9mm vs .45, S&W vs 1911, so undecided. Help!

I will open up the can worms. 9mm is smaller, but faster than 45 ACP.

The difference in shooting is the 45 has a bit more recoil over a bit more time than the 9mm and of course it makes a 45 caliber hole in the target instead of a 355 caliber hole.

Personally I see it as a coke vs pepsi thing and some folks like one brand instead of the other. I am more along the lines that each are fine and I shoot whatever is the cheapest.
 
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Once in awhile a post like this always pops up....

For me choosing a gun is like choosing a car. Find the make and model that you find appealing, then see if its considered a good firearm, what other people that have it...say about it. Most important its how it feels in your hand.

Also contrary to beliefs...ask anyone at the range, its not the size of the bullet, its where you place it. We've all imagined, if ever you had to defend yourself, if you have a big gun and have a hard time handling it, your just wasting ammo.

Personally, I went to the range, tried many calibers, was comfortable with 45acp, fell in love with the HK45, we've been happy ever since.
 
pls define "old berettas"- ie which models- there's WORLDS of difference between say a 948 and a neos OR A 1951 AND A 92, YET BOTH are 22s in the former instance and 9mm in the other- ie if you're already shooting a 51, ( or helwan, or whatever) you will soon tire of a 92 as well- the ONLY diff is the mag capacity
 
The M&P is a point and shoot pistol. Load 'er up and have some fun.

I don't recommend a 1911 as a first pistol. They tend to have or require a little bit of 'tinkering' from time to time and some are picky with certain ammo.

I would go with .45, you can reload it fairly cheap and at power levels you enjoy.
 
rivetc78 said:
The M&P is a point and shoot pistol. Load 'er up and have some fun.

I don't recommend a 1911 as a first pistol. They tend to have or require a little bit of 'tinkering' from time to time and some are picky with certain ammo.

I would go with .45, you can reload it fairly cheap and at power levels you enjoy.
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funny how our "friends" used the 1911 for recruits right out of the gate for the better part of the last century ,to some folks that had never seen a gun before and they mastered it- and some of those were REAL gomers as well
 
hey thanks! a lot of great suggestions. I went to Reliable Guns in vancouver yesturday and put some of these in my hands. The M&P .45 is really nice and surprizingly lightI think I would rather have the M&P if it were the 9mm. I do however like the look of some of the others with steel. someone suggested the STI Trojan. Beatuiful looking but over my price. Held what the guy said was called the Baby Eagle, might be a direction to go. What do yo think of this gun? Even the new Beretta looks good. Nice an heavy. I am in mind to think if I get a .45 but not in the M&P. I would want a heavy gun over the lighter plastics as to reduce the recoil. I have the problem right now going from a 308 rifle to a 30 06 lite. my accuracy went to ####. need practice. but the hick up gets me out there shooting, so it;s all good.

Really am tossed to have fun with a .45 as I've done a lot of shooting with the 9mm, but the 9mm is cheaper. I dont think I will get into reloading yet as it's one more expense to get it all set and I am living in a small space.

And thanks for the tip about the local IPSC and IDPA scene. I will most definatly check this out.
 
hey . don't let the "small living space" fool you - i have a microwave cart and there's 5( count them- FIVE presses- 3 lee 1000, a DILLON 550b and a TURRET )all bolted to a reinforced top- we're talking about an 12x18 square- my scale sits in the middle, and the tools fit on holes or hooks on the outside- the supplies are in the bottom, and i have garbage bins to catch my made rounds- you just roatate the stand to use the press you want, and i can process 9mm and 45 acp at the same time if i use the link rod
 
How about the Ruger P345, CZ97b? Both in 45, around $700-750+tax. I didn't like 45 due to the cost of ammo (don't reload) and have only 9mm and 40 now. 1911's are excellent. You have to make the decision yourself, it's what you like and what fits in your budget.

I know how the OP feels, you do get bored with a certain gun and want to buy something else. Makes perfect sense to me.
 
With all due respect, if you really have no idea what kind of pistol you want, you haven't done enough research on your own. Get out to the range and try as many different guns as you can get your hands on. Figure out the cost/caliber thing [tough to beat the 9mm for value] and narrow down your list.

We can recommend our favorite guns to you all day, but until you have a bit of hands-on experience, you will have no way of evaluating our advice.

Of course, you can't go wrong with a Smith M&P in any caliber... :D
 
Plastic gun don't recoil more than steel ones, the felt recoil is lower - there are equations that explain this in physics, but basically the energy from the recoil is absorbed by the object with the greatest mass first (the slide), then it's passed on to the frame, which compresses and absorbs more recoil. In a steel gun the frame tends to have near equivalent mass to the slide so the recoil is more evenly distributed between the two, and the steel frame does not flex to anywhere near the same degree, so it transfers the energy directly to your hand.
 
yes.... lighter guns recoil less.... that is why all competitors always try and keep their guns as light as possible and we have no need for weight limits in competition...
 
That's interesting, I never thought to factor in the frame "flexing" and helping to "delay" the felt recoil.

To dumb it down can one say that steel is like an instant transfer of recoil while polymer transfers the same amount of recoil but in waves?
 
Well my first pistol was a 9mm Steyr. Last week I got my first 1911 Remington R1E .45ACP. After shooting them back to back this morning, I am in love with my Steyr all over again. The 1911 is accurate and a nice pistol, but I really fell back into the Steyr because it feels more natural and ergo. Those that know the Steyr MA1 series know that it has a less conventional grip angle that forces you to hold and point the pistol so that you have little muzzle flip and quick acquisition. I never really realized this quality till I shot them back to back. Crap, now I want the Steyr M40A1!
 
heavenIsAlie said:
yes.... lighter guns recoil less.... that is why all competitors always try and keep their guns as light as possible and we have no need for weight limits in competition...
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Not at all what I said, try reading. The overall weight of the gun has nothing to do with it's weight distribution. Additionally there are other things that competition folks have to take into account, most competitors would take a harder recoiling gun, if for example it recoiled straight back with no muzzle lift over a lighter perceived recoil that had lots of flip - wouldn't they? Is this not the reason that comped guns frequently run lightened slides, and the weight added is always added at the lowest point (magwell) on the gun? Either way, we AREN'T talking competition guns here we're talking general service pistols that aren't modified to suit exactly one role.
 
4n2t0 said:
That's interesting, I never thought to factor in the frame "flexing" and helping to "delay" the felt recoil.

To dumb it down can one say that steel is like an instant transfer of recoil while polymer transfers the same amount of recoil but in waves?
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Actually due to it's lower mass, the polymer transmits less of the recoil, and absorbs it like a wave. Density of the dis-similar mediums plays a role too.
 
enefgee said:
Actually due to it's lower mass, the polymer transmits less of the recoil, and absorbs it like a wave. Density of the dis-similar mediums plays a role too.
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Awesome! I've seen super slow motion videos of polymer pistols "jiggling" but never put two and two together.

Thanks for the information.
 
enefgee said:
Not at all what I said, try reading. The overall weight of the gun has nothing to do with it's weight distribution. Additionally there are other things that competition folks have to take into account, most competitors would take a harder recoiling gun, if for example it recoiled straight back with no muzzle lift over a lighter perceived recoil that had lots of flip - wouldn't they? Is this not the reason that comped guns frequently run lightened slides, and the weight added is always added at the lowest point (magwell) on the gun? Either way, we AREN'T talking competition guns here we're talking general service pistols that aren't modified to suit exactly one role.
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the lightened slide is because with the comp there isnt enough energy left to move the slide through its paces. on standard guns, the lightened slide is so that they can run a lighter recoil spring and not beat the crap out of the frame and slide when they hit (notice how they dont lighten the heavy full dust cover), a lighter recoil spring makes a gun less flippy at the start of recoil (commonly called shooting flat because the sights stay flat) but a bigger bump at the end.

weight is added with a magwell because that is where your hands are and if it is in line with your hands then it is easier to stop quickly on a transition. Open guns are a special case because the comp counteracts the flip in recoil, without the comp you do want weight up front (think STI edge and cz shadow, they have a full length dust cover for a reason) so that it soaks up some of the flip from recoil

duty guns are just competition guns that cant be as good for reliability reasons. point is, .45 acp glock/m&p is going to have a harder/harsher/flippier recoil than a .45 1911 and alot of that is simply weight
 
I believe you have to get out there and feel up as many pistols as you can get your hands on. Also price of ammo is a deciding factor. 9mm at $14 a box up to $25 for .45. Reload or not to reload. It can seem overwhelming at first but just do the research.
I decided on an STI Spartan in 9mm for about $750ish. Great quality from a solid manufacturer. I could not find anybody who had anything bad to say about this pistol. Its accurate as hell with an adjustable blade in the back and a dayglo sightpost in the front. That was after checking out several different models in different calibres. M&P in 9mm, .40, Colt, para ordinance in .45, CZ in 9mm, glock in 9mm and .45.
I just liked the feel and weight of it and it looks badass to me.
 
CZ SP-01 Shadow in 9mm or .40 will keep you under a G including taxes brand new. Easily customizable and with good heft(steel) for a first gun. Just my opinion, lol, as I am a novice.
 
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