WHY 9mm?

[M29since14]

...sorry to have disturbed you, please return to your normal programming.

Hey, all of us around here tend to do that!

Rufus, I have seen .30-06 bullets stopped by a small snow pile - pure snow, NOTHING else but snow. Funny things happen when bullets hit things. Nothing to get excited about - or draw too many conclusions from.

 

[Bratastic007]

I don't doubt that you saw what you saw. But at the same time, you'll understand if I don't rush out to buy sytrofoam body armor.

 

[tcc1953]

This, gentlemen, is the reason all women are not redheaded. Small thing called personal preference. Anybody who has shot much .45 will tell you that when the light is right they have watched the round go down range - kind of like watching a BB in flight. I've seen it more times than I care to count. Do I want to try and catch one? No, thanks. I run a bowling pin match for my gun club six months of the year. Bowling pins are TOUGH by the very nature of what they are designed to endure on a daily basis and reasonably heavy as well. Th 9MM just won't cut it in this game because of bullet weight or a lack thereof. I guess I'm just old and stuck in my ways, but a single stack LW .45 has been a constant companion for many moons. My greatest friend - and a retired Green Beret - has carried a Glock 17 9MM since they first reared their ugly heads. To each his own.

 

[RufusG]

Nothing to get excited about - or draw too many conclusions from.

I agree completely. But I'm not sure you and I would agree on how many conclusions are "too many".

 

[Bratastic007]

Posted some time ago on a favorite website--Notes from the Bunker.

 

[Lost Lake]

I see from your diagram Brat, that the .45 has much less distance to travel before 'You'll be Fine'. That difference in time could be the difference between living and dying....

 

[RufusG]

I see from your diagram Brat, that the .45 has much less distance to travel before 'You'll be Fine'. That difference in time could be the difference between living and dying....

But it's traveling so much slower they still all get there at the same time.

 

[WC145]

But it's traveling so much slower they still all get there at the same time.

Now that's funny, I don't care who you are!

 

[flintsghost]

There was a time when a 9mm would have been considered less than adequate for self defense, simply because it wouldn't knock somebody out of their shoes. With advances in technology of ammunition the 9mm is a pretty descent choice especially in some of the smaller weapons such as the Kahr PM9.

While I normally carry either a 40 cal or a .45acp, I also on occasion carry a 637 .38spec and a Kahr PM9 9mm, depending upon how I am dressed, where I'm going and what the seasonal condition is. In .38 spec I use Speer 135grain GD short barrel. In the Kahr PM9, I carry either 147 grain hydrashok or 124 grain +P Speer GD. I have some +P+ but I'm not really sure about it in the Kahr. I do use it occasionally in HK's and Sigs though. That's roughly the equivalent of a +P .357 Mag for those who haven't seen or used it.

 

[M29since14]

...That's roughly the equivalent of a +P .357 Mag for those who haven't seen or used it.

What is "a +P .357 Mag" and who loads it?

The usual .357 Magnum (full-charge) 125-grain load is around 1450 FPS. Admittedly, that seems like a pretty mild load if you were paying any attention to .357s in the '60s and early '70s, but I have never heard of a +P .357 being made by any of the major U.S. manufacturers.

 

[paragon1]

This, gentlemen, is the reason all women are not redheaded. Small thing called personal preference. Anybody who has shot much .45 will tell you that when the light is right they have watched the round go down range - kind of like watching a BB in flight. I've seen it more times than I care to count. Do I want to try and catch one? No, thanks. I run a bowling pin match for my gun club six months of the year. Bowling pins are TOUGH by the very nature of what they are designed to endure on a daily basis and reasonably heavy as well. Th 9MM just won't cut it in this game because of bullet weight or a lack thereof. I guess I'm just old and stuck in my ways, but a single stack LW .45 has been a constant companion for many moons. My greatest friend - and a retired Green Beret - has carried a Glock 17 9MM ""SINCE THE FIRST REARED THEIR UGLY HEADS"". To each his own.

Well said sir.

 

[Lost Lake]

I have some +P+ but I'm not really sure about it in the Kahr. That's roughly the equivalent of a +P .357 Mag for those who haven't seen or used it.

I'm not sure I understand the +P .357 load either. Did you mean .38?

I hand load some .357 that will take your breath away so those may be considered +P. The best factory load I could find with a quick search was manufactured by Fiocchi and maybe you would consider this a +P load: 125 gr @ 1650 fps giving 755 ft/lbs of muzzle energy.

If you have some 9mm rounds that are putting out 755 ft/lbs of energy I take my hat off to you, especially if you are shooting them out of a pocket sized semi-auto!

 

[WC145]

Quote:
Originally Posted by flintsghost
...That's roughly the equivalent of a +P .357 Mag for those who haven't seen or used it.

What is "a +P .357 Mag" and who loads it?

The usual .357 Magnum (full-charge) 125-grain load is around 1450 FPS. Admittedly, that seems like a pretty mild load if you were paying any attention to .357s in the '60s and early '70s, but I have never heard of a +P .357 being made by any of the major U.S. manufacturers.

Good question, +P .357mag is news to me. I load my 9mms with Federal 9BPLE 115gr JHP +P+ and I've clocked it at 1300+fps avg from a HK USP. It's hot for a 9mm but that hardly .357mag territory.

 

[gaucho1]

Light-Flat-Enough if you hit.

 

[azasadny]

I carry a Sig P239 in 9mm and Speer Gold dots. I carry in a HighNoon horsehide holster. I would carry a .45ACP if I could find a small frame .45 that I trust.