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The "New .40S&W"

bluealtered

Silver $$ Contributor
I have never understood this. No the 9mm is not as powerful as the .40S&W and people saying that "it's almost as powerful as the .40" now with the new powders and bullets out still doesn't make it as powerful, ... period.

I shoot steel plates from time to time and yes I take both a 9mm and a .40S&W when I do so. When a .40 hits a steel plate it slams it down hard, when a 9mm, (147gr) hits it, it goes down but clearly not as hard or as fast.

If you watch the news you will see reports of people being shot with a 9mm and then driving themselves to the hospital. Well what if they take that time to shoot at you again instead? I mean you didn't start this but you did have to defend yourself against this person and it's very likely you don't want them to keep trying to kill you after you were forced to shoot them in the first place.

The 9mm has it's place, but it's not the "the new .40S&W" and saying so to sell more ammo won't help you if that person keeps shooting at you when you are forced to defend yourself. You may want to think about that.
 
10mm Auto is the new .40 S&W. Old one too.

9mm is like 308.. ammo is everywhere.

I wouldn't want to get shot with any of them.

IMHO, it doesn't matter (to a point) what you carry, as long as you practice and are proficient with it.

9 vs 45 vs 40 is almost as bad as arguing cleaning products with benchresters.
 
Load a small revolver up with 38 cci big 4s shots shells. Aim for the face. If you are nervous it's fine...once blinded. Follow up with regular protection rounds. When someone breaks into your house, your heart will race if you were asleep. Accuracy may not be anyone's fine point at that moment.
 
Oh My, and I'm all out of popcorn!

Over the years the 9mm Luger has evolved with +p and improvements of controlled expansion bullets. It's a great little cartridge for wimps (just teasing)! Both the 9 and 40 may be good for those who find it difficult to train often. Any handgun is carried for convenience, it not a substitute for a battle rifle. It may serve to fight your way to a real gun if you have it nearby, if not bigger may be better! Everyone has a choice. But even a 9mm is better than a none.
 
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If “power” is defined by foot pounds of energy, the 9mm is in the same league as the 40 S&W thanks to how velocity figures into the FPE equation. Without question killing power can (and is) measured in several ways.
 
bluealtered said:
I have never understood this. No the 9mm is not as powerful as the .40S&W and people saying that "it's almost as powerful as the .40" now with the new powders and bullets out still doesn't make it as powerful, ... period.

I shoot steel plates from time to time and yes I take both a 9mm and a .40S&W when I do so. When a .40 hits a steel plate it slams it down hard, when a 9mm, (147gr) hits it, it goes down but clearly not as hard or as fast.

If you watch the news you will see reports of people being shot with a 9mm and then driving themselves to the hospital. Well what if they take that time to shoot at you again instead? I mean you didn't start this but you did have to defend yourself against this person and it's very likely you don't want them to keep trying to kill you after you were forced to shoot them in the first place.

The 9mm has it's place, but it's not the "the new .40S&W" and saying so to sell more ammo won't help you if that person keeps shooting at you when you are forced to defend yourself. You may want to think about that.
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Just a guess… but I suspect that “9 is the new 40” comes from the world of competition pistol, specifically USPSA. The 9mm round is smaller in diameter than a .40S&W making it possible to fit up to 28 rounds in a legal double stack magazine. The downside was pushing a 9mm bullet fast enough to make Major power factor. This led to the creation of the 9mm Super and 9mm TJ which are ballistically equivalent to the .40S&W. They are also much “hotter” than the standard 9X19 round carried by many.
 
bluealtered said:
I have never understood this. No the 9mm is not as powerful as the .40S&W and people saying that "it's almost as powerful as the .40" now with the new powders and bullets out still doesn't make it as powerful, ... period.

I shoot steel plates from time to time and yes I take both a 9mm and a .40S&W when I do so. When a .40 hits a steel plate it slams it down hard, when a 9mm, (147gr) hits it, it goes down but clearly not as hard or as fast.

If you watch the news you will see reports of people being shot with a 9mm and then driving themselves to the hospital. Well what if they take that time to shoot at you again instead? I mean you didn't start this but you did have to defend yourself against this person and it's very likely you don't want them to keep trying to kill you after you were forced to shoot them in the first place.

The 9mm has it's place, but it's not the "the new .40S&W" and saying so to sell more ammo won't help you if that person keeps shooting at you when you are forced to defend yourself. You may want to think about that.
Click to expand...
The change to 40 S&W was bureaucratic because of the FBI report after the Dade County incident, the change back to 9MM is bureaucratic due to the cost of training ammo.
In the last decade or more I have recommended the 40 to more people for the use because hardly used police handguns were available really cheap. The money saved paid for a great deal of training ammo. Which is more important than what chambering you carry.

I carry anything from a 9MM Makarov to a 44 mag, the Mak is small and nice when you need to concealment in social settings. The 44 is not small and nice when the social settings include bear.

If you train and I mean tactics, defence includes, AVOID, EVADE, RETREAT if you can, fire when you must. Hopefully with luck it all works out, being smart and lucky is far more important than cartridge.
 
A NYPD armorer and training officer told me that the officially recorded incidents of a "one shot stop" was nearly identical for the 9mm and 40S&W. The statistics were compiled by the NYPD and only reflected persons shot by members of the department.

Given that the 9mm is easier to train with, has cheaper ammo, and can carry more ammo in the same size magazine; it's not a wonder why some departments returned to the 9mm from their earlier 40 S&W service guns.
 
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Eagle Six said:
Oh My, and I'm all out of popcorn!

Over the years the 9mm Luger has evolved with +p and improvements of controlled expansion bullets. It's a great little cartridge for wimps (just teasing)! Both the 9 and 40 may be good for those who find it difficult to train often. Any handgun is carried for convenience, it not a substitute for a battel rifle. It may serve to fight your way to a real gun if you have it nearby, if not bigger may be better! Everyone has a choice. But even a 9mm is better than a none.
Click to expand...
On a trip to the big city, I got into a carry gun conversation. My friend had a little 22 Magnum six shooter in his pocket. I was starting to form a comment in my brain about how a bigger, higher capacity gun would be better, but he asked me what I was carrying before I got it out. I sheepishly said “Nothing.”:(
That woke me up. Now I don’t go anywhere without either a Glock 27 or my Sig 365.
 
i shot a door knob on a door one time with a full metal jacket 380 and the bullet just bounced off and barely put a dent in the door knob. That was the last time I ever carried a 380. I always just considered a 9 mm for 380 on steroids. since then I have been a 40 Smith fan. no replacement for displacement.
 
Charlie-NY said:
A NYPD armorer and training officer told me that the officially recorded incidents of a "one shot stop" was nearly identical for the 9mm and 40S&W. The statistics were compiled by the NCPD and only reflected persons shot by members of the department.

Given that the 9mm is easier to train with, has cheaper ammo, and can carry more ammo in the same size magazine; it's not a wonder why some departments returned to the 9mm from their earlier 40 S&W service guns.
Click to expand...
Because it is all about shot placement.
All stops are “one shot stops“, just had a bunch of shots preceding that one shot.
 
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