do YOU think 9mm is underpowerred ?

Is 9mm strong enough to use for defense.

  • I think 9mm is plenty strong for defense.

    Votes: 215 50.8%

  • I think 9mm is strong enough but only if Hollow Point.

    Votes: 122 28.8%

  • I think it takes more (.40 or .45) to be deadly

    Votes: 18 4.3%

  • If you're asking you're a mall ninja

    Votes: 68 16.1%
  • Total voters
    423
I've never owned a 9mm(carry .40 S&W, .45 ACP or .357 mag), but I would feel fine having it as my carry gun.

I voted mall ninja.
 
what

What I think is whatever you can shoot well is the ans. It would not do you any good at all if you can't shoot the gun well.The 9m/m w/h.p. bullets is good an a 45 and a shotgun can't be beat. So there you go!
 
Do I feel comfortable using 9mm JHP for SD? Yes.

Do I feel comfortable using 9mm FMJ for SD? Yes.

In the Miami Shootout, one of the 9mm JHP's stopped just an inch short of one criminal's heart. A deeper penetrating JHP or FMJ load would have damaged the heart and ended the fight a few minutes sooner.

Shot placement is the absolute minimum....but having a round that can penetrate through the vital organs & CNS helps a lot, too....which is why I like deep penetrators like 9mm 124/147gr. or .357Mag 158gr. over any .40S&W or .45ACP load...

...but that's just me.... :D
 
YES

Without any doubt, I say that a 9mm is more than enough as a defensive round. I have had handguns in .22, .22 magnum, .38, 9mm, .380, .45, .357 and would not want to be shot by any of them. Aside from the .22, I would trust my life to any and all of them.

I just shoot the 9mm a heck of a lot better than any other semi-auto cartridge. I'm not sure why, but I can really shoot the 9mm. I have no problem trusting my life to it and my abilities with it give me plenty of confidence.

Todd
 
When you put double bullets in the X zone on the chest of any opponent, even the 115 gr 9x19 mm FMJ has pretty efficient amount of stopping power, IMO.
 
I don't think it's exactly underpowered, but I would definitely always prefer to have as a my primary pistol a gun whose caliber starts off .4 at the very least. Not saying the 9 is no good, but it's just a fact that it doesn't have the same stopping power as a round just a little bit bigger.
 
Anything out of a handgun is underpowered.
Click to expand...

Well said. A handgun compromises power and accuracy for portability and stealth.

That said, I think any firearm in your hand is better than any firearm in your safe. I carry a 9 mm very frequently and feel just fine with it. I can shoot it accurately, quickly, and reliably with rapid follow-up shots. That's all I can ask for any carry gun. I don't think you need 147 gr JHP, either. I occasionally carry .380 ACP if my clothing and circumstances won't allow something more powerful.

Are the ballistics of 9 mm optimal? No. I'd say the optimal semi-auto handgun caliber is 10 mm auto, but it's a lot more expensive and doesn't have a wide variety of guns that use it.
 
Anything out of a handgun is underpowered.
Click to expand...
Well said. A handgun compromises power and accuracy for portability and stealth.
Click to expand...

Yet, amazingly, virtually ALL handguns have enough power to be extremely lethal! Imagine that!

Handguns are NOT "underpowered". They just arent as powerful as, say, a rifle...or a cannon.
 
i have seen, with my own eyes, several persons shot with 9mm's. 2 died, 3 did not. of those 3 that survived two were shot in an area on the body that should have been fatal. IMO it is on the very low end of the personal defense calibers.
 
Most people define 9mm as a medium power round, .40 S&W, .357 SIG and .45 Auto comprising the full-power cartridge range. The military actually rejected the 9mm round as not having enough power back in the early 1900s and finally ended up using the 45 ACP that has been used for many years since. The bean counters decided to go back to 9mm because they think more ammo = more kills. But soldiers have often said that 9mm does not have the stopping power they need to stop drugged up crazy numb enemies, which require multiple hits to stop. This was confirmed in the 1986 FBI Miami shootout where two bad guys took a total of 18 rounds of 9mm to kill them, meanwhile they were shooting up the FBI agents, and that was with no drugs or alcohol involved! After that many went up to the 40 or 45 ACP.

The difference between a 45 ACP and a 9mm is the same as the difference between a 9mm and a 22 Long Rifle. Is a 22 long rifle lethal, you bet! Can you hunt deer with a 22 LR, no way. The gel photo posted is really bunk, there is a difference in size, that's why there are rules against hunting big game with a .223 even though it has the potential to kill as well as any other round.
 
I recently had a good long talk with a retired Navy SEAL. This guy had served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He normally carried two handguns; a .45acp SIG and a S&W 686 .357mag. He had an interesting account of he and a couple of his team members in Afghanistan. They were all Hispanics, and dressed in native garb, assigned to scouting high value targets. They were able to blend in with the natives well enough that as long as they didn't say anything that was overheard, they weren't under suspicion. All went well for a couple of days. In this case, they were all carrying 9mm semiautos - I don't recall if he mentioned the make. But one day, they were walking down the street, trying to remain anonymous as usual, when a 4 door sedan full of armed Taliban approached them. These guys were all holding AKs and their intention was unmistakable. He said that at the moment the car's windows started to go down, all three SEALS pulled out their 9mm's and unloaded on the car.

He said the 9mm worked exceedingly well. He prefers the Federal HST round.
 
9 mm is good for me

I think a 9mm is fine. It is all about shot placement. Honestly, how many attackers are going to continue pursuing you if you start firing at him?!? I do not care if it is a 22 or 500 S/W. With the new technology is ammo (especially in 9mm) you will be fine.
 
"Yet, amazingly, virtually ALL handguns have enough power to be extremely lethal! Imagine that!"

A toothpick has the power to be extremely lethal. Imagine that...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top