Me,a .40 S&W fan? Yes I am. Here's the but... and a big one. Cut it out folks.. I can hear the snickering and snide comments.
The 9mm. does all I need it to do. Despite the hype that only the larger calibers 'get the job done' is a fallacy. Since real world data shows that the 9mm. can do what I want to without the high pressures and large bullet, I see no reason to go to one.Let it be stated that all the handgun cartridges are weak sisters in stopping determined attackers. Even rifle or shotguns are not cure alls, even though touted to be.
History is full of extreme violent fanatics, drugged up types, "people on a mission" who feel no pain, and have a mindset that makes them immune to pain and other stimuli and reason and common sense. Moros, Fuzzy Wuzzies, Jihadists, Whirling Dervishes, all and others have not been stopped or impressed by handgun, rifle, or shotgun "stoppiing power". They have absorbed an enormous amounts
of fatal wounds and went on to kill or maim as they expired permanently.
So I go with what works well for the most part as there is no 'magic bullet or caliber'.
The 9mm. balances out what I want it to do. Gives a decent level of protection, low pressure,easy to shoot,mild recoil,quick shot to shot recovery and is cheap to shoot as far as centerfire handgun cartridges.
I am in my fifties and slowly heading down the road to become infirm. I have relatives and friends who have had to give up shooting entirely. They all shot tons of .45ACP and large bore ( .40S&W included) to the point that they cannot shoot centerfire handguns anymore.... or rarely can. Too much shooting the big bores caused physical troubles and hardship.
On the other hand the 9mm. doesn't have the recoil or forces concentrated so much as to cause these aforementioned problems. Not as much.
Let it be stated that all the defense cartridges 9mm., 357 magnum/.38 Specia, on up, all give decent levels of protection for their abilities and have good combat records. If you folks chose any of these, fine ,dandy,and all is good. Won't get into a caliber debate as they all get the job done well and debate can go on forever when it is not needed.
No, mixing and matching 9mm. with the .40 S&W won't work and are bad ideas to try. If Taurus were to do a caliber swap barrel system for it's pistols, then having a .40 S&W might make some sense. The .357 SIG and the .40S&W guns can get away with that if made for it. Some companies make such things available.
For those of you who like the .40 S&W or the .45ACP.. or any of the other defensive cartridges... and you are satisfied with it.. I am happy for you. One size does not truly fit all.
P.S.

The .40 S&W is a very high pressure and high intensity cartridge. Even more so than the .45 ACP or the 9mm.
This is all set down as an example for others should they chose to decide to take the 9mm./ .38 Special path. If one takes the .40 S&W journey... good for you if it works out well.
Oh, yes. Do own a Ruger P97DC in .45ACP. Love the gun. Also think the Taurus .45ACP guns are all decent, too.
