9mm vs 40 w/ suppressor

giggity · Mar 27, 2017

When using a suppressor I've noticed a lot of ppl (almost all) prefer the 9mm subs over 40 subs. I'm just wondering why? I've looked around and don't see much of an advantage of using 9mm subs over 40 subs. If 147 grain 9mm ammo is basically the same price as 180 grain 40 cal and both are subsonic then why are so many ppl using 9mm? In my experience 180 grain 40 cal is more available on store shelves over 9mm subs. Is it that many ppl already have a 9mm pistol or am I missing something? I also don't understand why more companies aren't making 40 cal suppressors either. You can use 40 cal suppressor with 9mm or 40 but you can't shoot 40 cal with 9mm suppressors. There's only a 1mm difference in diameter between the two so I doubt there's much of a decibel difference. To me it would seems like the advantages/disadvantages of either are about equal if not the advantage going to the 40 so why is there a significant amount of people using 9mm over 40?

blankford · Mar 27, 2017

Cause .40 is dead

dontpanic · Mar 27, 2017

I think it's because they already make a .45 supressor. What do tou gain by making a supressor that is only marginally smaller than a .45. Plus you can use it for .45, .40 or 9mm.

5/100 of an inch does not seem worth it.

giggity · Mar 27, 2017

dontpanic said:
I think it's because they already make a .45 supressor. What do tou gain by making a supressor that is only marginally smaller than a .45. Plus you can use it for .45, .40 or 9mm.

5/100 of an inch does not seem worth it.

Yeah but that's one of my point. Why make a 9mm can if both the 40 and 45 cans are more versatile. I get it that some people might not like a 45 can because they're much thicker then both a 9mm and 40 cans but the 9 and 40 cans are all about the same size so why not just make 40 cans?

janklow · Mar 28, 2017

giggity said:
Yeah but that's one of my point. Why make a 9mm can if both the 40 and 45 cans are more versatile.

might have already answered this:

giggity said:
Is it that many ppl already have a 9mm pistol or am I missing something?

i mean, someone higher speed than me can find a way to crunch the numbers, but i suspect 9mm and .45 ACP are magnitudes more popular than .40.

Biggfoot44 · Mar 28, 2017

Thought process #1- It's not the difference in diameter that matters, it's the cross sectional area of the bore . .40 has 25% more area,.45 is 58% more that's meaningful.

Thought process #2- Hey, Hollywood is fake. Don't ob$ess over maximum Db reduction, even a sorta medium effecent suppressor still gives meaningful supressing. If you're only going to have one suppressor ( or only one centerfire pistol cal) , maximum versatility is a very important parameter.

Both statements are true, you need to decide your personal priorities .

Hawkeye · Mar 28, 2017

The other thing is that the internal volume of the suppressor can have as much (or more) effect on dB volume as the size of the opening in the endcap does. This is why some .45 suppressors will meter as being more quiet than their 9mm versions do when you shoot 9mm through them.

giggity · Mar 29, 2017

Biggfoot44 said:
Thought process #1- It's not the difference in diameter that matters, it's the cross sectional area of the bore . .40 has 25% more area,.45 is 58% more that's meaningful.

Thought process #2- Hey, Hollywood is fake. Don't ob$ess over maximum Db reduction, even a sorta medium effecent suppressor still gives meaningful supressing. If you're only going to have one suppressor ( or only one centerfire pistol cal) , maximum versatility is a very important parameter.

Both statements are true, you need to decide your personal priorities .

I'm not trying to decide, I'm just trying to understand why 9mm is so popular in the suppressor world. To me it seems like ppl already have 9mm and a that's the main reason they're using it. Nothing wrong with that, I just wanna make sure I'm not missing something.

Hawkeye said:
The other thing is that the internal volume of the suppressor can have as much (or more) effect on dB volume as the size of the opening in the endcap does. This is why some .45 suppressors will meter as being more quiet than their 9mm versions do when you shoot 9mm through them.

Yeah I get the advantage of the larger volume of a 45 can over a 9mm can but what I don't get is the advantage of a 9mm can over a 40 can of both are the same size (volume) then the 40 can is more versatile. I just feel like I'm missing something.

Biggfoot44 · Mar 29, 2017

.40 can will let 25% more gas through w/o benefit of noise reduction.

giggity · Mar 29, 2017

Biggfoot44 said:
.40 can will let 25% more gas through w/o benefit of noise reduction.

In real life does that equal much of a difference in sound?

Biggfoot44 · Mar 29, 2017

Everything else equal, 'bout 25% difference.

Is that meaningful to you ? Value judgement.

Could you decide to either go with a larger volume can, or more sophisticated baffle design to offset the difference in I.D. ? Personal choice .

Why do many people get 9mm supressors? It already is the larges cal they plan to shoot surpressed. Most 147gr ammo is subsonic, and widely available in both fmj and jhp. And if the design is amenable to cleaning, many will also use them for .22lr.

I suspect the answer you're looking to hear is : Just go ahead and get a suppressor in the largest bore diameter you have/ plan to suppress. And don't stop half way, get one for .45 . It opperates at lower pressure than .40, and will have lower muzzle blast to start with.

LargemouthAss · Mar 30, 2017

I bought a Silencerco Osprey .40 as my 9mm suppressor. I bought it in January, 2016 as the 41F panic began and silencer shop was saying it's larger volume made it one of the quietest 9mm cans in existence. Now that I have it in my hands I love it. It makes my P226 Legion and MPX quiet enough to shoot at the farm when the church 1/4 mile away is letting out on Sundays without anyone noticing.

rayrevolver · Mar 30, 2017

SilencerCo Osprey .40:

Average:
.40 S&W - 127 dBA
9x19mm - 125 dBA

First Round Pop:
.40 S&W - 132 dBA
9x19mm - 135 dBA

SilencerCo Osprey 9:

Average:
9x19mm - 125 dBA

First Round Pop:
9x19mm - 132 dBA

So the 1" longer Osprey 40 sounds about the same as the Osprey 9. If you don't have a 40, why deal with the weight and size?

And now with modular suppressors you can have the 45 volume with a 9mm endcap for full suppression similar to a 9mm can, or run the "K" can for lighter weight/shorter length.

If HPA passes, I would consider something like the Tirant 9M in the K for a nightstand pistol.

giggity · Mar 30, 2017

Maybe it's just me but I find it much easier to find subsonic ammo in 40 and 45 then in 9mm. At the same time 9mm seems to be the most popular choice when suppressing. I guess it's just that most already have a 9mm so that's what they go with. I've looked around before but didn't really find anything that's why I asked. I know it doesn't really matter because they all seem to work well, just curious.

9mm vs 40 w/ suppressor

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