WHY 9mm?

[HEADKNOCKER]

I've always liked the 9mm para cartridge & always will..
It's cheap to plink with a there's several bullets out here that give a lot of power for it's size, You have to also remember that it's more powerfull than a 38 special..
When I carry a 9mm I use 9BPLE +P+ in a Glock 26..
My favorite range 9mm is a Glock 17L Long Slide..

 

[stantheman86]

How about .50 AE......so you don't HAVE to aim If the bullet don't kill 'em the muzzle blast will!

I like .380.....it's like 9mm Para's "mini me"

Like was said above, .32 ACP (7.65) or .380 (9mm Browning, 9mm Kurz) have been standby's for European police for over 100 years. The Walther PPK .32 was the "status" pistol of German officers in WWII and a prized trophy of Allied troops.

I gave up trying to "convince" people of what to carry, I will "advise" or give my opinion but I do not chide people for their HD or CC choice. I know a guy who uses a .22 Colt Woodsman as his "under the bed" gun, another guy I saw at a gun shop showed me his .31 Colt percussion revolver (original!) that he uses for CC.He fires off the 5 rounds in it once a month or so, cleans and oils it and puts fresh loads into it.. I'm sure he catches a lot of guff for carrying that, but it works for him I guess!

 

[oldman45]

oldman45 are you saying that a marginal shot with a 9mm would be better than an accurate shot with a .22 or are you saying that a marginal shot with a .45 would be more effective than an accurate shot with a 9mm?

Pretty much, yes.

More people have been killed with a .22 than any other caliber but that is due to the sheer number of .22 guns out there and from years ago when it was one of the few calibers available. Yet it is not as effective as other calibers.

I have seen people continue to function when they should have been down after being shot by 9mm. We had a dealer shot during a raid that was hit 13 times with a 9mm from two different directions. He was out of the hospital in a few days and was in court in a few weeks and in prison in a few months.

A well placed shot is desired but not always practical. People under stress miss what they aim at.

 

[JeepGuy00]

Hmmm, young AND touchy.

FYI - = joke

Haha I know, I meant to add a smiley or somethin in there, don't worry about it

 

[APS]

I have seen people continue to function when they should have been down after being shot by 9mm. We had a dealer shot during a raid that was hit 13 times with a 9mm from two different directions. He was out of the hospital in a few days and was in court in a few weeks and in prison in a few months.

Wow, do you recall what 9mm round was being used and if he was hit in a vital area or not?

 

[oldman45]

Wow, do you recall what 9mm round was being used and if he was hit in a vital area or not?

The rounds he was hit with were standard police issue and I am not sure what that was at the time. Yes, he was hit pretty much from the waist up with every shot.

Would that have happened with larger caliber weapons? Possibly. However with each advantage, the odds become more favorable. Better accuracy, larger caliber, better ammo and other things would have increased the potential for sudden stoppage.

Shortly after the aforementioned incident, that deparment went to the .40 Glock.

Please do not take this as being anti 9mm but rather saying there are better calibers for one to use. More and more agencies are leaving the 9mm as it has not been shown to be an effective cartridge. NATO may like it but they have their reasons, all political, and we could spend weeks discussing them.

 

[J.P.60]

9mm - Because they make the cutest "Tink...Tink...Tink" on steel targets
and because they give you so much more opportunity and reason for the use of huge magazine capacity.

 

[wnr700]

Though I carry a snubbie and once carried the .40 cal Glock 27, in the final analysis, I'm most accurate with the 9mm, it's rather soft shooting w/Glocks, and has capacity.

For me... Best of alot of worlds.

 

[jadek669]

Who cares ?? 9-40-45-357 sig. Thats why they make em. To each his own and the heck with what Joe Blow says. I own what I like and shoot what I own. I'll put $$ on it that a bunch of the folks chiming in don't even own a gun.. IMHO

 

[blazer]

38 & 9mm ben around over 100 years, must be doing something right.

 

[Larry from Bend]

It seems to me the 9mm became less popular about 17 years ago and then started again growing in popularity again maybe 10 years ago.

In 1994 when mags that held over 10 rounds were outlawed a lot us thought that we might as well "move up" in caliber if we couldn't buy hi-cap mags any more. 9s became less popular and 40s really took off.

Then CC became the law in 30 or 40 states and a lot of us wanted "small and light" after lugging around the bigger examples for a while. They just kept making 9s smaller and smaller and the market kept getting bigger and bigger.

Then, in 2004, manufacture of hi-cap mags became legal once again. So that gives the 9 another boost.

Then in 2008 Obama gets emaculated and the economy gets scary and all kinds of folks that hadn't owned handguns before decided it was "now or never". These people had never focused on handguns before and -- compared to the 32s and the 380s that were offered the 9 looked "plenty big enough".

Now, ironically, the 380 has become even more popular than the 9 (or so it seems) because it can be made smaller than the 9.

I like my Lady Smith a lot and carry it some--- but I still keep a .40 at bedside.

 

[oldman45]

38 & 9mm ben around over 100 years, must be doing something right.

The BB gun has been around since 1895 but do you really want to carry one for self defense?

 

[Kanewpadle]

Pretty much, yes.

More people have been killed with a .22 than any other caliber but that is due to the sheer number of .22 guns out there and from years ago when it was one of the few calibers available. Yet it is not as effective as other calibers.

I have seen people continue to function when they should have been down after being shot by 9mm. We had a dealer shot during a raid that was hit 13 times with a 9mm from two different directions. He was out of the hospital in a few days and was in court in a few weeks and in prison in a few months.

A well placed shot is desired but not always practical. People under stress miss what they aim at.

How long ago was this shooting? At first the 9MM was notorious for failing to stop.

And if people miss what they aim at under stress, then does caliber really mean anything?

To carry a larger caliber just because you may miss your intended target is backwards thinking IMO.

 

[J.P.60]

I think it was Col. Cooper who said, "The 9mm has been wounding the enemies of the State for over 100 years."

It was not said as a compliment.

Today's ammo is far superior to that of a couple of decades ago; however, I can only speak from eye-witness accounts. My wife was charge nurse in the OR of one of Detroit's largest Level I trauma centers. She often related seeing the same "victim" in the OR on more than one occasion and so many with multiple 9mm wounds. In all her 20 years, there, she never saw a multiple wound "victim" survive the .45acp.

She once asked me why I carried .45acp and I simply said, "You've been in the OR how many years? You tell me..." She never did have to answer...

 

[kevjminn]

I carry a 9mm because I shoot them best. I am WAY more accurate with them than any other caliber. I know the 'ol 45acp is a more powerful round, but I'm not willing to give up accuracy for fire power. To each his own though. I know a few guys that can shoot a gnat at 25 yards with a 45. But I ain't that guy yet.

 

[Tah]

Gentlemen, it has been said that "it's never the arrow, it's always the Indian" and for 60 years (started shooting at age 10) I have subscribed to that theory.

Pick a caliber you can reliably handle, practice, practice and practice some more. And by practice I don't mean at a sterile environment indoor range where it's "bang, reload" but actual combat type practice !

Do that and you can darn near Cary a sling shot and be well protected !

 

[oldman45]

How long ago was this shooting? At first the 9MM was notorious for failing to stop.

And if people miss what they aim at under stress, then does caliber really mean anything?

To carry a larger caliber just because you may miss your intended target is backwards thinking IMO.

The shooting was about 12 yrs ago. All the shootings since have been with the .40S&W.

If you miss a vital spot, then the object is to shock with the impact. I have seen cases where people were hit in non fatal areas with single hits but died because it was in their mind the bullet was going to kill them. There is a mental impact from being shot just as it is a physical impact. I was with a man many years ago when he was shot with a .22LR. He did not even know he was shot until I told him he was bleeding. Once he found out, he went into immense pain but it was more mental than physical.

Look at some of the dash tapes of shootings with 9mm and those of .40. It just might change your mind.

We all are subject to missing. I only hope when I miss the intended organ that I hit close enough and hard enough to get their attention.

Again, I am not against the 9mm and I own some of them. It is just not the effective gun people feel it to be. That said, people have different opinions and they are formed on different reasons. Mine was formed on experience and seeing the results of each. That is also the reason I carry and use a .45acp.

 

[oldman45]

I think it was Col. Cooper who said, "The 9mm has been wounding the enemies of the State for over 100 years."

It was not said as a compliment.

Today's ammo is far superior to that of a couple of decades ago; however, I can only speak from eye-witness accounts. My wife was charge nurse in the OR of one of Detroit's largest Level I trauma centers. She often related seeing the same "victim" in the OR on more than one occasion and so many with multiple 9mm wounds. In all her 20 years, there, she never saw a multiple wound "victim" survive the .45acp.

She once asked me why I carried .45acp and I simply said, "You've been in the OR how many years? You tell me..." She never did have to answer...

Sir, you are indeed an honest man. I have seen people bleed out just from the wound of a .45acp.

The argument people make about ammo being improved over the years is blowing smoke. While the 9mm ammo has somewhat improved, the .40S&W, the .45acp, the .357 and all the others improved right along with the 9mm. Actually giving proper credit, I think the most improvement has been with the .40 since LE began really using it or the 10mm. A squeaking wheel gets the most attention.

 

[oldman45]

I carry a 9mm because I shoot them best. I am WAY more accurate with them than any other caliber. I know the 'ol 45acp is a more powerful round, but I'm not willing to give up accuracy for fire power. To each his own though. I know a few guys that can shoot a gnat at 25 yards with a 45. But I ain't that guy yet.

It might shock you to know you can be as accurate with any other caliber as you are the 9mm. You shoot the 9mm better because it is the 9mm you shoot. Spend the time and rounds with a .40, .45 or which ever and watch yourself improve.

I confess my sin. I can stack hits at 20 yards with .357, .40 or .45acp but I cannot hit a barn door with a .45LC or a .44mag and I own both but do not shoot them.

The idea of practice is to get proficient with what you shoot and you have done so to a point you feel comfortable. This is the same as with a car. When I went to a dually truck from a regular truck, I was climbing curbs, crossing center lines and such until I got used to driving the dually. Now I am so comfortable with it that I am relaxed no matter what I am towing.

 

[APS]

I'm still having trouble believing that the 9mm is so underpowered compared to the larger calibers if you put the rounds where they need to go, not spray and pray like people did when the wondernines first came out.

You know how the anti gunners never hear about firearms saving lives (and we all know they do), so they think that firearms don't save lives? Well, I think that the .45ACP cartridge also has failures to stop, but b/c ours is a bigger is better culture, these instances get explained away to things other than the power of the cartridge. But everyone has a 9mm failure to stop story that they like to pass along.

Is the .45ACP really that much better or is it our perception that it is better?