The Fine-Line-"Nine"

The other day, out at the gunshop, I was watching a young gal looking over a 9mm pistol for self-defense, checking out different makes & models until she found "just the one" that fit her hands and "felt right."

I couldn't help but to think how popular that cartridge has become, even 109 years AFTER Georg Luger intruduced it in 1902.

The Luger pistol was originally chambered in 7.65, but after constant complaints from the German military that the caliber was too small, it was enlarged to the 9mm we all know today. In fact even today when you buy ammunition for your Glock, Beretta, or whichever model you might happen to have, the cartridges are still stamped "9mm Luger."

Luger still gets the credit for developing that cartridge. The 9mm is probably more widely used around the world than any other pistol caliber, and for pretty good reasons.

It is powerful enough to get the job done in most cases, recoil is comfortable, so most people can handle it, and ammunition is readily available just about everywhere.

Most 9mm pistols are physically small enough for good concealed carry either under a jacket or in a lady's purse. With the coming of modern jacketed hollowpoint bullets, the classic old cartridge is even more capable than it was during the first two world wars. So is the 38 Special, with which it is often compared.

Ballistics are fairly even between the two, although the bullet diameter of the 38 special is just slightly bigger at .357----as compared with the 9mm at .355, and many modern-day 9's are available with 15 to 17 round magazines, so if the first round doesn't do it you've still got plenty more!

Now that being said......I personally prefer LARGER caliber pistols that reliably provide ONE-SHOT stops but those aren't for everyone. Occasionally some gal that Donna & I might know will come up and ask my opinion concerning a self-protection gun, and you always have to take into consideration that some little slip of a girl that might weigh 105 pounds soaking wet with hands not much bigger than our grand-daughter's.......probably isn't ready for a 44 Magnum!

Some look towards the little 22's and 25's because they are smaller, lighter, fun & easy to shoot and virtually no recoil.

No knockdown EITHER, though. There is a "fine line" between "plinking" and "STOPPING" and to MY mind the 9mm (and 38 also) are on the STOPPING side of that line, but not by a whole bunch.

.......slight pause in the story........if you MUST settle for something in the 22/25 area for whatever reasons----buy the 22. While the 25 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) DOES throw a slightly larger bullet, it isn't very fast or accurate. The slightly smaller & popular 22 is a DECIDEDLY better caliber, being much faster with much better penetration. If someone gave me a 25, I'd use it for a paperweight.

Back to the nine. It is so widely used in Europe by our allies, the Department of Defense, in all IT'S wisdom and "political correctness", got the 9mm handgun issued to OUR troops in 1983 so during a worldwide skirmish we could all be just "one happy family" with NATO, and only have to have ONE supply chain of pistol ammo that could be shared by all.

The 9mm in combat, is nowhere near as capable as the old 45 it "replaced". The new Beretta 92's ("M-9" in military nomenclature) already have a long list of complaints from the field, mainly that the gun is underpowered for military targets.

Police also, have gobs of file cabinets of incidents in the streets-----where felons on PCP have absorbed several rounds from 9mm bullets before finally going down. Probably 9 times out of 10 though, the guy breaking into your house isn't wearing body armor, or strung out on something to "numb" him against pain, so for all practical purposes, the 9mm pistols ARE pretty adequate.

Because the old 45 cartridges were much larger, the magazines would only carry 7 rounds (opposed to 15 rounds for the M-9 Beretta. But it would be a rare situation where you'd need a SECOND round out of a 45 to put the "bad guy" down.

I personally OWN a couple of 9mm's that I like to "plink with".......and Donna can shoot them with no problems......but I never "pack" either of them.

Please don't misunderstand me.......I'm NEVER out there "hoping" to get in on some crap. The last guy I shot was in Vietnam, and I plan for that to remain so. But if it ever DOES come to that again, it won't be with the little 9. HIS butt is going down!

The "nine" IS "fine" and if properly used, will get you out of most scrapes........but if you shoot well enough that you don't need 15 rounds, and don't mind a little recoil, there ARE better choices out there.

I've never owned one of these new "40's", but I understand THEY are fairly potent, (not up to the 45 of course, but better than the 9).

If you're a "revolver-person" I'd never recommend ANYTHING smaller than a 38.......preferably a 357.

In World War II Germany, the Luger and P-38 pistols were generally used as a last means of defense in close quarters, and gave good account of themselves, but a G.I. with a Colt 45 still had the upper hand when all other conditions were equal.

Again.....the "Nine" is "Fine"....

I'd never trust anything LESS, though.

PS......the morning after I posted this (today), I took advantage of some RARE "nice weather" around here and took one of my OWN "9's" out this morning............good thing too, because it sure got crappy out there again this afternoon!

Pretty fair morning......I put 21 rounds through it, with nothing outside of the "8" ring. Nothing to "write home about", but still not too bad for factory ammo.