simonrichter
New member
Sorry for borrowing the term from political science, but it kind of fits, I guess.
When my interest in modern firearms sparked, in the early '90ies, there seemed to be a plethora of calibers not only available, but widespread as well: The 1911 platform typically in .45, the likewise venerable PPK in .22, .32 and .380,
small Berettas in .32 and even .25, and already a variety of "wonder nines", in aluminium and polymer, all somewhat coexisting.
Today, it appears to me, while all the calibers aforementioned are still available, they become more and more niche varieties against the dominance of 9mm in the military, LE and private sector. Even newer developments like the 5.7, .357 SIG or .40 S&W, after some short fame, were outshone by the increasingly ubiquitous 9x19.
Again, I'm not saying there's nothing else on the market, but seems that 9mm has become the informal "norm" in the semiauto world, even in the U.S., formerly land of the 1911.
Or maybe I am getting that all wrong in terms of actual sales numbers...?
When my interest in modern firearms sparked, in the early '90ies, there seemed to be a plethora of calibers not only available, but widespread as well: The 1911 platform typically in .45, the likewise venerable PPK in .22, .32 and .380,
small Berettas in .32 and even .25, and already a variety of "wonder nines", in aluminium and polymer, all somewhat coexisting.
Today, it appears to me, while all the calibers aforementioned are still available, they become more and more niche varieties against the dominance of 9mm in the military, LE and private sector. Even newer developments like the 5.7, .357 SIG or .40 S&W, after some short fame, were outshone by the increasingly ubiquitous 9x19.
Again, I'm not saying there's nothing else on the market, but seems that 9mm has become the informal "norm" in the semiauto world, even in the U.S., formerly land of the 1911.
Or maybe I am getting that all wrong in terms of actual sales numbers...?
Last edited: