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

New study shows when round-count, accuracy and penetration are factored in, bigger isn't better.

A new study from the FBI’s Training Division shows that overall, the 9mm Luger pistol round is the best option for law enforcement handguns, recommending departments shouldn’t switch their side arms to larger rounds considered by many to be more lethal.

Based in a combination of factors, including so-called “stopping power,” weight and availability, the FBI study shows that the 9mm round penetrates far enough, allows for shooters to carry more rounds, and is more widely available and less expensive than alternative rounds like the .45 ACP or .40 Smith & Wesson.

“Most of what is ‘common knowledge’ with ammunition and its effects on the human target are rooted in myth and folklore. … Handgun stopping power is simply a myth,” the FBI said in its report. “There is little to no noticeable difference in the wound tracks between premium line law Auto enforcement projectiles from 9mm Luger through the .45 Auto.”

The study — which was concluded May 6 but has just been leaked online — comes as the U.S. military is considering a new handgun to replace its decades-old Beretta M9 9mm pistol, and some law enforcement agencies are debating whether to outfit their officers with heavier rounds. The findings may also help civilian gun owners decide which handgun to purchase for self defense and concealed carry.

Arguing “stopping power” only applies to shots to the central nervous system (the head or neck), the FBI says modern 9mm Luger ammunition retains most of the ballistic characteristics and penetration power as its larger-caliber brethren, but is easier to control and leads to more accurate shots.

The study shows most law enforcement shootings result in only about 30 percent of the rounds hitting their target.

“The Ballistic Research Facility has conducted a test which compares similar sized Glock pistols in both .40 S&W and 9mm calibers, to determine if more accurate and faster hits are achievable with one versus the other,” the FBI says. “To date, the majority of the study participants have shot more quickly and more accurately with 9mm caliber Glock pistols. The 9mm provides struggling shooters the best chance of success while improving the speed and accuracy of the most skilled shooters.”

So when the skill of the shooter — with many agencies and even civilian shooters unable to train on a consistent basis — is a factor, there’s no shortcut in shooting a larger-caliber round.

“While some law enforcement agencies have transitioned to larger calibers from the 9mm Luger in recent years, they do so at the expense of reduced magazine capacity, more felt recoil, and given adequate projectile selection, no discernible increase in terminal performance,” the study says. “Given the above realities and the fact that numerous ammunition manufacturers now make 9mm Luger service ammunition with outstanding premium line law enforcement projectiles, the move to 9mm Luger can now be viewed as a decided advantage for our armed law enforcement personnel.”

it's cause of all those women Feebs these days.

It also provides agencies with the option to train more for the same money, or save money in ammunition cost for the same number of rounds they have been purchasing on a yearly basis.

The more I shoot the nine the better I like it. My first choice in a carry gun today is my Glock 19

The study shows most law enforcement shootings result in only about 30 percent of the rounds hitting their target.
9mm = more rounds in the mag so they can miss more.

comes as the U.S. military is considering a new handgun to replace its decades-old Beretta M9 9mm pistol
The military uses FMJ and a 9mm doesn't equal a larger hole.

What will the US government do with all of the 40 cal ammo it has hoarded?

I'll take a .357 magnum with good hollow points over a 9mm. YMMV

So with all the money saved and all that extra training, more perps will be hit at center mass thereby enforcing the belief that the 9mm is an adequate manstopper.
Based on that line of thinking, why not just go to the .380?

Boy am I glad that's been settled.

It's not mentioned in the article but every armorer I've spoken to says the .40 is hell on guns compared to the 9.

Especially the 155gr duty stuff.




Travis

You can finally sell off all those fancy revolver things you like so much.




Travis

Yeah, that is what I was planning on doing. Going to shave my head too.

The difference in shooting the same pistol in 9mm and .40 (especially the absurdly hot practice ammo many agencies use) is undeniable.

If I need to shoot accurately, quickly, I'll take a 9 all day every day.

There aren't any known accounts of felons shot with a 9mm and saying "I read somewhere that the 9mm isn't effective, that didn't hurt!"

Bullet placement trumps pistol cal all day long

I don't have a big problem with the 9mm as a defensive round...what I don't like however is the 147 grain Subsonic ammo...regardless of the advances in bullet technology...

Still prefer the .38 Super or .357 SIG with a 115-124 grain bullet going over 1350 fps... In 9mm give me a 115 +P+...

Bob

yes, i am too...


this "finding" is, in a sense, "enlightening" revelation.


awhile back Form made a post essentially about "advancements in the precision rifle field/industry".

i agree with the essence of his idea that "the gains/advancements/equipment/techniques" made in the field do not come from the governmental sectors--but rather--by the civilians who seriously work at this everyday.


but the 'case closed, fbi says' "conclusion" is in my mind almost like "putting the cart before the horse, or driving the hammer with the nail."


admittedly, the 9mm is a great round--my favorite handgun round--but i couldn't fully agree with this "conclusion"...

now bob don't be running down the new equivilent of the 38special. Tain't nice.
I was shooting a 38wcf, more than one, this weekend and snickering to a guy with me it's a 100 year old round that ballistically is a .40s&w. And i don't consider myself that great, i popped a beer can four out of six times out around 25 to 30 yards out of that old colt. The first round didn't count as i jerked the gun, first time i have fired it since around age of six.
i don't have a lot of issue with the 9mm, it's been killing people for a long time. But i do think the ammo selection is a lot more important that for the .45.

WOW I seemed to remember when the FBI said that the 10mm was the be all end all of handgun cartridges. Then they discovered that the on-paper ballistics didn't equal hits on target. Sort of like the 41 Magnum was going to be the cartridge when cops carried revolvers.

Because 380 costs more than 9mm.

plus 25 auto cost more than 380

I can't say that I fully agree with all the conclusions & I still prefer to carry a 45 caliber pistol, but I can say that I do carry a 9mm almost as much these days & I never feel like I'm either undergunned or nor at a disadvantage in carrying the 9mm loaded with 124 gr. Federal HST's.

The 2 undeniable conclusions that I can't argue with is that the 9mm is cheaper to shoot & that most people shoot it better than a bigger caliber handgun.

MM