Should I buy the Smith Wesson MP 9mm, .40 or.45 model handgun and why?

Question

My concerns are recoil, shooting enjoyment , and cost of ammo. I've read there is a big price difference between ammo for 9mm and .40, .45? Is this true? It's not for personal protection, I'm not worried about dropping "crackheads" with one shot. I 'm leaning toward the .40 caliber MP. How much is the ammo anyway? I currently shoot 10/22 rifles at the range and the ammo is pretty cheap.

Answer 1

NONE of the ones you mentioned.* Get the tried, true, tested, and proven to be the best all around handgun caliber in 357  MAGNUM, because you can also shoot 38 caliber ammo in the 357 MAGNUM.* You get two(2*) handguns for the price of one.* Research it if you don't believe it.*~~

Answer 2

I would go with 9mm. Practice ammo is about 19 bucks for a box of Winchester FMJ 100 rounds at walmart.

.40 and .45 are about ten bucks more.

9mm is much smoother and has less recoil over the other 2.

9mm is my favorite caliber. I own to 9mm's.

My second favorite is the .45acp. I hate .40 caliber. I do not like the snap-like recoil.

Answer 3

9, 40 and 45 ACO ammo is a whole bunch more expensive than feeding your 10/22. You can find deals every now and then especially if you buy in bulk from Sportsmans Guide and others.

Why the S&W MP pistol? I can get Glocks for $20 less than the S&W and they are preferable to me over the S&W.

Answer 4

I own a Glock 23 chambered for .40 s w. In my opinion this round is the perfect compromise for price, recoil, stopping power and so forth. Remember that  pistol cartridges do not travel at a great enough velocity to expand consistently so always use 180gr FMJ rounds for self-defense.

Answer 5

Here's a great place to order ammo. You can compare prices for different brands yourself, but it appears the 9mm is the cheapest followed by the .40 S&W.

http://cheaperthandirt.com/Default.aspx

Answer 6

If it's going to be a full time range gun, go with the 9mm. The .40 would be a good balance on cost between the three, but it does have noticeably more recoil than a 9mm. That said, the M&P .40 has soft a kick for the caliber.

If you plan to get into reloading, the .40 or .45 might be a better choice, in my opinion. 9mm is a pain to reload because of the small size of the case.

Answer 7

I myself do not like the .40sw.

If you want to go low recoil and have fun shooting then go with the 9mm. Ammo is a lot cheaper than the .40 and .45acp.

personally I love the .45acp but because the ammo is so high and i plan on shooting a lot, im going to go for the 9mm. Unless of course I find a good deal on a used .45

Answer 8

I prefer the 9mm or the 45. I carry a .40 cal as a police officer, and it just so happens it is an M&P.  The .40 is a popular caliber, that is widely used all over the country. I simply prefer the .45 for its larger wound it causes. But if you dont care about that sort of thing, the 9mm is the best choice. It is the most used caliber world wide, and therefore can be bought in military surplus.

     Also keep in mind that the .40 is a 10 millimeter bullet. It does not make much bigger a wound chanel than the 9.

     All that said, the guns you mentioned are for duty/personal defense. If shooting enjoyment, recoil, and cost of ammo are concerns, buy a 22 target pistol. Ruger in my opinion make the best. They are cheap, and last 10 lifetimes.

     I own several auto loaders as well as revolvers. I have the most fun with  Ruger .22cal.

     A nice compromise is to buy a 1911 type .45. The ammo, like 9mm is available in military surplus, and you could later get a .22 cal conversion kit for about $200. This is a great combo. You shoot .22 for practice, and fun, then change over to .45 for carry/ home protection.

     To get cheep ammo, try going online to Cheeper Than Dirt, or The Sportsmans Guide, to name 2 of many.  I have purchased .45 for as little as 40 cents per round, new production, by Wolf; 9mm at half that price. Military surpluss may be less, but not by much.

     I hope this helps.

Oh and by the way, the Smith is a pretty cool gun too.

Answer 9

9mm would be the cheapest to shoot..but I'd go for the .40. It costs a little more than the 9mm.. but its a better caliber.

The price is going to vary depending on your location and where you buy it. I pay around $30 for 100 rounds of fmj .40 at Walmart.

Answer 10

I agree with the .22 suggestion, it is much cheaper to shoot and just as enjoyable, much less recoil, it is the only reasonable cal. for the criteria you posted.

If you still want the centerfire cartridge, all calibers you mentioned are fine and will serve you well, I would go with the 9mm NATO/9mm Lugar because of the cost, stay away from any 9 mm Lugar ammo made by IMI (Israeli) marked "for machine gun only or for full auto"  these are very powerful and potentially even dangerous in many firearms, most likely they would be ok in the M&P, but that is best left up to the someone that knows more than I.