Concealed Carry 9mm or 45?

[Tim Drake]

I was looking at pistols that I would be able to conceal and I found a spring field xds series that was a 45. Great looking gun, very compact for a 45. But I am wondering is it necessary to have a 45 as a concealed or should I stick with the 9mm?

 

[brentb636]

I'd suggest the 9mm as your best all-around choice. That said, I carry .380, 9mm Mak, 9MM Para, and .45 ACP, depending upon the situation. My "walking in the woods" gun is a Taurus 745, which conceals easily and gives me some heavy metal to throw if necessary. For all day carry, a thin PPK sized 9mm Makarov fits the bill, or small 9mm para like a Sig 938 . Whatever you decide on you have to find a way to carry it in comfort, so you WILL carry it.

 

[etrain16]

I carry 9mm. I would have no problem carrying .45 if I wanted to, I just happen to like my carry pistol. It's a compact double stack, so I have 12+1 rounds on board in a pretty small package. The biggest factor for me is that I like having a few more rounds than I would get with a .45 of the same size. You never know what you may encounter, so I like to have a little extra in my favor should the need arise. That said, .45 is a great round. My at home pistol is a double stack .45 - 13+1, and I feel pretty comfortable knowing it's there.

 

[orygun]

Here's an earlier thread dealing with this subject you all might find interesting.
http://www.northwestfirearms.com/threads/interesting-video-on-pistol-caliber-selection.155236/

 

[DCCLXXXV]

9 vs 45

carry what you are comfortable, shoot well with.

 

[Joe13]

I carry a 22 when im out and about, unless I plan on going somewhere sketchy.

I know I can whip out a dozen rounds on target in the blink of an eye. And it's light and cheap to practice with.

Home defense is the .357.

 

[RicInOR]

9mm vs 45 =

@Tim Drake = use the search on this site, there are many threads addressing this issue.

 

[Certaindeaf]

It's not really about the "power" that they make.. (they both will "do" about 500fpe) but more about how that 500fpe is transmitted.. or not. That's code for use the right bullet.. and that means don't use "hardball" for either.

 

[Hrethgir]

Mine will be 9mm, Ruger SR9. Fairly compact for a full-sized, and has a 17+1 capacity. When I go into the woods where there may be bigger problems, I'm going to go with my Taurus Model 66 revolver in .357, carries 7 rounds.

 

[ZA_Survivalist]

Carry both.
I rotate what I carry..
For some reason Ive carried my .357 for quite a while now.

 

[deen_ad]

<- Why there aren't any school shootings in Israel!
Teacher with long gun slung over her shoulder!!!

I carry what I shoot best and that happens to be a Kimber .45.

 

[mkwerx]

I tend to prefer 9's - but that's because of ammo availability and cost, and I like having higher capacity "just in case" - that said, there's some .45's I wouldn't mind carrying. In a slim gun like the XDs - I would go for 9mm because the gun will be a lot more comfortable to shoot.

Go with what you like and what you shoot best.

 

[chemist]

Is it Summer already and time for another caliber war?

FWIW, I chose .45ACP: a Glock 36.

 

[Tim Drake]

Just for me daily carry I decided to go for the springfield xds .45 after the recall. And maybe for the woods up camping a .357 mag revolver just dont know the brand.

 

[Certaindeaf]

There's a bunch a lol here.. I'd first train or encourage you to train your body/mind to be able to diffuse/neutralize an adversary/scenario with just your hands (no weapon) and then learn yourself how to use a distance fight stopper (9mm with just standard defensive/non military ammunition).

 

[Tim Drake]

I totally agree with you Certaindeaf. Just because you have a firearm doesnt mean it gives you courage. I have trained in mixed martial arts and boxing, this doesnt mean you dont want to carry. I also would love to take a tactical class to show me the proper way to respond to a situation with firearms. And learn as much as I can to avoid a situation including weapons being drawn. Again back to just because you carry a gun doesnt make you a badass.

 

[Dornai]

For your typical self-defense against another human being, I'd carry a 9mm. I'd rather have the increased ammo capacity and lighter recoil when responding to a threat, but that could just be me. 17+1 in a Beretta 92FS in comparison to 7+1 in your run-of-the-mill .45. If you're just as accurate and can place follow-up shots as quickly with either or (which is doubtful, given the .45s recoil), I'd still recommend the 9mm. Allows you to respond to more threats quicker than a .45.

That being said, I personally carry a 9mm. I like my heavy, virtually recoil-less 92FS.

 

[Hook686]

I think whichever you shoot best and can carry comfortably. The 'Jello shooters' pretty much class 9mm and .45 acp as pretty equal using the right ammunition.

 

[Twodogs]

As of now I'm carrying a 9mm sig p-938 in town and a Glock 20-c 10mm for out of town.

 

[Lars]

.45 will always beat 9mm. Top end 9mm ammo will get very close to .45 in stopping power. I like .45 for SHTF because .45 ball works okay, 9mm sucks. For carry 9mm with latest greatest ammo.