Nothing wrong with the 9mm, especially with the quality of ammo available today. Personally I'm a big fan. I just replaced my 9mm Beretta Cougar duty gun with a $1000+ S&W 1911 9mm Pro and my BUG is a custom 9mm S&W 360J snubby. I have no worries that the caliber will let me down.
Opinion on my choice caliber
- Thread starter Ruger SR9
- Start date
Just to make clear that I'm not blathering about my own personal prejudices when I say the 9 mm is a fine caliber, let me state up front that I am actually (mostly) a revolver guy, and prefer a .357. My thoughts are that if a 9mm with a 115 grain bullet at about 1K fps is good, a 125 grain bullet with an extra 300 fps will (Probably) work better.
Projectile weapons are all we have. Lasers and death rays are never going to work. Tasers aren't the final answer, either. I think that if we can get a 135 grain bullet in 9 mm range up to about 3k fps, we might have found the ultimate round to disable a man.
Now if someone can put that into a hi capacity pocket pistol, I'll take two.
Projectile weapons are all we have. Lasers and death rays are never going to work. Tasers aren't the final answer, either. I think that if we can get a 135 grain bullet in 9 mm range up to about 3k fps, we might have found the ultimate round to disable a man.
Now if someone can put that into a hi capacity pocket pistol, I'll take two.
FreakGasolineFight
New member
IMO a shot to the head with anything bigger than a .32 is going to be an instant neutralizer, and a shot to the torso will definitely be something for the perp to think about.
There's not a thing in the world wrong with 9mm.
Another thing that's good to consider is, while you're not going to be getting in Matrix-style firefights, I myself enjoy the comfort of knowing that I have fifteen rounds whenever I need them as opposed to the 8-10 that the typical .40 or .45 hold.
There's not a thing in the world wrong with 9mm.
Another thing that's good to consider is, while you're not going to be getting in Matrix-style firefights, I myself enjoy the comfort of knowing that I have fifteen rounds whenever I need them as opposed to the 8-10 that the typical .40 or .45 hold.
i just wanted to say congratulations on your purchase. the first 2 reasons you gave for purchasing this caliber are good reasons in themselves. the third reasons you gave is the best. if you enjoy shooting, and you have fun. then you will practice with it more. and become more proficient with it. and did i mention have fun. and the 4th reason you gave is a pretty good reason as well. enjoy it, have fun, and to hell with what other people think.
Mike Irwin
Staff
The problem with the 9mm is that when you shoot someone with it, it's incapable of hurting them.
In fact, the 9mm is so poor a stopper that it actually HEALS the target.
"Oh man, I'm hurt real bad, Charlie! Shoot me a couple of times with your 9!"
In fact, the 9mm is so poor a stopper that it actually HEALS the target.
"Oh man, I'm hurt real bad, Charlie! Shoot me a couple of times with your 9!"
I wouldn't worry too much about your Ruger being a 9mm.
On Duty I use a 9mm myself. What is critical with a 9mm, or 38 Special, IMHO, is the ammo selection. There is less "margin for error" in regards to bullet selection. Again, that is just my opinion, and may or may not be fact.
If I cannot find a load I am happy with for my 9mm then I carry something else. The larger calibers have a better selection of decent rounds that may be easier to find. At least that has been my expirience. I order my defensive ammo by the case lots, so I tend to have what I consider "decent" defensive ammo handy.
I like the motto Massad Ayoob stated in regards to ammo, "Buy it cheap and stack it deep." I just shot up the last of the ammo I bought in 2004 a couple of months ago.
Biker
On Duty I use a 9mm myself. What is critical with a 9mm, or 38 Special, IMHO, is the ammo selection. There is less "margin for error" in regards to bullet selection. Again, that is just my opinion, and may or may not be fact.
If I cannot find a load I am happy with for my 9mm then I carry something else. The larger calibers have a better selection of decent rounds that may be easier to find. At least that has been my expirience. I order my defensive ammo by the case lots, so I tend to have what I consider "decent" defensive ammo handy.
I like the motto Massad Ayoob stated in regards to ammo, "Buy it cheap and stack it deep." I just shot up the last of the ammo I bought in 2004 a couple of months ago.
Biker
9mm is an excellent choice
The 9mm is an excellent choice. It will do a fine job of defense, especially with the hollow point. The 9mm is my personal favorite and the round I use for home defense, I trust my family to my 92FS (btw - the SR9 is a pretty nice gun, it's the next on my list to pick up I think - good choice IMO). Overall I think the 40 s&w is the best compromise of all around punch, more weight while maintaining higher velocities. I still like the 9mm best for several reasons. 1) It still has plenty of stopping power, it has less recoil and is therefor more manageable, you're more likely to hit what you shoot at, especially on the 2nd and 3rd shot. If you miss, it doesn't matter what caliber you shot, a .22 that hits is more effective than a .45 that misses. 2) It's cheaper, so you will shoot it more which leads to again, you're more likely to hit what you shoot at. 3) It's more available (at least in my area). 4) More rounds in the clip ... more is always better in my opinion, the SR9 holds an awesome 17rds. 5) There is a larger selection of guns for the 9mm including a few key choices that don't exist in the 40 and 45. The Beretta 92 and the SR9 are 2 examples (and no, the 96 is not a fair substitute for the 92, Guns designed for 9mm and 40 are ok but 9mm's reworked to handle the 40 are off my list, the Ninety-Two in a .40 might be ok, the 96 ... it's a nice collector but I'd rather carry the 92). 6) Most 9mm's hold twice as many rounds as the larger calibers do, I'll argue that 2 9mm hits have more stopping power than 1 .40 or .45 hit does which means the 9mm as a whole has greater stopping capacity in my opinion.
The 9mm is an excellent choice. It will do a fine job of defense, especially with the hollow point. The 9mm is my personal favorite and the round I use for home defense, I trust my family to my 92FS (btw - the SR9 is a pretty nice gun, it's the next on my list to pick up I think - good choice IMO). Overall I think the 40 s&w is the best compromise of all around punch, more weight while maintaining higher velocities. I still like the 9mm best for several reasons. 1) It still has plenty of stopping power, it has less recoil and is therefor more manageable, you're more likely to hit what you shoot at, especially on the 2nd and 3rd shot. If you miss, it doesn't matter what caliber you shot, a .22 that hits is more effective than a .45 that misses. 2) It's cheaper, so you will shoot it more which leads to again, you're more likely to hit what you shoot at. 3) It's more available (at least in my area). 4) More rounds in the clip ... more is always better in my opinion, the SR9 holds an awesome 17rds. 5) There is a larger selection of guns for the 9mm including a few key choices that don't exist in the 40 and 45. The Beretta 92 and the SR9 are 2 examples (and no, the 96 is not a fair substitute for the 92, Guns designed for 9mm and 40 are ok but 9mm's reworked to handle the 40 are off my list, the Ninety-Two in a .40 might be ok, the 96 ... it's a nice collector but I'd rather carry the 92). 6) Most 9mm's hold twice as many rounds as the larger calibers do, I'll argue that 2 9mm hits have more stopping power than 1 .40 or .45 hit does which means the 9mm as a whole has greater stopping capacity in my opinion.
The 9mm's reputation as a poor stopper is really kind of a hold-over from 20-30 years ago and the comparatively primitive JHP bullets that were available at the time. Back then, you basically had two options: you could go light and fast (115grn or lighter) in which case you would probably have reliable expansion but relatively shallow penetration or you could go heavy and slow (147grn) and you would get deep penetration but iffy expansion. The issue was really solved by two different means: middle-weight bullets at medium-fast velocities were introduced (124-127grn at 1050-1300fps) and gave us a good balance between expansion and penetration. Also, bullet design has improved greatly to the point that you can get both good expansion and deep penetration with anything from 115-147grn.
kodiakbeer
Moderator
What Webley said...
A lot of us old farts started out when the choice of cartridge really did matter, but those days are gone.
If the gun fits your hand and you shoot it well, then don't worry about it. Really, the concealment issue is more important (in my mind) than caliber choice. I haven't fired an SR9, but the one I held was surprisingly slender and light, so I think you've made a pretty solid choice.
A lot of us old farts started out when the choice of cartridge really did matter, but those days are gone.
If the gun fits your hand and you shoot it well, then don't worry about it. Really, the concealment issue is more important (in my mind) than caliber choice. I haven't fired an SR9, but the one I held was surprisingly slender and light, so I think you've made a pretty solid choice.
9mm is a great round. My first gun was a Ruger P95. I agree about ammo selection for different purposes. My home defense is a .357 s&w loaded with 38's. Its all about what is comfortable to you. Buy some cheap ammo for practice and some nice stuff for carry or home defense. You don't want FMJ 9's in your gun if you aren't at the range. You can shoot through a lot more than you realize (I've shot through some pretty thick bridge planks.) Great choice for a starter pistol and it should last awhile.
dakota1911
New member
Shoot it. Practice with it. How you practice and how much is more important than the caliber.
Blue Grass
New member
If the 9mm didn't work, it would't still be around 100 years after its introduction.
Thanks for posting
I'm a big fan of 1911's and 2" J-frame wheelguns for SD but quite honestly I applaud your choice of weapon and caliber and the research you did to arrive at your choice. EDC is a .380 so I won't feel undergunned with the lowly 9.
Only problem is I kinda like the gun and I have some 9mm dies (3 sets!) that are wasting away somewhere in my loading bench. Probably have a big sack full of old brass and a few hundred rounds loaded around here somewhere as well. Other than my old MK I .22 I'm not a fan of Ruger autos, until now.
Thanks again for posting, CWPinSC. You've likely made me a few hundred dollars poorer-but one pistol richer.
I'm a big fan of 1911's and 2" J-frame wheelguns for SD but quite honestly I applaud your choice of weapon and caliber and the research you did to arrive at your choice. EDC is a .380 so I won't feel undergunned with the lowly 9.
Only problem is I kinda like the gun and I have some 9mm dies (3 sets!) that are wasting away somewhere in my loading bench. Probably have a big sack full of old brass and a few hundred rounds loaded around here somewhere as well. Other than my old MK I .22 I'm not a fan of Ruger autos, until now. Thanks again for posting, CWPinSC. You've likely made me a few hundred dollars poorer-but one pistol richer.