Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Is it really a 9mm world out there?

I looked at a Springfield XD 45 for $220 today. It was at the most active gunstore in the state, and had "been there a while" according to the store.
The frame had been painted tan with what seemed like PlastiKote, but otherwise in good shape - tight, clean trigger, etc. Its pretty much dying in the case.
Saw more .40s and .45s than 9mm's in the used displays too. A like new Glock 23 for $299, that kind of thing.
Heavily worn CZ 75s in 9mm were $400. Even old Smith S/As in 9mm that used to be hard sells had hefty tags. I guess theyre not anymore.

It was a little weird to me, once I started scanning the inventory instead of just following my interests.

Is this a widespread thing? Seems like the general public is skewed hard toward's 9mm.

Great deal and also a really good deal on the Glock 23.

Don’t find any deals like that hereabouts.

Yeah it was hard to pass on some of what I saw. But most of the deals would have been duplicates to me, so...

The XD in particular almost got me.

Talked to a guy at the LGS couple weeks ago. They had several .40 and .380 pistols on heavy discount.

He told me they haven’t ordered any .40 pistols in awhile. Just aren’t moving.

Another place i stopped in doesn’t stock much. Had a kahr cw40 NIB for $250.

I own a good amount of handgun in a wide variety of calibers, but none are .40 caliber. Never saw a need nor had a desire for anything in .40 caliber.

Posted this in the "Death Knell" thread:

2018 interim atf statistics on pistols manufactured:

TO 9MM 2,009,514
TO .50 502,317

Looks like 9mm is running 4 times 40 and 45 combined.

What I saw would back it up.

I suppose I can understand the drop in .40 - with so many agencies switching to 9mm I would expect many people to follow suit, and I'd imagine that the net/magazines reinforce it.
Cost of shooting will always keep a percentage of shooters away from .45 too.

But I was still surprised. I just didn't expect to see such an obvious swing.

Wouldn’t .22lr be in the 9mm and under category, skewing things that way?

along with 38/357?????

Neither. Revolvers are separate stats. And I didn't show the group below 9mm, which is "To .380", which means the "To 9mm" number is everything (semiauto) that's bigger than .380, but not bigger than 9mm.

I'm certainly thinking that it is. Have you seen the higher priced factory ammo for everything else? I've got a .380, .38 and a .45, but I'm sure looking at a 9 for punching paper.

It being the US Military round, like 5.56 NATO, helps. All the big makers are geared up for constant mass production of 9mm and 5.56. They only produce other rounds in periodic lots.

Thank you for the revelation and the heads up on this. Situational awareness is the gift to have when making decisions of such importance.

Ahhhh... sarcasm in the morning...
I guess someone was bored.

He's always bored and sarcastic.

And a dumbphuck.

Is it a 9mm world?
Yes, yes it is--

But then what does the general public know?

about guns, even less

Not in my world !

I have others.

But I buy, load, and shoot 9mm at probably a 20:1 ratio for anything else.

Don't own one. The nine is not a bad cartridge; but neither is the 38 & 357 and I don't own those either.

I consolidated to 45 ACP/LC a few years ago and they're the only handguns I reload or, rarely, buy ammo for. My wife has a 40 and 380 LCP and I need to find a pocket gun in one of the above calibers.

Is it really a 9mm world out there?

No, it's a 45 world, we just let the children play with the nines.

So I guess you consider the military and much of law enforcement to be children?

What I say?

Thanks to all of the fine gentlemens that have taken their important time to educate us on the fine points of the 9MM world that is certainly blooming and booming and effervescently bubbling to an ever increasingly fevered pitch among the wondering audience that walks the halls of the hallowed halls of the shooting world.

African guides are now recommending it for Cape buffalo. It's amazing what bullet design improvements can do.

What's truly amazing is how people get butthurt over something like this. Like it's a personal slap in their face.

Yes it is a 9mm world and I encourage any one that wants a semi auto self defense pistol to get a couple of 9mm pistols, a bushel basket full of magazines and a good holster, etc. The 9mm is easier for most to shoot well and to learn to shoot quickly, the ammo is cheaper so one might shoot more often, which we all need to do. I cut my teeth on a 1911 .45 ACP and love my little Glock 36. But, I have more 9mm pistols then any thing else, except for .22's. I also carry a Glock 43 or Glock 19 more then any other pistol.

Bullet design is so good these days, we truly live in the age of "super bullets". So for the most part at reasonable hand gun fighting distances for civilian's, it is like hunting , shot placement trumps every thing.

The 9MM is good for big bear defense too. It is the do all of all things doable. It has risen above all calibers large and small. All other caliber bows to the greatness of the 9MM. Soon there will only be the 9MM. Thanks for the greatness of the 9MM. I am thankful, others are thankful and many more will be thankful as all of us are.

A few weeks back my buddy went to Cabelas in Wheeling WV and had a new Beretta in 40. Tried to trade it in on a gun at about half its value. Guy at the gun library or whatever they call it told him they could not accept anything in 40.

I like to shoot .40, but I suppose I like to shoot everything.
I'm not surprised that the market is down on .40's but I'm a bit surprised at HOW down it is.

Depending on the gun I think .40 can be the best caliber. I prefer a Glock 22 to a 17 for example. Not a big deal either way but I lean 22.

I guess that's why the current popularity of 9mm surprised me. I had thought the old "three horse race" of 9mm, .40 & .45 was down to 2 (or maybe 2.5). I just found out that its a 1 horse race, at least for now.

[Linked Image]

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Heh!

Yes, yes it is.

Does this mean 40 is instantly going to vanish from the planet? No.

But yes, it is a 9mm world.

Apart from the United States, it's been a 9mm world for a hundred years. In the US, it's been dominant since about 1980. The S&W Model 59 (fourteen round magazine 9mm pistol) became wildly popular with US police departments in the 1970s, along with (shortly after the 59's introduction) the Beretta 92. The Browning Hi Power (introduced in 1935) already had a faithful US following when these two came along, but 9mm didn't really catch fire until the early to middle 1970s (thanks to the S&W Model 59 and Beretta 92). By the 1980s, 9mm was dominant here.

"According to the 2014 edition of Cartridges of the World, the 9×19mm Parabellum is 'the world's most popular and widely used military handgun and submachine gun cartridge.' In addition to being used by over 60% of police in the U.S., Newsweek credits 9×19mm Parabellum pistol sales with making semiautomatic pistols more popular than revolvers. The popularity of this cartridge can be attributed to the widely held conviction that it is effective in police and self-defense use. Its low cost and wide availability contribute to the caliber's continuing popularity."

- Wikipedia

Hard to get good stats, but I'd bet its killed more people than any other cartridge

Well, Bruce Willis sure seems to favor it in a Beretta 92 in the Die Hard movie series. It seemed way more effective than the Uzi machine pistols in last nights movie. Bruce double tapped everyone until he got down to the last two bad guys that needed shooting and he only had two cartridges left.

I wonder if Mr Nine Millimeter will do a eulogy at the funeral of Mr. Forty Smith&Wesson? It seems only fitting Mr Millimeter should. Mr. Smith&Wesson, I'm sure, would smile upon it.

Tell him to call glockdoofus, he'll take it.

The 9mm has been the most popular pistol cartridge on earth for quite some time i have plenty of good to say about it and i dont know if i can think of any thing negative to say about the 9mm and its what i choose to defend my self with out on the streets.

Hard to believe an antique cartridge invented in 1902 is the number one defense cartridge today, over 117 years later. 😜

About the only thing that is really the same would be the dimensions, bullets powders and guns have improved quite a bit in the interval.

Yep. And bullet technology has advanced exponentially!

That's true for all calibers, including .32 Winchester Special, .30-30, .45-70, 7mm Mauser, etc..

Those aren't as good as the old ones.


Hah, just kidding! Sweet!

True, difference being rifles have benefited from smaller bores, higher velocity, flatter trajectory, and that benefit has not yet been deemed relevant for handguns.

Many folks just want to be “Euro”! Fads come and go! memtb

I have a few handguns of different calibers, like them all, but the 9mm is my favorite "keeper", if I had to go to one only.
Reason for me is simply that I can keep the 9mm on target easier and fire follow-up shots quicker than my other calibers, which are larger.
(I'm just more effective with it)

The 9mm is "not too big", "not too small", it's "just right". (for me)

That’s called being in the Goldilocks Zone.

So True!!
:-)

If you like your 40 (love mine STI VIP) and don't want to take a hit on trading, but want the lower recoil etc profile of the 9mm, look into Underwoods, and Liberty Civil Defense high velocity substitutes.

I thought that I wanted a 9mm and I still might for paper punching, but yesterday I got to looking at some lighter recoiling .45 ACP factory ammo choices and I think that I'll order some of the 185 grain Winchester hard ball stuff. Full bore 230's have more snap than I'd like out of an alloy frame .45 Auto and the comments on those 185's all mention lighter recoil.

My little XDS weighs approximately 22 ounces. Not at all unpleasant with 230’s.....until you get beyond about 70 or 80 rounds in a single range session! Then that somewhat aggressive grip pattern, will start to get your attention! memtb

Last week I was ogling the SIG 320 (M17) and the little Glock 48, which is the first Glock that felt good in my hands, but when all was said and done, I came home with a Ruger 1911 Target model in .45. I've got all the dies, etc. to load everything from .38 Special, 9mm, .38 Super, 10mm, .41 Mag, .44 Spl, .44 Mag, .45 Colt, etc, but the .45 ACP has been my favorite since I bought my first Colt Lwt. Commander 40 years ago. It wasn't broken, so I didn't fix it.

No, not here.

Me neither, Gunner; though I would consider a 9mm* as a pocket gun, in lieu of a J frame.

*38 Short Colt Rimless Express

LOL, yes Sarge, it's a 9mm world to Wife, but I carry some heavy backup for her too. I do like her little P365, it's a little fist full of leave me the hell be! ; ]

I handled my first P365 a few weeks ago and was impressed by how small it was. It think it's still a tad big for pocket carry, but it is smaller than a pair of J frames.

A few days ago, I took a very nice leather recliner in great condition down to a local Good Samaritan Thrift Store to donate it. I thought about selling it on Facebook, but wanted to be charitable instead. As I was loading it in the back of the truck, a few droplets of water from a rained-on lilac got on the chair. I grabbed a small cloth to dry off the few drops, and headed to the Thrift Store. When I pulled up to the donation area, a guy walked up to the back of the truck and said they couldn't accept the chair, because it was wet. I jumped up, wiped off the dozen or so water droplets, and said, "There you go. Dry". He said again that he could not accept it. I told him to get his manager. She happily accepted the chair.

Moral of the story: just because some imbecile who is simply following some instructions that make no sense to an outsider, it doesn't mean that no one wants the item, or that it is not valuable and prized.

Anymore ridiculous anecdotes that people want to throw out there, "proving" that it's a "9mm world"?

Are you saying he should have just wiped it off and pretended it was a 9mm?

No, I'm saying only imbeciles think that 40's are not wanted, or that one could somehow derive the 40's undesirability from that scenario is less than intelligent. I think the reason for the disconnect in this situation was likely that the Beretta is a full-size steel 40, and I don't see many people choosing a full-size steel anything smaller than 45 very often anymore. Plastic is where it's at nowadays. Most people aren't going to want to buy a full size steel anything anymore. Thus the new Ford trucks....

The 9mm fad will dissipate again with the next "massive failure" in a law enforcement scenario, and there will again be a push to replace it with something with more umph. The best thing that Law Enforcement has done in the last few decades is make rifles and carbines pretty much standard, so that in real-life SHTF scenarios, handguns are only used until the individual can get to the rifle.

I like 9's. I think they are likely the most efficient cartridge platform that exists to handle all sorts of typical problems people face that are generally solved with a gun. That said, they are marginal for most of those typical problems. Like having an 18oz hammer but your job is framing houses. It'll work just fine, but it requires more swings than a larger hammer would, on average. That said, I think it is more about the carpenter than the hammer, always. I carried a 9 for bear defense when up gathering berries this year. I don't know whether it would have failed me, given that I had 18 chances to make it work, because I saw no aggressive bears. But I KNOW that the difference between a 147 grain 35 caliber bullet and a 205 grain 40 caliber bullet, both at 1050-1100fps, matters in that scenario.

huntnshoot posts on numerous subjects and never fails to provide humor, even if juvenile in nature.


mike r

Says the guy making a juvenile jab. I'm over here, Mike. You seem to be looking in a mirror.

I have experience on numerous subjects, likely far more than you. I also have an IQ that makes you a pants-shiiting retard in comparison. These are facts.

Any critique, or just more asinine insults?

Maybe we should start a Campfire Mensa subgroup?
Only those that think they have an IQ above a pants [bleep] retard need apply.

Unlike the Genius HnS, I spelled the bad word correctly and got bleeped.
Maybe that qualifies me to join?

I'm the only real pants chitting retard here, since I don't wear panties, the rest of you guys have to chit through your drawers first, i'll be the chairman.

I have always preferred 9 mm but was taught a lesson during the two recent ammo hoarding/shortages under Odumba to diversify. Fortunately I had lots of pellet guns to use then. Recently I have sold off several handguns, and am now building back up with all 9 mm. But there is this nagging feeling to get an oddball on the side just in case we cannot get ammo so easily. I really don't want a .40 or another .45 ACP, but if I can get one super cheap, might be a good idea to have in limited reserve as something to shoot in a bad situation. Even thinking of a .32 ACP or even a .25 ACP. But in those dark days I even had problems getting ammo for my 9 MM Bulgarian Makarov pistol, so no guarantees. Been regretting selling my Glock 21 in .45 ACP today, but hated the expensive and heavy .45 and the trigger on that Gen. 4 was awful, but still it went bang and was not a 9!

In essence, maybe it is not such a good idea to have so many pistols in one caliber that can easily be hoarded in panic buying?

I reload for most of my center-fires so the shortage didn't bother me much. As soon as I get a three pound coffee can of empties, they get reloaded ASAP.

Brings back good memories - when I was young a couple of my uncles were either shooting or reloading 5-6 nights a week, and every so often they'd give me one of those big old coffee cans full of "seconds" in .38 or .45 ACP to go shoot up. Frosted lead, etc, mostly .45's, and they were always loaded right.
I had a steady hand, young eyes and lots of free ammo. And I was passionate about shooting so I always strove to shoot better. I became a good shot soon enough all because of the practice I got with their generosity. Life was good!