Do you really think a 9mm pistol is enough to stop the bg ??

V

vyper005

New member
I think we all know that shot placement is one of the most important factors in a gunfight but what if you are scared to death ?? Most likely you will be shaking beyond belief and probably not thinking as clear as you would like to,you start to lose all fine motor skills,then what ?? Will you still be able to hit your target where you want to ?? If you miss with the 9,your probably going to miss with the 40 or 45 as well but if a situation like this really occurs,God forbid,Wouldnt you want every little advantage you could get no matter how small it may be ??Do you think the 9mm be enough or would you rather have something with a little more punch ?? Wouldnt a bigger and more powerful round have a more devastating effect on a "Juiced Up" BG ?? Maybe the larger round would provide just enough power over the 9 to allow you to get away....who knows....To tell you the truth...I believe most people shoot the 9mm more accurately then any of the other calibers and have usually have no problems putting up decent follow up shots...Most of us own pistols in more then one caliber so when the "SHTF",Which one would you reach for hoping to save your life ?? Just a few questions I wanted to throw out there....Thanks for the replies.....





[Edited by vyper005 on 01-12-2001 at 09:16 AM]
 
Yep, I'm sure.

I'm also sure that if "the shakes" prevents you from putting a .355" slug "where you want to", then an extra .048" ain't gonna be much help.
 
Vyper,

9mm is fine. Almost everything in the caliber debates involves anecdotal evidence, superstition, and less. I own 40s, 357 Sigs and 9mm. I've owned 45s (and will soon own a 220 Stainless...God willing). Gunshop commandos babble endlessly to support their pet bullet theories...it's maddening! Well, here is mine :).

The 357 Magnum is a fight stopper that only the most annoying of the Gunshop Commandos is willing to deny. Place a Berretta 9mm and a 357 Mag snubby on the counter and almost all of them will pick the 357 as the definitive fight stopper. The funny thing is, there is little difference once the bullet leaves the barrel. The snubby will usually propel a 110 grain bullet around 1350 fps and the Berretta will shoot high pressure 115 grain at around 1350 fps. They are both, more or less, shooting the same bullet. Granted, a 4-8 inch barrel will take the 357 Mag faster. Granted, 357 offers a wider selection of bullet weights. But when you get down to it, the real-life distinction boils down to myth, superstition, statistics and damn lies :).

If the 9mm was so awfull, then why do the SEALS, GSG-9, SAS, ETC use it? It can't be that they can only carry 9mm because that's not true. GSG-9 and the SEALs carry .45 for suppressed work (because if you have to go slow--go big!). The fact is, almost a century of use in combat has shown the 9mm to be accurate, controllable, and deadly.
For years, people in this country thought the 45 was the end-all of bullet design. People acted like 9mm couldn't break the skin. Some would tolerate the High-power--but then only to admire JMB's improvements over the 1911 design. Starting in the late 70's, European designs like the SIGs, H&Ks and Berrettas started showing up and making the 1911s of the age look, well...old. People quickly jumped on the "wondernine" bandwagon. Still, the 45 guys were suspicious of the weak 9mm. Then, as often happens when somebody is looking to prove someting, they found some high-profile shootings that they took as proof that the 9mm was wimpy. As is usual when someone is looking for an answer they like rather the truth, they looked past endless evidence of ammo failure in every imaginable caliber. The result, 10mm and 40. Both excellent rounds with trade-offs.
So why do I guns in claibers other than 9mm? Because I am a gun nut. I love guns and would own one or more of each if I could. Hell, I'll take a Lorcin. Still, if I had some sort of psycological aversion to 9mm I would carry 357 SIG. If not SIG then 45. If not 45 then 40.
 
Don't know about you, but when I hear the phrase "stopping power" or 9mm vs .45, I automatically go into snooze mode.

If you have a gun, use it well, fight like a dog, and don't give up, you may win. There are a lot of factors outside bullet size that stop bad guys.
 
Instead of asking everyone else that question, ask yourself this one. Would I want to stand in front of one? The right load in any formidable caliber will do the job, if you do yours.
 
I know of 9mm failures-to-stop.
I know of more than one case where a person I knew shot a bad guy with one round of 9mm and he was D.R.T.

Ditto for most every other caliber on the planet.
This entire conversation is destined to be silly.
 
It's not just about the size of the hole...

Considering the additional recoil and such associated with higher calibers (all other things, like size and weight of a concealable pistol, being equal), for some of us the difference is: with 9mm we can hit the target and with .45 ACP we might not hit the target.

Hitting the target is my objective.
(and what Plastic Sig said)

:)
 
While I own and sometimes carry guns with bores bigger than 9mm, I'm sure enough that a 9mm will stop a bad guy that I trust my life to it more often than any other caliber.
 
I own both shoot both and carry both....I feel comfortable with both if I ever needed to Drop the Hammer on a BG. AS for shaking and being scared to death, If you don't Train, Train, Train, And should you ever need to draw your gun in DEFENSE then you will be scared to DEATH! the BG will get you. The idea is that IF you carry, you train in case you should ever enter combat so you can win the day because training WILL save your life. Then after the smoke clears shake away, now is the time for the Human part of us to surface,not when the BG is trying to get us.
 
On the first shot it shouldn't make any difference what caliber your shooting, unless you flinch because of bad habits or expectations of recoil based on prior experience.
It's on subsequent shots that caliber might make a difference.
 
As with any size gun and caliber, shot placement is all that matters. You can shoot someone 10 times with a .45, and hit everything behind him, and shoot 1 time with a .22 and kill a man. Sight alignment + Sight Picture = Effective Shot.

Semper Fi-
JJC
 
9mm?

Is that even a caliber?

.45 ACP?

THAT'S FOR WIMPS!

Carry a REAL man's gun, a 6-shot 40mm Bofors semi-auto.

Yeah, you need a special holster in order to conceal it, but noting blows a BG out of his shoes like the 40mm! Anything else is for girly-man losers!







Yep, the above was meant to be silly.

The entire 9mm vs. .45 & .45 vs everything else in the world" is, quite frankly, VERY silly.

The first rule of a gunfight? Have a gun.

The second rule of a gunfight? Handguns stink as "man stoppers."

Third rule of a gunfight? Stay out of a gunfight in the first place.
 
Sorry, Mike but a 40mm Bofors weapon is a Destructive device. The BATF won't let you have one. By the way, they are right for once. I have seen twin 40mm cannons fired at hostile ground targetsand they are VERY destructive devices. Since you are limited to .50 caliber weapons how about an M19 mointing four Browning .50 caliber machine guns?
 
Well, you didn't make 119 replies by noon.

Bullet design has helped the 9mm tremendously, but then, bigger, heavier, faster, and more is better, assuming you can still hit what you're aiming at reasonably quickly. Which compromise would you like?
 
Will 9mm stop an attacker? Probably... but it all depends on how many .355 caliber holes you perforate his body with.
 
1) I can guarantee that I won't be scared until AFTERWARDS.

2) I will hit the target where I want, which is somewhere.

3) I always want every advantage.

4) My 'normal' carry auto is in 9x19.

5) Yes.

6) If TSHTF I will reach for my 9x19's first.
 
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