How much difference is there between a .40 and .45 handgun? Kick? Stopping power? Price? Accuracy? Bullet pri?

Question

ce?

Im looking at Springfield XD's...

Answer 1

The price difference is in dollars per box.  The .45acp is more expensive.  Accuracy is similar depending on platform.  Recoil is dependent on load.  Not enough difference for this to be a deal breaker.  Both have over 95% 1 shot stops in police shootings.  Often times the .40 S&W versions of handguns have a higher capacity magazine.    

Either are a good option for a XD.  The XD M (match barrel) is only available in .40, so that should influence your decision if you are looking to get the "best" XD.   A 16 round standard magazine which is the highest capacity in the industry.    

Answer 2

Not to much difference in the Power, Kick, Accuracy, or pullet price.

Here is a real good conversation.

http://shootersforum.com/showthread.htm?...

Answer 3

The 45 acp because you have a greater variety of bullet weights to choose from.*

Answer 4

The .40 is seen by some as a good compromise between the light recoil 9mm and the heavy recoil .45 ACP.  The .40 has been adopted by many police departments in the country and it has proven itself to be an effective round for self defense.  It doesn't hit as hard as the .45 but defensive shooting is more about shot placement than hitting hard.

Although accuracy has a little to do with the cartridge in the balance of the bullet, efficiency of the powder, overall length. etc, precision is a factor of the gun more than the ammo.

Precision is how well the gun and ammo will repeat itself.  If you aim for the bulls-eye and consistently hit an inch to the left, this is precision.

If you adjust your aim to the right and consistently hit the bulls-eye, this is accuracy.

Accuracy is about the whole package.  The shooter, the ammo, and the gun.

Answer 5

This debate has been going on since the 1870's.  Don't think I'm nuts just consider a couple of things/

1 - the original .45 ACP loading was a virtual duplicate of the old standard .45 Long Colt load.  The ACP delivered a 230 grain bullet at around 900 fps.  The Long Colt cartridge delivered a 255 grain bullet at around 900 fps.  That is near enough alike to call them fraternal twins.

The .40 S&W is virtually a ballistic twin of the venerable old .38-40 WCF.  The .40 S&W delivers a 180 gr. bullet at around 1,000 fps.  The .38-40 delivers the same bullet (the .38-40 is actually a .40 caliber) at around 1160 fps (from a rifle, probably around 1,000 fps in a handgun).

Lots of old time gunmen preferred the .38-40 WCF over the .45 LC due to reduced recoil and better penetration.  Lots of them went so far as to say that the .38-40 was a better killer than the .45.  Fans of the .45 countered with boasts of larger diameter, and heavier bullets for better retained velocity and better penetration at longer ranges.

The introduction of the .40 S&W some twenty years ago simply fanned the embers of that decades old long argument.

Truth is, we are no nearer coming to a definitive answer to the question than we were in 1875.  So, what it boils down to is pick the cartridge that fits the handgun that best fits your hand, use the most effective load available for your cartridges, and be assured that if you put the bullet in the right place, the target will die.

Doc

Answer 6

All modern guns are as accurate as the shooter.  Neither one has much recoil.  The .45 acp is rated as the second best stopper after the .357 Magnum and the .40 was designed to duplicate the .45's performance in a smaller platform handgun.  Ammo price should be close with the .45 acp slightly cheaper because it is more abundant and easier to find.  I'm a 10mm man myself but if I had to pick one between the .40 & the .45 I'd pick the tried-n-true .45 acp.

H

Answer 7

Its really a differtent kind of kick. I have found the .40 to have a sharper, snappier recoil than the .45.

I carry an XD .40 sub-compact and I love it.

I paid about 395 for it with 3 mags and the holster, new two years ago.

The 45. is best for stopping, but the .40 is effective according to all the data I've seen.  

Answer 8

Belive it or not, both calibers deliver about the same ammount of energy, 400-500 foot pounds. Of course, the .45 bullet will make a larger wound, but the the 40 cal bullet that travels quite a bit faster has a beter chance of causeing something called hydrostatic shock. thats a theory that a fast moving bullet creates presure waves inside of a body, damaging nearby organs without having to pass through them. I prefer the 40 cal personaly, the main reason is you can have a full size 40 cal with 15 rounds that give off 500 foot pounds of energy, or a full size 45 cal iwth only 12 rounds that give the same energy. as far as bullet porice they are close to the same, but the 40 cal bulets are slightly cheaper. the price of the guns is the same usualy. another thing to consider is that the 40 is a shorter round, so its easier to make a gun with a grip your hand can actualy fit arround and reach the mag release. the 40 cal bullet has a flater trajectory so it is slightly more accurate at long range