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

Ask a Paramedic or anyone who work in a Trauma Center ER. Where a person is hit is more important than which pistol bullet they're hit by. A rifle or shotgun wound to center of mass is several times more lethal than any pistol is.

If the person your shooting is wearing modern ballistic neither the 9x19 NATO or the 45 ACP is going to penetrate. Carrying an M4 carbine beats any pistol

Or an FN 5.7.

Yeah...but that adds another cartridge and weapons for it into military logistics. Has the 5.7 FN cartridge been adopted as a NATO standard?

How did we get into military, this is about the FBI's choice of 9mm.

I have.

Not so much a .4 and over fan any more.

Hits come noticeably faster from the 9MM and 124gr +P Golddots kill pretty darn well.

read between the lines, as this is a tacit admission that girls can't handle the.40 S&W.

That about sumsnit up. I've always held that if you aren't able to qualify/won't put the time in learning to handle the issued weapon peoficiently, then you don't need to be employed at that agency, not only do you put yourself at risk but your coworkers too

Mmmm.... no.





Travis

Really it's not. The only change is in the issue gun. The FBI has always allowed their agents to carry weapons other than the issue gun, in .38 Special, 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm, and .45 ACP. If it's on their list of approved weapons, you can qualify with it, and you carry FBI issue ammunition, you can carry something other than your issue weapon.

About 6 weeks ago I read an article where they stated one of the main driving issues was the lifespan of the .40 S&W guns was unacceptably low, and 9mm's lasted much longer.

Wear and tear caused by the 40 is huge.



Travis

What are they claiming the lifespan of a .40 is?

much longer than most folks will ever shoot it

I keep hearing about the shortened life spand of .40s. But like Blue said what is it?

Three of our neighboring depts issue G22s. They have had the same guns now for 12+ years and haven't had any frame failures or otherwise broken guns. When were they supposed to start breaking. We typically get new guns every 10 years.

So durability is also a factor? Hmmmmm, who'd have thought that something other than performance would be a factor.......Bluedreaux?

I also find it interesting that bullet technology has progressed for the 9mm but somehow the .45ACP has been left behind. Smells like BS. Also interesting how the difference between the 9mm and .45ACP, in other cartridges for other purposes, is the difference between a deer/elk cartridge and a dangerous game cartridge. Perception is everything and bullshit is never more prevalent than it is with autopistol paper punchers and their theories about lethality.

After all that, I have never said that the 9mm was a poor choice for self defense. Only that it'll never be "just as good".

We shoot a lot of .40 in plastic guns and I've never seen any wear or tear (or even malfunctions that were't ammo / magazine related). You'd be hard pressed to find a LE agency in the country that shoots more .40 through individual pistols than we do.

Some folks just can't shoot a handgun well to save their life (no pun intended). 9mm, 40, whatever.

I've seen a lot of big strong Marines who could barely qualify with the M9. It's not about the amount of recoil, it's just the brain response to sudden noise and recoil, however mild. Some folks just cannot overcome it, and it doesn't have anything to do with their sex, or physical build.

Granted, for those who shoot well, I do believe the 9mm will allow faster splits, etc, than the 40. It's just physics.

And this is always a factor that ANY law enforcement agency must consider. Not all officers and agents are shooters. For many it's just another tool on the tool belt and they only shoot when they have to. Which is a lot of my point. They don't make their choice based solely on what is the most effective cartridge.

If you're proficient with your .45, it would be stupid to trade it in for a 9mm 'just' because the FBI did.

Right! I've never seen it happen, that said the reason PSP went from G21s to Sig p227s was FTF and frame cracks. And those guns that presented problems were brand new Gen 4 pistols, prior to that they issued G37s and went to the 21 for magazine capacity. Everyone I have spoken too says they Love the new Sig though

My opinion,

9mm, 40, 45 are so close that if you have good defensive ammo in either, the differences in effectiveness are too subtle to mean anything.

A meaningful increase in killing power comes with the AR15 with expanding ammo, or 12 ga buckshot or Brenneke style slug.