9mm or 40 Cal for Home Defense & Recreational Purposes?

First off, don't say 40 cal. Say 40 S&W, the round's proper name. 40S&W 41AE, 10mm, 38-40, and various other rounds are all '40 cal'

'regular' 9mm (as there are more than one type of that too) called 9mm luger, 9mm para or 9x19mm is a VERY effective home defense round, and so is 40 S&W. However 9mm ammo is significantly less expensive especially when buying el-cheapo practice rounds.

There is no reason to get the compact version of the Ruger SR9 unless you are going to be carrying concealed. In fact a full length version will have more capacity, better controllablity, will recoil less, and is all-around a better choice in ALL regards EXCEPT ease of hiding it on your body.

So if hiding it on your body isn't a requirement, go with the SR9 standard.

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Some people consider 9mm slightly underpowered. Have you shot both? The 9mm has mild recoil. The .40 S&W has a sharper recoil. It is a higher pressured round so the recoil is delivered to you over a shorter time interval. The 9mm ammo is cheaper if you are going to shoot a lot. Personally, I would go with a .45. The recoil is more than a .40 S&W but it is not as sharp. Some people say the recoil from a .45 is too much to handle. My youngest son was shooting my XD-45 one handed when he was 12.

Just the price difference between 9mm Parabellum and .40 S&W make the choice obvious for me, but let me give you a couple of other reasons.

1) Dead is dead. If you can accurately hit an intruder, the difference in power between the two rounds is less important. 9mm Parabellum has plenty of stopping power if you know what you're doing.

2) The gun that is more pleasant to shoot will be shot more, which will mean more experience, which will mean that the shooter will be a better shot and more likely to be effective in a home defense situation. 9mm Parabellum is downright fun to shoot.

3) Anyone who says that 9mm Parabellum is inadequate for self-defense would also be unhappy if you shot them with it... If they survived. One .22LR bullet that hits the target is infinitely better than twenty .44 Magnum bullets that miss.

Get a gun that will be easy to manage, which means that you should NOT get the compact version of the Ruger SR. In fact, shop around in person at gun shops and make sure the gun you want fits your hand. If it doesn't, you're going to dislike it. Most gun shops will let you check out their guns. Do that. Do it repeatedly. Rent one at a range, if you can. Some people love Glocks; I despise them. They shoot well, but they don't fit my hand. A S&W M&P, a Springfield xD, or a SIG 250 all fit my hand very nicely.

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9mm ammo will be cheaper. If you're not going to conceal carry the gun, I would recommend against the compact version and go with the full size model. I know that when you buy the compact version, you get the longer magazine to give you the full size grip, but really, that added grip that is not part of the gun will only create slop in the grip and aid in shooting off target. Remember, that extra grip is part of the magazine, not the gun, so you really are not keeping full control of the gun when you use that extended grip magazine. You will feel a twist in your grip when you shoot the gun.

If you get the compact version, you will get your bullets on target more so than using the extended grip magazine.

This was my experience with my Walther P99c. I got rid of it and went with the full sized version instead.

I shot the compact gun better without using the extended grip magazine set up. There was just too much slop in the feel, that I shot so much better shooting it in compact set up. I also never carried the gun, so there was no point in having it in a compact version. I didn't know any better when I bought it. lesson learned.

I would only carry a gun concealed in a smaller frame set up. My next conceal carry 9mm gun will be a Kel-tec PF9. I currently carry a S&W Bodyguard 380, but I don't use it for recreational use. The .380 ammo cost to much to shoot as much as I like to when at the range.

not a Glock fan, yet.....The 40 has greater ability on paper (ballistics charts), yet in incredibly try basically has approximately 3% (ninety 4 to ninety one%) greater knock down than the 9 mm. The 9 mm is lots greater much low-priced to shoot, and slightly much less confusing on the hand. Now, Sig has a pistol (sp 2022) that weighs in at approximately 30 ounceswith magazine. and a three.8 inch barrel it is provided in 9mm, 40, and 357 sig. at the instant- Academy activities has that gun for $499. Thats approximately 30 dollars greater much low-priced than the Glock. I picked up one on the instant. If I wasn't petrified of a divorce...i could have offered it.

Either will work for both. Ammo is going to be cheaper for the 9mm. So, how much are you really going to shoot? A box a year or box a week? If not so often, choose the 40. Slightly more power

I've heard a lot of new buyers quickly getting rid of their 40 S&W because of the sharp recoil.

I would recommend 9mm. Ammo is much cheaper. Brass is plentiful (if you ever want to reload).

I own a 9mm & 45 ACP; and reload cartridges for both.

9MM........ Lets be realistic.... In your life you may NEVER pull the trigger in defense of your life or protection of your family.....

What you most likely be doing is lots and lots of recreational shooting = yay!...... Now lets move a little more forward.... In enjoying your pistol with recreational shooting the main thing is NOT go broke doing this!...... Ammunition is expensive..... That's where using 9MM comes in.... Its reasonably priced and if you ever did need it for defense it does offer plenty of stopping power.....