I'm down to 3 handgun choices: Smith and Wesson M&P 9mm, .40 or .45 Which one would you buy and why?

Question

Please don't discuss othe pistol brands, I'm asking your opinions only about these three. Thanks!!!

Answer 1

Get the .40 cal, I have 2 Glocks in that caliber and it is a happy medium, heck the DEA, FBI, and most law enforcement use the .40 cal.

Velocity of the 9mm, and I hate the 9 mil and its thug/ gangsta popularity, plus the take down power of the .45 cal.

Kicks like a mule and I'm pleased with it!

Answer 2

Caliber selection is definitely a personal opinion. If you're buy the handgun for target practice, 9mm is cheaper to buy. If you're going for home defense I would go with .45 do to the additional stopping power.

Answer 3

go to mexico and get a 50 cal

Answer 4

the .40

it's the sweetspot between the .45 and the 9mm.

the FBI has done tons of testing with stopping power, controllability, etc and the .40 has come out the clear winner.

Use their research and tax dollars to your advantage and get the .40 cal.

I personally have 1 of each and love em all. But If I had to pick just one, the .40 would be the one.

Greg Jackson

Tigard, OR

http://www.JaxonsGottaGun.com

Answer 5

I am going to give the thumbs up to the .40 cal.

I own and carry the Smith & Wesson M&P .40  and I love the gun.

It is a good all around gun, is comfortable in my hand and is very accurate. It is an excellent personal protection gun.

Answer 6

they are all good calibers, you just need to weigh your options,more stopping power or more capacity

Answer 7

I'd go with the 9mm.

If you are looking for personal defense the 9mm round has come a long way in terms of high performance hollow points.

If you are looking for a range gun the 9mm is the cheapest centerfire on the market right now.

Also you get the increased mag capacity if you are in a free state.

If you are in a ban state then you might want to go with the .45. If you are limited to the ammount of ammo in the gun it might as well be the biggest ammo you can have the most of :)

There's my 2 cents

Kurdis

Answer 8

45ACP

Answer 9

If you want to kill a burgler in your home...45acp

if you want to plink with expensive ammo (compared to a .22)

9mm.

half way between plinking and burgler killin....40 cal.

Answer 10

.40 SW. The 9mm is a marginal gun for self defense. The .45 kicks like a mule and takes the average person a long time to master accuracy shooting with it. The .40 is the best of both world's.

Just right for defensive purposes, easy to learn rapidly and packs one heck of a punch on those creepy crawlers both day and night.

Answer 11

I'd go with the .40

The recoil is a bit snappy.. but it's cheaper to shoot than the .45 and just as good for self defense.

Answer 12

.40 caliber. velocity and knockdown power

http://www.bigdogoutdoors.com

Answer 13

It depends on what you want to use it for. If its primary use is range time I would go with the 9mm because it is cheaper and lower in recoil. 9mm is still a decent round for home defense as well. If its primary use is home defense or conceal carry I would go with .45acp. Both of these rounds are my favorite. I do not like .40 caliber's snap recoil. It is not as smooth as the other two.

If this is your first handgun I would start with the 9mm and work your way up. I started with handgun shooting with a .40 and ended up trading the gun in because of the recoil and the fact that it jammed every 3 rounds. I got a 9mm.

Good Luck.

If I had to choose the .45 as I have 2 9mm's already, but I do not like S&W semi-autos so I am basing based on caliber preference and what I already have.