Control?
Stopping power?
Availability?
Price?


Make your best argument. .

Thank you!

hmmmm is SD what I think it means?

Self defense

The majority of the more common defensive ammo types and calibers are pretty much the same from a terminal ballistic standpoint in 10% ballistic gel, barring any intermediate barrier considerations.  In reality handgun calibers are far from the best choices, from a pure caliber / ballistic / defensive standpoint.   

So the bottom line comes down to what do you shoot the most accurate and which allows for the most acceptable amount of speed and accuracy of subsequent follow up shots.  We might also want to take into consideration, capacity, weight, availability and cost in that can I get more training and trigger time due to cost considerations or availability of ammo.

Control?
Stopping power?
Availability?
Price?


Make your best argument. .

Thank you!

less recoil, more control, better follow up shots
stopping power, debatable with modern hollow point ammo, but most will argue .40 and .45 have more stopping power
availability, yes NATO standard pistol ammo size (but 9mm and .45 will disappear first during ammo shortages due to being more popular rounds)
price, cheaper so you can practice more and afford bigger quantities of HP rounds

The majority of the more common defensive ammo types and calibers are pretty much the same from a terminal ballistic standpoint in 10% ballistic gel, barring any intermediate barrier considerations.  In reality handgun calibers are far from the best choices, from a pure caliber / ballistic / defensive standpoint.   

So the bottom line comes down to what do you shoot the most accurate and which allows for the most acceptable amount of speed and accuracy of subsequent follow up shots.  We might also want to take into consideration, capacity, weight, availability and cost in that can I get more training and trigger time due to cost considerations or availability of ammo.

ignore what i said, surf said it better
 

The majority of the more common defensive ammo types and calibers are pretty much the same from a terminal ballistic standpoint in 10% ballistic gel, barring any intermediate barrier considerations.  In reality handgun calibers are far from the best choices, from a pure caliber / ballistic / defensive standpoint.   

So the bottom line comes down to what do you shoot the most accurate and which allows for the most acceptable amount of speed and accuracy of subsequent follow up shots.  We might also want to take into consideration, capacity, weight, availability and cost in that can I get more training and trigger time due to cost considerations or availability of ammo.

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...
I am in total agreement. But you left out a very important factor...the 9mm is legally defensible.
If you off some perp in your house with your custom 1911 with 45acp zombiemax ammo, some defense attorney is going to drag you over the coals.

Thank you for the comments. 

Currently I own .45 acp and .38/.357mag handguns. The latter prepped for SD/HD.  I have .38spl defense HPs  at the ready.  I feel that .357 mag load would be overkill and blinding/deafening in a situation should I need fo use the pistol. The  .45 1911 I trust to stop a threat, but due to the age and customization on the weapon, I don't trust it 100% to function in time of crisis.  Still, there would be no hesitation if the need arises.   

My question is aimed to try to convince myself I need a good autoloader for extra insurance.   I think 9mm is comparable to .38spl for this need.  No?

Thank you for the comments. 

Currently I own .45 acp and .38/.357mag handguns. The latter prepped for SD/HD.  I have .38spl defense HPs  at the ready.  I feel that .357 mag load would be overkill and blinding/deafening in a situation should I need fo use the pistol. The  .45 1911 I trust to stop a threat, but due to the age and customization on the weapon, I don't trust it 100% to function in time of crisis.  Still, there would be no hesitation if the need arises.   

My question is aimed to try to convince myself I need a good autoloader for extra insurance.   I think 9mm is comparable to .38spl for this need.  No?

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...
38 spl with 158 gr.lead hollow points is a dandy sd load.
I think that is what hpd used to use. It's legally defensible. Like the current 9mm gold dots.

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38 spl with 158 gr.lead hollow points is a dandy sd load.
I think that is what hpd used to use. It's legally defensible. Like the current 9mm gold dots.

i bought 147 gr GDHP a couple of years ago thinking that what HPD uses is most defensible in court
i was told the other week they now use 124 gr GDHP
don't know when or why they changed, but that's what i was told

In the end I think the use of deadly force is the only legal defense to be worried about more than the caliber of the round. That being said, I think making sure you choose around that will put down the the threat without over penetrating to your neighbor and possibly hurting an innocent is important as well.

In the end I think the use of deadly force is the only legal defense to be worried about more than the caliber of the round. That being said, I think making sure you choose around that will put down the the threat without over penetrating to your neighbor and possibly hurting an innocent is important as well.

I would have to agree. The caliber of the round you choose, at a moment in time where you have split seconds to make a decision, is irrelevant.

Use what you feel comfortable shooting and be accurate. Stop the threat. Say nothing to the police without your attorney present.

Remember, anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you in court.

You can get souped up guns in any caliber, so it really isn't the caliber.  Any of the top and current quality ammo that is known for its defensive capabilities are very close in performance.  Speer Gold Dot happens to be an excellent choice.  In 9mm the HPD does use Speer 124gr GDHP.  The .38 round utilized and issued in the revolver era was 158gr lead, semi-wadcutter HP.  The HPD also has .40S&W and just added .45ACP and both are also Speer GDHP. 

I would have to agree. The caliber of the round you choose, at a moment in time where you have split seconds to make a decision, is irrelevant.

Use what you feel comfortable shooting and be accurate. Stop the threat. Say nothing to the police without your attorney present.

Remember, anything you say CAN and WILL be used against you in court.

aw, man, ed
i was expecting, ".45ACP, because 230 grain is twice as big as 115 grain"
 

The only advantage in this state is price
I would stick with your .38special setup
Its a tried and true SD/HD load
I dont see any significant advantage in changing to 9mm
Maybe if having 10 rounds and faster reloads are what you need, then 9mm may be better
Revolver speedloaders can be quick too.

I have asked myself the same question bc i have 45 and 357 just like you and wondered about the 9mm
But in the end my goto HD gun is my GP100 loaded with 38sp +p semiwadcutter hollwpoints
If its good enough for the FBI, its good enough for enough me.

  The HPD also has .40S&W and just added .45ACP and both are also Speer GDHP.

==============
I did not know that about the 40 and 45

Regardless, another reason not to use a souped up 1911 loaded with Gold dots is again, legal defensibility.
Now you have a civil attorney questioning you about the "huge powerful 45 ammo designed to inflict maximum damage to my client" being fired from a "highly modified 45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a modified hair trigger"

Or something along those lines...you get the idea?

Oh yeah, they will also confiscate your $2000 tactical-1911-custom-rail-surfire-laserbeamed-kimber. Probably be gone for years while you get sued by the family of the perp you offed.
My thought is your sd gun should be a high quality nearly stock item with the same ammo as is being issued by the local pd to the average beat cop.
Better still if you can get a gun similar to the make and model of the local beat cops.
If you off a perp with a stock gun and it gets confiscated, you won't be crying at the loss of a beloved custom 1911.

aw, man, ed
i was expecting, ".45ACP, because 230 grain is twice as big as 115 grain"
 

Well.......115+115 DOES equal 230. Why strain yourself by having to pull the trigger twice?

Not to mention the wear and tear on your beloved firearm.

Also, IMO, there is a much greater chance of over penetration with 9mm as it depends on higher velocity to get the job done.
At the distances involved in most home defense situations the .45 ACP will deliver more kinetic energy to the target with less velocity.

Here's a question, if I'm forced to defend my business from an armed robber, can I expense the wear and maintenance of my firearm as well the cost of ammo?

                                                                       

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I did not know that about the 40 and 45

Regardless, another reason not to use a souped up 1911 loaded with Gold dots is again, legal defensibility.
Now you have a civil attorney questioning you about the "huge powerful 45 ammo designed to inflict maximum damage to my client" being fired from a "highly modified 45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a modified hair trigger"

Or something along those lines...you get the idea?

Oh yeah, they will also confiscate your $2000 tactical-1911-custom-rail-surfire-laserbeamed-kimber. Probably be gone for years while you get sued by the family of the perp you offed.
My thought is your sd gun should be a high quality nearly stock item with the same ammo as is being issued by the local pd to the average beat cop.
Better still if you can get a gun similar to the make and model of the local beat cops.
If you off a perp with a stock gun and it gets confiscated, you won't be crying at the loss of a beloved custom 1911.

That's why I have the $450.00 slightly modified Rock Island A-1.

I just don't buy expensive firearms and leave most of mine stock.

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I did not know that about the 40 and 45

Regardless, another reason not to use a souped up 1911 loaded with Gold dots is again, legal defensibility.
Now you have a civil attorney questioning you about the "huge powerful 45 ammo designed to inflict maximum damage to my client" being fired from a "highly modified 45 caliber semiautomatic pistol with a modified hair trigger"

Or something along those lines...you get the idea?

Oh yeah, they will also confiscate your $2000 tactical-1911-custom-rail-surfire-laserbeamed-kimber. Probably be gone for years while you get sued by the family of the perp you offed.
My thought is your sd gun should be a high quality nearly stock item with the same ammo as is being issued by the local pd to the average beat cop.
Better still if you can get a gun similar to the make and model of the local beat cops.
If you off a perp with a stock gun and it gets confiscated, you won't be crying at the loss of a beloved custom 1911.

Again it has nothing to do with caliber selection.  They could argue the same points if I use a modified Glock17 9mm.  If one sticks with quality, modern, proven defensive ammunition, in a common use defensive caliber, the caliber debate is not the issue.  Any attorney can argue anything.  I really could care less if I were to lose my Nighthawk, STI or Wilson 1911 for a few or several months, if it did its job.  I don't even own a Kimber and they could keep it if I did own one. 

While I have many firearms that are not cheap as I consider myself both a collector and a shooter, the reality is that I rely on a Glock 17 or G 19 pistol, utilizing a common defensive round, as does my mother, father and wife.  OK sometimes I might have a G21, but I am after all an old school .45 ACP fan, but not caliber blind enough to understand how effective I am with a 9mm G17 or G19.