Texas Star
US Veteran
To each his own, but I'd FAR prefer a 9mm to a rock, even if I could throw one well. That applies to even GI ball ammo, although my own Beretta is loaded with Speer's 124 grain Gold Dot JHP's. I'm pretty confident that I can deck an opponent with it. Most home invasions in my city have been by small gangs, so the 15 shots quick are a comfort. (But I don't use the spray and pray approach that some do with high capacity 9mm's. They work only if a bullet is well placed. As with most calibers.)
One lad posting here said that pistols do not win battles. No, but as Jeff Cooper pointed out, they sometimes save the lives of the men who do. He killed three enemy with his .45's (one a Colt SAA in WW II!). I've saved his letters, which are interesting...
My son sometimes ran through six or more magazines for his primary weapon, and several times had to drop it and draw his 9mm to kill someone trying to get him before he could change magazines in his rifle or SMG. Some of his hottest action came as a contractor, although he saw some scary close calls as a regular soldier. (He was wounded three times.)
For those interested, he normally relied on an M-4 carbine as a primary weapon, but as a contractor often used a H-K 7.62mm if expecting long range work, or a H-K 9mm SMG, the MP-5. I have a short video that he sent me with him firing the SMG. It looked like fun.
He once had to kill an insurgent firing at him from about 200 meters. He was using an M-4, and had trouble penetrating an empty 55 gallon drum that the terrorist was behind. Some AP ammo finally did the trick. The guy got hit and stumbled out from behind the barrel, making him an easier target. The M-4 then sufficed. But Geoff was quite emphatic about wishing that he'd taken his H-K G-3 on that trip! The 5.56mm ammo relies on high velocity, and the short M-4 barrel doesn't let it do its best work at any real distance.
For the record, he prefers the Browning 9mm to any handgun, partly because he likes its looks and how it fits his hand. But he also is very fond of both the Colt Govt. Model .45 and the Beretta 9mm. He didn't carry a .45 in Iraq due to difficulty in getting fresh ammo, if any. A couple of times, he had to bum 9mm ammo from some British friends. Had he had a .45, he'd have been out of luck. M-1911 magazines were also in short supply, and tended to be well worn.
BTW, the SAS in Iraq sometimes carried H-K USP's, not their signature Brownings or the SIG P-226's for which they're better known.
I hope this stuff interests members, although not all is directly about the M-9. However, I wanted to respond to the comment that handguns don't win battles. They do save lives, and give a big morale boost to those who have them. Especially if they can use one well...
T-Star
One lad posting here said that pistols do not win battles. No, but as Jeff Cooper pointed out, they sometimes save the lives of the men who do. He killed three enemy with his .45's (one a Colt SAA in WW II!). I've saved his letters, which are interesting...
My son sometimes ran through six or more magazines for his primary weapon, and several times had to drop it and draw his 9mm to kill someone trying to get him before he could change magazines in his rifle or SMG. Some of his hottest action came as a contractor, although he saw some scary close calls as a regular soldier. (He was wounded three times.)
For those interested, he normally relied on an M-4 carbine as a primary weapon, but as a contractor often used a H-K 7.62mm if expecting long range work, or a H-K 9mm SMG, the MP-5. I have a short video that he sent me with him firing the SMG. It looked like fun.
He once had to kill an insurgent firing at him from about 200 meters. He was using an M-4, and had trouble penetrating an empty 55 gallon drum that the terrorist was behind. Some AP ammo finally did the trick. The guy got hit and stumbled out from behind the barrel, making him an easier target. The M-4 then sufficed. But Geoff was quite emphatic about wishing that he'd taken his H-K G-3 on that trip! The 5.56mm ammo relies on high velocity, and the short M-4 barrel doesn't let it do its best work at any real distance.
For the record, he prefers the Browning 9mm to any handgun, partly because he likes its looks and how it fits his hand. But he also is very fond of both the Colt Govt. Model .45 and the Beretta 9mm. He didn't carry a .45 in Iraq due to difficulty in getting fresh ammo, if any. A couple of times, he had to bum 9mm ammo from some British friends. Had he had a .45, he'd have been out of luck. M-1911 magazines were also in short supply, and tended to be well worn.
BTW, the SAS in Iraq sometimes carried H-K USP's, not their signature Brownings or the SIG P-226's for which they're better known.
I hope this stuff interests members, although not all is directly about the M-9. However, I wanted to respond to the comment that handguns don't win battles. They do save lives, and give a big morale boost to those who have them. Especially if they can use one well...
T-Star