Berretta Storm 9mm or .40cal? Opinions needed

Storm in 9mm or .40cal?

  • 9mm

    Votes: 25 43.1%

  • .40cal

    Votes: 17 29.3%

  • .45acp (not getting it, but I know someone will ask)

    Votes: 6 10.3%

  • 203 grenade option firing a 40mm tactical nuke

    Votes: 10 17.2%
  • Total voters
    58
  • Poll closed .
Colin

Colin

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So I decided to get a Berretta Storm with an extended barrel to make it non-restricted. The only question now is 9mm vs .40cal. This gun is for my use as a camp gun, plinking toy and something my wife can use for predator defense while camping, etc. (she is not much of a shooter and she refuses to shoot a shotgun) Clearly 9mm has an economic advantage, plus all of my pistols are in that caliber. However I feel the .40cal may gain a greater advantage in MV than the 9mm from the longer barrel, making it a suitable round for medium size predator defense.

What I am looking for is technical comments on merits of 9mm vs .40cal in a carbine length gun.

Is the casing in the Storm better supported than a Glock? (I will likely reload)

Magazine availability?

Comments from people that have shot the Storm in .40cal would be useful also. Many thanks to all that supply information.
 
Your feeling is 100% correct.

Camp Gun = .40S&W!!!

With good ammunition (potent) out of that long non-restricted barrel you will be matching 10mm pistol performance. Congrats!

---

I owned both. The .40S&W feels good - it has more recoil than a .223 or 9mm, but not much more. Don't worry about case support, etc. It's work fine. Magazines are plentiful. The VPD use the Beretta 96's so there are no shortages of magazines for them ;)

Get it and enjoY!
 
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I am in process of choosing the right caliber as well. Never had any of them, so all I know is theoretical stuff. Have a look here:

h t t p://apollo.demigod.org/~zak/firearms/fbi-pistol.php

9mm seems to be a winner, its a bit less potent but gives plentiful penetration and in the end its only matters if bulet penetrates the scull. Look at expanded bullet diameters from above tests and approximate wound channel volume numbers, 9mm isn't that far from .45 caliber. Cheaper ammo ( I love that part) and bigger magazine capacity. I never dared to ask guru's here, I am sure there will be no end to thoughtfull arguments, so why bother.
 
What predators are you looking to defend yourself from?

If it is anything bigger than a coyote I'd say screw the Storm and get a rifle chambered for a rifle cartridge. A 9mm may work but I would want something a hell of a lot more potent if faced by a P/O'd grizzly
 
Bookmarked, as this is one question that have been on my mind since a loooooong time. BTW, don't they make .45 storms??
 
I have the .40 and I love it. I would like to try a 9mm some day but I doubt that I'll switch. Hot .40s easily reach out 100 yards with decent accuracy.


As for the non restricted barrel. I would love to get one of those in .40 S&W. I've only heard of the 9mm to date though. (please let me be wrong :) )
 
slicknick said:
What predators are you looking to defend yourself from?

If it is anything bigger than a coyote I'd say screw the Storm and get a rifle chambered for a rifle cartridge. A 9mm may work but I would want something a hell of a lot more potent if faced by a P/O'd grizzly
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I want a gun my wife will shoot, I carry a 12ga, my wife won't touch it. The Storm will make a wife-friendly gun (that's my story and I am sticking to it!! :evil: )
 
Slowbalt said:
Bookmarked, as this is one question that have been on my mind since a loooooong time. BTW, don't they make .45 storms??
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Yes they do, but a long barrel likely won't give you a better advantage with the .45acp unless perhaps you used a slow burning powder. But I don't want to HAVE to pick up brass and I hear the mags are harder to find.
 
I hope that my non technical opinion is of some value ... I'd say 9mm for a couple of reasons. First is that its a pistol caliber, so I don't believe the ballistic difference between .40 and 9mm will be all that crucial. My thinking is that shot placement will be more a critcal issue with lower powered cartridges such as these.

Secondly, you DO want your wife to be comfortable shooting it, confident with it and be able to hit what she's shooting at. The lower recoil 9mm should allow both of you to hit a target repeatedly. Sometimes a small difference in perceived recoil can make a huge difference.
 
ab said:
I have the .40 and I love it. I would like to try a 9mm some day but I doubt that I'll switch. Hot .40s easily reach out 100 yards with decent accuracy.)
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I have no problem hitting two litre pop bottles and skeets at 100 yrds with my 9mm Storm. I have the unrestricted version which I am told loses some muzzle velocity with the longer barrel but I have no complaints. It is a great woods plinker, cheap to shoot, accurate and easy to disassemble and clean. It exceeded my expectations. For a camp defense gun I'd go with my Marlin 1894 in .357 though. Still light, easy to handle and low recoil, but with more critter stopping power.
 
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.40 will offer a little more ooomph, but for economy and the type of shooting you will mostly do, 9mm makes more sense.

They are fun to shoot and you will likely burn up a lot of ammo.

Good 9mm rounds offer good penetration, and give up very little to the .40 for defense. If the 9mm won't stop the critters, you should be using something bigger than both (like .357 rifle or .223 etc.).
 
I have had a .40 Storm (restricted) for a couple of years now and have found that easy to take care of and clean. A decent red dot or holo sight make the carbine a very reliable and accurate firearm. Parts and mags are easily found and are realitively cheap especially if you make a trip south of the boarder for accessories. I have shot the 9mm a few times and continue to enjoy the .40 feeling no need to change. The .45 would be nice (as a change to shoot) but mags and ammo are and can be issues. If you venture into the extended barrel catagory (9mm or .40) then you increase your velocities and accuracy while maintaining a hugh selection of bullet types, weights, etc... When it comes to the bush it would be a very effective doggin gun...shots are mostly less than 100 yards. As for a camp gun... Absolutely! P/O'd grizzly or not 10 rounds well placed are always better then a couple snap shots at the mass of the target! Its all about how comfortable you feel with the firearm when it comes down to self defense of any kind, bush, jungle, urban jungle... you get the point. If all else fails find someone who has one a have a go with it, have fun.
 
Unregistered said:
Will factory ammo in a .40 gain velocity in a 16" barrel?
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I remember me reading somewhere on MechTech's website about 30% increase in muzzle velocities over 4.5" pistol barrel. Their carbine barrels are somehwere just over 16" I believe. They are also claiming some 1800 fps with hot loads...
 
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