MAVRACER,
I would have to see that for myself.
I remember the .327 magnum touted as 85 percent of the .357 in a smaller gun. So what?
Again, you assume something with my preference for the 9m.m. over the .40 S&W. Both are effective using the right ammo. Using the wrong ammo, like the older simple jacketed hollowpoints, both are less effective then unless you up the noise, flash and recoil. I have been through that with +P and +P+ in the 9m.m. and the high velocity rounds in the .40 S&W.
I can get the performance that I want with FEDERAL HST ammo (or something similar) in either caliber, but the .40 will offer a small performance advantage and fewer rounds with more recoil.
I do not see an 8m.m. reaching the performance level that I want. Sure, you can +P or +P+ the pressure, then you have a LOUDER round with a BRIGHTER FLASH.
Also, YOU CANNOT REACH A CERTAIN LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE WITHOUT A SIMILAR LEVEL OF RECOIL. A thinner grip means less grip area and you have an apparently harder kicking gun than a wider grip 9m.m. I have discovered this for myself when I tried shooting the micro 9m.m. pistols. The smaller the grips made these guns uncomfortable for me to shoot over extended shooting sessions. I could easily get through 50 round, but that was it for me.
Since everyone has a different tolerance for recoil, it may not matter to some, but will not change.
I have been shooting long enough, that I will wait till I can shoot it to believe it.
Jim