Can someone explain to me what the different handgun calibers are good for? .40, 45, 10mm, 9mm, etc.?

Answer 1

Bound's hubby here:

Asking what the (practical) applications of various calibers is actual a good question.

The .45s serve multiple purposes. The .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) is an excellent defense round, having served the American military faithfully for over 75 years. The .45 ACP is also a premier target cartridge in tuned pistols. The .45 Auto Rim is the same as the .45 ACP, except it is designed for use in revolvers. The .45 Long Colt is an excellent man-stopper, and is an excellent choice for small to medium game.

The 10mm is a "magnum" version of the .40 S&W, much like the .357 Magnum is to the .38 Special. The 10mm is actually (performance-wise) much like the .41 Magnum, and is best suited as a hunting round.

The .40 S&W is actually a compromise round ... bigger than the 9mm, but smaller and more manageable than the .45. The .40 S&W is an excellent defensive round and is favored by many police agencies. The .40 S&W is best described as the closest way of putting the punch of a .45 in a 9mm-sized handgun.

The 9mm has always been a good military round in Europe, and built a deadly reputation in WWII German Schmeiser MP40 Machine Pistols (machine guns). The 9mm became a popular police round because it was a step up from the .38s, and just below the .357 in performance, and allowed the officer up to 15 rounds in the pistol before a reload, compared to 6 shots in the traditional service revolver. The 9mm is a good defensive round, but for some it is considered under-powered.

The Magnums (.357, .41. and .44) are good hunting rounds ... when used on appropriate sized game.

The .38 Special and .45 Auto are excellent target rounds.

There are other rounds out there, but the above are most of the more common rounds with their typical applications.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Traditionally, Europeans have viewed handguns more as a badge of the officer corps and police authority than as an actual working tool, and their pistols, 7.65 mm, 9mm Kurz, and 9mm Parabellum being more famous examples, reflect that tradition. The US tradition is completely different. The Walker Colt at its time was more powerful than most rifles. Not only officers, but NCO's and even private soldiers in the cavalry carried large-caliber revolvers. In the 1890's the US Army changed to a 38 caliber revolver still in theory as a working tool but found it inadequate in the Philippine insurrection, hence the development of the 45 ACP and the 1911 pistol. The argument between the 9mm/38 cal. vs. the 45 is an old one made more heated by the development of the 357 magnum. Some thought the 357 magnum was too little gun in some police situations, and the 41 magnum was developed, with the 10mm following. But those are hard to shoot well, so the 10mm was cut down to the 40 S&W. Incidentally, the old 38-40 is in the middle of the 40 caliber/10mm pack. Want to stop the charge of a bolo-wielding Moro? (And there are still Moros who qualify as "Islamic extremists.) That's what the 45 ACP was made for. 38's/9mm's won't do that well, but will work for most situations in a lighter gun, and for some reason the extra magazine capacity seems important to some. Need to destroy the engine block of a felon's car? The 10's your choice, if you can handle the recoil. Can't decide? Compromise with the 40 S&W.

Answer 3

Here goes...

All the rounds you mentioned are defensive handgun calibers. From smallest to largest:

.9mm; .40 S&W; .45 acp; .10mm.

The first three are still popular with law enforcement with the .40 rising in popularity. The .10mm is the 'magnum' round of what you listed. It is the ballistic equivilant of the old .41 Magnum.

The .10mm was developed for the FBI after the .9mm subsonic and .38 Special proved to be such poor stoppers in Dade County, Fl. Most agents complained that the .10mm had too much recoil and rather than altering their training opted for something mild. S & W then developed the .40 keeping the width of the .10 but shortening it and using a small pistol primer rather than a large pistol primer (as the .10mm uses).

All these calibers make for good defensive rounds but what is critical is ammo selection. For defensive purposes you want to use a premium personal defense rounds. Leave the full-metal-jacketed loads for target practice. Don't use anything subsonic for defense.

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Answer 4

They are all handgun calibers. All were developed as self defense ammunition. All of them are also used in handgun competition.

The 9mm is the smallest of this group an delivers the least recoil. The semi auto 9mm gun Will usually hold more rounds then the others, giving some advantage in some kinds of competitions and self defense incidents.
The .40 cal. is an off shoot of the 10mm. Shoots a heavier round then the 9mm and many semi autos will hold almost as many as the 9mm. Very popular with law enforcement. Recoil is somewhat heavier than the 9mm.
The 10mm was developed for the FBI who found the round too powerful. Excellent accuracy but sharp recoil. The .40 was the same round in a shorter case. Of the rounds you list it is the most powerful. Getting to be a rare gun and round.
The .45 ACP is the largest of the rounds, certainly the oldest, and probably the most versatile. Still used my many expert shooters. Accurate, moderate recoil. Available anywhere.

Hope that helps.

Answer 5

In short, none of the calibers that you mention are good for hunting, except the 10mm in some cases.

They rank in power from

9mm
.40S&W
.45ACP

I believe the 10mm is near the .45ACP in power. Some people like the 9mm because of its smaller size and carrying capacity (i.e. gun holds more bullets). The .45 has more knock down power, but the guns hold less because the round is bigger. The 40 is thought to be a compromise between the two. The FBI uses the 10mm.

These rounds are used predominantly in semi-autos.

The .357 magnum is a minimum hunting cartridge and used in revolvers. A .38 special can be shot out of a .357 (not vice versa) and has less recoil and power. These can also be used for protection. The .44 magnum is the most powerful standard cartridge for most people. It can be used for hunting and protection. It packs a lot of recoil especially out of a shorter barreled gun.

There are larger calibers than the .44 which people may use for hunting large game.

The 9mm is one of the most popular rounds and is the cheapest to shoot.

Answer 6

I just use a .22 handgun rather than these bigger calibers because ammunition can get pretty expensive once you get deeper into the calibers you mentioned, whereas a 500 round brick of .22 shells probably costs about $3 or $4. I use a .22 for plinking and self-defense because the way I figure it, if I give an attacker two shots through the heart and one more in the head, he's going to stop regardless of the caliber.

Answer 7

the .40 was devoleped from the 10mm which has much more recoil. the .45 is the best choice for personal defense in my opinoin. 9mm is probably the widest used thought has less range and stopping power. but all are used by police and military organizations world wide. the 45 has the most stopping power of the four listed

Answer 8

The calibers you have listed (.40/.45/9mm/10mm) are primarily combat cartridges intended for human targets. HOWEVER, the .45ACP (in the USA) and the 9mm (in the E.U.) have become quite the recreational standard as far as target shooting is concerned using centerfire. .40 and 10mm are too "business oriented" for me and are pretty hardcore combat rounds. 10mm is dying a slow death and I do not see .40SW becoming the next target round (unlike .38SPL or .45ACP, or even 9mm).
It's too volatile and their are factroy target shells for it after 17 years on the market. Below is a table of calibers and primary usage:

Combat
.25ACP
.32ACP
.380ACP
.45ACP
.38SPL/.357MAG
.44SPL
.357Sig/.40SW/10mm
9mm

Hunting
.41MAG
.44MAG
.454MAG
.500SW

This is a VERY abbreviated listing. When it comes to target shooting, you get what I call "crossover" from the hunting and combat categories.
People target shoot with hunting and combat shells all the time. I left out rimfires because they are primarily rifle shells (even though I own a .22 handgun).

Answer 9

9 MM is about the size of a .38 caliber which is .357 of an inch in diameter of the slug. The 10 MM is about the size of .40 Caliber or .40 of an inch. 40MM is getting into artillery sizes.

Answer 10

in a nut shell thay are all good for safe enjoyment of shooting. two big things that cross my mind for those calibers are recoil/controlability and terminal power for defence. dont factor out the price either 9mm is cheap enought to keep you putting holes in paper all day.