which is a better round .40 S&W or .45 ACP?

Question

and why is your choice better?

Answer 1

For modern combat requirements, 40SW is more versatile of a round. It has penetration properties that 45ACP does not have. A lot of gunfights involve windshield glass/car doors and 45ACP is compromised. Also, a lot of times 45ACP will not expand like it should because of velocity is slower (hollowpoint failure-which has happened in other rounds as well).
BUT, having said all of this the 45ACP is alive and well in special units (SWAT teams, SOCOM, select police departments) who demand big bore "legendary performance". On the recreationsl side, 40SW cannot hold a matchstick light to 45ACP. This is where the 45ACP has really been dominating in recent decades (formal or informal). There is so much more bearing surface on the fat,familiar ACP slug and when applied to a semi-wadcutter format you have superior accuracy. 45ACP is also easier to deal with in felt recoil. 45ACP "bucks and rolls" when a 230gr fatboy rolls down the barrel at 750 (target)-850(combat)fps. 40SW is sharp due to 180gr (990fps) and 155gr (1150fps) ballistics. Some say 40SW "rides the ragged edge" due to recoil and thin brass casings (look at a 40SW casemouth after firing). I would use a 40SW as a business only shell and a 45ACP as a target/combat shell. Another thing to remember is that "knockdown power" is really more related to velocity and NOT sectional density. The latter was based on the outdated Hatcher Bullet Theory.

Answer 2

I would go with a Springfield XD (regardless of caliber). There are several reasons for this: 1) The XD pistols have the same grip angle as an M1911, which is VERY comfortable. 2) The XD pistol line has no manual safety (well, some units do), but has a grip safety and a trigger safety. These do the same job as a manual safety but not increase the time to draw. The Glock lacks a grip safety, which is (in my opinion) one of the best safety features on firearms today. If you aren't aware of it, grip safety means the gun will not fire unless you are holding it by the grip. 3) The XD pistol has a reinforced barrel, which results in a safer gun than many of the alternatives. 4) The XD pistol has an ambidextrous magazine release, so you can eject the magazine from either side. 5) The XD pistol has a firing pin indicator and a chambered round indicator, which give visual and tactile notice that the gun is ****** and with a round in the chamber. 6) The XD has far better out-of-the-box sights than a Glock. Maybe it's just a personal thing, but I think the Glock sights are totally useless. 7) The XD is as reliable (or more reliable) than its Glock counterparts. These features are somewhat unique to the XD in relation to the other guns you've posted. I know that Glocks don't have those benefits. Then it comes down to caliber... 45 or 40? You're going to hear a lot about this, but what it really comes down to is what's best for you. .40 Caliber generally has a lower recoil than the .45 caliber (depending on the load). Given that the ballistics between the .40 and the .45 are largely the same, the .40 may be a better choice. It's very likely that one bullet is not going to do the job, so you need to bring the gun to bear and fire another accurate shot. You're more likely to be able to do that with a .40 than a .45. There are plenty of fans of both the .40 or the .45. Whatever you pick, you're going to have a well-made, reliable cartridge. I would recommend the .40, personally.

Answer 3

Hmm.

"It ain't the size of the bullet, it's where you place the shots."

" John Sable"

What most of these guys have said are true.

Gun weight is a big factor. Carrying a .40 cal gun with 13++ rounds in it is just as heavy if not lighter than a standard .45 cal pistol with 8 rounds.

Penetration? Hmm Dec 2005 I was assigned in Asia. I was driving home and it was traffic. While waiting for the green light I heard semi automatic fire. Looking looking around me, two cars behind me a small Toyota was being peppered by two assailants armed with a .45 each while their two buddies were waiting on two separate motorcycles. I could only watch while holding my colt officer .45, I prepared to be next. those guys went through 2 clips each while moving around individually from front to rear. it was over in less than 40 secs. After that I got out of the car to check. Two Japanese nationals were dead in the car. All the slugs penetrated the glass, doors, seats. obviously their bodies. the groupings were great though.

What ever you use be it .40 or .45 it will go through the vehicle unless its bullet proof or your riding an armored car.

Something these guys haven't told you though.

Doulble Tap- When using a .45 pistol preferably a 1911 and its variants, your second shot or your 3rd shot will most likely be more accurate than when you use a .40. Alot of these experienced shooters will agree with me. For some reason the cycling of a .45 is almost a perfect preparation for the next shot compared to a .40 or a 9mm ..... your next shots will be great. Thats why they use .45, and yes super .38 in competition more than .40 and 9mm. That second shot might just save your life.

Suppressor - When you use a suppressor, its more efficient with a .45 cause of its subsonic speed. 740-850 fps as compared to a .40

Things to remember:

Your not going to die any less if you get hit by .40 instead of a .45. Its where you get hit.

Practice

Having 13++ rounds in your gun will not assure your survival.

Hope this helps

Ciao

Answer 4

From personal prefrence, I like the .45 ACP, this is because it has a big punch behind it. It's slow moving, and if you want to screw something up real bad (from a certain distance) and doesn't have a bullet proof vest on (even if it has a vest on it, it would still have an extremely bad bruse) then the .45 ACP would do the job.
The .40 S&W on the other hand has a higher velocity, but alot less bunt force trama. They tried to get the velocity of a lower caliber round, yet the power of a higher caliber round. Compromises work someplaces, but I believe that it didn't work as well in this way, as some other places.

Answer 5

It depends on what you plan to shoot and if you plan to carry the gun around alot.
The .40 comes in several bullet weights that range from 155 to 180 grains. The velocity varies with those weights and ranges from 1205 to 1015. At 100 yards those speeds drop to 1017 to 914.
The .45 is mostly available at 230 grains with a speed of 875 that drops to 795.
The energy of the .40 ranges from 412 to 499, whereas the .45 is 391 ft.lbs

Analyzing the numbers, you can see that the .40 is a little smaller, but considerably faster and has more energy than the .45. It does not compare close to the 9 mm; it is has more punch than the .45

The disadvantage of the round is that the .40 will have more recoil than the .45

There is a broader range of manufacturers for the .45, but they are mostly all manifestations of the 1911 design. Plus there is a ton of aftermarket parts available so you can trick the gun out and have it shooting realy good.

The .40 is a popular load for the synthetic models like glock so it's light on your hip to carry around all day.

Despite the numbers, I am more fond of the 45. I can shoot my AMT longslide and put all of a 7 round clip into a VW's hubcap at 100 yards.

Answer 6

I choose the .45 ACP everyday over any other cartridge. It is what I carry and I trust my life with it (if the stuation ever arises).
Now if you would have asked about .45 ACP and 10mm then I might have to say get the Glock 20 but I would recommend getting a firearm that you are comfortable with.
I carry a Pro CDP 1911 type firearm manufactured by Kimber.

If you want to get something 'cheap' to target practice with then get a Ruger Mark III .22 or a Glock 17 9mm.

I have never liked the 10mm 'short' otherwise known as .40 S&W.

Answer 7

45

Answer 8

.40 is a good round, but it arose from a compromise. It was an attempt to achieve .45 performance in a round that could be utilized in pistols originally designed for 9mm without major re-design. The major benefit that they hoped to (and did achieve) with it was to be able to cram 13 rounds or so into a pistol substantially thinner than a wide-body (double-column extended capacity magazine) type.45 pistol. This, like I say, it accomplished. Did they achieve matching .45 performance? Well, close, but not really. The huge, heavy .45 slugs still have more pure knockdown power, And the faster, lighter .40 slugs share the over-penetration problems associated with the 9mm.
...But there's more of those .40 bullets in the magazine of your average specemin than in the magazine of that 1911 Colt, too...
It's your call. If you think you might need more than 8 rounds, you might give a .40 some serious thought.

Answer 9

I agree with H the 10mm is more powerful than a .45 or .40..but ammo is expensive and hard to find unless you reload..
40 S&W penetrates barriers better than .45acp which is why many cops carry guns of that caliber .
The downside is .40S&W has a bit more muzzle flip then .45acp and may take a little more skill to become accurate with.
My recommendation out of the 2 for self defense if you're new to guns though is .45acp.

Answer 10

Depends. Here are the differences:

.40S&W: More compact; holds more bullets; good ballistics.

.45acp: Been around since before WWI; proven man-stopper; now there are available a decent variety of loads (from ball ammo to hollowpoint and pre-fragmentated bullets). Only disadvantages: Too bulky for some people; holds less rounds than the .9mm, .40S&W, .357SIG or .10mm.

My first choice for a duty defensive handgun? The .10mm Glock Model 20. Holds as many rounds as the .9, .40 and .357SIG and has better ballistics than all of the above (including the .45acp and .45GAP). Downside? For me, none but some people say: it has "too much recoil!" Ha, ha!

H