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

The 9mm didn't fail in Miami. The 9mm was a killing shot, he just kept fighting. Morales ended the fight with a .357 mag with 38 spcl +P 158gr lead hollow points IIRC. The FBI didn't want to admit the agents were unprepared for a major gunfight. When the switched the move was to the 9mm with Win. 147gr hollow points. When they didn't expand the FBI complained to Winchester and the reply was, "they are target bullets we developed for the Navy SEALS for their sub sonic ammo, they are not designed to expand". The the 10mm was the dream cartridge. The the 40 S&W. Now it's the 9mm.

The 9mm failed to reach the heart on a 6'-1"" 170 pound felon. That's a failure in my book.

I thought it was a .38 Special snub nose that stopped the fight.

Are you using FMJ in both 9mm and .45 acp,

No, Fmj in either 124 +P jhp XTP in the 9 and 220 critical duty hornady +P in the 45

In my opinion, not really a lot of real world difference between .38 spl, .40, 9mm, and .45. Kinda like comparing real world difference between .308, 30.06, .270, .243 etc.

A bullet placed in the upper hydraulics will stop someone in a few moments. A round in the head or spine will stop them a lot faster.

My experience is with a .38 spl 158gr SWCHP at about 60 feet to the chest, and a .40 180 grain Gold Dot at 1 foot to the chest. Same result, they died. Neither died appreciably faster.

thought i might paste in this old post made on May 29, 2014 in the "9mm vs the .45 acp" thread.

a somewhat unusual analogy, but perhaps applicable here:




about 20 years ago a good friend of mine was involved in a head-on collision. there were three other people in the vehicle that he was driving. at the time he weighed about 275 pounds. at the sledgehammer impact, momentum propelled him forward--and though wearing a seat belt, the seat was ripped out of the floor, and he hit the windshield. for some of the occupants, there were life threating injuries involved--if i recall correctly, a broken neck, a punctured heart/aorta, etc.

the rig that drifted into their lane and hit them was a dinky subaru traveling about 50 mph...

whether it's a small car traveling 65 mph, or a several ton dump truck doing 45 mph--either way--there are going to be significant injuries...


both of these self defense handgun rounds are very capable--and each has it's own particular sterling virtues.

yet in my thinking--within the realm of the self defense handgun--velocity disparity is somewhat minimal--and subsequently, there is something about mass/size here that cannot be ignored...






and the end of this post from July 12, 2014 in the "U.S. Military and .45 ACP" thread;




regarding the potential for penetration on car doors--i'll prefer the heavy .45 auto pills with appropriate construction (rather than the 9 mm)...

One other factor that comes into play is an anti-terrorism focus, where a line officer (or agent) may have to head shoot a suicide bomber, or someone equipped with body armor.

A hit in the brain with a 9mm, or .40 will be about the same, it's just that hit has to be made, and maybe a bit less recoil will assist some shooters in making it.

^^^This^^^ Speaks volumes to me.

I'll stick with my 45acp or, if I feel the need for more rounds, one of my Glocks in .357 sig or 10mm.

I have never been in a gun fight nor do I want to be. Having said that if I was, I don't think my shooting would be as good as at the range i.e.breathing stance...... Therefore I would opt for a 40, 10, 45, or 357 mag or sig.

If your in the line of work to deal with/watch people, you will realize that there are some huge people out there. Some are just fat, others are well muscled. Some people are like twigs. The 9 might be fine sometimes but I don't think it's the best for every situation.

Right now my 10 is stoked with 125 grain fragmenting ammo.

I think it is sad that men have to carry a 9mm just so that females can qualify. PC bullshit if you ask me.

It was a snub 357 with 38 +P lead hollow points. I went back and corrected my post.

I've personally seen a bonded .223 load (the same load that I shot end to end on several hogs) fail to penetrate to a guy's heart after passing through his left arm.

Stuff happens. And samples of one, or even a few, aren't valid. That's why I give weight to a study that considered an enormous amount of data rather than "well, one time....." stories.

I think it's sad that men are so wrapped up in their own machismo that they refuse to carry a "girl's gun".

And how did it "suck"?

How did the 9mm stack up against .40s and .45s in side by side comparison?

What was the sample size for each caliber?

What loads were they using? Because if they weren't the loads the FBI considered or what I'll carry, I couldn't give a flip less about somebody's "one time at band camp" stories.

Blue, I believe you, and yes, it's a great study. And lots of things can happen when a bullet hits flesh and bone, and not all of them are good.

But I've also killed a lot of feral hogs here at the ranch with my Glocks in .357 Sig & 10mm. And more than a few with a .45 out of a 1911. Have yet to have one fail me. That being said, I don't use my 9mm's on hogs. And I prefer the .223 with Winchester's new 64 ? grain hog bullet.

One stop shots, huh?

In other news, there's a new study out that shows a direct correlation between small penises and a reluctance to carry a "9mm girl gun".

That's TFF! Sounds like you've got way too much time on your hand! Having fun shooting up all that free ammo every day?

Dude I'm busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. But I'm doing what I can, lol.