Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Case Closed: FBI Says 9mm Is The Best Pistol Round

The FBI findings and conclusions are aimed at finding the "best" tool for the "average" LEO. Unfortunately that "average" officer is typically one with minimal experience with firearms, minimal training, almost non-existent practice time and comes in all sizes including women and smaller men.

When viewed in this light it may well be that the 9mm is the best weapon for qualifying ALL officers with a minimal proficiency in a minimal amount of time.

That does not mean the 9mm is more effective in the hands of an experienced shooter who practices regularly. However, in the real world "most" officers do not practice enough to become proficient with any but the minimal effective firearms.

I have worked in law enforcement and can say from experience the typical officer can not handle more than 9mm recoil. A .45 or .40 might be marginally more effective in theory, but the added recoil makes that slight advantage meaningless if you can't hit what you are aiming at. The additional amount of rounds in a 9mm pistol are very important when 70% of your shots are misses. When your method is "spray and pray", you need a lot of rounds to spray around.

My own "testing" of the various rounds has been largely against deer and hogs (roughly the same size as a man) and the larger rounds DO have a definite advantage....on average. The largest rounds are not ALWAYS effective, nor are the smallest rounds ALWAYS ineffective.

In my experience the .45 is probably the "best" service round (for those with enough experience to handle the recoil) as it hits harder and kills effectively. The .40 is effective but the recoil is excessive in the smaller framed guns it is typically chambered in. The 9mm is "almost" as effective as the .40 with less recoil than the .40 and a smaller framed gun than the typical .45. The 10mm is by far the "best" round but it will always come in a larger framed gun (which those with smaller hands will find objectionable) and has a recoil that very few can use as well as a .45. I have used the 9mm on game, but cannot say it is anywhere close to being "best" unless very carefully placed.

That's basically what the FBI has found. The 10mm is "great" but truly usable by a minority of officers. The .45 is great, but requires a frame that is still too large for some (with reduced magazine capacity). The .40 and 9mm are so close together in effectiveness to be equal.....but the 9mm wins in lowered recoil and magazine capacity.

Does that make the 9mm "best" for everyone....no. For those who practice enough and have hands large enough to handle the bigger frames, the .45 is more effective. The 10mm is definitely better, but only a very small number of officers can effectively deal with the size of the guns and increased recoil.

For "most" officers the 9mm is indeed the answer when a department has to deal with hundreds (or thousands) of different officers of various sizes and experience (or lack there of).

For those who can handle the bigger guns, they will likely be more effective. If for no other reason than because the shooters will have confidence in their weapon....and that plays a huge role in how effectively a gun is used. On the other hand if one is using a gun that does not fit and recoils at a level that they are not comfortable with....effectiveness goes out the window.

Hate to admit it, but the FBI just might be right that the 9mm is the "best" choice for all officers. I cannot agree with their conclusions that it is more effective but any hit is better than a miss with something bigger....and for the "typical" officer, that is often the choice that has to be made.