Poll: Why is the 9mm such a popular caliber?

[Mark from MA]

well, I'll be the first to say it, It's because people can't handle the awesomeness of a .40.

With that being said, here is a picture of my glock fortay in a tacticool carbon fiber black hawk serpa holster next to some lotion which is usually needed after contact with said awesomeness for "alone time"

come at me bro

A forty cal and a serpa? Holy shxt theres gonna be some hating thrown your way for posting that in on NES!

 

[Kahrmine]

Oh, shoot, I used the wrong "its" for poll option five.

 

[OPM]

#3 is straight up wrong...
#4, backup up your claims
#5, higher ups prefer it, that says nothing about those on the ground, show stats.. I know a few former navy armorers that would disagree
#6, so is .45
#10, well duh

the rest is explained by my previous post

#3 ALL of the medical data and ballistic studies I’ve seen and I have seen more than an average bear, conclude that handgun wounds kill via blood loss. Some attempted to argue for hydrostatic shock, but so far I have not seen any credible test that can backup such hypothesis. In rifle calibers yes, but not in handgun. In all of the tests I’ve seen, it’s about depth and size of the hole. Quality modern SD ammo is designed to penetrate the same depth and in soft tissue, both 9mm and .45 will roughly travel 13-15in. Under combat condition both calibers could do unpredictable things. Meaning some will travel few inches while others could go 18-24in. But most WILL travel 12in+. Although FBI standard is 12in, it has to do with angles rather than the actual minimum needed. Plenty of shots will do needed damage within 8-10in and some can incapacitate in less than even that. Bottom line 13-15in is perfect number and that is why most of the big boys try to calibrate their ammo to be in that range. As for the hole size, good 9mm HP will open to 0.6 to 0.7+ and .45 will do 0.8 to 0.9+. Although more is better, those are lab numbers and not combat. Meaning, when chips are down your .45 might open to 0.6 and my 9mm to 0.75 or my 0.6 might be 0.3 closer to the artery than your 0.9 and so I cut it and you miss it.

The one shot one kill is a nice slogan for snipers and hunters. In SD with a handgun you shoot until you are out of ammo or the aggressor is no longer a threat. Keep in mind that people shot through the heart (dramatic and rapid blood loss) can remain combative for 10sec or even more. Think about how many times you can be mortally stabbed or shot in 10sec. The whole let me shoot him once or twice and see how he is doing is a myth. Too many survivors empted a mag and didn’t even remember doing it.

#4 Ask few million dead Russians.

#5 dead soldiers cost money. If .45 was clearly better, it would be the universal standard for armed forces, but it’s not. 9mm on the other hand almost is. Including many special forces.

#6 Not as widely available as 9mm in US and in many places across the globe not available at all. As such, there is 9mm surplus, but not much .45 surplus.

 

[Colt Delta Elite]

It's proven that It "works" and you can put it in a tiny slim gun or a larger one with lots of rounds in the mag.

 

[Twigg]

 

[gene]

Ammo Availability and Cost
Recoil being less than 40 or 45
Availability of good carry pistols chambered in 9mm
Because some still feel that a well placed 9mm is still better than a missplaced 45Cal

 

[atilla]

well, I'll be the first to say it, It's because people can't handle the awesomeness of a .40.

With that being said, here is a picture of my glock fortay in a tacticool carbon fiber black hawk serpa holster next to some lotion which is usually needed after contact with said awesomeness for "alone time"

come at me bro

dibs on sloppy seconds. get me a rag.

 

[P-14]

Because girly-men don't like the recoil of real calibers like .44 magnum and .45 ACP.

 

[LKB3rd]

All of the above?

 

[LandOLakeS]

I like my 9mm, because its cheap, I can go to the range practice and have some fun with it, and i can carry it if needed. I also get 16 rounds of 9mm, because i am not as awesome as Hiltonizer, and i'll take all the chances i can get.

 

[Obie1]

Oh, shoot, I used the wrong "its" for poll option five.

I noticed, but decided not to say anything. I must be mellowing.

 

[jasons]

I believe it carrying the most powerful caliber you can.

Hate to break it to you, but that's not .45ACP. Not by a long shot.

 

[carbuncle]

I like it because it's relatively cheap, and I can fit 18 rounds of it in my 5906 (which shoots like a .22).

Posted from my busted old G2 on T-mobile's sorry network.

 

[Admin]

Because girly-men don't like the recoil of real calibers like .44 magnum and .45 ACP.

A lot of those guys who carry .45 acp instead of 9mm can't hit the broad side of a barn with their .45's at anything outside of 7 feet. Sometimes I think their choice of caliber is a direct result of their sub par shooting abilities and trying to compensate for it.

 

[atilla]

A lot of those guys who carry .45 acp instead of 9mm can't hit the broad side of a barn with their .45's at anything outside of 7 feet. Sometimes I think their choice of caliber is a direct result of their sub par shooting abilities and trying to compensate for it.

but it's a one-shot stop!

 

[pdm]

I like 9mm because not every target is a one pump chump, and I need all the rounds I can get. Unless the target is the ground. I hit that every single time.

 

[ShadeWPI]

The 9mm is as popular as it is because it's the least expensive, most widely available, effective self-defense caliber currently available. That is driven by it's wide use in world militaries, police departments and civilian population, which drives down cost through economy of scale.

A huge array of platforms and ammunitions are available, providing options that allow it to be customized to individual needs and preferences.

Like Hiltonizer, I believe in carrying the most powerful caliber that you can comfortably carry, effectively conceal and accurately shoot. Be it a .380 Auto, 9mm, .45ACP, 10mm or .500 S&W Magnum - what works best for you is BEST, for you. A gun you carry is better than one you keep in a lock box under your seat, and shot placement will always trump caliber (though caliber can increase margin of error slightly).

 

[dcmdon]

A lot of those guys who carry .45 acp instead of 9mm can't hit the broad side of a barn with their .45's at anything outside of 7 feet. Sometimes I think their choice of caliber is a direct result of their sub par shooting abilities and trying to compensate for it.

Hey, lets stop slamming the .45. Its actually not too bad in recoil. The caliber that most people don't shoot well is actually the .40. Simply because you CAN fit a .40 into a gun the size of a PM9 or a Beretta nano doesn't mean you should.

When I was shopping for a carry gun about 12 years ago, I got lucky in that I got to try both the Glock 26 and the Glock 27 side by side. I was able to quickly and accurately double or tripple tap a target without excessive vertical stringing. I could really throw a lot of lead down range quickly with decent accuracy.

In contrast, I had difficulty with the 27. I'm not saying I "couldn't handle it". It was fine. But between the increased recoil which required me to re-aim between shots and the fact that the gun shifted in my hand, I couldn't perform nearly as well with the 27. My grip has since improved tremendously, but for a lot of people, this is definitely true. Especially new shooters, no matter how large they are.

If I had to estimate, I'd say I could draw and put 4 rounds of 9mm down range in about the same time it took me to draw and fire 2 rounds of .40. I'm not saying my split time was twice as fast, since a big part of that time is the draw and presentation. But the difference was significant.

Don

 

[ShadeWPI]

A lot of those guys who carry .45 acp instead of 9mm can't hit the broad side of a barn with their .45's at anything outside of 7 feet. Sometimes I think their choice of caliber is a direct result of their sub par shooting abilities and trying to compensate for it.

For most of them, switching to 9mm, .40 S&W, or even .22LR isn't going to improve that anyway.

 

[Artie]

People are baby's...
People are cheap..
People are shitty shooters...
People are superficial...
People are fools...

I haven't been feeling great about myself lately and this didn't help.[sad2]

 

[Admin]

Hey, lets stop slamming the .45.

Don

Not slamming the .45, I can shoot some pretty good timed and rapid fires with it at 25 yards. Just making an observation of some those who complain about 9mm saying the .45 is the only way. No complaint about .45 at all, I like the caliber and my current carry gun is .45.

 

[pdm]

I haven't been feeling great about myself lately and this didn't help.[sad2]

 

[MAGA99]

I like it because I can actually afford to put some of it down range. If I had a 45 (which I would love to someday, just don't have the $$ for it or to feed one currently) I would be afraid to pull the trigger based on how much it was going to cost me!!

 

[dcmdon]

Not slamming the .45, I can shoot some pretty good timed and rapid fires with it at 25 yards. Just making an observation of some those who complain about 9mm saying the .45 is the only way. No complaint about .45 at all, I like the caliber and my current carry gun is .45.

I understand. I reload, so .45 only cost about $0.70/box more than 9mm.

I wasn't very clear. Simply put, I see the .40 being shot poorly way more often than I see the .45 being shot poorly.

For what its worth. This is me shooting reasonably powerful .45 loads last weekend. Notice how flat the gun stays. And I'm not very good. Also, notice that from about :20 to :25, I got a bad grip on the gun after the reload and my recoil control is noticeably worse than at other times. Grip makes a big difference.

Don

[video=youtube_share;QrxAp_zsBmI]http://youtu.be/QrxAp_zsBmI[/video]

 

[P-14]

Not slamming the .45, I can shoot some pretty good timed and rapid fires with it at 25 yards. Just making an observation of some those who complain about 9mm saying the .45 is the only way. No complaint about .45 at all, I like the caliber and my current carry gun is .45.

My carry and competition guns are .45s, too. I like making big holes.

 

[ShadeWPI]

I like it because I can actually afford to put some of it down range. If I had a 45 (which I would love to someday, just don't have the $$ for it or to feed one currently) I would be afraid to pull the trigger based on how much it was going to cost me!!

20-30 cents per round for bulk 9mm FMJ
35-45 cents per round for bulk .45ACP FMJ

So yeah, you get about 1/2 as much shooting for the same money. Price difference is less (percentage wise) when you get into the high performance jacketed hollow-points, but that's not what most people shoot most of the time.

 

[ShadeWPI]

I wasn't very clear. Simply put, I see the .40 being shot poorly way more often than I see the .45 being shot poorly.

This might have to do with the "popularity" new shooters have with the .40 S&W. It's gaining visibility in the mainstream (including rap) with a lot of newer shooters migrating to the .40 S&W rather than the 9mm.

 

[Bob Palermo]

Because when the zombies attack, there will be a lot more 9mm ammo lying around than 45.

 

[Hiltonizer]

Hate to break it to you, but that's not .45ACP. Not by a long shot.

find me something more powerful that's CCW'able, smartass.

 

[dcmdon]

This might have to do with the "popularity" new shooters have with the .40 S&W. It's gaining visibility in the mainstream (including rap) with a lot of newer shooters migrating to the .40 S&W rather than the 9mm.

The .40 is an idiotic gun for a new shooter. Even in full sized plastic framed guns, the sharp recoil is intimidating to them. I've been instructing since 04 and at one point used a G22 for my class. I don't use it anymore. Don't get me wrong. .40 reloads can be made to make major with less recoil than a .38 super or 9mm, but the factory stuff is very sharp and flippy.

I also think it has a lot to do with gun makers pushing mini sized guns in .40.
This video is me shooting my new gun, a Kahr P9 for the first time. I'm running very slow because in a previous run I was short stroking the trigger. So this time I was very deliberate. Again, I'm no Jerry Miculek.
But notice in the beginning how flat the gun stays.

[video=youtube_share;oVn9UmWxzmE]http://youtu.be/oVn9UmWxzmE[/video]

That same gun, in .40 is much more difficult to control. Notice how he has to regrip between shots.
[video=youtube_share;OoHHaurJij8]http://youtu.be/OoHHaurJij8[/video]