trying to decide 9mm or .357

[mb534]

thought I would throw this out to the court of public opinion, I am looking to purchase my first handgun and I'm trying to decide between a 9mm or a .357 revolver. here is the run down of what I have fired and my thoughts on them.

Beretta 92fs first gun I ever fired and loved it

springfield XD wasn't a fan

Glock 19 wasn't a fan

Ruger sp101 first revolver fired awesome (only fired .38'S)

Ruger GP100 fired both .38 an .357 awesome experience

I'm not a fan of Poymer frame pistols the couple I have fired felt like toy guns out of the 5 I have fired the Beretta and the GP100 are my favorites. I am planning on heading back to the range and see if there is a CZ75 and a IWI Jericho 941 to try as well. I have read good reviews about these firearms, and I get get either of those in a steel frame as well.

Anyway thought I would put this out there and see what there opinions are and I am planning on carry the firearm as well.
thanks

 

[GryHounnd]

9 mm does well for me, you can get rounds in +p & +p+ if you want extra kick....best part is the target rounds are relatively cheap (about 13 - 20 dollars for a box of 50 @ wally world) and you can find them virtually anywhere.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

[XD40scinNC]

The only place for a "caliber war" here comes from the availability of ammo, and expense especially if you plan on practicing frequently.

Are you planning this as a carry gun, or primarily as a home defense gun? If for carry, size/weight also need to be considered.

 

[bofh]

Have you ever had any formal defensive handgun training, besides in the military? If not, get some. Your view on handguns likely will change afterwards.

Those Glock 19 Tupperware guns are used by MARSOC, by the way.

The Beretta 92fs is an outdated design. Specifically, the slide-mounted safety/decock lever is undesirable. You can "brick" your gun while racking the slide by accidentally engaging the decock lever.

A 4-inch or longer .357 Magnum revolver is awesome, until you try to carry it or have to fire it without ear protection. TheYankeeMarshal did rupture his eardrum with a hangfire on a .357 Magnum revolver after having removed his ear protection.

Snub-nose .357 Magnum revolvers have close to the same performance as snub-nose .38 Special +P revolvers. Shooting .38 Special +P out of a .357 Magnum snub-nose revolver, which is typically heavier than its .38 Special snub-nose design, is certainly preferred due to recoil absorption, but a lightweight .38 Special revolver is certainly easier to carry.

I don't like any guns with a grip safety. There is a reason why professionals still pin their 1911 grip safety.

Look at the Sig Sauer 320. Understand that the Sig Sauer 320 has a modular design, where the internal stainless steel frame is the serialized part. You can change the exterior frame and caliber without needing an FFL.

Ammunition availability and cost should be a consideration as well. A single day training class can easily eat up 300 rounds. That's $60 in quality, new, brass-cased 9mm or $90 in .357 Magnum. You will feel the 300 rounds of .357 Magnum and possibly even drop out of class early.

Edit: I don't see this thread as a caliber debate, but as a firearm debate. 9mm and .357 Magnum are two completely different animals. .357 Magnum is typically superior (assuming the common longer barrel), while .38 Special +P is typically worse (assuming the common shorter barrel). Much of the .357 Magnum and .38 Special +P performance depends on barrel length. The OP is choosing between a semi-auto, which happens to be 9mm, and a revolver, which happens to be .357 Magnum. A fair caliber comparison would be .357 Sig or 10mm vs. .357 Magnum.

 

[crankyyankee]

Whatever is comfortable and that you can fire accurately.

Shot placement matters more than caliber. How fast you can accurately make follow-up shots counts. I like 9mm because I can get back on target quickly, and the ammo is reasonably priced and usually available. For carry I like a double stack mag. I switched from revolver to semi-auto at least partly because of the ammo capacity and speed of reloading. Fire everything you can before deciding. See what fits your hands and your lifestyle.

thought I would throw this out to the court of public opinion, I am looking to purchase my first handgun and I'm trying to decide between a 9mm or a .357 revolver. here is the run down of what I have fired and my thoughts on them.

Beretta 92fs first gun I ever fired and loved it

springfield XD wasn't a fan

Glock 19 wasn't a fan

Ruger sp101 first revolver fired awesome (only fired .38'S)

Ruger GP100 fired both .38 an .357 awesome experience

I'm not a fan of Poymer frame pistols the couple I have fired felt like toy guns out of the 5 I have fired the Beretta and the GP100 are my favorites. I am planning on heading back to the range and see if there is a CZ75 and a IWI Jericho 941 to try as well. I have read good reviews about these firearms, and I get get either of those in a steel frame as well.

Anyway thought I would put this out there and see what there opinions are and I am planning on carry the firearm as well.
thanks

 

[Redman1973]

Good luck with your decision... all good comments on here for you to consider.

I went with the 92sf compact, as being in the military for 20 years I have gotten extremely familiar with this gun and how it operates... knowing how to use a specific gun regardless of the situation should be your primary focus.

A lot of my counterparts love the Glock and other pistols, but put those guys in a high stress environment and see how they operate that weapon when it jams or mis-fires. Having been put in those situations a few times have made my decision easy to stay with the 92sf for the sole purpose of my knowledge and muscle memory while using this weapon.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using Tapatalk

 

[bofh]

Good luck with your decision... all good comments on here for you to consider.

I went with the 92sf compact, as being in the military for 20 years I have gotten extremely familiar with this gun and how it operates... knowing how to use a specific gun regardless of the situation should be your primary focus.

Even if it is a totally outdated design with known flaws that the military tries to replace? Basic military handgun training is substandard, by the way. Special Forces do have more extensive training and do not carry the Beretta for a reason. As I said, MARSOC is using the Glock 19. Other branches use Sig Sauer, FN or HK pistols.

A lot of my counterparts love the Glock and other pistols, but put those guys in a high stress environment and see how they operate that weapon when it jams or mis-fires. Having been put in those situations a few times have made my decision easy to stay with the 92sf for the sole purpose of my knowledge and muscle memory while using this weapon.

This is a nonsensical ad hominem attack and just shows a lack of character and knowledge. I do train with people that are private security contractors and served in various branches of the military. None of them carry the Beretta. They carry Glocks, S&W M&Ps, Sigs or quality 1911s. I do not know of a single firearms instructor that carries a Beretta, do you?

In any case, modern weapons training centers on non-diagnostic weapons operation, irrespective of the make and model of the weapon. While a weapon's controls may be slightly different, malfunction drills are the same. The muscle memory is the same. Your post about muscle memory is pointless.

It is your choice to stay with what you know, have been trained with and what was considered best practices decades ago, or to move on, learn new things and adopt today's best practices. Just don't try to justify your position with nonsensical ad hominem attacks.

 

[bofh]

Clint Smith from Thunder Ranch on non-diagnostic malfunction clearance. The muscle memory is the same, irrespective of the make and model of the weapon.

 

[bofh]

The following video with Larry Vickers illustrates how one can "brick" a Beretta by accidentally engaging the slide-mounted decocker/safety while racking the slide. Note that Larry Vickers offers using the slide release method as a remedy for this issue. This, however, only applies to reloading the firearm with a locked-back slide. It is nonsense when it comes to any type of malfunction clearance. You HAVE to rack the slide to clear a malfunction. The potential for engaging the slide-mounted decocker/safety while clearing a malfunction and coming up with a dead trigger is the main reason why the Beretta 92 FS is considered outdated and not carried by experienced shooters.

 

[Redman1973]

Even if it is a totally outdated design with known flaws that the military tries to replace? Basic military handgun training is substandard, by the way. Special Forces do have more extensive training and do not carry the Beretta for a reason. As I said, MARSOC is using the Glock 19. Other branches use Sig Sauer, FN or HK pistols.



This is a nonsensical ad hominem attack and just shows a lack of character and knowledge. I do train with people that are private security contractors and served in various branches of the military. None of them carry the Beretta. They carry Glocks, S&W M&Ps, Sigs or quality 1911s. I do not know of a single firearms instructor that carries a Beretta, do you?

In any case, modern weapons training centers on non-diagnostic weapons operation, irrespective of the make and model of the weapon. While a weapon's controls may be slightly different, malfunction drills are the same. The muscle memory is the same. Your post about muscle memory is pointless.

It is your choice to stay with what you know, have been trained with and what was considered best practices decades ago, or to move on, learn new things and adopt today's best practices. Just don't try to justify your position with nonsensical ad hominem attacks.

I will state the following and then drop this all together.

I am a primary marksmanship instructor for the Marine Corps.... so to answer your question, yes I do know someone.

Mb536 asked for our options. He will take our input and make his own decision. I gave him my input, so leave at that... your comments were not needed on my post, but thanks anyway.

Even if it is a totally outdated design with known flaws that the military tries to replace? Basic military handgun training is substandard, by the way. Special Forces do have more extensive training and do not carry the Beretta for a reason. As I said, MARSOC is using the Glock 19. Other branches use Sig Sauer, FN or HK pistols.



This is a nonsensical ad hominem attack and just shows a lack of character and knowledge. I do train with people that are private security contractors and served in various branches of the military. None of them carry the Beretta. They carry Glocks, S&W M&Ps, Sigs or quality 1911s. I do not know of a single firearms instructor that carries a Beretta, do you?

In any case, modern weapons training centers on non-diagnostic weapons operation, irrespective of the make and model of the weapon. While a weapon's controls may be slightly different, malfunction drills are the same. The muscle memory is the same. Your post about muscle memory is pointless.

It is your choice to stay with what you know, have been trained with and what was considered best practices decades ago, or to move on, learn new things and adopt today's best practices. Just don't try to justify your position with nonsensical ad hominem attacks.

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using Tapatalk

 

[bofh]

I will state the following and then drop this all together.

I am a primary marksmanship instructor for the Marine Corps.... so to answer your question, yes I do know someone.

So, that would be one, if I chose to believe you. I still do not know any well known instructor though that does carry the Beretta for the irrefutable reasons that I outlined. Do you carry the Beretta because you have no choice as your service weapon?

Mb536 asked for our options. He will take our input and make his own decision. I gave him my input, so leave at that... your comments were not needed on my post, but thanks anyway.

Well, my comments were needed, such that the OP can take them as input and make up his own mind. I posted videos to underline the technical errors in your post. As an instructor, you should have already known those and not posted misinformation. You also certainly should not have posted the following:

A lot of my counterparts love the Glock and other pistols, but put those guys in a high stress environment and see how they operate that weapon when it jams or mis-fires.

This was totally uncalled for and simply an attack on anyone who does not share your opinion. There is no argument here other than people that don't carry Beretta's do not know how to operate their firearm under stress. This is a complete nonsensical ad hominem attack. Why post this? To feel better? To bolster your argument?

 

[Ringo]

. The OP is choosing between a semi-auto, which happens to be 9mm, and a revolver, which happens to be .357 Magnum.

The 9mm doesn't have to be a semi-auto. My wife carries the Ruger LCR snub nose 9mm "REVOLVER" and it's one of the sweetest shooters she's ever owned. I like it so much that I've had my local gun shop order one for myself.

 

[Danwin22]

Good luck with your decision... all good comments on here for you to consider.

I went with the 92sf compact, as being in the military for 20 years I have gotten extremely familiar with this gun and how it operates... knowing how to use a specific gun regardless of the situation should be your primary focus.

A lot of my counterparts love the Glock and other pistols, but put those guys in a high stress environment and see how they operate that weapon when it jams or mis-fires. Having been put in those situations a few times have made my decision easy to stay with the 92sf for the sole purpose of my knowledge and muscle memory while using this weapon.

Hope this helps. Good luck.

Sent from my KYOCERA-E6560 using Tapatalk

Redman, I see nothing wrong with your post. We are all capable of choosing what we carry without someone teling us how he thinks things should be done.

If there was only one proper choice of 9mm handgun all other manufacturers would pack up and go home.

Which gun is selected by an agency is often determined by the cost per unit and the bottom line of the contract.

Thank you for your service.

 

[bofh]

Redman, I see nothing wrong with your post. We are all capable of choosing what we carry without someone teling us how he thinks things should be done.

If there was only one proper choice of 9mm handgun all other manufacturers would pack up and go home.

Which gun is selected by an agency is often determined by the cost per unit and the bottom line of the contract.

Thank you for your service.

This is not meant as an insult toward you, but the reason why I criticized his post in the first place was that he was the "someone telling us how he thinks things should be done". He was putting down "Glocks and other pistols" because "put those guys in a high stress environment and see how they operate that weapon when it jams or mis-fires". I agree with you that there are a lot of good 9mm options out there, but this guy's opinion was along the lines of: Beretta 92sf compact or you are an idiot. That's why I offered him my opinion on his "recommendation".

Funny that you mention that weapons are often decided on by agencies based on costs. The Beretta has been in service for a long time, is hated by many, and is not used by anyone who is given the choice. Replacing the Beretta has become an endless quest. Meanwhile the FBI makes its own waves by issuing an RFP that is written in a specific way to replace their Glock 22 and 23 with a Sig Sauer 320, but then they get Glocks again. I am hearing more good things about the Sig Sauer 320 by the way.

 

[Danwin22]

I remember when Beretta was chosen and seem to remember it was due to a big push by one General. Could be mistaken as I wasn't asked for my opinion and have no actual knowledge of what occurred behind closed doors. It was a major slap in the face to competent American companies when the choice was made to go with a foreign company for US military sidearms.

Glocks seem to have a "Love - Hate" relationship with gun owners. My son has a Glock 26 and I have a Ruger SR9c and after shooting tha Glock I wouldn't take it for free. No doubt many others might have a reverse opinion but I love the way the SR9C absorbs recoil, the grip and most of all its' accuracy.

I have some police friends and most of them prefer Sigs over Glocks but I guess Sig can't get their price down far enough for the bean counters to consider them.

We are fortunate to have so many fine choices, for every budget, and I can alway use another weapon.