Monac
Member
I think that the advantages of going down from 9mm to 8mm are not big enough to be worth the bother. If it is desired to go in this direction, then I think a 7mm bullet diameter should be the maximum, and it should be designed from scratch to be a high-expansion projectile. It would have more to offer in terms of increased capacity in both single-stack and high-capacity magazines. Penetration might be poor, but I am thinking of self-defense here, and that may be different from police requirements.
Of course, there are no 7mm automatic pistol cartridges, and pretty much never have been (aside from 7mm Nambu), and that is going to send the R&D costs rocketing toward the stratosphere, but we are primarily engaged on a thought exercise here. I think arguing in favor of 8mm over 9mm is like arguing the US Army should go from 45 Springfield to a 40 caliber rifle round in 1890 - you're not thinking big (or rather small) enough.
Of course, there are no 7mm automatic pistol cartridges, and pretty much never have been (aside from 7mm Nambu), and that is going to send the R&D costs rocketing toward the stratosphere, but we are primarily engaged on a thought exercise here. I think arguing in favor of 8mm over 9mm is like arguing the US Army should go from 45 Springfield to a 40 caliber rifle round in 1890 - you're not thinking big (or rather small) enough.