It's not just an issue of auto vs revolver since I don't see the M1911 and .45 ACP as being the standard.
The World had moved on to striker-fired pistols, mainly Glocks and/or their clones and chambered in 9mm...
GABE SUAREZ BLOG - A Pistol For the Present Day Gunfighter (Why I carry a Glock)
There's no practical reason for choosing .45 ACP over 9mm and in terms of Worldwide standards, 9X19 is it. Looking at what has the best one shot stop record and there is very little difference between .45, .40, 357 and 9mm, but the top spot is not occupied by .45 ACP....
Handgun Cartridge Power Chart - Condensed Version
In terms of wheelguns, I have little use for large revolvers, but if you are going to reference tactics, an enclosed hammer snub is able to do things in ECQ/extreme close-quarter scenarios that no auto can.
And speaking of reloading, see how many examples you can find where a civilian performed a reload in a self-defense encounter.
If you were to learn gunfight dynamics, you'd know why the 1911-A1 chambered for the .45 ACP is king of self-defense handguns. It's ironic that the 1911-A1 was the first battle handgun that was designed as an offensive weapon; however, it is now primarily defensive. Nothing on the handgun market since its introduction has threatened its supremacy.
Small caliber handguns, including the 9MM, were issued to officers of many militaries not as battle weapons, but as tools to mete out battlefield punishment. Officers didn't need large caliber handguns to kill their own soldiers for sundry battlefield transgressions. The US & Great Britain issued large bore handguns to their miliraries to kill enemy soldiers.
Please stop with the nebulous & neophyte one-shot-stop propaganda. It is neither scientific nor relevant. It's a usless term devoid of intellectualism. Too many hand gunners rely upon entertainment propaganda that was propagated many generations ago. It's never mentioned in professional firearms courses. In fact, the exact opposite is taught: keep shooting until a threat is neutralized.
It is fantasy and agenda to espouse that the 9MM is equal, has even been equal, or will ever equal dominance of the .45 ACP. Elementary physics combined with human biology negate that fantasy.
Striker fired pistols have captured an unknown percentage of the handgun market. They're less expensive to manufacture, which means they're less expensive to purchase, which is beneficial for those on strict budgets who want a self-defense handgun. Whether striker fired handguns have reached peak demand is a guess. I'd guess they have. Striker fired handguns will never threaten the dominance of hammer fired handguns. Striker fired handguns dominate negligent discharges. Eventually, law enforcement agencies that have endeavored to save $$$ by going with less expensive striker fired handguns will revert to hammer fired handguns in order to mitigate liability.
For many reasons, I don't own striker fired handguns. Primarily, I want to be able to glace at a handgun and immediately know its firing condition. And I'm old school, which might just be excellent education. But I'm good with others who've gone striker. After all, they know what best fulfills their self-defense requirements.
Tell me what you think that a any revolver can do at close range that a revolver cannot. If fact, the opposite is true. A semiauto is vastly, by a huge margin, superior to any revolver, especially at close range.
I have no knowledge of why the FBI has gone with the 9MM as its
ISSUED handgun cartridge. FBI cops have retained option of carrying other handguns and cartridges approved by the agency. They don't have to carry the agency's issued handgun. My guess is that the preponderance of field cops will carry larger caliber handguns.
I have an excellent theory of why the US Military has gone with the 9MM save elite, specialized units. Modern battle rifles have made battlefield handguns obsolete. I'd much rather carry more magazines for a battle rifle than any handgun.
