Re: FBI: the 9mm is as good as a .45?
Posted: February 19th, 2024, 3:09 pm
If you know you are going to a gunfight... you should take...
...a battle rifle...
*** Anyway - now stepping off of my soapbox and speaking to the actual question... ***
At the end of the day - it is a very multi-varied equation (determining the "best" defensive handgun cartridge)... My personal equation reads like this...
1) Non-negotiable - the cartridge must have enough ass to meet the generally accepted 12" - 18" of penetration standard (I don't want to do everything right and have my 22 shorts bounce off of the thick leather vest under the Carhart jacket.)
2) As long as #1 is met, the next most important factor is shot placement - so each of the following becomes a factor:
a) The cost to practice is a factor. Cheaper rounds are better than more expensive rounds. Until I have enough money that I can put 300 $4.00 Underwood 230gr 50 AE rounds a day down range and throw away the brass - price matters. Which cartridge will let you practice more?
b) The shooter must be able to shoot the weapon with reasonable accuracy at defensive firearm distances (I "practice" through 25 yards). Years ago a friend was all about the .40 SW and .357 sig cartridges. We went out shooting and he brought his G33 (subcompact glock in .357 sig). I'm 6'2" 300lbs and have been shooting all my life and it didn't take long to decide that it was not a direction that I wanted to go. it was super snappy, to the point that 2nd shot timing was noticeably slower than with the G30 (subcompact .45ACP) that I carried at the time. That - and I simply didn't enjoy shooting it.
3) More rounds is better than less rounds
4) There must be a reasonable supply of high quality defensive rounds available in the cartridge (this probably belongs further up the list - but given that we are talking about .45ACP vs 9MM and it is totally true of both of them - I put it down here).
I was a .45 ACP guy for many years - and the trusty G30 is still part of the EDC rotation - but I've given in and adopted the 9mm as a primary carry cartridge. For me - the primary driver for this was 2a - price to shoot. I can buy bulk S&B 124 gr "NATO" 9mm ball that tends to run "hot" so it fairly reasonably approximates the 124gr +p stuff that I carry - and the price just over 1/2 what I pay for 230gr .45ACP ball practice rounds. Between that, and the fact that in the same thickness of a package I can carry almost twice the rounds (the G30 is 9+1 - the PDP is 18+1) - I've landed on carrying the 9mm more and more often. At the end of the day, the ability to put more practice rounds through the 9mm is the biggest single factor driving the decision.
...a battle rifle...
*** Anyway - now stepping off of my soapbox and speaking to the actual question... ***
At the end of the day - it is a very multi-varied equation (determining the "best" defensive handgun cartridge)... My personal equation reads like this...
1) Non-negotiable - the cartridge must have enough ass to meet the generally accepted 12" - 18" of penetration standard (I don't want to do everything right and have my 22 shorts bounce off of the thick leather vest under the Carhart jacket.)
2) As long as #1 is met, the next most important factor is shot placement - so each of the following becomes a factor:
a) The cost to practice is a factor. Cheaper rounds are better than more expensive rounds. Until I have enough money that I can put 300 $4.00 Underwood 230gr 50 AE rounds a day down range and throw away the brass - price matters. Which cartridge will let you practice more?
b) The shooter must be able to shoot the weapon with reasonable accuracy at defensive firearm distances (I "practice" through 25 yards). Years ago a friend was all about the .40 SW and .357 sig cartridges. We went out shooting and he brought his G33 (subcompact glock in .357 sig). I'm 6'2" 300lbs and have been shooting all my life and it didn't take long to decide that it was not a direction that I wanted to go. it was super snappy, to the point that 2nd shot timing was noticeably slower than with the G30 (subcompact .45ACP) that I carried at the time. That - and I simply didn't enjoy shooting it.
3) More rounds is better than less rounds
4) There must be a reasonable supply of high quality defensive rounds available in the cartridge (this probably belongs further up the list - but given that we are talking about .45ACP vs 9MM and it is totally true of both of them - I put it down here).
I was a .45 ACP guy for many years - and the trusty G30 is still part of the EDC rotation - but I've given in and adopted the 9mm as a primary carry cartridge. For me - the primary driver for this was 2a - price to shoot. I can buy bulk S&B 124 gr "NATO" 9mm ball that tends to run "hot" so it fairly reasonably approximates the 124gr +p stuff that I carry - and the price just over 1/2 what I pay for 230gr .45ACP ball practice rounds. Between that, and the fact that in the same thickness of a package I can carry almost twice the rounds (the G30 is 9+1 - the PDP is 18+1) - I've landed on carrying the 9mm more and more often. At the end of the day, the ability to put more practice rounds through the 9mm is the biggest single factor driving the decision.