Practice with 9mm vs 40SW

[mdlave]

I know some of ya'll will have opinions on this:

I have a P229 in 40SW, and a Bar-Sto 9mm conversion barrel. Both shoot great and work flawlessly.

Is it a reasonable idea to practice mostly with 9mm (mainly b/c of cost) and carry 40SW? At 3yds,7yds, and 15yds I'm equally accurate with both (Not that I'm a great shot, by any means).

By switching between practice and carry, am I setting myself up for potential problems in a defensive situation?

Thanks in advance...

[Guest Grout]

Sounds like a plan.I would find the cheapest 124 or 147 gr 9mm ammo to practice with.If you ever did have to use the gun for defense you most likely would not notice the recoil difference.

[Guest bkelm18]

I say practice with what you carry. In a defensive situation, you fall back on your practice. .40SW has a much sharper recoil than 9mm. You may not mentally notice the difference, but your target reacquisition time will be slower due to the snappier recoil of the .40SW.

[Guest Verbal Kint]

+1

I say that you don't have to practice with .40S&W exclusively, but share the range time between the 9mm and .40 so that you have a good handle on both. If you can handle both rounds effectively, I see no reason killing your wallet or your wrist if you want to enjoy the lighter round at times... but as Bkelm stated, practice with what you carry, because it will factor in when you need to use it, adrenaline or not.

Edited July 17, 2008 by Verbal Kint

[Marswolf]

I agree. You really need to practice with what you carry. There is a lot of difference in recoil between a 40 S&W and 9mm. Since I sometimes carry a USP40 and sometimes one of a couple of 9mm, I generally practice with all three. The P3AT gets a few shots through it too, but mostly to check for reliability and clear out the dust bunnies..

Using the 9mm barrel might work if you are having trigger problems but dry firing (with a SnapCap) generally works for that as well.

[Guest jackdog]

Have to agree with practice what you carry. Like mars I carry different firearms at different times, usually due to my wardrobe of the day so I practice regularly with all my carry guns including my P3AT.

[deerslayer]

Depends on the ammo. If you carry pretty hot 9mms, but use moderate .40s, you'll barely notice the difference. I started shooting IDPA w/ a Glock 23 and wanted to switch to a G19 for the same reasons. I was pleasantly suprised to find that there was very little difference between Winchester white box 9mm in the G19 and WWB or UMC .40 in the G23. I'm not a big fan of the hottest, highest velocity ammunition offered in a given caliber, so practice with the 9/carry the .40 works well for me. Try it for yourself--if it's a big difference, you won't take much of a loss selling the aftermarket barrel on ebay or gunbroker.

P.S. Practicing/competing with a 9mm 229 and then carrying a .40 229 is still much more practical than shooting and carrying two totally different guns (for example, a 1911 being your favorite range gun, while a J-frame serves as your primary carry gun).

[molonlabetn]

On one hand, cheaper 9mm ammo would pay for the barrel within 2-3 cases. If you shoot that much in a year, it would be worth it.

On the other hand... .40s&w isn't much more expensive for low-volume practice, and you'll remain accustomed to the gun in the carry configuration. That is important.