9mm Ammo

Am Shooting Journal ^ | 12/18/2018 | J Johnston

[w1n1]

When I worked at a gun store I was frequently asked what caliber was best for any given situation. It would have been nice if there had been some sort of magic death ray that I could have suggested, but there isn't, and most people have a pretty flawed understanding of what actually happens when a bullet interacts with a human target.
For starters let's examine a couple of concepts that don’t actually exist in the scientific world but everyone talks about anyway. I'm going to regurgitate the work from those better than myself, and the information is worth paying attention to.

KNOCKDOWN POWER
This doesn’t actually exist. If a bullet had enough force to knock down an individual, it would also knock down the individual firing the gun. People do not go flying through the air when hit by a bullet, contrary to what the movies and television would have us believe. Newton's Third Law and all.

ENERGY DUMP
On the back of a box of ammo, manufacturers list the foot-pounds of energy (ft-lbf, or foot-pounds of force/energy) that their rounds have. Well, that doesn’t actually matter. The terminal performance of a projectile is determined solely by how much tissue it cuts, crushes or tears. While it has been advocated by many-a-misinformed-gun-counter commando that some sort of energy transfer occurs between a projectile and its target, this has been rejected by everyone I respect who studies terminal ballistics for a living. Read the rest of 9mm ammo.

[Tennessee Conservative]

The .380 was extremely accurate. I took my test with it the same day I bought it and scored a 95 on the shooting test. I was concerned the .38 Special wouldn’t be as accurate but he’s right about it not mattering so much if somebody is close enough to be shot. It is much more accurate than I expected though.

[excalibur21]

I lean towards a youth 20 gauge automatic shotgun. No precision aiming needed, not too much felt recoil, excellent availability

Studies have shown that there is very little shot pattern spread over the length of the room in an average size house. Might want to think about using slugs.

[LumberJack53213]

Everyone’s got an opinion about ammo, knock down power etc. it’s all BS. And anything from .22 and up will do the job

[RedStateRocker]

Interesting article.
I’ve always liked revolvers, just more comfortable with them. I *finally* tried a Glock 17 a few years ago and my God, I could hit any damned thing I aimed at, like it was an extension of my hand. Still like my.357 King Cobra and my little 5 shot .38 for concealed carry, but just might have to get a plastic fantastic. My only dispute is with the ‘get it done in 6’ knock; as someone who CAN’T get to a range more than a few times a year at the most, and with zero training or combat experience, if I am ever in a situation where the issue is NOT resolved with my first shot, I’m dead.

[PapaBear3625]

Yet another “firearms expert” that doesn’t have any actual experience. I’ve seen the 9mm and the .45 used in combat - the .45 was a. killer, the 9mm was a wounder.

That's why I carry a .45 with Federal hollowpoints.

Then again, your military experience was most likely with FMJ rounds, and 9mm FMJ will tend to just make a small wound channel through the target. 9mm hollow points (when they expand -- sometimes they clog up on the target's clothing and fail to expand) will do a lot of damage.

Still, I like to carry .45

[msrngtp2002]

As a pistol instructor I see many comments about .38 revolvers. They are accurate with practice. Problem is, even for me is shooting single action my trigger finger give out after about 20 shots. Many new shooters give out after 10. Practice is needed for Consistency and that means shooting. And the recoil for a new shooter can be surprising.

[unread]

"Nine millimeter ammunition is cheaper than any of the other service calibers. Cheaper equals more ammo. More ammo equals more practice, and obviously more practice equals awesome."

That pretty much sums it.. But, If I'm not buying it, there are better choices.. :)

[PapaBear3625]

Everyone’s got an opinion about ammo, knock down power etc. it’s all BS. And anything from .22 and up will do the job

The bottom line is "Have a gun". Nobody likes to get shot. If the bad guy is so high on drugs that he keeps coming after you display the gun, he's probably so high that he'll keep coming after you put a few holes in him.

[davidb56]

Side by sides are a excellent choice, especially with double triggers instead of single. Environment is very important too. Up here, Large carnivore/scavenger animals are the main threat and dirtbags are not, so a 44 mag is a popular carry weapon outdoors.

[Texas resident]

I keep a .380 in my console of my truck. Fits in the back pocket and looks like a wallet.

I have a Taurus Public Defender .45/410 revolver at the house loaded with 00 buck shot. 5 cylinders each with 4 pellets.

[unread]

A Legend of the Philippines - The Colt 45

During its campaign against the Moros, 1899 –1935, the U.S. Army adopted the Colt .45 Model 1911 semiautomatic pistol after American soldiers found that the .38 caliber New Army Long Colt and Smith and Wesson revolvers they had previously used were unable to stop the fierce Moro warriors of the Southern Philippines. Eyewitness accounts describe Moros continuing to kill American soldiers with their barongs and kris after receiving multiple rounds from the .38 pistols and .30 caliber Krag rifles. Realizing the Moro was tougher than any opponent previously encountered, the Army requested guns with more “knocking power” to physically shock and immobilize their opponents.

[Dusty Road]

Two things I want from a cartridge, velocity and I want them to exit. I want them bleeding from both sides. In my 9mm I shoot 147 gran FMJ flat nose. In my hunting rifles I shoot Nosler Partitions, I’ve yet to have one exit and we’re talking high shoulder shots on deer and elk.

[IYAS9YAS]

.88 magnum. Accept no substitutes.

You shouldn't hang me on a hook, Johnny. My father hung me on a hook once. Once!

[Dusty Road]

That should read not exit.

[redfreedom]

You have no idea how lucky you are where your state makes so many decisions for you. You now have the monetary resources you would have used for self defense available for paying socialist inspired taxes where you get to help out the poor that do not want to work, in particular those from other countries taking advantage of open borders.

You also have the comfort of knowing that if any of those poor undocumented people decide to share your home with you and relieve you of your burdensome possessions or miserable life that police protection is just a phone call away.

[papertyger]

Energy is important. It is not everything but is necessary to do what he is claiming. The ability to destroy tissue or bones or organs.

Yup, he might as well say there’s no such thing as forests, only groups of trees.

Hundreds of thousands of air gunners around the globe have been racking up empirical data on the validity and utility of “energy dump” for years.

[Tennessee Conservative]

This one is an Overland Stage .12GA with twin hammers and triggers. It has 21 inch barrels and will make a person crap their pants. A man came in on me one day while the family was gone and when he came through the door I was standing there with it pointed right at his chest. He turned white and immediately turned around and ran out the door. He never came back. We are way out in the country and seldom lock our doors during the day. Now I lock the doors if I’m home alone.

My husband’s handgun of choice is a .9mm semi-auto. He doesn’t like to shoot my shotgun much.

[redfreedom]

I particularly liked the comment about Newton’s 3rd Law which destroys the silly Hollywood’ism of a person being blown backwards through a window when hit with a shot gun blast.

I used to do a lot of black powder shooting using pure lead projectiles at steel targets. What I learned there is that pure lead spatters like water when hitting a steel plate. It breaks up into little particles flying in different directions. Which leads me to my comment about another Hollywood’ism, which is the cowboy bandit with the strongbox on the ground next to his feet as he shoots open the padlock. Some of that spatter is bound to wind up in his feet! And the worst that slow moving soft projectile could possible due is put a dent in the lock making it unopenable with the key.

[DOC44]

I carry the same guns I have used to take deer; 10mm and 44 mag.

[yarddog]

A lot of nonsense in movies and TV shows.

I used to watch Smallville, it was a pretty good if somewhat PC show. One thing they would often show is Clark Kent saving someone from a bullet.

Sometimes they show him using his super speed to deflect a bullet. OK, I can buy that but sometimes they show him shoving a person out of the bullet path.

Can you imagine the energy of a 200 lbs guy moving twice the speed of a bullet hitting you? It would be about like getting hit with a five inch naval gun shell. Actually the artillery shell is not moving that fast.