The End All on 9MM's

[jcabin]

Perfect terminology, the 9mm is a GREAT compromise gun. and from what the guy at the gun shop told me is not to worry about the self defense issue because they make rounds that do anything you want. i COULD just get a really nasty devastating HP round to make up for the lack of punch.

[liljon140]

Why not just buy the .45 thats what you really want anyways. You will be happ with the 9 but still want the 45. I went ahead and just sucked it up and bought the 45 bitone b/c thats what I wanted. I agree that the ammo is more expensive but get this.

Reloading 45 is much cheeper. I was buying th blazer brass from walmart at $15 for 50 rounds thats .30 cents a round. I found that if I invest in reloading equipment about $200 maybe $250 after I get all of my bullet casting stuff. I can reload for for 9 cents a round buying bullets, powder and primers. With casting my own I can reload for 4-5 cents a round. Thats damn near as cheep and the remming bulk pack of .22lr. which is 3 cents a round.

Now 9mm ammo is $20 for 100 rounds at walmart. thats 20 cents a round. if you shoot 200 rounds a week for 6 months you will spend $960 now say you reload .45 and shoot the same amount you spend $144. Thats a $816 savings thats enough to pay for your reloading equipment and your XD. Do what you want, I know what I would do. I already did it.

[Raskolnikov]

I spent a lot of time deciding between the service vs. tactical model, but always knew it would be a 9mm. For all the reasons already mentioned - mainly ammo price (more bullets per $ = more practice), accuracy and controllability (I'm 5'8", 150 lb. and recoil sensitive) - the 9mm was a better choice for me. As I've seen mentioned numerous times here too, no handgun round is so powerful that merely grazing a BG will stop his antisocial behavior; shot placement is king, and that's easier to accomplish with lighter-kicking calibers. I had a .22 Ruger pistol for home defense for years before CC and never felt undergunned - I knew I could hit what I aimed at and CCI Mini-Mags will penetrate a human sternum.

Related - I have a friend with carpal tunnel syndrome who is thinking about purchasing a pistol. Her boyfriend wants her to get a Glock compact 9mm, and I'm trying to point out to her that it's not the best choice. Great gun, good caliber choice - but not if she can't handle the recoil or even operate the slide because of weak wrists. Gotta put bullets where they need to be when you need them to be there, nothing else matters.

[Water-Man]

Your reasoning is sound. Just keep it loaded with quality HP ammunition.

[USAFdude02]

I think the 9mm is great. Personally I have the 45. I got the wife a 9mm since she doesn't like the big bang and would have less recoil so she can get back on target and shoot again.

I love my 45...but I will admit it gets expensive...maybe I will shoot the wife's more often.

[GlockConvert]

Originally Posted by jcabin

first of all theyre just saying, i would never just fire 2 rounds and leave it at that. but i do agree with what youre sayin at the end of it all. those 4 points are the source of it all.
even if you dont land critical hits, with 16 rounds in a 9mm if you land atleast half of those shots anywhere on the torso the target is immobilized unless the target is extremely juiced out on some highly potent drugs
im a pretty solid shot so if ive got 16 rounds i imagine 15 of them are gunna hit him in the chest and the 16th might graze his eye socket and go inbetween his eyes.. of course if i think i have the situation under control but feel i need to shoot to survive, if the assailant has a knife, ill take his legs out if he keeps coming ill kill him, gun threat or multiple assailants would result in total kill on each target.
i just need to know what type of ammo to carry for practice and self defense.

for practice anything will work. For self defense I'm partial to 127gr+p+ rangers. There are other good rounds out there too.

I really have to caution you on your approach to knife wielding subjects. I have about 60 stitches worth of experience with this. I'm not trying to pick a fight with you or sound snippy but your approach is dangerous. We do a lot of tueller drills in our training courses (using airsoft pistols and shock knives). We have done this with everyone from grandma's to navy seals and I think we have demonstrated that if a person is 21 feet (even 30 feet in most cases) away from you with an impact weapon, they pose a LETHAL threat to you. If they start at you at a dead run, you are going to get injured. Most people are not going to be able to draw and fire and hit with enough rounds to stop a charging attacker with a knife in the 1.5 seconds its going to take for that person to get to you. If you start holstered, you are going to be hurt. You are not going to have time to take out his legs. First off, your shooting a handgun. It likely does not have the power to reliable destroy the load baring capability of a leg. If you can hit a hip joint or a knee joint on a running man, while you are moving, scared, sorting out what is happening, trying not to fall on your ass in the dark, you are an impressive gunman. I haven't seen anyone who can do that reliably enough to plan on it. Our trainees who survive tueller drills survive by getting multiple center of mass hits. This takes some doing.

Tueller Drills can be done with rubber knives and airsoft guns. Its highly instructive. If you don’t have airsoft drills, there is a drill that you can do at your local shooting pit or outdoor range. Have the good guy stand holstered, concealed, facing a human type target. Have his training partner stand directly behind him with his hand on the good guys shoulder. The training partner should have a can, rock, beanbag… in each hand. When the signal is given to the training partner, he should sprint away from the shooter. When the shooter feels his partner’s hand leave his shoulder he should draw and fire 3 rounds at the humanoid paper target (located 7 yards in front of the shooter). At the sound of the first shot, the runner drops one item from his hand and at the second shot he drops the second object. At the third shot he stops running. The shooter then holsters up and inspects the hits he got on a stationary target. He then turns and sees how far the runner got before those shots hit him. It will essentially give the shooter an idea of how big a buffer zone he needs. It’s a basic guideline that does not take into account that the humanoid target is not moving, the trainee knows whats coming… but it is a good guide.

[tdyoung58]

I'm thinking of getting a 9mm due to the cheaper ammo, for practicing. Would like to get either a 5" compact tactical or a a 4" XD either in 9mm

I'll always keep my new .45 5" compact tactical along with my Sub-c .45 for carry.

[pballman19]

I've been debating onc aliber size for a while now. Im an mp, i use a 9mm beretta, and i feel its too small a round. I dont feel comfortable at work with the 9mm i wish i had something bigger. I though about a 45, they kick so much, they're expensive, and you have fewer round in the mag. Now the 40. Big enough to stop, fast bullet, cheap, its the perfect choice for me. i think i just figured out wha tima get. thanks.

[Lazarus]

Originally Posted by pballman19

I've been debating onc aliber size for a while now. Im an mp, i use a 9mm beretta, and i feel its too small a round. I dont feel comfortable at work with the 9mm i wish i had something bigger. I though about a 45, they kick so much, they're expensive, and you have fewer round in the mag. Now the 40. Big enough to stop, fast bullet, cheap, its the perfect choice for me. i think i just figured out wha tima get. thanks.

What ammo do they give you?

[Dozer]

Originally Posted by Brush-Wolf-Lady

Is this directed at me?

Heh , no the dead horse remark was referring to beating a dead horse. i actually enjoy reading about the type of trapping you do and what you are seeing in the wild. It was all for the thread starter. where are those pics by the way?