After coming to this site it did not take me too long to realize I know nothing about guns. The .40 Glock 22 & Baretta 96 were my previous HD guns. I have recently bought two Glock 9mm with 33 rnd mags.

Where can I read about the pros and cons of the .40 vs 9mm and about the two .40 guns?

Thank you.

Glad you like the glocks. You have any decent holsters? Stop buying guns, and get to a tactical pistol class.

To sum it up. Get some practice.

Being able to hit your target is more important than calibre. Being able to hit your target is more important than calibre. Being able to hit your target is more important than calibre. Being able to hit your target is more important than calibre.

9mm will work all day long. But you need a good hollow point to shed the energy uppon impact.

40 s&W has 1/2 again as much energy as the 9mm. But recoil is about 2x that of a 9mm in similar firearms.  It is a direct decendant of the 10mm.

45Acp Has similar recoil charicteristics to 40S&W,  but 2x the energy of 9mm. And is formidable in ball. As plain ball it performs to give the same  wound cavity as a 9mm Hollow point in Gelatin. But when a goood JHP is introduced it will shed the impact and open a gelatin cavity 1 1/2 x bigger than 40s&w.

All these are examples of off the shelf ammo such as federal. Many Hot performance rounds will step up your damage expectations.

Quoted: Glad you like the glocks. You have any decent holsters? Stop buying guns, and get to a tactical pistol class.

I would like to but cannot right now due to a severe back injury.

its all shooter preference imo

i dont like the snap or flash of the .40sw; if i want that, i'd just stick to my 10mm

i shoot/practice w/ 9mm (cheaper and hi-cap), and carry .45acp--less on the recoil as a .40sw, more of a push than a snap to the wrist, and its the biggest caliber i'm comfortable shooting non-stop....
next to that, i dont like the higher pressures of the .40sw or +P+ 9mm

as to glocks and berrettas...well its what fits your hand best and what features allude to you more
i'm a glock man as i dont feel like carrying extra weight for a double stack 9mm or a DA/SA trigger

h/w, your modern JHPs 9mm-.45acp will provide adequate 'stopping power' as you will get from a HG, with testing showing little benefit from a larger caliber--it boils down to expansion and penetration
i'll take the biggest i can get off the bat as no JHP can expand 100% all the time...but thats just me

Just buy a Glock 20 and get it over with...

+1 on the Glock 20. This solves the "caliber question" once and for all... 10mm is an extremely effective defensive pistol round. As you probably already know, .40 is nothing more than a "downloaded" 10mm and it retains most of the effectiveness of the full power 10mm. Research doesn't really show that .40/.45 caliber bullets are that much more effective than modern 9mm JHP bullets. Realisticly, a Glock 17 loaded with 124grn +P Gold Dots will offer you the same/similar level of protection/lethality as a G22 or G21. I tell people to select a handgun/caliber that best suites them and thier understanding of terminal ballistics. Some gravitiate towards light/fast and some prefer slow/heavy. I prefer 124 and 147grn 9mm JHP's for my Beretta M9, more over I use the BH 124grn +P Gold Dots as my carry load. I reguard the


Beretta M9 as one of the foremost "wonder 9's" and one of the best combat handguns. That being said, I despise the Beretta M96, as its vastly inferior to the G22. 15 rounds in the G22 is hard to beat and for a .40 S&W handgun, its tough to beat. I also really like the G17 as it too is an excellent weapon, though I prefer the M9 or Sig 226. 9mm JHP's provide excellent terminal ballistics and an excellent level of protection. If you are forced to use your handgun in an armed confrontation, you are more likely than not to have to shoot multiple rounds. That being said, you will want a weapon with high capacity and low recoil, which describes the M9/G17/226. It comes down to personal preference in the end as both a G22 and G17 will be equally effective in real life deadly force confrontations. I prefer a 9mm because of low recoil and high capacity, not to mention typically smaller/lighter weapons*excluding the Beretta M9*. Knowing I will more than likely have to shoot an attacker multiple times to stop the hostility, I want plenty of rounds that are going to be as potent as possible.  Both the G17/G22 are excellent defensive weapons and which you should use should be a function of your level of skill/familiarization and personal preference. A G17 with 147grn Rangers or a G22 with Federal HST's are both excellent choices.