![]() ![]() When testing the 9mm loads, the range of performance impressed us. The 124-grain JHP is a compromise of sorts that many find offers the ideal balance of expansion and penetration. All of us do not have a need to shoot through car doors and light cover, but some of the 115-grain loads exhibit the minimum of penetration most of us are comfortable with. They adopted the 147-grain JHP as an alternative. A number of years ago the FBI found the penetration of the 9mm 115-grain JHP lacking during a critical incident. Only a consistently reliable load with good feed reliability and good primer seal and case mouth seal is suitable for service use.Įlsewhere, in general the 9mm hollowpoints offer less penetration than the big bores, but more relative expansion. But the objective criteria is this-the load must be reliable. Some may prefer a heavy bullet, others a light bullet. Some of the criteria are objective and some subjective. We would compare the expansion and penetration qualities of several loads. ![]() With the shortcomings and advantages of the 9mm mapped out, we chose the cartridge for close scrutiny in wound ballistics. We know of few professionals that carry the 40 on their own time and their own dime. A continuing thread in many of the discussions we have with professionals is that if they want the best wound potential, they carry a 45, but if they want a lot of shots, they carry a 9mm. The 9mm handguns have an impressive reserve of ammunition, with even the compacts often carrying 10 to 15 rounds of ammunition. The 9mm is an efficient cartridge for its size, packing what punch it has into a light package. It has all of the recoil that the average occasional shooter can handle, particularly in lightweight carry guns. On the plus side, the 9mm is easy to use well. The advantages of the 9mm are many, but frontal diameter and weight are not among them. Energy drop, stretch cavities and shock are not reliable predictors of effectiveness. Only actual damage and wound potential may be measured. Until the basic laws of physics are changed, no smallbore will be able to do the work of a big bore. With poorer loads, the 9mm is little better than the 38 Special. With the best loads, the 9mm may approach the effectiveness of the legendary 357 Magnum. Notably, agencies using certain loads, such as the +P+ Winchester SXT, have few, if any, complaints concerning the 9mm. Also, the 9mm has proven problematic in police service, and the 40 and 45 have replaced the 9mm in many agencies. A civilian firing a compact pistol and common generic ball is far less well armed. Remember, these are soldiers firing full-size service pistols with full-power ball ammo. The historical reference is too well proven to argue against. The 9mm pucker and straight-through shot does not have the desired effect on motivated adversaries. ![]() In military ball form, the 9mm has a reputation for needing more than one hit to stop the majority of adversaries. The question is, is the 9mm a good fight stopper? That question has many answers, and it depends upon who is doing the asking. The major agencies have since went to the 40 S&W or 45 ACP, often after hard lessons, but the 9mm undoubtedly remains a success story. A few diehards clung to the 357 Magnum, and the 45 was used by a few agencies. By 1990 the 9mm was also the universal law-enforcement caliber. By 1954, the Browning High Power, French MAC 50, Beretta 1951 and Smith & Wesson Model 39 had set the pace for modern service pistols. America clung to the 1911 45 ACP largely because we had millions on hand. 30s and short-cased 9mms were put away by the efficiency of the 9mm Luger. Originally used by Germany beginning in 1906 and universally adopted by the German Army in 1908, the 9mm Luger impressed the world enough that by 1950 the majority of the worlds armed services had chosen the 9mm Luger as a service cartridge. Unquestionably the most popular military handgun cartridge of all time is the 9mm Luger. ![]()
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