9 MM vs .45: Let's Take A LOOK

I grew up preferring the 9mm. It is a good self-defensive round.

Stopping a person has very little to do with what you stop the threat with; it has everything to do with where you hit them. If a .45 round would stop them, a 9mm hit to the same location would stop them as well. 

A shot from either in a non-vital location may not stop a person who is determined, on drugs and or adrenaline. People often take rifle rounds and pistol rounds and keep moving. Always shoot center mass, when that doesn’t work shoot pelvic girdle and last shoot for the head. We need to stop the threat. Hitting a vital body part is important and practice is important to avoid multiple rounds being fired.

The 9mm has higher capacity (usually 2x), faster and more accurate follow up shots, is cheaper to train with, and has more than enough energy and penetration to reach vitals organs from poor angles.

I like my .45 but I believe 9mm to be the best cartridge for self-defense. It’s what I carry and have carried for 35 plus years. When I lived in Nebraska, I preferred the .357 because I didn’t know better. It was a good gun to shoot, stopped just about anything I came across, and I liked it before the semi-auto’s were available to purchase. Like I said I didn’t know better. Here in FL 9mm is king and will stop just about anything.

I truly wouldn't feel bad carrying any of the cartridges I mentioned. They are all very good at what they do, and more than sufficient for predators of the two-legged variety.