origanally posted by OldMarksman
The FBI, for whom the 10mm was originally developed, has concluded that when recent developments in projectile technology are considered, the 9mm is preferable to the .40.
If we wanted to really get into it I think some would be surprised at how many bad people have been done away with the lowly .22.
But in keeping with the topic that you have brought up we have to try and understand Government bureaucracy. One of which is the FBI will never come out and tell you the reason is their agents cannot qualify with anything above a 9mm.
And the reason they can't is because for the most part the field agent are desk jockeys. Lawyers and accountants. In fact not since the incident down in Florida in 1986 do any field agents ever make a felony stop arrest again. It's all done by tactical now.
The .40 was a compromise between the 9mm and the 10mm. And the brass feel they will be less effective out in the streets with it.
Guess what, a 9mm won't help them either in real life situations, cause they are not practicing on their off time with that either.
Point is, we have to take and consider 'perspectives'. And it's far easier to get these agents through training using a 9mm. That doesn't mean the 9mm is not a viable defensive round, but a typical field agent for the FBI will never even face more than your typical civilian.
And if they do when they make their 911 call they got a posse coming, we in the civilian world are hoping it's under 30 minutes at the most. In critical mass scenario I'm not counting on that old wise tale of 'spray & pray' and hope luck is on your side and it hits something critical.
I want the threat stopped, I'm not concern if the round has the instant killing potential and often times that means shock before trauma.
The 9mm offers me very little over my even better controlled .38 special so why would I want to go with a 9mm. And I don't require 15-33 round mags to feel comfortable out here.
And if we want to throw numbers around we then look at what over 75% of major police depts carry and it ain't the 9mm. And when they do switch back to it it's because Glock or Sig dump some free guns onto them. It's all really about politics and cost savings. And the depts that allow a back-up will only carry a 9mm if they their primary is .40 or .45 cal. If their primary is 9mm their back-up sure as heck ain't a .380. At least with a good percentage of the cop stories I have heard about. Problem these street cops are having is many depts will not allow a back-up so they are force with a 9mm and mainly because the police depts got them free. And it doesn't cost the gun manufacture hardly anything but the marketing pr is priceless.
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well if the FBI is carrying it must be because it's the best"