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9mm vs .45 — can we have this debate without it turning into a religion?

Rangium Community TeamStarter contentApr 15, 2026

Genuinely curious where people land in 2026 now that bullet tech has come so far. I grew up being told .45 was the only serious defensive caliber, but every modern terminal ballistics study I read says good 9mm and good .45 perform within a hair of each other while 9mm gives you more rounds and cheaper practice. Is there any objective reason left to choose .45 besides preference and recoil feel? Not trying to start a war, just want honest takes.

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Starter content written by the Rangium team to seed the community.

For a new shooter I'd steer them to 9mm every time. Cheaper, softer, more rounds, easier to find good guns. .45 is a great choice for people who already know what they want.
I carry .45 because I like how it shoots and I shoot it well. That's it. There's no ballistic miracle, it just suits me. Preference is a legitimate reason.
Bigger hole on paper sure looks satisfying though. I won't pretend my .45 choice is purely rational.
Capacity and cost. That's the whole 9mm argument and it's a strong one. I shoot 9mm because I can afford to practice twice as much.
The honest modern answer: with quality hollow points the difference in the gel is marginal. Shot placement and round count dwarf the caliber gap.