which one is better for home a 9mm or 40 calliber?

Question

i have a 40 calliber rugar and i like it alot but i allso have a 9mm rugar hand gun it is still new never been shot but it will before the week is up just wondering what is your idea is the better one is ?:as for stopping power and penatrion

Answer 1

The 40 cal. My husband likes the 44 cal but unless I want is a broken wrist I will stick with something that I can handle 38 for me.

Answer 2

Which one can you handle better?

I would recommend finding a local shooters' emporium (range) that has an assortment of weapons you can try. A .40 caliber handgun does you no good if you cannot handle it's size or recoil. While the 9mm generally has less stopping power than a .40 cal., it may also be less likely to effectively penetrate the drywall making up most interiors and striking your family members. However, penetration is generally a function of ammunition type and not the caliber.

Check this link:

http://www.firearmstactical.com/briefs.htm

I have fired both and am equally comfortable with both. I prefer a .45 for stopping power and carry it off duty. I use a .40 cal at work. I have no immediately accessible weapon for home defense because of three young children and their myriad of nosy friends, so I tend to go for a kids' 26" Louisville Slugger bat.

- Carl

Answer 3

Knockdown power is why the U.S. government went with the .45 (11.4 mm) as a replacement for the .38 (9.7 mm). It has roughly 40% more energy than the .38 and 65% more than the 9 mm (.35). The .40 has 30% more energy than the 9mm. In a handgun bullet, energy is usually the most important factor and larger calibers always have more unless a round is loaded with more or faster powder, as in a special or magnum.

Answer 4

I'm not "expert" enough to say which is better, but I can tell you that I bought a 40 calibre Baretta, among others, for home protection, and I love shooting it. Between that and my other firearms, I'm damnn sure that whoever is stupid enough to come by unannounced and uninvited, and especially at a wrong time of day (or night) is going to be met with enough firepower to splatter them a few feet in several directions, and I'm not going to waste a lot of bullets on anyone, nor make it look like "The Charge up San Juan Hill". Just a "quick and easy". That will be more than enough. My son, who just returned from his second tour in Iraq in the Army, recently bought a Springfield .45, and it's NICE!! He was looking at a Kimber .45, but the price tag for that was just a bit more than he wanted to spend. If you've got your rugers, I wouldn't worry which one I used for protection. You have more than enough for the job. I pray you never have to use them. God Bless you.

Answer 5

Statistically, a home is more likely to contain an occupant than an intruder.

Stopping power, yes the 40, but keep in mind your ability with either of them. I'd pick an accurate 9mm over a wasted 40 shot any day.

Answer 6

The .40 S&W round is so well though of, that most law enforcement agencies use it over the 9mm Lugar round. This says a lot. This is from people who rely on their weapon to stay alive in the asphalt jungle.

Answer 7

The .40 caliber is a better man stopper in my opinion..
I'd recommend a 135-150 grain jhp loading in the .40 for home defense .
It should provide adequate penetration and be less likely to over penetrate like a heavier fmj would.

Answer 8

Sell them both and get a Ruger .45 If not, keep the .40 it's the better of the two.

Answer 9

40 is 10% larger in cross-section than 9mm - greater punch, stopping power and penetration (due to larger powder load)

40 hands down.

Answer 10

use the 9. the 40 has so much power that it will pass through your target AND the wall behind