The 9mm Luger cartridge is the single most popular centerfire handgun cartridge ever manufactured. The popularity of the 9mm cannot be without merit. It is a powerful number with excellent velocity and penetration and in the right handgun very accurate. There are also undeniable demerits clinging to the cartridge. The 9mm has proven to be a poor stopper exhibiting limited wound potential with full-metal-jacket ammunition. Today we have modern loadings that make the most of the 9mm and offer a good balance of expansion and penetration.
The 9mm must be approached with care in load selection. The .40 S&W was developed to fix the shortcomings of the 9mm and did so in good fashion. The .45 ACP offers even better wound ballistics. That being said, there is something to the 9mm. Practice with inexpensive ammunition—cheap ammunition is even better—but proof the handgun with the best personal defense ammunition possible. This means a load with a good balance of expansion and penetration. Above all, reliability is more important than anything. Here are seven reasons to adopt the 9mm Luger as your personal handgun.
1. Ammunition is cheap.
The 9mm is available in a wide variety of loads. FMJ ammunition is among the least expensive available in centerfire handgun calibers. This means inexpensive practice, and those who practice often are more effective in personal defense situations. Prior training is the greatest predictor of survival in a gunfight.
2. The finest handguns in the world are chambered in 9mm.
The Glock is reliable above all else, among the most reliable handguns ever built. The SIG P series is in the same category, perhaps more so. Each is as reliable as a machine may be. The Glock is more than accurate enough for personal defense. The SIG is more accurate than we may hold. Did I mention CZ and HK? Beretta? There is no shortage of good pistols chambered in 9mm. Even relatively inexpensive handguns such as the Canik offer good reliability in the caliber.
3. The 9mm offers good wound ballistics.
The 9mm has benefited more from modern technology and bullet design than other calibers. The .357 Magnum and .45 ACP offer plenty of power even with non-expanding bullets. The 9mm needs an expanding bullet so it doesn’t just zip through tissue without doing much damage. A bullet that offers an excellent balance of expansion and penetration is the Hornady XTP. In either 115- or 124-grain weight, this bullet maximizes the 9mm Luger. The American Gunner 124-grain XTP +P is powerful and affordable. You must shoot straight and put the bullet where it does the most good.
4. The 9mm offers good magazine capacity.
I like to refer to the 9mm’s generous gun load as a good reserve of ammunition. You may grab the 9mm when you hear a bump in the night, and you will have the capacity necessary to engage multiple assailants. Even compact 9mm handguns now hold as many as 11 rounds. The CZ P 09 holds 19 and isn’t difficult to handle.
5. The 9mm offers light weight.
While there are high-capacity-magazine .45 ACP pistols, most are large, heavy, and wide enough in the handle to prevent many of us from handling them efficiently. The 9mm offers good handfit and light weight. Most of the Glock 9mm pistols weigh less than 25 ounces. Some are under 20 ounces, yet with the 9mm’s low recoil they are manageable by trained shooters.
6. The 9mm has low recoil.
The 9mm’s recoil is low to tolerable. The 9mm Luger offers lower recoil than the sometimes sharp .40 or the heavy push of the .45 ACP. Fast shooting and fast follow-up shots are possible. The shooter is able to concentrate on marksmanship and getting a solid center hit. While some of us will move on to a larger caliber, others will stick with the 9mm for their shooting life. Everyone should begin with the 9mm. And those who deploy larger calibers often carry the slimline 9mm as a backup or a primary handgun when concealment is at a premium.
7. The 9mm is a baseline.
I think professional shooters and trainers will agree on this. The 9mm is the baseline for personal defense. Calibers smaller than the 9mm do not offer acceptable wound ballistics. Arguing for a .380 or .32 is a hollow discussion. After all, there are no service-grade handguns in this caliber, and when have you seen a pro with an active shooting regimen working out with a small handgun?
The 9mm offers modest recoil that allows a great deal of shooting without hand cramps, sore wrists, or, worse, developing a flinch. A flinch is an involuntary reaction to recoil. The hand tightens and clutches in anticipation of recoil. I have seen this many times with the compact .40 and all .357 SIG handguns. Sure, some master these handguns, but they are few and far between. A mature, responsible gun owner masters their handgun to the best of their ability. Life is too precious not to learn to protect our life and the lives of loved ones. By the same token, a stray shot may be deadly. The 9mm offers a baseline in power. It is good—sometimes very good—and offers economy and precision in the right firearm.
Can you think of any other reasons the 9mm should be every shooter’s preferred cartridge? Do you prefer another caliber? Why? Share your answers in the comment section.
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The 9mm is a very good caliber, but does require more accurate shot placement than a larger caliber round might. I carried both 9mm and .45 ACP on DoD high risk security contracts in Iraq, and both served me well. These days I more often carry a 9mm for EDC in CONUS and feel very confident with it. My wife loves her 9mm Beretta 92 EDC and is very good with it. I’d trust her to back me up any day. But I do carry a G21 in the car in case of a need to defend my wife and I while in the vehicle.
For many people the 9mm Parabellum is an excellent choice for the reasons listed above. I have carried a 1911 Colt since I was 19 including a tour in Viet Nam. The faithful M1911 has been in service for over a century and has proved itself on more battlefields, combat situations and gun fights than we all can name. Even with hard ball ammunition and bullets badly placed it WILL do the job. With good hollow points it will do it even better. I am not the worlds greatest pistol shot. When the human fecal matter goes through the air moving device the quality of every ones marksmanship goes down the toilet. I want something that will do the job even badly placed. ,45 will do that job and do it well. My Daughter is a Navy and Seabee veteran . She is five foot two and all of 125 pounds and shoots a 1911 very well. So claiming it has too much recoil should not be a problem.
Don’t forget that Sig came out with the revolutionary Sig 365.
12+1 rounds in a 9mm pocket pistol.
Soft shooting, accurate and mounts a laser.
You also did not mention that home defense guns should have a silencer!
You will damage your hearing if you shoot a gun inside your house without hearing protection
IF you are going to convert a handgun to a carbine,a 9mm will shoot flatter than a 45.
That said,with the idiot NY magazine capacity restrictions,I’ll stick with a 45…and preferably 45ACP+P
PS Having had a 200 lb black bear within 20 yards of the house,a 9mm won’t suffice.
As you stated, it is all about practice, practice, practice. Make the operation almost automatic. Place a 9mm properly and you don’t need bigger. So many options in 9mm available. I carry M&P 9 or M&P Shield in 9. Feel confident they will do the job if needed. Cost of training is so much easier to handle when shooting a 9mm.
I prefer .40S&W mainly cuz 9mm too light in terms of knockdown power if not using JHP/HP ammo. .45 is like using a slingshot.
All 7 reasons are why every serious gun owner and CCW holder should own at least one 9mm handgun and or carbine. It is the baseline. After that, personal preferences take over, especially if you’re an experienced shooter. Once a newer shooter’s proficiency is more than adequate, they want the most reliable, most powerful, cartridge they can reliably hit with. For many women that means a 9mm compact or .38/.357 snub nose. A lot of men will opt for the .357, .40, or .45 caliber gun. Both .38/357 and .45 ammo is readily available in a multitude of configurations. And since the fall of the ‘Iron Curtain’ even the 7.62×25 Tokarev pistols, carbines, and ammo are more available than ever before in different loadings. Reason #4 is, I believe, is almost a non issue when you consider FBI and State Police statistics; showing that 90% of shooting incident reports reveal that the ‘citizen defenders’ rarely, if ever, need to fire more than 3 rounds. That includes hits and misses. I’m not saying you shouldn’t carry an extra mag, you should, but… you get the picture. My own preferences are the Colt 1911 .45 with an extra mag, when I’m dressed such that I can easily conceal them. In summer wearing shorts & T-shirt it’s S&W .357 snub-nose w/shrouded hammer, or the Tokarev when dressed up, because it’s lighter than the Colt and is absolutely devastating at typical defensive distances. Also I think you should have added a ‘#8’ to the list. Ease of reloading. Like most straight case cartridges, 9mm, 38/357, and 45 are easy to reload reliably. Well that’s it for me; thanks for the article and opportunity to opine.
gwjr
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HI GWJ–I agree with your 9mm. pistol choice. However–unless going cheap is important in a carbine (Hi Point)–why not go with the older but far better and very light .30 cal. M1 Carbine? More expensive round–but 2 to 3 times more powerful, and modern clones available for less than $1000. With Hornady FTX rounds, a compact 4X mildot scope, and an under barrel clamp mounted laser / light combo, 30 rounds, and 200 yard effective range–heap bad medicine in a self defense carbine. Also available in the paratrooper folding stock version to make it a very compact weapon.
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John Bibb
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So little difference… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBkjdutVmFA
A large part of the argument for 9mm is higher round count.
If limited to 10 rounds by law – .45 ACP becomes more valid as the round count is close or equal.
11 rounds being max – 10 round magazine + 1 in chamber, a G30 has all the firepower of a G17 with a neutered 10 round compliant mag. Even a 1911 which is thin and carries nice is at 9.
A Ruger SR9c is my mid-size EDC gun loaded with Hornady Critical Defense, and because I am limited to 10 round mags, 2 spares on my belt. In colder weather and bulkier clothes, only a .45ACP will do. In summer time with shorts and t-shirt, my LCP in a DeSantis pocket holster and a spare mag on my belt. In the woods, a .357 magnum with two speed loaders open carried in a LEO style gun belt rig. At bedtime, my Governor with an ammo combo of JHP and 000 buck shotshells for follow up.
For me those are my basics, and no one gun or ammunition choice fits my every situation.
The 9mm vs. .45 a.c.p. debate will never be resolved except with one choice answer for myself. The answer is only my opinion. Yes, we all know about opinions!
With the various loads in both ammunitions, “Carry what you are confident and comfortable with”.
Older shooters like Bill Wilson and Ken Hackathorn have both went to 9mm 1911’s. Why? Folks, like them as well as myself, decades of shooting have taken a toll on the hands, wrists, etc. When shooting .45 a.c.p., .357 magnum, .44 magnum for decades “Parts wear out”, not the firearms as much as ours.
I like the 1911 Officer’s Carry models. It is a little snappy in .45, but not unmanageable. However, 50 rounds of .45, I feel it the next day. 150-200 rounds of 9mm, not a problem.
So basically, it isn’t the caliber, it’s just age!