9mm vs .45 ACP: Full Comparison

At Trueshot, we occasionally hear interesting things from customers in store. As they browse our selection of ammo, we sometimes hear a customer explaining what they want and why. Sometimes the person is well informed, other times not so much. We try to do the best we can to create a better-informed purchase. In spirit of doing so, we decided it’s time for us to address one of the most widely debated topics that still persists today. Which is better? 9mm or .45ACP?

The Pros of 9mm

We covered the cartridge in a prior article and gave some insight on the round, its brief history, and why it’s so popular. So, for the sake of brevity, we’ll cover its basic pros in comparison to .45ACP.

• 9mm is a more ubiquitous cartridge. It can be found in most countries across the globe and has been standardized by western nations and NATO as a service cartridge. This means it’s widely available and often at very competitive prices. It’s easier, in general, to stock up on 9mm for training and emergency supply.
• The smaller diameter and length of the round mean that firearms chambered in 9mm can be made smaller, lighter, and more efficient in size and capacity. This means you’ll have a very capable defensive tool that has a greater magazine capacity compared to firearms chambered in .45ACP, without the additional bulk and weight.
• Added to the point above, firearms chambered in 9mm generally tend to be easier to handle and use by most people. This was a factor that contributed to U.S. government agencies such as the FBI switching to 9mm as a service cartridge.
• Modern bullet technology has more or less addressed any deficiencies the cartridge had as a defensive/service round. The need for a larger, heavier bullet is mostly irrelevant from a civilian and law enforcement end-user standpoint.
• There seems to be more firearms chambered in the cartridge compared to .45ACP, with greater aftermarket and accessories offered as well.

  

Need bulk 9mm ammo? Check out our 9mm selection on our site to see what’s in stock!

The Pros of .45 ACP

This cartridge has won TWO world wars! Just kidding. It’s actually a good round too and has a respectable service history with U.S. armed forces. .45ACP earned a reputation as a hard-hitting, accurate, man-stopping round via its use overseas, with law enforcement and federal agencies reporting acceptable performance as well. But does it hold up to the test of time?

• .45ACP is visibly a larger round and will feel notably heavier in the hand. The result is a large and heavy bullet that is usually traveling around 835fps. While this doesn’t sound spectacular, it does matter. For roughly 70 years, our military used the cartridge with success because the round outperformed the .38 special cartridge it replaced. Law enforcement also found the cartridge performed better than .38 special and 9mm in most situations. The caveat here is that .45ACP was basically the go-to service cartridge because modern controlled expansion bullet technology had not yet been viable. Putting a larger diameter hole in a bad guy does make a difference when compared to 9mm in this specific context. Still, it’s hard to ignore the other benefits the round offers.
• .45 ACP is subsonic out of most firearms chambered for it. It’s a low-pressure round with a large bore diameter. This translates into a round that does well for use with a suppressor, so much that users don’t typically need to purchase subsonic ammunition to achieve the desired effect – which is a very quiet and hard-hitting suppressed load. This also means it tends to wear less on the barrel and/or gas system of the firearm (if that’s a concern for you).
• .45ACP is claimed to be very accurate out of most firearms chambered for it. It was, and still is, used by competition shooters in the production and single-stack category for this reason. It just works.

Need bulk .45 ACP ammo? Check out our .45 ACP section on our site to see what’s in stock!

Should I Use 9mm or .45 ACP?

You may have noticed there weren’t as many listed pros for the .45ACP cartridge. This isn’t necessarily because it’s a bad round. Rather, modern projectile technology has effectively made 9mm a more attractive option due to price, availability, and performance. From a logistics standpoint, 9mm will be the better option in most cases. However, the performance of .45ACP when suppressed is difficult to ignore. There has also been some development of improved self-defense .45 projectiles from companies like Federal and Barnes, which boast impressive results too. Which one is best? That’s pretty much up to you.

.45ACP firearms are typically going to be larger and heavier than their 9mm counterparts. They will have a smaller magazine capacity in most cases too. How much is dependent upon the manufacturer, as some have managed to cram as many as 12-13 rounds of .45 in a flush-fitting handgun magazine. Performance-wise, however, there is very little difference between the two in a modern-day context. We’ve found it boils down to individual preference and intended use. It is up to you as the end-user to figure out what’s most important to you. Ultimately, it might be best to just focus on training and building up your supply of ammo to do so.

Need bulk ammo? At True Shot Gun Club, we have a wide variety of handgun ammo and rifle ammo available to purchase. Please visit our website trueshotgunclub.com, call us at (888) 736-6587, or you can email us at [email protected] for more rifle ammo options.