ball at least as a function check and 100 rds of carry ammo to make sure it can cycle the hollow point properly. The loudest sound in the world is hearing a click, when you were expecting a bang.
 
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eclark53520

eclark53520

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Well, after a couple hundred rounds through my new G30 I can happily say that i definitely made the right choice(for me).

This thing is amazingly accurate. Perceived recoil is actually LESS than my full framed G21 due to the dual recoil spring they use in the G30. Conceals very well IWB under T shirts and likewise. Eats my carry ammo(Speer Gold Dot 230gr) like candy. I have had my permit for about 1 month and have gotten to the point where i don't even notice the gun there anymore. Between my holster and my belt, the weight is not an issue, nor is the size. Driving, bowling, working on cars, hunting, etc, it's with me every step of the way.

Very happy with my purchase.

Also, i would like to recommend the Holster that i bought for it. Tommy Theis is a one man operation making IWB holsters out of cow and horse hide mated with Kydex. They are tuck able, can be custom made, and hand made in the USA. Not to mention easy on the pocket book. $55 shipped for cow, and $65 shipped for horse. He also makes mag carriers. I had mine on my doorstep within a week of order.
 

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