40 S&W or 45 ACP

I couldn't decide so I picked both up - Glock 22 and SAM 1911 commander in .45 ACP. The .40 S&W caliber is snappier but it is fun to shoot. Shooting the .45 ACP just awesome just because it can spit out that big chunk of lead :)
 
if 9 is too whimpy for you , then 40 will give you more than 45 in the recoil dept , & it's cheaper , both retail & to load . 40 brass is every where , not so with 45 .
making major power factor in 45 is a non prob [ with any # of bullet & powder combos ] with a soft push recoil , as opposed to the 40 which is quite snappy , in comparison , as well as loading near max . another thought would be 10mm , but it's a brass prob , & a real hand full if loaded up , or perhaps 9-40 cheap brass but custom chamber [ unless someone is building these in bulk ] . if your after accuracy , none can compare with the 45 , it's deadly with 185 to 250 out to 50yds & beyond .
 
If you don't like the 9, i'd go straight to the 45. Can't stand 40 personally, but each to their own. To me it's a transvestite round, can't decide what it wants to be. Since you don't like small and zippy, go big and thumpy...45 it is.
 
Everyone hates on the 40sw. I like it. Then again I shoot ipsc and its easy to do major in standard class. 40 is much cheaper then the 45 especially when you are firing thousands of rounds.
 
FortSantiago said:
To me if it is M&P must be 40SW & 45ACP must be 1911.
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I have shot the M&P in 40S&W, but I don't care for the safety. Can you tell my why you say this?:)

I'd like to get a 40, but have limited funds. I have wide hands (XL) with normal length fingers (L) and prefer a "thumb" safety. Suggestions??

Or, I may just try to find a good used 1911 in 45..................

Now ya know, RJ, I'm considering my first "shorty":)
 
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A 1911 can be configured to fit just about any hand. A 1911 is by far my favorite style of pistol.

That said, I shoot my m&p 40 vtac the most. I don't find it snappy with 180gr, and less snappy than a glock. I have wide hands with normal-ish length fingers and it fits good. The m&p 45 is a little too large for me, as is a p226. A 1911 feels like an extension of my hand.
 
I sold every 45 I ever bought. 1911 platform didn't do anything for me, did like my Sig 220 but decided to get rid of a caliber as I liked the 40 S&W better.

Kept my 40's, even have 2 carbines in 40.
 
.45 ACP, the nostalgic round. Easy to load and make accurate hands down. Brass getting scarce unless you buy factory ammo first and save the brass.
.40 S&W, if I was going to shoot IPSC major and keep cost down, that's it. Brass is available. it's the inbetweenie round that has nowhere to go, but IPSC. My only complaint with it is getting it to feed properly in 1911 platforms. Throw more money at it and it goes. ;)
9mm, for informal target and plinking, Perfect! Cheap to shoot/reload brass a plenty. Can shoot minor in Limited or Major in open class IPSC.

RJ, pick your poison, but they all have recoil once you push the power factor up. Even the wimpy 9mm gets snappy and barks in Major PF.
9mm Major with a compensator will knock ice and snow of the range roof shed in winter. :)
 
Currently having an affair with .40.....I'm new to it, and I love the snappy feel, I need more range time to get it down, still shooting .45 in my 1911, seems to be the correct caliber for that...but a sig in .40 is just awesome....
 
remington jim said:
Not big Hands I liked my colt with the single stacked mags - fit my hand well - the S&W MP 22 fits me fine so how much fatter is the 40 or 45 over the MP 22 ? Thks RJ
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Very little difference between the M&P22 and the 40, and you can fine tunes the grip size with the backstraps. The 40 with the medium backstrap is almost identical in size to the 45 with the small backstrap...so the whole question is basically a non-issue.

I like both the 40 and 45 about equally (and have both). If you can only have one or the other, base your decision on the cost and availability of ammo, magazines and other accessories...
 
I love my S&W 40 and getting a glock 22 for comparison. Don't have S&W 45, but shot glock 21, have SR1911 & Glock 41 and love this caliber on all 3. So much fun to shoot. I don't compare 40S&W to 45 as they are two totally different things and I intend to learn them both. I guess eventually it depends on your goal and if you care about the cost of ammo. 45ACP is more expensive compared to 40S&W(over 100 every 1000 round after tax and shipping)

remington jim said:
So what would be your choice in a S&W MP pistol - the 40 S&W cartridge or the good old 45 ACP cartridge - Pros - Cons ? Thks :) RJ
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Tengoo said:
Very little difference between the M&P22 and the 40, and you can fine tunes the grip size with the backstraps. The 40 with the medium backstrap is almost identical in size to the 45 with the small backstrap...so the whole question is basically a non-issue.

I like both the 40 and 45 about equally (and have both). If you can only have one or the other, base your decision on the cost and availability of ammo, magazines and other accessories...
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Thks Tengoo - Very GOOD info - and a answer to my questions ! Thks cheers RJ
 
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