What is there about a 9mm?

H

Hal

New member
I can't for the life of me figure this out. It makes no sense! I'm looking at what has become my single favorite HD gun, and it's a CZ75B. What makes this a bit odd is that I really don't particularly care for a 9mm. I know it sounds a bit strange, but even though deep down I think the .45acp is a better round, every single night, the CZ is my first choice to come out of the safe?!?!? It gets even stranger. Not only do I have 1 9mm, I have 4 of the dam* things! They just keep reproducing somehow. Reason and logic tell me to go something more, but doggone it, every stinkin day/night it's the same old same old, open the safe, pick up the Colt or Kimber, load a magazine with Hydra Shoks, then unload the mag and pick up the CZ!

GAAAAKKKKAAAKKKKK!!!!!!!

I could see it if the 9mm was the most accurate thing I can shoot, but I'm better,,lots better,, with a 1911! Heck, I'm lots better with a .357 or a .44mag!

Lord Almighty! The 9mm has EVERYTHING going against it! It's European, it's metric, it's a weak sister to the .357, it ovepenetrates,,in short,,it's a terrible round! The problem is I keep finding more and more and more of guns that use the 9mm that I want! What in the world is there about the 9mm???!!!??
 
I think the .45ACP is a better round, but I really like the 9mm. Overall I think there are two reasons why I have finally acquired a taste for the smaller caliber. In recent years the choice of defensive 9mm ammo has really expanded and I lucked out and got an FEG "Hi-Power".
My Colt Commander still sleeps under my pillow.
 
Yeah, I know what you mean. I have four of them too. The G30 is my carry pistol, but there just is something about that particular mousegun round that just tugs at your heart, and purse strings I guess. One thing though, When I carry in an ankle holster, it has to be the G26. The G30 is just too big. ;)
 
I have 4 9mms and 2 45s. I figure the 45 costs about twice as much to shoot as the 9mm. Must be a ratio thing eh?
I only shoot paper and steel plates these days, and a 9mm works as well as a 45 for that. 9mm holds 15+1, 45s 7+1. I would say that pretty much evens them out for home defense IMO.
 
Could I borrow those pro-creating pitols?? I will give them back once they have a few off-spring! :D
 
Have the same trouble with the EAA Witnesses LOL, but now I'm looking at CZ, too.

The 9x19, when correctly loaded, is effective in the defense role.
 
I have 4 of them, too. There is nothing wrong with the 9mm. It fits into a nice small package, holding lots of ammo. It's accurate. Light recoiling. Less expensive to shoot than other major defense calibers. When cranking up at over 1300 fps in a JHP form it is a damn good defense round. So what's the problem with that? Yeah, I prefer a .45acp also, but don't feel under gunned when my Sig 226 is in my hands either.....It shoots'em where I want them to go.

I agree that people are way too hung up on caliber. Although I agree you should not go too small for a defense round, the 9mm has sure stopped an awful lot of people in its day, all around the world. Put the round where it counts and it will do it's job.

Take more consideration in what type of round to use in each caliber, than what caliber. I never use 147gr JHP's in my 9mms, but feel very comfortable using a +P+ 115gr JHP.
 
The 9MM is a great round!

I have three 9MM pistols and just ordered a 4th (CZ-75B). The reason the 9MM is so popular is its ease of shooting and light recoil. It is an accurate round, especially in pistols like the Hi Power and CZ. Hi-caps are still readily available and ammo is comparitively cheap. As a defense round, I feel well protected with the 9MM in its modern guises. No reason to apologize because you like this caliber.

Pilot
 
Yup 9millies are nice......

I have a Glock 19 that is on my hip right now. Strange considering I'am 45automan:)
I have a few 1911's and a Sig 220 and a Glock 21,but this damn 9mm is on my hip.;)
I like the 9mm as of late,I don't reload yet and I can shoot almost double the rounds for the money when I shoot my 9mm. I can shoot my .45's well also it just cost more.
One of the few things I hate in this world is running out of ammo at the range.:( I also have recently tried one handed shooting,as in with my flaslight in the other hand. I shoot my Glock 9mm much better when shooting one handed with a flashlight as one might in a home defense situation.
It is a wake up call. If you haven't tried low light or one handed shooting,try it. You'll see what I mean.
Do I think the .45 is a better round? Yes and No....
It is bigger and will destroy more tissue. However I have been shooting .45 for so long my Glock 9mm feels like a .22,it barely moves when it recoils,to me anyway.
I feel that if I have any notice of trouble I am going for my Mossberg 12ga. pump. My hand gun is for the unlikely event of a surprise attack in which I can't get to my long guns. I think 3 or 4 9mm's in the chest will slow a man down for a bit. I can do triple taps must quicker with my 9mm than my .45......
It all comes down to what your comfortable with. No one wants to be shot. I'am at a skill level where I can put my rounds where they need to go. I didn't think I would ever say or type these words but here it goes. I feel fine with a 9mm.:( OOOhh that felt strange... I may have to change my screen name,9mm automan,hhmm has a nice ring to it.
So enclosing don't feel strange for likeing the 9mm, I like it too and so do others.
45automan :)
 
I think the popularity of 9mm is partly a historical thing--been around for a long time, lots of great pistols designed for it.

But a significant benefit of the round is that, compared to larger calibers, it seems to be easier for those of less than the highest training and skill to shoot reasonably well. I'd love to see a comparison of defensive rounds that attempts to quantify not only stopping power, but ease of rapid fire and accuracy with respect to recoil. Both definitely play a role in the utility of any defensive caliber--if not, we'd all be carrying .44 mags. I've never seen that sort of analysis, but I guess 9mm would look better if factors like these were considered.
 
This thread certainly hits home. I could have written the original post myself. Last year at this time I didn't own a single 9mm (Unless you want to count my .357 Ruger Blackhawk with a 9mm cylinder that I never tried). I had owned a couple in the past, but decided I didn't care for the caliber and got rid of them all. Everytime I went out to shoot, I would see a pile of nice shiney once fired 9mm brass lying there. I couldn't just ignore it, so I took it home, tumbled it and put it in baggies. I got bored one time and dug out my dies and loaded them. About a year ago, a guy owed me some money which of course he didn't have, so he gave me a couple guns, one being a Ruger P-89. I never cared much for the looks of Ruger's autoloaders but I kept it so I would have something to shoot all that ammo out of. Much to my surprise I found it to be a great pistol. Then I came across a Hi-Point carbine with laser, 5 mags, and a case of factory ammo for $75. I figured what the heck and bought it, and it turned out to be a great little truck gun. Then I got bitten by the same bug as someone already mentioned, there are so many really cool nines out there, then came the P-38, then the three Hi-Powers and the Glock 17. I didn't want my Hi-Point carbine to get lonesome so I got a Ruger PC-9 after all, it takes the same mags as the P-89....... Of course this was all justified because I sat down one day and figured I was reloading 9mm for $2.43/50 rounds. The rest as they say, is history. I still consider any of my 1911s as my "go to" pistols and have my Officers Model on my CCw, but for plain old fun, I usually grab a nine.
 
Bought a .45 first and a .40 second and now am looking hard at the 9mm. It's pretty deceiving when people recommend that a defense pistol be a MINIMUM of 9mm, because the 9mm is certainly a fantastic round in it's own right. Come to think of it, I think I'm coming to appreciate the subtle nuances of each caliber. Then comes 10mm, then the magnums, man, I need a bigger line of credit.

BTW, the 9x18 Makarov made my girlfriend fall in love with shooting. For this reason, if none other, I will always be in debt to all things 9mm...
 
When it comes to handgun calibers...

...a lot of people go wandering off in search of "perfect" and wind up overlooking "plenty good enough". ;)
 
Hello all. I don't think the 9x19mm is a "bad" round and I like the .45ACP very, very well as do many of you. As has been noted, the 9mm is quite easy to shoot in a gun weighing about as much as one in the larger caliber. As our esteemed moderator noted, defensively, the 9mm might be "plenty good enough" if NOT the ne plus ultra of defensive rounds. It is easy to control and more effective than in past years due to advances in bullet design and a growing willingness to sell the general public "higher performance" loads.

Jeff Cooper noted that people choosing pistols in forty-five were doing so for the cartridge while folks buying 9mms were often doing it because they preferred the weapon(s) it was offered in.

Best.
 
Perfection only seems to be in movies:) As for myself my Hi-Power or CZ seems to be quite "plenty good enough". Life is much better now that we have samii spec loads for the 9mm.
 
Don't worry about it.

It's easier to control, cheaper to practice with, and plenty good enough for the intended role. You certainly have one of the finest platforms from which to launch them. CZs are great guns, and excellent values. Come see us at http://come.to/czforum.com
 
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