9 mm for self defense?

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Shot placement and penetration are the two most important factors in stopping a threat. However, more powerful rounds tend to afford a greater margin of error when the wound is in a less vital area. But a 9mm to the heart is far more effective than a .45 to the leg.

As for the gun, I have no experience with the Vp70 and cannot vouch one way or the other. H&K generally has a very good product, though.
 
9 mm for defense

:fire: It's kind of an under powered cartrige but some people swear by it I don't because I like the 44/40,44,454cas.and maybe the 357 magnum but if it's all you got that's not all right:eek: :scrutiny: :eek: if it is I will cry:(
 
Spec Ops Grunt...I sound like an oldhead saying this but, do a search here. There have been some well thought out and researched posts on this forum that will give you all the information you need.....and since this thread pops up about once a month or so, you may not recieve the objective attention you deserve. What you will find will be:

9mm is good because:

Wide variety of ammo
cheap to practice with
generally a very accurate round
ammo is available everywhere
the ammo has been researched and rehashed more than any other round in the world

9mm can be good for defense

with the proper ammo...at least 125 gr.
Gold Dot, Golden Saber and Winchester Ranger are the prefered rounds
147gr. is good for penetration or law enforcement applications where one may shoot through car doors, glass, cold weather etc.
Follow up shots are easy due to light recoil
you'll have plenty of ammo on hand in a modern day high cap magazine
can be fired rapidly with good results

Personally I carry a .40 on duty (Sig 229) a .45 off duty (Glock 30) and a 9mm (Sig 228) when I go to bad areas of town...since I can pack 31 rounds of ammo, fire it rapidly and accurately because I PRACTICE and it is the most accurate pistol I own.
 
I figured if it has been around for so long it has to have been good, so what about,

The VP70? 18 rounds per magazine, the only complaints I've heard about it is the trigger.
 
Spec ops Grunt said:
The VP70? 18 rounds per magazine, the only complaints I've heard about it is the trigger.
Click to expand...
the VP70 is thought to have the worst trigger of any production pistol.
9mm Parabellum is a good cartridge, maybe it wasn't as good in the past but they've got good hollowpoints these days and it's a cartridge I and many other people still trust for what it's worth.
 
Personally I carry a .40 on duty (Sig 229) a .45 off duty (Glock 30) and a 9mm (Sig 228) when I go to bad areas of town...since I can pack 31 rounds of ammo, fire it rapidly and accurately because I PRACTICE and it is the most accurate pistol I own i

It can be argued that the 44mag is really all you need or want yep god bless ruger super blackhawks
 
The US version of the VP70 was interesting but the trigger killed it. There was a version that used a buttstock and that gun had three shot burst capability.

With good JHP's, the 9x19 is fine.
 
9mm is totally weak, I know this dude who heard from a cop that they shot a dude 87 times with a 9mm and he shrugged it off and kept coming, Then another cop with a .45 walked in and shot him in the arm, which blew his arm completely off and spun him around 720 degrees and he gave up. He later died from the .45 wound.

/sarcasm
 
It can be argued that the 44mag is really all you need or want yep god bless ruger super blackhawks
Click to expand...

It can be argued that the 9mm/.40/.45/.38/.357Mag/.45LC/.45GAP/.357SIG is really all you need or want as well. Yep, god bless Glock/Sig/Beretta/HK/Taurus/S&W/Kel-Tec.
 
Is it possible to get used to the VP70s trigger pull, or are you better off with another pistol?

Also, are there any mods you can do on the trigger?
 
357wheelgunner said:
9mm is totally weak, I know this dude who heard from a cop that they shot a dude 87 times with a 9mm and he shrugged it off and kept coming, Then another cop with a .45 walked in and shot him in the arm, which blew his arm completely off and spun him around 720 degrees and he gave up. He later died from the .45 wound.
Click to expand...

I heard that too, except my understanding was the guy shot with the .45 flew back 20 feet and died so suddenly witnesses saw his ghost still running the other way.

I honestly can't believe the opinions some people have about things like the 9mm and "stopping power". My choice is usually the .45ACP, because it is a reliable fight-stopper and I can shoot a .45ACP 1911 faster and more accurately than any other handgun. But if I were a cop and was issued a 9mm, I wouldn't mind one bit so long as they let me choose the ammunition. A 115gr Cor-Bon or Remington Golden Saber +P will put the bad guy down jut as well as a .40 or .45 round will, BELIEVE ME. The stories of the 9mm being a pathetic fight-stopper should've ended way back when folks finally became smart enough not to carry ball ammo or the early first-generation hollow points. The only guys I still worry about are our GI's who are still forced to use only ball ammo. I can tell you without hesitation that if the grunts in Iraq were being issued +P JHP ammo they'd immediately start liking their M9 Berettas a LOT more.
 
357wheelgunner said:
9mm is totally weak, I know this dude who heard from a cop that they shot a dude 87 times with a 9mm and he shrugged it off and kept coming, Then another cop with a .45 walked in and shot him in the arm, which blew his arm completely off and spun him around 720 degrees and he gave up. He later died from the .45 wound.

/sarcasm
Click to expand...


Heck..that ain't nuthin'........I know this girl whose aunt's cousin's uncle is a cop and he shot at a bad guy with a .357 magnum and missed, but the bullet was moving sooooo fast and the blast was so loud...the bad guy crapped his pants and died anyway.....of course even though the bullet missed the guys feet flew up and it knocked him back 20 feet through a plate glass window.:D :neener:

Oh..and this really hot chick who wasn't even involved immediatly became aroused and took the cop home.

Man I gotta get one of those...........

/sarcasm done right.:evil:
 
Another voice of agreement that with a quality hollowpoint round the 9mm will get the job done just fine.
 
357wheelgunner said:
9mm is totally weak, I know this dude who heard from a cop that they shot a dude 87 times with a 9mm and he shrugged it off and kept coming, Then another cop with a .45 walked in and shot him in the arm, which blew his arm completely off and spun him around 720 degrees and he gave up. He later died from the .45 wound.

/sarcasm
Click to expand...


I know that guy. R.I.P. Lefty. :(
 
I would NOT reccomend the VP 70 as a defensive pistol. It was originally designed to fire full-auto when the buttstock was attached. The semi-auto only version suffers from a horrible trigger pull that comes from the original design. It's also an old design, long out of production, and parts are not available. Almost any other modern pistol would be a better choice.
 
The VP also has that wonderful European mag release on the bottom: I have NEVER been able to manipulate those quickly, no matter HOW hard I tried!

I suppose you COULD get used to the trigger pull. People also get used to colostomy bags...

Most 9mmP pistols have 15+ capacity. Choose any one you care to. But I'd stay away from the VP unless you want one as a curiosity (first polymer framed handgun)...
 
R.H. Lee said:
Two in the chest, one in the head. Reassess and repeat if necessary.
Click to expand...

The 9mm vs. .45 cal debate is silly. Get whatever you will practice with the most and shoot the most accurately. And whichever gun it is- follow the advice of Mr. Lee
 
9x19 is perfectly fine. How many Navy SEALs do you hear gripe about their Sig P226's?
 
The NYPD uses Speer Gold Dots in their 9mm's and are well satisfied from what I hear. NYPD probably shoots more people, justifiably or not, than any other police agency in the USA.

Then again, back in 1971, a NYPD officer shot and killed a polar bear with a single shot from his .38 Special revolver. Bet people didn't know that polar bears were indigenous to NYC.
 
For left-handed use, a Glock would be better than some others as the mag release and slide stop can be manipulated with the fingers instead of the thumb. Have you had an opportunity to handle a Glock? They have a different grip angle than most pistols. Some love it, some hate it, some don't care one way or the other. Also, the grip is a bit ... blocky. Again, some love it, etc.

For a true left-hand friendly pistol, may I recommend the CZ-85? It is truly ambidextrous in all of the controls: mag release, safety, and slide stop. Plus, it's an excellent pistol that won't break the bank compared to pistols of similar quality. www.cz-usa.com

Just something to chew on.

Barrett
 
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