[Taurus Fan]

If you're looking at a 1911 the .45 ACP is the cartidge to get it in.

[Rman]

I bought an XD 9mm, just before Christmas, and am loving it. The recoil is small, and my goal is to learn to shoot accurately. Then in a few months or so, I want to move up in calibers, like a 40 or 45, when I'm confident in my accuracy.

[Noboundaries]

My Pop taught me long ago always buy first what you'll buy last. His reasoning? You'll save a ton of money by avoiding trading up for what you'll eventually grow into and buy, so buy it first.

There's lots of good info here about range guns, home defense, carry, ammo cost, etc. We all have different priorities as to what we use to decide what to own. Recoil is a concern, but you get used to it with practice. My wife shot .38 specials for years because she didn't like the recoil on .357s. Now she happily owns a .357 and says the .38s feel like shooting a 22 cal. I once thought a .357 magnum had a huge kick, now I don't even notice it.

Personally, my decision maker is stopping power. I set 500 ft-lbs at impact as a standard. I'm going to stretch my memory here on an article I read a long time ago, but there was something about that 500 ft-lb force at impact and the construction of the human body that had maximum shock effect when hit with a hollowpoint bullet. The .357 magnum is typically in the 535 to 585 ft-lbs range. Bullets with less impact force cause less damage and shock. Bullets with more force, like the 41 or 44 mag (900 ft-lbs), tend to pass through human tissue too quickly, even with hollowpoints (so I've read).

A 9mm is around 375 ft-lbs. A 9mm +P is closer in the 450 ft-lb range.

A 40 S&W hollowpoint round with a 1200 fps muzzle velocity is right at 500 ft-lbs, almost on par with a .357 magnum. Plus, you can get 40 cal ammo from Wally-World at a VERY reasonable price.

A 45 is a recognized manstopper, but it typically only has around 350-400 ft-lbs. It's shock effect is high though because it is a big bullet that only travels about 850-1000 fps.

I own .357s, but when I buy an autoloader, I'll get a 40.

[Noboundaries]

Wait, I just saw the date on the first post....12/25, and Zonk3000 was buying his handgun the next day.

Zonkers, what'd you get?

[Noboundaries]

Here's an interesting table.

Stopping Power

[Rangersniper175]

The only choice in the world 45ACP. Why buy something you and I know you won't be happy with and everybody know whatever cal. you start out with everybody always ends up with a 45 so why not start there. Nothing beats a 45 for PD. As you can tell I am a die hard 45 fan and user. With the 45 one shot is all that is needed so in the long run you will save ammo and keep the court system a little less booked.

[johnnyskid]

I just purchased a XDM 9mm. 19+1 , Have to say one of the smoothest firing handguns I've purchased. Not to mention the sexy case and two free extra clips...Woot

Comes in many different colors.

You may like the big boy 45 however in real world applications you still have a 85% survival rate from being shot from a handgun. So I'll take the 19+1 9mm.

Less recoil = higher rate of accuracy = decrease of survival rate.

[heilung]

If you only get one gun, start with a revolver. Then you can concentrate on shooting instead of the problems with automatics. With autos you got to be real careful with several things, and more will screw up, especially relating to ammo selection, feeding and even safety things..
Heilung