9mm a must have?

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That the military uses it doesn't mean a whole lot. The round NATO uses is about the worst PD round one could imagine.

I don't have one and I don't miss it. I do have a .22 kit for my 1911, but I think its usefullness for real-life training is limited.

I don't ever shoot bigger guns and wish they had less recoil. It's a matter of training up to it and getting used to it.
 
Dont have a 9... dont need a 9... dont want a 9.
I reload, so I pay less to shoot my .45s and .44s than most people pay for cheap 9mm.
I carry a full size 5" 1911 daily... and when I feel that I would like to carry something smaller, I can strap on the .44 snubby or the 1911 compact.
If I feel that the .45 is too expensive to practice with, then there is the .22 conversion.


Jim
 
I trust in the 9mm para. In America many have the idea that somehow the 9mm is inferior, but I think there is nothing to back up that claim.

If you think the caliber is inferior for self defense or for law enforcement, then explain it to me.
 
Does something need to be inferior for a person to not want it?
.500 mag isnt inferior, but I dont want one. They are not bad to shoot either in the right gun.
I like the bigger non magnum calibers, a nice big push.
I find no enjoyment in firing a 9.
It isnt a matter of not liking the 9... it is a matter of liking other calibers much more.


Jim
 
I only have one true 9mm, it's my Dad's WWII P38 bringback. I do have a 9mm conversion for my XD40sc and a 9mm cylinder for the 357 Blackhawk convertible,.... they work for me.
 
I don't know about must have and I still like my .45's but I recently picked up an older Beretta 92 (with the mag release on the heel instead of the thumb) just as a shooter because of the low price of ammo.

I was pleasantly surprised with the accuracy and how easy it is to shoot and it is a lot more enjoyable than a .22 (which just bores me).
 
I'll explain it. When you're trying to stop someone from attacking you with a handgun, the idea is to cause as many cm3 of tissue damage as possible. This means that you want a bullet that will penetrate as deeply as possible and make the biggest diameter of hole. A 9mm JHP, when fully expanded, is just a touch bigger than a .45 FMJ. All handgun ammo is inferior for personal defense, it makes the most sense to use the biggest round you can shoot well.

I don't bash people who carry a 9mm, but it's mostly because the round is a lot better than it was say, 20 years ago. The premium JHP ammo is MUCH better than it used to be. The problem I have with NATO ammo is that it doesn't use any of these advantages. It's very likely to penetrate straight through, not expanding, doing probably half as much damage as a good JHP bullet, requiring more good hits to do the job. NATO and the U.S. military use (with very rare exceptions) jacketed, non-hp ammo, to comply with the Hague Accords, which made little sense when they weren't signed by us a century ago, and make even less sense now. I cringe when I load my Beretta M-9 with issue ammo. If I were allowed to load it with 124 gr Hydra-Shoks, I would still wish I had my 1911, but I would feel much better about using what I had.
 
I wouldn't call it a must-have. I don't like 9mm's. I think it's an overused, underperforming caliber. Used to, I'd classify anything smaller than a .45 as underpowered, but these days I'd have to say anything below a .40. The .40 is a good enough round and its effective stopping power is a lot better than 9mm. I just prefer the bigger, heavier .45 due to availability.
 
I love my 9mm guns. I am more confident with a gun that I can afford to practice with more and thus shoot better. I can put more rounds on target faster with a 9 than any other CCW sized handgun.

I guess if I was a better shooter with more money I would go bigger.

In fact I just bought a new H&K P7 PSP today.
 
I've read that the military adapted the 9mm due to pressure from NATO, not that it was a better battle round.

The cliché is, there are two kinds of solders in QC battle. Ones that have a .45 and ones that wish they did.

All that said, I think the 9mm is a fine defense round, and if you are only going to have one gun, it should be a 9mm, and if you are going to have several, a 9mm or two should be in the mix. My EDC is a 9mm, although I do prefer a .40.
 
I've gotten along just wonderfully without one of those "little girl" guns. I have no use for such a thing.

I'm embarassed every time I buy .38 ammo for the wife too!
Click to expand...

(Let's see. How do you get that little smiley face with the rolling eyes into the reply?) Hmmm....Oh yeah! Here it is! :rolleyes:

I'm sure you were just kidding, but just in case:

The .38 Spl was considered a police standard in this country up until the 1980s and can still be encountered in some smaller departments and security services. It is still widely used as back-up weapons by many LEOs.

The 9mm probably has killed more criminals and terrorists throughout the world than all other semi-auto service caliber handgun calibers combined. I would hardly tell the US Special Forces, British SAS, German GSG-9 that they are carrying "little girl" guns. All are trained to kill you very dead with those 9mms.

European police and military services have fought terrorist cells such as Baader-Meinhof, the Red Brigades and the IRA far longer than our own recent War on Terrorism. Even with all the other service pistol cartridges available, militaries around the world have seen no reason to change to anything else and have no real reason to do so. Israeli military and police have stopped would-be suicide bombers with the "puny" 9mm.

Oh, and this has been done with largely ball ammo.

Sure, the 9mm has had failures to stop, and ball ammo would not be considered the best defensive ammo available. But all other service calibers have failed too. But serious shooters make it work because it's all they have, and in most cases, it's all they need.

If you don't like the 9mm, that's fine. But in truth, it's probably as effective (or as ineffective) as any other service caliber handgun caliber.

But I know you were just kidding....:)
 
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I'm a .45 guy as well and I still like my 9mm guns. I cast my own bullets and reload and the 9mm is absolutely dirt cheap to shoot. I actually bought three more 9mm pistols after my first one just to have some variety at the range. Those little 90gr and 124gr cast bullets use up a LOT less wheel weights than the 230gr .45 slugs do. :)
 
I think if you have a low-recoiling .40 or .45, and a .22, it's probably not essential. That said, it's probably good to have one, for somewhat affordable practice without too much or little recoil
 
I have to agree with the OP. The 9mm is a widespread round that is fairly cheap to shoot and you'll probably never not have ammo for it. It makes for a lovely plinking round and like was said before a lot of nice guns are being made in this caliber. I would defiantly call it a "Must Have Round"
 
The 45ACP was, is and always will be an American institution with a loyal following. However, science just does not back up the claims of overwhelming superiority to the 9mm in overall effectiveness.

There's no study anywhere that shows it to be better by any significant margin, if comparable rounds are used.

The stop percentages for FMJ in both calibers range in the 60s and the best JHP defense loads average in the low to mid 90s for both.

If someone shoots better with a 9mm and can land the whole mag full of bullets in the baddies but will only hit the baddy once every 3 bullets with a 45ACP surely will not feel better with the 45ACP in a gunfight.

I carry my G26 religiously and I never feel undergunned with it even though my G21 is my primary duty weapon. I can hit faster and more accurately with the G26 than the G21 and I am no slouch with the G21 either.

As an aside, it's funny that the Geneva Conventions say the FMJ is the more humane bullet. First, when you get shot by any type of bullet, it's not very humane at all. It really hurts! Also, FMJs mostly just punch holes through the target without causing a stop so you shoot more and get a bunch of through and throughs on a guy and aerate him or kill him, instead of 1 wound from a JHP which is more likely to incapacitate him from a "stop" shot and not necessarily kill him as you would after aerating him with FMJs.

Then again, I am thinking from the LEO point of view to stop the threat... not the military, which is to kill the threat.
 
Not a must have, but certainly a good to have caliber. Capable of performing the vast majority of tasks that the vast majority of handgun owners would need it for.
 
I'm having more excitement at the range with my P-38...I can afford this ammo....:)
Blackwardrobep38bdmofficers003.gif
Notorious: Gallup,NM pawnshops decades ago...
 
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My first love is the 1911. I have six of them in various guises. But I carry a Kahr MK9 because of its small size, controlability, accuracy, simplicity, and great trigger.

I've had a score of different 9's and none of them were bad guns, but many didn't suit me for one reason or another. Now I'm down to 3 BHP's, a Luger, P38, CZ75, and the Kahr. Those are my permanent keepers.
 
While I don't think ANY gun is a must have... as long as you have one or more that you can use for its purposes... a 9mm is a great choice to have.

The recoil is easy enough for any shooter, young, old, new, old, woman, man, child, etc.

Bullets are more common world-wide than the 45ACP and might arguably be more common even within the US by virtue of the amount of governmental entities who adopted the round versus the 45ACP which remains an optional chambering to the 9mm standard.

It is probably easier to shoot for most people and they can get more rounds on target than if they shot a 45ACP. If someone can hit what they need to hit with the 9mm, and do it consistently, then who's to fault them for their choice?
 
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I think it is a must have round. I think it is the best all around and has a good price to boot. Even if you reload. You can still reload 9mm and come out that much cheaper. Nothing againist 45s or 44s. They are fun to shoot, but it is kind of painful because they are so much more expensive. Not by a little either. They are alot more expensive and I think that 9mm will do the trick if I must have to use it in self defense. I know that I would not want anyone shooting me with a 9mm that is for sure.
 
I think it is a must have round. I think it is the best all around and has a good price to boot. Even if you reload. You can still reload 9mm and come out that much cheaper. Nothing againist 45s or 44s. They are fun to shoot, but it is kind of painful because they are so much more expensive. Not by a little either. They are alot more expensive and I think that 9mm will do the trick if I must have to use it in self defense. I know that I would not want anyone shooting me with a 9mm that is for sure.
 
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