which is better in general ? the .40 or .45 in terms of practicallity , does one bullet have more accuracy than the other ? and are .45's just larger or more powerful ?

sorry im a noob. thanks guys

better? well it all depends on the user...for me, i'm a .45acp/9mm/10mm guy

i dont like the .40sw as i prefer the 10mm instead; for HD/SD, i prefer the shootability of the .45acp and the cost of the 9mm

if the .40sw suits you, shootability wise, its a great cartrige, disregarding its higher pressures and snappier recoil

you can get a hi-cap .40sw that fit in 9mm frames, while the .45acp double stacks tend to be wider

you get relatively the same accuracy of each bullet, depending on the brand and load; 'stopping power' is relative, and only hits and reliablity and expansion count

.45acps are high weight, low speed, low pressure; .40sw is moderate speed, moderate grain weight, and high pressure--a good go-between 9mm speed and .45acp weight

both have thier benefits and shortcommings (while many would argue that .40sw is perfect) and either would suffice for a carry caliber

Quoted: better? well it all depends on the user...snip

What he said.  I ccw .40 as I prefer the mix between 9 & 45 and the added benefit of the higher capacity.  Although if the proverbial "SHTF" and concealment wasn't an issue I'd be sportin' a .45 pistol.

With most handgun manufacturers, the .40 S&W is put on a smaller frame than the .45 ACP (a notable exception being 1911 versions in .40 – which to my mind are pointless).  That’s the big selling point for the .40.

The .45 is at least somewhat more powerful then the .40, while the .40 is available in generally smaller packages and/or with a larger magazine capacity.

Neither is better than the other since, as ALPHAGHOST already mentioned, both involve trade-offs of some sort.  You just have to decide what’s most important to you and go with that.

My personal, unscientific opinion is that the .45 is inherently slightly more accurate than the .40.

That said, my CCW is a .40 P229.

Most .40s are on the 9mm frame.  Like the Glock 22.  I'm a .45 and 9mm fan my self.  

Both are a good choice, just practice with whatever you choose. If you don't hit what you aim at it won't matter what caliber it is.

What I like about the .40 is that when I buy the 100rd Rem HP pack from Walmart it is a full power .40 load because all .40 in a sense is. What I do not like is the flip from the .40 recoil and most of the .40 pistols are based on a .9mm frame which I do not like. It seems like when I read reviews on pistols that come in 9mm and .40 there is usualy more problems with the .40 pistols that I see than the 9mm versions. So I guess I like the caliber but do not like a lot of the pistols. My .40s are a CZ 40B which was made to be a .40 not a 9mm and a CZ 75 which was made to be a 9mm but is seems to run .40 well. In the future I would like to get another .40 but have not decided which pistol it would be. All in all though I like .45 the best and in particular the CZ 97B, XD .45, Ruger P345, and 1911s.

Quoted: That said, my CCW is a .40 P229.

Big fan of the 229 in .40. The .40 caliber round, as others have said, fits nicely right betweem the 9mm and .45, packing a punch and still giving you a high cap pistol. The 229 is the nicest handling .40 pistol I've fired, and seems to have minimal recoil. It really does feel almost like a 9mm. 229s were designed specifically for the .40 cartridge, and this probably accounts for the low recoil.

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My SIG 229 .40 never leaves my side.

The difference in power between the .40 and .45 is negligable.  Both are proven self defense rounds.  I have never had a problem with accuracy, nor the recoil of mine.

Pro's for the .40
Larger mag capacity
Smaller (more concealable frame)
Large heavy projectile
Huge selection in CCW models


Con's for the .40
High pressures due to setback may cause kabooms
Some CCW models "may" have increased recoil (according to some)


Pro's for the .45
Large heavy bullet is not easily deflected
Large diameter bullet causes big holes
Less precieved recoil

Con's
Low mag capacity
Some CCW models have too large of grips for some
Ammo more expensive
The .40 is more widely used

Generally, the .45 versions have bigger holes on the end.