Why I chose a 9mm

[tuts40]

In a gunfight bullet placement is critical to survival.
Practice is critical to bullet placement.
Repetition is important to practice.
Repetitive practice costs money.
9mm ammo is cheaper.
Therefore 9mm is more accurate (for me) on a fixed income.

May I give my .02? I offer it not as a confrontation, but to provide some thought.

I learned something at Front Sight, having gone a number of times. It's in regard to dry practice. They offered the idea that dry practice will develop muscle memory and reflexive response in the drawing, sight picture, trigger control, etc, without ammo cost at all. It brings to you practice of releasing the firing pin right at moment of being on target without taking the time to "aim". Here's a kicker for ya, it does all this without developing any flinch problems.

At an IDPA recently, the "range guy" looked at me and said something like "hmmm, you sure got on target and shot quickly, don't see that very often". Not bragging, please, there is enough of that here already. I'm simply stating that dry practice DOES develop a shooters ability, at least for me and a few others from class that I've spoken with.

Now, having said all that it is a good idea to get to the range every now and again to verify your dry practice, and then have some fun. This will give you a chance to run your carry ammo and reload with fresh after you've then had a chance to clean/lube/inspect and care for your handgun.

9mm is fairly inexpensive, but dry practice is free AND effective! ...But get some guidance, you don't wanna practice a bad or unsafe technique!

[Zcrabtree]

Good point. You work with what you have and what works with you.

[stingray2100]

It is your choice. Everyone has a different idea of what they are going to do if SHTF or WORL.

But in that case, mulitple calibers and multiple guns give you a better choice. I agree a 9mm is lighter than a 45 ACP or a 50BMG. :)

but in a WORL situation your going to be fighting from a high and far away position.

If I can see you comming from 100yrs +

I can smile and wave at your 9mm any day with my 308 or 30-06...Hehe.

practice and prepare...
practice, prepare, divercify ammo and firearms...You have a better chance.
fight smart, fight from far away..and reach and touch someone...it is better that way.

[obiwankabaldi]

all good and true info. 9mm today is plenty powerful enough. Unfortunately guys in the military are stuck with ball ammo and I agree that stuff is not the right stuff for self defense. That said the new self defense 9mm will do its job if you do yours and put the rounds where they belong. .357, .40 S&W, .45ACP, 44 mag. Better yes but you still need to hit the target. Dry fire is the best cheap practice you can do and it costs nothing....

[glocknload]

Question? When in Iraq, were you using military ball ammo or were you able to use the self-defense hollowpoint ammo that is available here in the States? If ball ammo was the only type used, I can see why you were disappointed.

[Providence Ranch]

So practice with your Glock 17, and carry your Glock 22 for business.

[Providence Ranch]

Oops...try again...

In a gunfight bullet placement is critical to survival.
Practice is critical to bullet placement.
Repetition is important to practice.
Repetitive practice costs money.
9mm ammo is cheaper.
Therefore 9mm is more accurate (for me) on a fixed income.

So practice with your Glock 17, and carry your Glock 22 for business.

[Mobuck]

I have a cousin who spent several years in the military and he has an absolute fit if 9mm is mentioned. His entire knowledge is based on the Beretta and Nato FMJ ammo. I chose a 9mm because I was enamored with the Browning HiPower before it was offered in 40S&W. Now, I have so many 9's, it would be prohibitive to swap calibers. Guess I'll stick with the 9mm until it fails to do what I ask it to do. Given the handgun selection available now, if I were starting over, I'd probably go with the 40 but I'm not really sure it's that much better.

[BigSlick]

Question? When in Iraq, were you using military ball ammo or were you able to use the self-defense hollowpoint ammo that is available here in the States? If ball ammo was the only type used, I can see why you were disappointed.

The military is limited to NATO rounds which unfortunately is ball type ammo. Seems kinda crazy that you can lob a nuclear bomb at the enemy but can't shoot a hollow point bullet at them.