I guess this dosen't really fit in the 'survival' firearm thread since this would be a concealed carry gun. If all I had was either one of these and came across a grizzly, whatever else I did I'd save one bullet for myself...!!!!! <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Anyway....17 rounds of 9 versus 14 rounds of 40. Seems pretty obvious to me, especially down here where Oxycontin (hillbilly heroin) abuse is rampant and meth is on the rise. As Frank Castle's dad said to him in the novel of 'The Punisher' movie, regarding Frank's mocking of his dad's 1911's:

"You may laugh, boy...just don't come crying to me when you fill a druggie full of nines and he just walks up and breaks your [wimpy] little Glock over your head!"

Unless there are some really hot 9mm loads that have comparable results to the .40. And I read a *lot* of gun mags about Glock's legendary reliability, which is why I'm strongly leaning to getting one....can any of you folk attest to this?

Another Ford/Chevy thing, really, and you'll get heated opinions on both. IMHO, it all comes down to placement. I have both 9s and 40s. The SEALs carried 9mm Berettas for quite a while and hand loaded them hot. Disclaimer: handloads used in a self defense situation will likely cause you problems in court.

The Glock 40's have been known to blow up. Seriously. It mostly happens with re-loads, though. Do a google search on "Glock" and "kB!".

I tend to like 9mm because it is easer to get, and the cheapest center-fire round available. Less cost = more shooting. But .40 does have more power. 9mm is no slouch either, if you use modern hollow-point ammo.

Is there any reason that you are sold on Glock? I kind of dislike the total absence of any real safety (the little trigger lever does not really count). I like something with a manual and/or a grip safety. I have a Springfield XD, and the grip safety is nice.

I forgot to mention, there used to be a forum called Glock Talk, or something similar. You might want to read up on it there. I'd check the link, but I'm at work and all gun/knife web sites are blocked here.

I have both 9 and 40. The British SAS used the Browning Hi-Power in 9mm for years as their primary handgun. Reason why I bought it. Single action only, basic design, will run forever. I now have a H&K USP compact in .40 cal. with a de-cocking lever. I have retired the 9 from carry purposes.

Why? I like the 40 better from a shooting standpoint. Yes it carries more punch, but that was secondary. Shot placement is the most important factor in any gun fight. My shot placement with the 40 is better than with the 9. End of story.

My advice, go to a range that will rent guns and try a bunch. See what feels good to shoot and that you can shoot accurately. Then find a gun shop that will let you try on a couple of different holsters with the gun in it. See what feels comfortable to wear. Look carefully at what you typically wear and see how it conceals. I changed my regular jacket and now my paddle holster only just fits. A smaller gun would allow me more options. I know people who swear by little Kahr K9s because they are real easy to conceal and shoot well.

Finally, no matter what, get out and shoot a lot. Shoot from concealment. Take a class, but just shoot.

Regards,
Bill

"Disclaimer: handloads used in a self defense situation will likely cause you problems in court."

I carry and shoot handloads, including my own cast bullets, almost exclusively, and I would like to know the source of this claim. I've heard it before from one gunwriter but he cited no cases where using handloads made any difference in any criminal or civil case. Unless I come across some actual cases I'm going to continue to use legal handloads (obviously no cyanide tipped or explosive rounds. <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />)

Regards, Vince

I have both a Glock 9mm and a Springfield XD 40.....Love them both.

Seals did use a 9mm Hot and believe me they know.... my Police friends swear on a 40.
I also like a .45 but shooting that all day tires my hand and my target hits start to suffer. My choice in a tactical situation would be my .40 and my 9mm as a backup. just target practice I would say my 9mm ( low cost ammo). In a concelled carry scenario I would say my 9mm with JHP ammo. In a survival scenario I would would like my .40 with both Target and JHP ammo.

I favor the .45 ACP or .357 (primarily because that's what I own now), but I would happily carry either the 9mm or .40 provided I had anything other than ball ammo. If having 3 more rounds floats your boat, then go for it.

Regards, Vince

I'm familiar with the one incident that spawned this urban myth. It involved a handloader trying to make a .40S&W hit the max pressure of the .10mm Auto. I belive that there was a "budget" after market barrel involved as well, possibly in an attempt to convert a 9mm to .40SW, but I'm not as possitive of that part of the incident. It has never been mentioned, but I also would not be suprised if there was a barrel obstruction that was never detected. In any case, the overpressure is confirmed, and there has only been that one confirmed and documented case.

The incident was seized on by a couple of radical 1911 fanatics. You know, the kind of pinheads who say that 9mm will bounce right off your chest, and that polymer frames are the same thing as tupperware. I wouldn't be at all suprised if it was then further promigulated by anti-gun activists working within the gun forum (and they are there). If the .40 Glock was unsafe, Glock would have recalled them all long before now. It is by far the most common sidearm in US federal law enforcement service, and that testing is just flat out abuse, much tougher than what the DOD requires. Why do you think that the Sig, which the DOD rates as equal to the Beretta 92, was the defacto standard DoJ and DoTr sidearm from the mid 80s until just a few years ago, when the vast majority of them were phased out by .40 caliber Glocks. Some lousy ammo choices with some of those agencies (the FBI subsonic 9mm debacle), but the weapons they pick are utterly reliable and safe, much more so than DoD selected items.

It's a lawer thing. Handloaders can do whatever they want, but factory ammo must meat SAAMI guidelines as to pressure and dimensions. It's a CYA on thier end.

As for loading your own defensive ammo, I wouldn't do it myself, again as a legal CYA, but that's just a personal opinion. And for the same reason why gun writers make the same suggestion. I also know my moisture control wasn't as good as factory ammo when I reloaded, and had a few failure to fires with my home loads. The only stuff I've ever had fail to fire with factory ammo was WWII or earlier surplus, and the Wolf stuff.