I'd like to say something about the caliber issue. I've seen the 9mm taking a lot of flack from armchair commandos out there. I live down here in Miami where we actually carry guns daily and are licensed to do so. Some of us carry .40's because the cops down here now all use .40's and people tend to jump on bandwagons. I personally carry a 9mm. It is with me every day, everywhere I go.
I carry either my Custom Hi-Power Mk III(rendered by the esteemed Kurt Wickmann--superlative work), or my Glock 19. My gun is either carried with Magsafe Agent loads or a special round developed by Jim Cirillo and a friend of his. My back-up load is Corbon's 115gr +p. The Magsafes and Cirillo's loads(in 9mm) are both extremely effective rounds and have already proven to put men down instantly with only one round. The Corbons aren't far behind.
My point here is that I live in a town where you actually "need" a gun because &*@%$ actually happens here(and happens very quickly), and I still choose to carry 9mm. There are several reasons for this. The 9mm is the most economical and enjoyable to practice with, so you can develop proficiency much more quickly and keep your skills with less practice. Also, in the serious defensive rounds, there is simply not enough of a stop percentage advantage with the .40 to justify the extra recoil and noise, ammo cost, ammo weight, and reduction in mag capacity.
Here's another one for you. The only reason the cops went to .40 is because they can't afford the really good specialty 9mm ammo and cannot afford the bad PR they would get because the bullets are so devastating. And, in case you want to argue that the specialty stuff is too expensive to practice with, don't even--because the specialty stuff actually recoils less and is easier to shoot quickly than the normal stuff, so you don't NEED to specifically practice with it. Even if you can't afford the good stuff, Remington makes a 115gr +p that is relatively inexpensive to practice with and carry, a stone killer, and a round I would put up against a standard .40 hp any time.
With regard to one shot stop statistics,one shot stop statistics are the dumbest things one could ever listen to. No one, and I mean no one, ever fires only one time in a life or death situation when their life is truly at stake and their adrenaline is pumping. It simply does not happen. If your life is ever in serious immediate danger and you have to actually fire your weapon at another human being(God forbid), and you fire any less than two to three shots it would either be an absolute miracle, or an incredibly stupid act. Believe me, you want a gun/caliber combo you can keep on target for multiple shots, and you want to keep firing until the target is down. In all likelihood, you will probably end up firing 4 to six shots, minimum. If you don't believe me, research defensive/reactive shooting incidents in your area. Or you can research officer involved shootings in devensive/reactive situations.
Two to three top notch 9mm rounds fired in rapid succession WILL do the trick if you get center torso shots and the guy isn't on meth or coke. If he is, I guarantee you your .40 won't do any better. Also, I'd bet huge money that even a highly trained operator can fire a 9mm more quickly and accurately than they can a .40.
One last note, when you have the time, check out the Illinois State police and their 115gr +p+ Winchester loading and the success they've had. If you can find a better one shot stop track record for ANY department using a .40 cal, I'd be interested to see it.
That's it. I've said my piece.
I carry either my Custom Hi-Power Mk III(rendered by the esteemed Kurt Wickmann--superlative work), or my Glock 19. My gun is either carried with Magsafe Agent loads or a special round developed by Jim Cirillo and a friend of his. My back-up load is Corbon's 115gr +p. The Magsafes and Cirillo's loads(in 9mm) are both extremely effective rounds and have already proven to put men down instantly with only one round. The Corbons aren't far behind.
My point here is that I live in a town where you actually "need" a gun because &*@%$ actually happens here(and happens very quickly), and I still choose to carry 9mm. There are several reasons for this. The 9mm is the most economical and enjoyable to practice with, so you can develop proficiency much more quickly and keep your skills with less practice. Also, in the serious defensive rounds, there is simply not enough of a stop percentage advantage with the .40 to justify the extra recoil and noise, ammo cost, ammo weight, and reduction in mag capacity.
Here's another one for you. The only reason the cops went to .40 is because they can't afford the really good specialty 9mm ammo and cannot afford the bad PR they would get because the bullets are so devastating. And, in case you want to argue that the specialty stuff is too expensive to practice with, don't even--because the specialty stuff actually recoils less and is easier to shoot quickly than the normal stuff, so you don't NEED to specifically practice with it. Even if you can't afford the good stuff, Remington makes a 115gr +p that is relatively inexpensive to practice with and carry, a stone killer, and a round I would put up against a standard .40 hp any time.
With regard to one shot stop statistics,one shot stop statistics are the dumbest things one could ever listen to. No one, and I mean no one, ever fires only one time in a life or death situation when their life is truly at stake and their adrenaline is pumping. It simply does not happen. If your life is ever in serious immediate danger and you have to actually fire your weapon at another human being(God forbid), and you fire any less than two to three shots it would either be an absolute miracle, or an incredibly stupid act. Believe me, you want a gun/caliber combo you can keep on target for multiple shots, and you want to keep firing until the target is down. In all likelihood, you will probably end up firing 4 to six shots, minimum. If you don't believe me, research defensive/reactive shooting incidents in your area. Or you can research officer involved shootings in devensive/reactive situations.
Two to three top notch 9mm rounds fired in rapid succession WILL do the trick if you get center torso shots and the guy isn't on meth or coke. If he is, I guarantee you your .40 won't do any better. Also, I'd bet huge money that even a highly trained operator can fire a 9mm more quickly and accurately than they can a .40.
One last note, when you have the time, check out the Illinois State police and their 115gr +p+ Winchester loading and the success they've had. If you can find a better one shot stop track record for ANY department using a .40 cal, I'd be interested to see it.
That's it. I've said my piece.
