.45 or .40?

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deepdiver wrote:

marshaul wrote:

deepdiver wrote:

We can discuss the fine points of ballistic differences, the higher velocity of the .40 and it's better barrier penetration and then talk about the fact that there are .45 rounds now that will approach and/or match many .40 cal choices in that regard. We can talk about concerns of over-penetration. We can talk about magazine capacities and how that is pistol model dependent. And I'm sure as this thread develops we will. ]

Click to expand...

We could discuss all that. Or we could keep it simple, using mathematical notation.

.45 > .40

Then again, when I have to defend myself against a bad guy who's hiding behind a windshield or sheet metal, I'm sure I'll regret my choice. :lol:

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Succinct. Nice. I like it.

I too had some penetration concerns. My opinions on these issues have evolved (yes, evolved not just changed) as I continue to learn more and more. I now carry 13 rds of Corbon DPX in my spare mag. The ballistics testing I have seen show it to be a most excellent penetrator and expander through glass and car sheet metal. And out of my XD45 it has a similar POI and just a little more snap compared to the Ranger SXT I currently carry and the one mag of HST, which I am switching to, that I have tried. Although it does sound much more wicked I guess considering the number of people who have come over to me at the range and asked what the heck I was shooting when I was testing it.

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Actually you have REFINED your position like candidate Obama.

I give you credit for not committing one of his outright BARAK FLIPS. Such as, now I will carry 9mm and I never liked .45(I was misquoted in the media!)

YITB,

CS

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casullshooter wrote:

deepdiver wrote:

marshaul wrote:

deepdiver wrote:

We can discuss the fine points of ballistic differences, the higher velocity of the .40 and it's better barrier penetration and then talk about the fact that there are .45 rounds now that will approach and/or match many .40 cal choices in that regard. We can talk about concerns of over-penetration. We can talk about magazine capacities and how that is pistol model dependent. And I'm sure as this thread develops we will. ]

Click to expand...

We could discuss all that. Or we could keep it simple, using mathematical notation.

.45 > .40

Then again, when I have to defend myself against a bad guy who's hiding behind a windshield or sheet metal, I'm sure I'll regret my choice. :lol:

Click to expand...

Succinct. Nice. I like it.

I too had some penetration concerns. My opinions on these issues have evolved (yes, evolved not just changed) as I continue to learn more and more. I now carry 13 rds of Corbon DPX in my spare mag. The ballistics testing I have seen show it to be a most excellent penetrator and expander through glass and car sheet metal. And out of my XD45 it has a similar POI and just a little more snap compared to the Ranger SXT I currently carry and the one mag of HST, which I am switching to, that I have tried. Although it does sound much more wicked I guess considering the number of people who have come over to me at the range and asked what the heck I was shooting when I was testing it.

Click to expand...

Actually you have REFINED your position like candidate Obama.

I give you credit for not committing one of his outright BARAK FLIPS. Such as, now I will carry 9mm and I never liked .45(I was misquoted in the media!)

YITB,

CS

Click to expand...

Zing! :shock: Ouch! What a comparison.


Actually I'll maintain evolved. Unlike some people I am capable of and willing to admit inexperience and the need to abandon attitudes and positions proved erroneous or less than optimal by those wiser and more experienced than me or newly learned historical facts.

YITB,
DD

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Nashville, 1:16 A.M.

Whenever I am having penetration issues I break out the Redhawk and light off some .454s.(Pfizer, Pat. Pend.)

Viva, VIVAAAA, CASULLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!YEE-HAWWWWW!!!!!!!! :celebrate

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I much prefer the .45 ACP over the .40 S & W. I have owned guns in both calibers (Para Warthog, Para s14.45, and a Baby Eagle), and have experienced more 'snap' with the .40 than the 'push' of the .45 as mentioned earlier.

I was raised on 1911s, so it may be that I am more used to the .45. I have found that, for me, the .45 is more accurate and more comfortable to shoot than the .40. I think what matters more is what you learned on than anything else.

Concerning the size of the bullets, the .45 will make a bigger wound cavity than a .40 in almost all cases when comparing apples to apples (FMJ, JHP, and most Frangible). In my opinion, this makes the .45 a better round. The penatration can be an issue, with the .40 more likely to over penetrate in FMJ than the .45 in FMJ.

Concerning the pistol that you are looking at, the Taurus Millennium Pro, I have a few questions and comments for you. Have you ever shot one? Are you interested in it for price reasons? Are you a fan of Taurus? The reason that I ask is because I know someone with a Taurus Millennium Pro .45 ACP. After he got it, brand spanking NIB, he shot it then I shot it. We both concluded that we would rather throw the gun at target instead of shooting at it since we were more likely to hit the target where we aimed while throwing. Compared with my Para Warthog, which is very accurate for a compact .45, the Taurus is all over the place. Usually you can feel out how to aim any given gun after a few shots, but, no matter how we tried, we could not get a consistant pattern with the Taurus. I was going to get one, but I'll never buy one after shooting it.

If you like the Taurus, and can deal with how it shoots, don't let me discourage you from getting one. I just feel that you could get a better, more accurate gun than the Taurus in either caliber.

YITB,

L

Beta Phi @ LSU

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I own a Millennium Pro in .40 caliber and consider it to be one of the best weapons I've ever had the pleasure to use. I will grant that it shoots a little low, but it's consistent. Once I got used to that (about 3 mags) I started getting some very nice groups. I once put about a half box of ammo into the 9 ring or better at 10 yards, with about 1/4 - 1/3 in the 10 ring. The trigger also has a bit more slack than most pistols, but that's just another idiosyncrasy to get used to.

All in all I'm very satisfied with my selection. Also, I've shot about 500 rounds through it so far with no problems. No FTF or FTE.

Oh, one other thing to consider is that it's hard to find a good holster for the Millennium Pro without actually trying it out. I know Blackhawk doesn't make a Sherpa holster for it.

Otherwise, it's a good choice, at least for me.