Wonder why the 9 Luger is so popular!

[RBHarter]

The problem with comparing the 9mm to to the lowly 38 is that the 147 doesn't get compared to the 158 not the +P125 to the 125 in comparable barrel lengths .
The point of the 9mm and 357 being rated at the same pressure vs the 9mm running at twice the 38 also seems to be largely ignored . I doubt very much that a 9mm 200 gr load would produce much more that than the 38 New Police/38-200.
A closed chamber/barrel will always out run a one with a gap .

Anybody notice that most of the 454 and 460 data is held to 45,000 . Darned lawyered up load data everyone is scared to publish real maximum loads cause Tuesday lawyers on Saturday in the sunshiny snow rain ...........

It sure would be nice to whatever ..........

I'll go nurse my festive coffee now .

 

[KHornet]

Guess I started something with this thread. Just to add a bit here and there,
think one reason the 9 is popular, is because it is popular with women.

Paul

 

[Brad]

True dat.
My wife likes the 9mm but not such a fan of the 45 ACP 1911.

I prefer shooting my 1911 by nature but admit that the 9mm CZ 75B has a certain appeal. Fewer mag loadings, cheaper on powder, and less lead down range.

Truth be told, I really prefer the 44 special over both of them

 

[Pistolero]

I like a 9mm, my first centerfire handgun was a .44 Automag, but the second was a Browning HP. Unfortunately,
from the same seller, I foolishly passed up a 6" .357 Model 28 Highway Patrolman in great shape for a great price. Oh, well,
coulda, woulda, shoulda. Still have the BHP, great gun - it has NEVER jammed, not once, even when a certain
knuckleheaded kid was learning to load 9mm with home cast bullets. The wife has it now with better sights, a
better safety and a Metalloy finish. I put a 4 lb crisp trigger on it in 1977 and it still has it, untouched. Even
Bill Laughridge at Cyl & Slide, when I gave it to him to put on the sights, safety and finish said it was as good as
it gets for HPs. Fine pistol. I also have an Israeli HP and a FNM copy, which needs some sights put on to correct
the 6" left it shoots at 25, otherwise a good example of the type. Israeli was run hard for many years, painted
finish is worn out crap (as opposed to the new crap it was originally), but the gun runs just fine and has good
sights and safety from FN. A refinish will get it into good shape. Thinking electroless nickel.

In any case, with modern, very best quality, tested to work thru 4 plies of denim, JHPs like 124 Gold Dots, I am comfortable
with the 9mm for self defense. But I carry a .45 ACP every day with 200 Gold Dots. With military ball, I think it is
pretty clear that the 9mm is way less effective than the .45 ACP ball. Best ammo today substantially closes that
gap. Ultimately, a good, centered double tap will do the job.

As far as popularity....mostly combo of modest recoil and LOTS of ammo for folks who
know, deep down, that they are poor shots - and pumped up by the 9mm going for
the US military. The Beretta is as horrible ergonomically as the 1911 is perfect (with a
beavertail and Commander hammer), but the recoil from that huge M9 beast is pretty low,
and it is generally reliable with good mags, which it didn't always get in the military.

Bill

 

[AMTom]

Why is the 9mm so popular?

Because it's a great cartridge.

Not every gun we own has to be the most lethal killer available, but every critter I've shot with a 9mm is just as dead as dead gets.

Momentum is important for tipping over big steel targets, but that's just a game that bares no resemblance to killing.

 

[Rick]

Yep momentum is important on steel targets, also critical in hunting and self defense. No momentum and no penetration.

 

[waco]

I need a 1911 in 9mm. The I'd have Tom make me a mold and I would be WAY more interested in casting/loading the 9mm. But if I'm being brutally honest, a 10mm 1911 really, really has my interest. None the less, Tom still gets my business for the mold.
And NO. The 9mm does not compare to the 45ACP.

 

[Brad]

My wife wouldn’t mind a 9mm 1911.

 

[Pistolero]

Somehow a 9mm 1911 is just wrong, in the same way that a BHP is just perfect for
the 9mm.

 

[Brad]

If I could find a decent HiPower for the right price I would consider it.

 

[waco]

I love the 1911 platform too much. I would not kick a BHP to the curb thou.....

 

[358156 hp]

The 357 SIG is rated at 2-300 fps higher velocity than the 9mm, but according to the morgue monsters (forensic pathologists), it really isn't any more effective in stopping power than the 9mm. I'm still trying to wrap (warp?) my brain around that.

 

[gman]

A long slide 10mm would be fun!

 

[Winelover]

Yep momentum is important on steel targets, also critical in hunting and self defense. No momentum and no penetration.

If you were open minded enough to read the article.......the other advantage of the 9 mm over the 45 ACP was penetration. Especially, barriers.

Like Bill, my second handgun purchase was the HP. First was a 6" Python. Unlike Bill, the HP is what steered me from purchasing more SA semi-autos. That, and the fact that I'm a southpaw. Very few come with ambidextrous safety's. I also discovered I was more accurate with DAO.......I feel one tends to concentrate more when using that mode.

 

[Rick]

Not a matter of being open minded, it's a matter of reality. I've got nothing against the 9, it's a fine cartridge. It's a simple matter of not being the ballistic equivalent of the 45 like some people claim. Neither the numbers or the reality add up.

 

[Winelover]

I agree, it's not the ballistic equivalent of the 45 ACP........

It's a tad better.

 

[Rick]

It's a tad better.

Just like no vehicle is worthy of even looking at if it doesn't have a bow tie on it, no bow tie and it's obviously garbage. Geez John, talk about closed minded.
.
.

 

[Bret4207]

Velocities show otherwise. The 9 mm is just about a 100 fps slower then the 357 for the same bullet weight, and couple hundred above the 38 Special.

In factory ammo. I went through this some years back on boolit board before the facists took over and presented powder co data using bullet weights within 5 grs that showed the 38 and 9mm running neck and neck and the 38 exceeding the 9 in some cases. Comparing 9mm+p to standard 38's has been the ploy for decades. The 38 can be loaded to 357 mag levels, the 9 can't. End of story.

 

[Winelover]

As far as being popular with women......I highly doubt it. Unless, of course, they are experienced shooters. Most women will opt for the 380.....for the reduced recoil and the ease of operating the slide. Small semi-autos have to compensate for less slide mass, with heavier recoil springs. Some men have difficulty operating the slide of the the sub-compacts, in serious calibers.

My wife is a very capable shooter. She has two handgun kills, with Ruger Only Loads in a BH 45LC. She won't hesitate to shoot any of my handguns.....including a 357 LCR and CA 44 Bulldog. However, she struggles to operate the slide of my 9 mm sub-compacts and much prefers the full size and or the compact versions. BTW, I won't let a 380 in through the door.

 

[Winelover]

Who would be stupid enough to load 38's to 357 magnum levels, for carry ammo......when you can just opt for a 357 magnum? Sides, everyone that carries isn't a handloader.