THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN HAND GUNS AND HAND GUNS RELEGATED TO THE 9MM IN PARTICULAR. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
It simply amazes me at times how SOME experienced and SOME “authorities” on hand guns can underplay the effectiveness of some hand gun calibers, specifically the 9mm. Yes it is “basically” a .38 round to a degree. By that I mean that a 38 special is actually .357 inches. This is why you can fire 38 Special rounds out of a 357 magnum. The difference between those is case length.
380 Automatic is also .357- they just kept the 38 nomenclature.
9mm = .357 inch diameter as well
38 special: 158 grain/10.23 gram bullet, 760 fps, 200 lb/ft of force
380 auto(9x17 mm): 95 grain/6.15 gram bullet, 960 fps, 190 lb/ft of force
9mm Parabellum (9x19mm) 115 grain/7.45 gram bullet, 1160 fps, 345 lb/ft of force.
But the biggest issue about the 9mm is its effectiveness in a combat situation. And by combat I mean both thoughts on the subject, War & Personal Defense.
Personally I prefer a .45 or a .44magnum over a .40 caliber. The Government has purchased tons of .40 caliber ammo in anticipation of WHAT????
Good! I hope it serves them well, that leaves all the .45, .44, 9mm, .38, .357 for the consumer to purchase and gain practical experience with and store away for….whatever may come their way.
To be as effective as a larger round the individual must TRAIN, TRAIN, TRAIN, and in training address the most effective part of the “Target” in question. There are several different types of 9mm, but the one most common is the 9mm Luger/Parabellum.
9x17mm - 9mm Browning short/Kurz/short/Courto/380 acp etc.
9x18 Ultra (WW2 and re-introduced in later years)
9x18 Makarov (larger - 9.2mm Russian developed)
9x19 Glisenti - dimensionally same as 9mm Luger loaded much lighter truncated bullets to differentiate from hotter 9mmluger/SMG loads.
9x19 - LUGER/PARABELLUM/NATO/PATRONEN 08 etc.
9x21 Several similar rounds. Introduced in Italy where "military calibers" not allowed to private owners, another used in competitive shooting in USA to make major caliber.
9mm Browning Long (9x20~) Swedish, Spanish, and others
9mm Mauser (9x25) not experimental but saw wide use in Broomhandles and SMG's.
9x23mm - Bergman bayard, Campo Giro(?), Steyr
9mm Mars – Experimental rounds for the British Mars series of pistols, bottle necked load.
As for any type of ammo used it is imperative that you PRACTICE over and over again to become proficient with the round. And our humble 9mm is no exception.
For practice it is best to use a 9mm FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) OR a 9mm un-jacketed which a lead rounds, they are normally the least expensive. For personal defense the use of a hollow point is the best alternative. As there are numerous hollow point rounds the most effective I’ve seen are:
1. Black Talon – Which come is many different type calibers including Rifle calibers. These may be difficult to come by now because of their potential to…well let’s just say they Kick Ass
2. Gold Dot JHP (Jacketed Hollow Point) - Speer
3. Golden Saber JHP – Remington
4. DP X – Corbon
The 9mm CAN be an effective round if proper training is initiated with the handgun. You can also “Spice” up this round as with any hollow point in any caliber, but doing so is illegal.
But my personal philosophy is this…any round under a .45 or .44 is only a step to acquiring a “real gun” so become proficient with those lower calibers, and they will lead you to the acquisition of a “real gun” and by that I mean, a .223 OR a 7.62 , etc..etc..Yes these are rifle calibers, and the most basic out there for defense. Yes there are many other caliber rifles that have a more “detrimental impact” but these two are the most basic.
So don’t become confused when someone downplays the 9mm. It’s all in the dedication that you have to become proficient with it and apply that proficiency with the right round.
Good Luck in the coming Years.
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