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

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.�

I'm happy to hear that as it means more .45 Auto for me.

Seriously, during the ammo shortage I could always find .45 Auto hardball on the shelve. Not so with 9MM.

Should we now expect a flood of used handguns in the market? I could use a nice, traditional 1911 to go with my 1911 in 9mm, LOL.

I don't question their findings, but I do know that there's fact and then there's opinions and there's a very grey, fuzzy line between them.

They will be wrong. The 45 ALWAYS blows a man clean off his feet. Even if one misses.

Also, in Texas nothing will change. The LE folks down there like when the media ask why they shot the 45 in incident X and being able to tell them "cuz they don't make a 46!".

Yawn.

I bet their srt team is switching as we speak. Right.

every time i hear of the 9mm vs. .45acp debate, given that i do like the 9mm, it's you got a 300lb former defensive guard about the size of a lowland gorilla wanting to rip you apart, which one would you rather have?

Every time I read advice from the FBI I laugh my balls off and the pavement gets cracked.




Travis

Trick question!! No guards on defense.

Wasn't it the FBI that said North Korea was definitely behind the Sony Hack??

Over the 16 years I did federal investigations, I didn't find the FBI to be particularly adroit. We'd be forced to brief them on cases that they'd take over once we'd proven them.

I like many different handgun calibers and many different types of handguns.
Some of the many arguments, and conclusions as to what is superior or not,
are interesting, and even informative, but make no difference to me as to what
I am comfortable with, for whatever purposes I choose - within reason.

I don't think this latest FBI ballistic study is going to have any more penetration
than the 9MM round already has, as regards to what so many already believe anyway.

There's a key point in that study that defines it all. Hits matter. You can't miss fast enough to win, so go with what you can hit with first. If that's a 9x19, great; it'll work. Ditto a .40, or a .45. No sense carrying a .45 that you can't shoot, vs a 9 that you can, based upon "stopping power". You have to hit first.

In 1986 the FBI blamed the 115gr 9mm Silvertip bullet and said use the Winchester 147gr target bullets which BTW were not designed to expand. Then the FBI said the 10mm is the way to go. Then the 40 S&W and now back to the 9mm.

Exactly, and some need all the chances they can get, hence the 9mm. I have a LE buddy that can hit kill zone fairly well with his issued G19 at 50 yards, but tells me that many of his fellow LEOs that are fairly poor shots, and can never keep up with him once the distance increases. He's scary good with his "play"/personally modified pistol.

Hmmmmm, and what do you suppose the highest priority of the Training Division is?

Is there a Forensic Division? Do they have any input here?

I'm a 9mm fan myself, but this seems a little bit agenda-driven to me.

Where ballistics are concerned I personally think the FBI has been spot on for at least the past 20 years. Ever since they developed their criteria, they have been very on track. I very much like their criteria and I consider it to be very relevant. I personally don't see anything "new" in this latest report. Dr. Fackler has been saying that there's no difference in common combat cartridges for the past 20 years. Since 124 and 147 grain 9mm loads all meet the FBI's criteria these days, what they're saying makes sense. You get more ammo, it's easier to shoot well, and it's less abusive to the gun vs. the .40; makes sense.

Not that I'm giving up my LW Commander anytime soon...but I pick that for the gun, not necessarily the cartridge.

Ballistic research has always come out of the training division.