most over rated caliber?

[Az_Guns]

What do you think is the most over rated of these calibers?

[magnomark]

:o I don't own one but have shot .40 smith and am very unimpressed.As I recall when the gov agencies were testing the 40/10mm class that of 3 cartridges the 40 smith was the woosie of the group,now the 10mm mag-that has testosterone! :lol: :sniper:

[darjeeling]

Hrmm... As much as I don't like the recoil impulse of the 9mm Luger, basic accuracy, or stopping power, I dislike the 40 S&W more. That recoil impulse is far too short! I'd rather hit someone with a nine than miss 'em with a .40. Now, if we had .357 sig, I might have had to think twice!

Anyways, what three cartredges are in the .40 cal class? I know of the 40 S&W and the 10mm Norma.

[txfyrguy]

I voted for the .40, but if .357sig was an option it would have been my first pick.

[lendell]

I like the .40. It's accurate, not too much recoil, but COME ON!!!! No way does it have as much stopping power as a .45. Nope, don't believe it, and never will.

[sig357gunner]

Its gotta be the 10mm. It came and fizzled within 2 years. Most gun stores dont even carry 10mm in stock. It was an answer for a problem that NEVER existed.

[M1911]

I'm inclined to think its the 40. I guess I'm dense because I just don't see any overwhelming need for it....but then look how many people have it.

I bought one myself because of all the hype but I hardly ever shoot it.

[BlenderWizard]

I spoke to a cop friend of mine, who carries a Glock 19(9mm), and asked him about it. He told me that on their force (Baton Rouge), they can choose to have either a 9mm or a .40 cal. He said he chose the (mm because youu get more shots. Basically, it doesn't matter what you're shooting if you miss them with it. With more shots you get more chances to hit your target. I asked him this because I was shopping for a small pistol for my wife. We got her a Springfield XD9 SC. I like it a lot. I was already leaning towards a 9mm anyway, because I wanted to get her something with as little recoil as possible(she's small), but the point he made was good.

[dakota kid]

i Hate the 9mm, its such a glamorized round. Yeah the cops and the miltary uses it, which i think is a mistake

my brother is in the navy and he says they all hate the 9mm.

I think the 9mm is a good plinking/target pistol that is good to learn how to shoot with. but for home defence i'll stick to my .45 :2guns:

as for the .40 i like it, if you want higher capacity mags with some punch i think a .40 is the way to go.

[swill269]

:o
oh! i was surprised on this poll. :eek:
:cool:

[gossman]

My opinion is that most of us overrate one of all of the calibers here. There is no magic round. I like the .45acp, I like the .38spl & .357, I enjoy shooting my Sig in 9mm, I have owned various .380's. I owned several SA .44 mags and one in DA. All of them will kill when the target is hit. Gun writers have to write about something. Just like hunting writers. They write all the time about this magic rifle or that magic rifle. The act like the round of the day hits like a RPG. There is no magic caliber. 9mm, .45acp, .38, .40, .357 blah blah blah. Hit someone center mass and they are done with. Period. Ballistic gel, dead goats, and the like are fine to test with but all of the mentioned rounds kill when applied properly. I myself like the 1911 but due to it weight it stays home most of the time and I carry my .38 Airweight. It will kill just as dead when applied. Being able to hit the target is what is important. If you flinch shooting a .45 but a Makarov allows you to thump the target every time with no problem then shoot the Mak. If you can draw smiley faces with your 9mm and it carries easily, use that. If you can carry and hit the goblin with your .45, there is your carry gun. But to think that the bad guys get weak in the knees just because you got a 1911, then you have a problem. Bullet diameter only works when it arrives on target. Enjoy your guns! :usa:

[2CoolChris]

Not sure what an over-rated caliber is. Unless a major amout of people have a false belief about a round or something.

Alot of it comes down to personal preference.

Heard once: Any animal in the world can be killed with a properly placed round from a .22LR. Also the preferred round of choice for professional hitmen. (Not advocating hitmen, just a bit of history)

I have a S&W .44 Mag. .44 Spcl I can shoot all day. Magnum rounds? I'm sorry, I cannot shoot a .44 Magnum all day. After about 18 rounds or so, I'm done with Magnum rounds. Hand Cannon Leaf Blower, It racks your head.

I like and buy 9mm guns because ammo is cheap, effective, and plentiful.
Same for 7.62x39 weapons. If anything is over-rated, try .223. I just read an interesting article about our GI's using and preferring AK's in the middle east right now. AK proves to be a tough reliable gun with a bigger better round. .223 dosn't penetrate as well and deflects easier than 7.62. Which I already knew this.

[BlenderWizard]

Of course hitmen like it: Not much noise to muffle, and if you get someone behind the ear with something like a Ruger MKII, it just rattles around in the head a bit - no mess!

[twocats]

Spent 20 years in law enforcement. After seeing what the 9 MM could NOT do, I went with the 40 Cal. Since then, I never looked back.

[BlenderWizard]

Originally posted by twocats@Feb 25 2005, 05:24 PM
Spent 20 years in law enforcement. After seeing what the 9 MM could NOT do, I went with the 40 Cal. Since then, I never looked back.
One of my friends is a cop. He said that they also ad the choice of either the 9mm or the .40cal. He chose the 9mm because he said he liked having as many shots as possible. Any truth to this (i know that the 9mm will hold more than the .40)?

[TPW]

The 40 will hold 14 and the 9mm will hold 17. I used to think the same way as your friend. But, from experience, most gun battles are within 3 to 5 yards of each other, and last about 2 to 7 seconds. If you can get off 3 to 5 rounds in the heat of the moment you've done well. Even better if they hit your target. The .40 will cause more damage and hit harder. It will also go through car windows and doors, where I've seen the 9 mm deflect off. I've seen guys hit with 9mm and run with as many as 5 plus rounds in them and live. Nicky Louie (Chinese Gang Leader/ Ghost Shadows) is an example of this. There were many more.
I have never seen this happen when someone was hit with a 40. The individual always went down. More punch, better bone breaker.

[Metalhead]

Which is over-rated? Answer: all in the hand's of a under-rated marksmen/woman. I would be confident with them all because I understand without vital hits the battle goes on with any of these rounds. Train/practice and carry with one design and familiarize with others. Remeber the saying "Beware of the man with one gun,he probably knows how to use it". I carry 1911's all set up the same for this reason- K.I.S.S. cheers to all.

[CJ1]

I would be comfortable with any of the calibers listed, but I think that the .40 is the most overrated. I like the 9mm just fine and see no need for the .40. I think the nine is the most UNDERRATED of the calibers listed. I hear 9mm bashing all the time, but the fact is, there were many men sent to their graves by the "wimpy" 9mm fired from Lugers, P38's and MP40's during WWII.


The way I see it is, if you want lots of shots, get a nine, if you want big bullets, get a .45, if you want both, get a Glock 21 w/13+1 rds of .45 ACP!

[gunrun45]

I'm a 45 kinda guy. Don't particularly like the 9mm or its balistics unless it's in a +P form with a heavier than normal load. Shot 40S&W fine and it fills a nitch with its ability to fit in a smaller frame and better stopping power than the 9mm (still prefer in a +P heavier load). 10mm and 357 are very effective and 357 semi-jacketed HP's are still the most effective stoper around in a "standardized" handgun platform. Many LEO's loved their 357's for many years for a reason (capacity eventually did them in).
I like the idea of taking a big chunk out of my target to disable it and inflict as much lateral damage as possible. That's why I'm a 45 fan. Its the biggest semi-auto round conventionally available today. I carry a lot of them becasue I'm not a very good shot with a handgun and I've got big mits so I like to carry a bunch of them.

[pcgod]

I own several 9mm pistols and actually like the caliber. But I have to say it is a overated caliber. To use it effectively, you really need JHP. The military uses ball ammo and I really think that is a mistake in that caliber. Plus the whole coolness factor of Glocks in the movies.

[BobM]

I beleive it was "What kind of goverment have you wrought upon us"