Dilema (9 vs 40) - stick with 40, add 9, or move to 9

BP7

BP7

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ok, i have a dilema.

i have my Glock 22 which is 40S&W, and i've got 7 mags for it
i have reloading dies and plenty of brass for the 40 (and my other calibers)
i LIKE the 40, i like that i can load it quite hot (i use Hodg Longshot, so high power with low pressure - i'm fine), and finding/buying replacement brass isn't all that hard

HOWEVER, it's not easy finding other handguns of interest (esp at good prices) in 40, but there's lots in 9. i'd prefer to have my other want-to-buy handguns in 40 so that i can just use the same loads across the board, but that's bleedin' difficult. the "toys" i want (as of now, subject to grow / shrink) are a beretta 96a1, sig 226/229, possibly a cz75/85. and finding THOSE in 40 at a good price is hard - finding them in 9 is easy. for example, there's a nice 9mm package on the EE that i'd buy RIGHT NOW, but it's in 9, not 40, so i'd have to buy all new ammo and set up for reloading. if it was in 40, i'd already have bought it.....

the ONLY exception is that, if i were to get a 1911 in non-45, i THINK that i'd get it in 9 instead of 40. just seems "weird" to have it in 40. though, i could "pretend" it's a Baby Delta Elite (10mm but juniored, if you follow). i'm obviously thinking as i write, so maybe a 1911 in 40 is just as interesting as a 1911 in 9.

i'm reloading 40, 45, 38, and 357 (separate set of dies for each, so that's 4 sets)
i reload on the hot side for all calibers (lighter bullet, faster velocity), except 38 since that's supposed to be my "soft" caliber
i COULD add the capability of 9, but.... hmm....

so... i gotta figure out which way to go:

option 1 - stick with 40, and accept that it'll take more effort to find the right gun, but then i have much less ammo to coordinate

option 2 - add the 9 capability, easier to pick up new/used guns cuz i can choose either caliber, but then have to manage ammo inventory for both (if i run low on 40, i can only shoot 9 so some "toys" may get left behind when i go to the range)

option 3 - buy a 40-9 conversion for the glock and a bunch of mags, and do everything in 9. downside is that i won't be able to reload all that hot, which i like to do (yes, i'm punching paper, but i have other reasons for wanting to load hot, ie equivalent to a factory defensive load)

i suppose i could make this a poll, but i'd rather get people to actually WRITE their thoughts and views than just clicking on an option as that won't tell me WHY someone things i should go a certain way
 
just buy a 9 mm barrel for your glock. .40 cal mags will work fine.
lone wolf sell .40 to 9mm barrels for it.
 
reid134 said:
just buy a 9 mm barrel for your glock. .40 cal mags will work fine.
lone wolf sell .40 to 9mm barrels for it.
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the mags don't work well - i happen to have a handful of left over 9mm ammo from when i was shooting a friend's 9, and the first 6-7 rounds sit fine but rounds 8 and 9 start to pop out and are barely held in place at the rim.

and moving everything to 9 gives up the hot loads that i like so much to begin with, which is why i bought the glock in 40 and not 9 in the first place. well, good thing i didn't buy anything in 357sig or else i'd have NO options! :p


luke s said:
How much are you looking to spend on a p226 in .40?
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depends on which model it is. the all-black is acceptable, so i'd be thrifty on that, but i'd be more open on a stainless/rosewood version, or maybe even a combat or scorpion (my sig 1911 is a scorpion, so they could be friends!)
 
I would add the 9mm, and play with it for a year or so.

If you find that you're enjoying 9mm enough that you don't miss your .40, you can always sell it then. In the meantime you're not in any desperate panic to move the .40 or anything, and it's not like it's really that hard to have a couple of calibers on hand.
 
BP7 said:
the mags don't work well - i happen to have a handful of left over 9mm ammo from when i was shooting a friend's 9, and the first 6-7 rounds sit fine but rounds 8 and 9 start to pop out and are barely held in place at the rim.
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Weird, my glock 22 mags holds 10 before they start to have any issue.

Get a 40-9 barrel for your glock, add 9mm,and start shooting both.

I don't fully understand the want to limit the number of calibers one has to choose from, thats like only have one or two flavors of ice cream.
 
with respect to more calibers to choose from / not hard having a couple of calibers on hand...

and ice cream flavours... well, i already have 6 flavours to play with (4 reloads plus 22 plus 12ga), so i'm not THAT limited.

well, yeah, in a way i can see it, but at the same time i already need to reload 4 calibers, and keep rimfire & 12ga on hand as well (i don't reload slugs, not worth it). and if i think too hard about it - i'm not really shooting a caliber, i'm shooting a gun. i guess my thought process is "is this an interesting gun" -> "does the ammo have interesting characteristics, or is it bland" -> "do i have enough of this ammo for this gun to not worry about anything and just shoot it"

i think my only allowance to "bland" ammo is 22LR since it's just SO cheap and i can't reload it anyways.

hmm... let me think out loud here... long term i'm pretty sure i'll end up having a 44Mag as well, which means another reloading caliber. doubt i'd bother to reload 223 but if i ever make it to 300winmag then that's a definite reload.

hmm................ i think i'd rather limit my logistics headaches than my handgun choices, but by doing one i'm doing the other. ergo said dilema.
 
Just buy what you want.....

Life's too short to worry about adding another calibre.... You know you're going to eventually. So just do it.

Look at it this way, between 40 & 9 all that is different is the dies & projectiles. Same primers, same powders, same press. Just change the dies.

And since you're reloading anyway, might as well reload for .223...... If nothing else when the shelves are bare, you still have ammo!

Cheers!
 
Give a 9mm try for sure. It's cheaper to shoot (I reload for both 9 and 40) and after a while easier on the wrists. Beretta 92 would be my choice for a 9mm or a CZ75.

Also +1 for 9mm conversion barrel for your Glock 22. I use it more than stock barrel in mine.
 
I'd say wait until the gun (read Sig :p) you want comes up in .40. Or buy 9 and then a .40 slide/barrel in the case of the Sig. Or see if anyone is willing to trade their
40 slide for your 9 mm. It sounds like you really want to stick with .40, so I would say stick with that, even though I personally dislike the calibre ;)
 
If I were you, I'd simply set up to reload 9mm as well as .40. I like shooting my .40 as well [and I have reasons to stick to it]. I deliberately gave up on 9mm just to simplify my ammo supply [I already reload .40, .45ACP, .44mag and .357mag] but if the bug to shoot, say, a Browning HP ever really bit, I could see myself adding a caliber.

Would it be so tough? A set of dies and a few odds and ends, it seems to me...
 
I've got a G22 and I like it. I'm also seriously wanting a Beretta 92FS inox - all polished and purdy. ;) I'm already reloading for 338LM, 30-06, .223, 40SW and 44mag, and I'm not sure another calibre to re-load is something I want to be doing.

If I was to buy the Beretta I think I would just buy ammo for it rather than make it - there's lots of inexpensive 9mm ammo out there.
 
Since you really like .40 I'd say you should stick to your guns and be patient.

It's funny what you're saying about .40 in a 1911. I love the 1911 platform but I don't want to shoot a lot of matches in .45acp as even picking up after seems to see a lot of the brass get lost and I don't have oodles of it to start with. But with .40 it seems to be everywhere and only a few of the shooters pick it up regularly. So I'm thinking of a 1911 in .40 just because I can clean up the range at the end of the day and get a lot of .40 to reload.

And if the .40's are loaded up with one of the heavier bullet options and powdered up correctly the loads would come pretty close to mimicing the "THUMP" of the .45acp vs the "CRACK" of a 9mm or lighter bullet in a .40.
 
Why are you put off on the extra cost of a 40 pistol but don't mind spending more on the ammo?
I also don't completely understand the need for "hot loading"- what do you consider a hot load? (bullet weight/powder & load/velocity)
If you want a high powered semi hand gun have you thought about a 45? a 10? and why not a 357 sig? (try a 9x40 open gun- 15 to 17 grains of H110, 124 grain bullet at 1400fps+; at dusk the flash is awesome, as is the blast)
9x19 Dies are cheap, brass is cheap, bullets are cheap, guns are cheap & if you don't like it you can dump it all on the EE (probably for what you paid for it-or so it seems).
Personally, I'd buy the 9.
 
RUPZUK said:
Why are you put off on the extra cost of a 40 pistol but don't mind spending more on the ammo?
I also don't completely understand the need for "hot loading"- what do you consider a hot load? (bullet weight/powder & load/velocity)
If you want a high powered semi hand gun have you thought about a 45? a 10? and why not a 357 sig? (try a 9x40 open gun- 15 to 17 grains of H110, 124 grain bullet at 1400fps+; at dusk the flash is awesome, as is the blast)
9x19 Dies are cheap, brass is cheap, bullets are cheap, guns are cheap & if you don't like it you can dump it all on the EE (probably for what you paid for it-or so it seems).
Personally, I'd buy the 9.
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well, it's not the cost of a 40 pistol but the availability (ok, yeah, a bit of a cost, but that's secondary to actual availability). since i reload, my cost to reload a 40 is the same as reloading a 9, give or take a penny per round (less powder cost, but not much) - not a big deal from a cost perspective, but like i originally said, it means i have to add the dies for it and split my qty between 40 and 9 so that i can feed both types at the range. and i already have a 45.

as to how hot my loads are? most recent batch of 40 that i loaded were (this is MY load, if anyone copies it's at their own risk): 155gn bullet + 8.5gn Hodg Longshot = 1300fps approx = 580 ft-lbs f muzzle energy = STOUT! so yeah, i get muzzle flash too :D

so yeah, since that's how i "work", the 9 seems to be like it would be a 22LR. would likely be very mild, and i could just tame down my 40 loads to match the 9 anyways....

... ponder ...

i seem to be leaning to sticking with 40. i think i need to find a 1911 chambered in 40 to settle this dilema. ok, dilemma. evidently i can't spell that!
 
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