9 vs 40 vs 45

Greetings:

As some of you may (or may not) know, I have been a member of the NRA since Moses was a pup - mostly because I get a free magazine every month for the measly price of just $25 a year ($35 now) and it is the admission price to belong to almost any membership-only gun club in Texas.  The one to which I belong right now is a 15-minute drive from home and has a 200-yard rifle range, falling plates, sight-in range, and, well, about six or seven ranges all total; some pistol-only, some rifle-only, some center-fire only, some rim-fire only and some mixed.  Great place but it is all outdoor and kind of cold and rainy right now.

Anyway, in the November 2017 NRA "American Rifleman" magazine, page 84, there is a chart on the H&K Tactical Trio of handguns.  They are all about the same except for caliber.  When reviewing the chart of "Shooting Results" I noticed something that really stood out: The energy (in ft-lbs) delivered at 25 yards (or maybe it was measured at the muzzle or at 12 feet; not really sure but it doesn't matter because it is a comparative value for me) I noticed something: The .40 cal delivers more energy than either the 9mm or the .45 cal.

So, then, why have I been carrying around a bulky, noisy, kicky .45 cal all these years when I could have had a slightly more friendly .40 cal that would be cheaper to shoot, easier on my hands and ears and much lighter on my hip?  I mean, most of the Fort Worth police carry a .40 cal - why didn't I take notice of them?  Surely, maybe they know something that I didn't?  Right!  A .40 is lighter and delivers more power for the payload.  Here is a small table of the (average) results on that page.

                 Bullet        Vel@12'       Energy
                 Wt Gr          f.p.s.           ft-lbs
9mm.        131             1068              330
.40cal       171             1085              442
.45            230               868             383

While the .40 cal is a lighter slug (payload) than the .45 cal, it travels much faster and delivers a heavier knockdown power.  On the other hand, it has a heavier slug than the 9mm and travels at a higher velocity and, ergo, delivers a higher payload than the 9mm.  So, all-in-all, what say ye Laertes? (Or was it Horatio?) Anyway, methinks that the conclusion is clear: The .40 cal will be my next choice for a CC pistol. But then, my 5.7mm FN is still working fine, is less than 2 pounds (unloaded) and has 20-round magazines so...

Shalom,
jco