9MM FAILURES: BEHIND THE STORY

New shooters often ask which handgun and/or caliber is "best" for self-defense. It's inevitable that they'll get as many answers as there are handguns and calibers.

Some people mention their own gun as the best... whether it's a Glock, a 1911, an XD, or a revolver.

In answering the caliber question, one popular answer is "anything that begins with .4". Another is "a 9mm may expand, but a .45 will never shrink".

The answer we should always begin with is "The best firearm for you is one that is reliable, feels comfortable, and that you can afford." The best caliber is "the one you can can shoot with consistent control, and afford to practice with." Once we've established these two points as key, then we can begin to move into other areas of manufacturer, type of action, and the size of the bullet.

Some shooters are partial to revolvers, and for good reason: generally speaking, they are the most reliable and the easiest to operate. A good revolver can also be more accurate than some semi-autos, given that the barrel is connected directly to the frame; there's no "play" between the two pieces to affect accuracy.

Other shooters prefer the semi-auto, and within that camp there are various sub-camps that will declare the 1911 to be the only pistol worth shooting, or that the 1911 is a old-timer's gun which (while a notable firearm) has been far eclipsed by polymer guns in terms of reliability, ease-of-maintenance, and cost.

No one can really decide for someone else which gun is best for that shooter... all we can offer is advice and feedback on what our own experience has been. The advice I always give someone is to shoot various guns, and determine which one feels the best in their own hand.

Caliber is yet another choice to be made, especially if your chosen gun is available in multiple calibers. While the shooting community generally agrees that anything less than a .38 isn't a good defense round, we tend to endlessly debate the best higher-end choice. Some won't carry less than a .45, while others feel the 9mm is a proven round. Some shooters have decided to follow the lead of law enforcement and carry the relatively new .40.

While reading posts in the countless gun forums out there, I've often read the story of the Miami Bank Robbery incident. It was this incident which prompted LE to find a replacement for the 9mm round, due to the poor performance of the round in this incident. Shooters who malign the 9mm in favor of larger rounds often mention this case as "proof" that the 9mm lacks power and penetration.

Until recently, I'd found the story mildly interesting... although it didn't affect my choice in carrying a 9mm. But yesterday I came upon a link which shed some new light on the subject. Especially interesting was this diagram, which shows how the 9mm failed to stop the assailant.

Here's the part I find especially notable: the "failed shot" entered the man's arm, went through it, entered the right side of the torso, went through the ribs, and then stopped just short of the heart.

Now in terms of failing to hit the heart (and kill the man) - yes, the 9mm round did fail. But I want to point out two things. First, the round itself was 115 gr. That's rather small compared to what is currently available in 9mm... both 125 gr and 147 gr are popular choices. Secondly, while the round did fail to penetrate the heart - it penetrated his arm, back out again, and then went through the ribs! While I'm not a pathologist nor a ballistics expert, my opinion is that if the round had begun it's fateful journey from the front of the chest - we might not be having this conversation.

Details of the entire incident are available here, so there's no need in restating the whole matter. But to sum up: shot placement by the LEO's was fairly non-existent due to many factors. The shot that "failed" certainly had a lot of penetration - just not enough in this circumstance. And finally, the round itself was a very light 115 grains. Might a 147 gr might have reached the heart...? Perhaps, perhaps not. But it's worth considering.

Gun owners should base their decisions on many factors, and the story above is indeed a factor to consider. But it's not the end of the story. Countless people have been stopped with every caliber from .38 special to .44 magnum... and while this one incident did change the climate in law enforcement, it is not a universal verdict on the lethality of the 9mm cartridge.