I am purchasing my first handgun tomorrow and need a little help on which one to buy. I decided to go with a Springfield, but the question is .9mm , .40, and .45. Not to worried about about cost of ammo for the range. My main concern is recoil. I shot a .9mm gock and sprinfield XD yesterday at the range. Which wasn't bad. How much more kick is the .40 and .45. Is there a major difference? Most shops are recommending a .45 to me. My brother has a couple of .40s and is telling me to get a .40. I reaize i should have shot one but yesterday I felt like I spent enough on renting guns etc..
This will be used for home defense and car carry to work and travel.
45 is my choice. recoil in an auto pistol is really negligible once you learn to shoot properly.. different in a revolver but in an auto the weapon absorbs most of the recoil while chabering the next round for you.
Good luck no matter which way you go.
I say go with the .40S&W. Only because it's your first handgun and it's a good all around caliber to start with. Then you'll have an excuse or reason to get another one, that excuse or reason being you didn't get the .45acp so now you have to get a .45acp...
__________________ "My next door neighbors two dogs have created more shovel ready jobs then Obama has." - Gary Johnson
.45 all the way. You must assume a home invader is under the influence of legal/illegal drugs and wears some type body armour. You can't afford to second guess. A .45 has knockdown power.
My two-cents worth? I have small hands and am not quite 5'7". The .45 I have fired was not a problem either for hand size or recoil - I was surprised. With out the time to really hone in on it, I carried a .357 for the aux. for our local dept. Easiest malfunction drill - 'click, click, I forgot to reload'. No 'tap, rack , band, rack rack rack, load rack tap band macrena whatever'. INHO if you are going to carry a semi-auto, make sure you are really familiar with it. Then get a solid .45.
I have settled on the 40 cal in a Springfield XDm. Love the gun, handles recoil well, accurate and a hoot to shoot. It is my range/plinking, home defense and carry gun.
Thinkin about a XD 4" in 40.
Any of those calibers will work. I also have an XDm .40 as my "big" gun. I usually carry a S&W 638 airweight .38+P snub-nosed gun since it is small and light. I have carried the big one though and it is fine to carry. One thing to note, I shot a few .45's and they really didn't have as much recoil (to me) as did the .40. Also, the smaller .40's can kick quite a bit more than the full-sized ones. A solid metal 1911 .45 is in my future somewhere, and maybe even a 9mm and a .357. But like I said, that is the collector part of me talking. Any of those gun calibers you mentioned will work for what you need.
If you start with a .45 you may not need any more guns. Or you can do what I did and get all three calibers. I can't really picture just owning one gun. A few days ago I carried six to the range plus the one in my rear pocket.
But seriously, the recoil is dependent more on the size and weight of the gun and load you are running thru it and not just the caliber. I have a .40 that is much snappier than a .45 and a .380 that will jump out of your hand if you are not careful.
Selecting a gun to purchase starts with what will the gun be used for? Then many other variables are taken care of for you. No one gun or one caliber is perfect for all situations or all people.
Get the gun you are most comfortable with. Everyone here is going to tell you which gun they are most comfortable with. No problem with that, but it will be you who will be defending your own life. I have a subcompact XD40. I like that it has a little more stopping power, but as far as plinking goes you probably can't beat a 9mm as far as price for ammo. But like I already said, get the one you are most comfortable with.
To reiterate the above...Its what you are comfortable with. I have 9's and 45's and they have always been reliable and with the right ammo, minimal recoil and maximum damage with the 9mm is possible as well as the large holes a .45 will do. Its up to what is comfortable for you. Either way, you can't go wrong with a SA!!!
As a general rule of thumb is go with the largest caliber that you shoot well with. My personal opinion is to go with the 9mm for a range gun but if your going to use it as a carry gun or to defend your home get the .40. From what I noticed is the 9mm has less recoil but a bit more muzzle flip, the .40 has less muzzle flip and a little more recoil but if you handle a 9mm well go with the .40 because the recoil isint that much more of a nine and it's a proven man stopper. the balistics on paper and the end result in tissue damage are very similar to .357 reports. Have fun with whatever you choose though and be sure to pick up a couple extra mags for the range.
I have to agree with Texas T. & Renshai on this. With a self defense pistol, you have to feel as if it is an old friend. I would much rather shoot a slightly different round (than I might like) in a defense gun I feel real comfy with than my preferred round in a gun that doesn't feel right. Fortunately, with a little work, you can get both.
As far as caliber, well....my user name probably gives it away. Ha
The best advice i have ever heard is to handle and shoot several different ones and shoot a few different calibers and whichever one your most comfortable with is the one you should buy. If your comfortable with it and shoot good with it then nothing else should matter.
An example is I bought a Sig Sauer 226 in .40 and a friend bought one in .357 Sig. I had shot one and was comfortable with it before i bought mine. My friend only heard about Sig and he bought one. The pistol did not fit his hands right and the high recoil of the .357 sig cartridge caused the pistol to almost jump out of his hands with each shot. Needless to say, he could not shoot accurately or feel comfortable with it.
A few friends have XD's in 40's and 45's and they love them.
My Preference is .45 acp, pictured next to this post! 1911 all the way, balance and recoil is not that much different than my wife's Browning Hi-Power 9mm. Plus the 1911 just feels great in my hands.
Get one you cabn afford to learn on. If you can afford a steady supply of .45 then thats fine. I started on a .40 then got smart and got a 9mm. Since you have already decided on the gun the hard parts over. I'd never feel under gunned with a 9mm
Recoil? - No Problemo! 
he could not shoot accurately or feel comfortable with it. 
