In any relevant comparison, the 9mm provides superior terminal ballistics to the .38 Special - that's really not debatable. But that should really come as no surprise since the revolver and the .38 cartridge were developed in the black powder era.
I like revolvers, and I'm very fond of the .38 Special cartridge, but it is NOT a reasonable equivalent to the 9mm cartridge as commonly loaded. Most 9mm's loads best the .38 Special by 200 fps or more. You wouldn't deny the significance of a 20% increase in any other facet of life, would you?
If you really doubt it, do your own chronograph testing like bhemry has done and form your own conclusions.
