Cool! A one year old caliber war. While I'm here, .45.

There are a couple of other factors to consider as well as"kick" to guide you on your decision. While the .40 round may typically kick more than 9mm or .45, it has it's advantages. It obviously has stopping power over the 9mm, but it does have penetrating power over the .45 and I've heard it may do better against some types of armor than .45. This may be why it seems like many LE agencies are going to this round. In addition the .40 round will have a capacity advantage, as well as cost advantage to the .45. Look at guns in which all 3 rounds are chambered... like a M&P or a standard XD... there is a firepower advantage to owning a .40 over a .45 and a 9mm over both.

Personally for home defense, I'd be comfortable with the right gun in any of the above mentioned rounds, especially considering the newer jhp rounds that expand all scientifically and what not. It also comes down to the ammo cost and how often you are gonna shoot. Sure, a .45 is great for home defense if you never shoot with your pals at the range. But if you are on a budget, you might want to rethink that .45 for a primary range gun, just my $.02. Not that I am choosing the .40 for arguments sake, because I believe there is no winner, it is ultimately your choice, but it may be the best blend of stopping power, firepower, and affordability...

I like a .45ACP better but only in a 1911 platform. Anything else isn't my cup of tea. I love my Glock 23 which is a .40 and carry it over all of my 9mm pistols. To me a .40 isn't any harder to shoot than a 9mm or a .45 for that matter. I can handle all equally well but I just wanted something with a little bigger and heavier bullet than 9mm provided while keeping the same pistol dimensions. Having said that I would never feel under armed with any of the three.

diablorising and others,
This question comes up many times on all the forums. Bottom line is its the GUN and AMMO. If the gun doesn't fit your hand (or made poorly) it could be shooting marshmallows and it will not feel comfortable. You need a pistol that is well made and fits your hand. Different pistols will feel differently with the same ammo. Picking up a pistol from a showcase is just step one.... you must fire it to feel it! Recently they have come out with handguns with replacable hand pieces so they can fit more peoples hands well.
SO you need to (with a pistol that fits your hand) match it to the ammo that you can shoot well with. I love the .40 in the HK USP full size and Expert but hate it in the SIG and Glock. Its OK in the CZ75 too. I can use some very nice .45 pistols too but rarely shoot them anymore. I shoot .40 165gr in competition and my daughter uses the same pistol w/ 135gr or 155gr.
They build a zillion different types of pistols in various calibers and a second zillion of ammo types because one size does not fit all.

Good luck.

Originally Posted by hipmatt

......
Personally for home defense, I'd be comfortable with the right gun in any of the above mentioned rounds, especially considering the newer jhp rounds that expand all scientifically and what not. It also comes down to the ammo cost and how often you are gonna shoot. Sure, a .45 is great for home defense if you never shoot with your pals at the range. But if you are on a budget, you might want to rethink that .45 for a primary range gun, just my $.02. Not that I am choosing the .40 for arguments sake, because I believe there is no winner, it is ultimately your choice, but it may be the best blend of stopping power, firepower, and affordability...

Once I started buying $1000 pistols....I figured I could afford a $600 Dillon reloader!