Is the 9mm the new .22?

[Icewind]

Coming off this past week where I traded off everything 9mm I own for 2 Glocks (32&36) I got to wondering.

I have fallen into the thinking that 9mm is to underpowered. Another poster here once posted "IDK why anybody would carry 9mm"

The .22 round is for "training" kids and plinking. but 9mm is cheap enough to become our plinker but with some actual training elements unlike the .22

We told the metric system to go pound sand and I think it's time maybe we told the 9mm to do the same.

 

[jaysonindaytona]

9mm is not under powered..its got power..you just wanna load it with JHP...thats where the knockdown is... in my opinion

 

[LeinieDrinker]

Ok, so .22 and 9mm, not enough gun. show of hands, who wants to be shot with either first.

 

[scottbland247]

With good quality self defense ammo the lethality in people is negligibly different between 9mm and the larger pistol rounds. There are differences if you are trying to shoot through concrete walls, take down helicopters, or slay dragons but with a person in street clothes 9mm defense ammo is deadly enough

 

[dbaierl]

I'm perfectly happy with 9mm.
It's all about shot placement, not the size of the bullet.

There must be a pun in there somewhere. LOL.
Seriously though, hit em right, and all you need is a 22.

Anyone within 30 ft of me, will get it between the eyes.

 

[rodeopsycho]

My brother died from a .22, granted it was suicide, nonetheless! I'm confident my 9mm will take care of BG's. Plus if a BG is staring down the barrel of a gun, I doubt the BG is going to care if its a 9mm or a .45.

 

[scottbland247]

For what it's worth, sorry for your loss

 

[jelo45110]

It all depends on how you define power. My personal preference for self defense is a 12 gauge with 3 inch magnums loaded with 00 buckshot. Compared to that any handgun round is underpowered. It is all a matter of compromise. What are your needs and what are your limitations? When I am going out in the woods for fishing or hunting and will be well out of cell phone range I prefer to take my Ruger Redhawk 44 magnum. This handgun will stop any varmints I encounter whether they have 4 legs or two. The 44 is not the best choice when making a trip to the convenience store for a soda or tank of gas. Like with any kind of shooting shot placement is key. I have seen deer and elk go down to one well placed shot from a 22 lr. That is not what I would prefer to use to hunt deer or elk anymore than what I want to use for self defense, however I would much rather have a 22, or 32, or 380 or even a 9mm than no handgun at all. I have many different caliber of handguns for many different duties. I spend as much time practicing with them in the manner they may need to be used so that if the time comes I need to use them I am ready to use them effectively. A 9mm that you can quickly put 3 rounds into a 12 inch circle is a much better choice for defensive purposes than a 45 that you can not control.

 

[jtg452]

Dude, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but ALL pistol rounds are underpowered until you start talking about .454Casull and up.

 

[rodeopsycho]

@ scottbland: thanks for the condolences. It was tough at first didn't want to touch a gun for months, then figured heck he wasn't in the right mind set so I can't blame him or the gun. Then I went & bought a gun then 2 weeks later went n applied for my ccl then recieved it in the mail 3 weeks ago.

 

[rodeopsycho]

Thanks for the condolences, It's hard still, granted it was only a few months ago, but he was sick and I don't blame him or the gun. So I applied for and recieved my ccl 4 weeks ago & bought a new pistol.

 

[disneyr]

I heard an old saying that a handgun was something one uses to get to his rifle. So are all handguns "the new .22"? Just saying.

 

[LibertyorDeath]

Either round well placed to the head will take you out. However Im sticking to 9mm or larger for self defense.

 

[B2Tall]

There's nothing wrong with 9mm. Like every other caliber of ammo it has it's advantages and tradeoffs.

 

[S&WM&P40]

It doesn't matter if your shooting a 50BMG,50GI,22,9mm,45 etc,if you can't hit the target with the bullets then they are all useless!

 

[Safebustr]

My Father in Law worked for a meat packing company for many years and killed thousands of animals including cattle weighing over 1000 pounds, yep he put them all down with an old rolling block single shot 22 with shorts.
Now he was an expert who knew exactly where to place his shots and he was all of 2 feet away when he did it.
SO-shot placement is all, a 22 will kill just as dead as a 50bmg if it goes where it needs to.....

 

[357_av]

I dropped a doe last hunting season with a 9mm from 20 yards. See where I got her in the pic. I have never seen anything drop to an instant stillness before in all my hunts.

 

[Saltcreek]

Funny how people who say the 9mm is underpowered, will think a 38 Spl+p is good or even kicks to much, but with 124/125 gr hollowpoints the 9mm wins.
Also love the people who are always going to shoot the bad guy between the eyes. They have never been shot at and the bad buy does'nt stand there and give you a free shot while you draw a fine bead on him. If you want a real simulation, run a block, then shoot at the small target while gasping air, ducking and swerving while the target swings back and forth. A gun fight is not the same as a paced out duel. Yes a 22 will kill, but not before there is a good chance they kill you too.

 

[revjen45]

9mm is considerably cheaper than .40, .45, 454, etc. which means you can afford to practice more. My EDC is 9mm, but I have other choices. The 9X19 got a reputation as a poor stopper from ball ammo - JHP makes a big difference. As mentioned above any common handgun round is short on crunch but it's not always practical to carry a pump shotgun.

 

[50SR9]

Dude, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but ALL pistol rounds are underpowered until you start talking about .454Casull and up.

Uh, ok. I would be willing to bet three to the chest with a 9mm and hollow points or golden sabres, that person is just as dead as with the .454. May not be as dramatic, but sure as hell effective. I am not a ballistics expert but just my thinkin.