Comments on the 9mm

10 June 08

Sage follow-up comments on the 9mm- and modern times:

From Irv Stone at Bar-Sto Precision, barrel-maker- second to none:

"Recently, we've seen a big increase in 9mm barrel orders here. We have always manufactured and recommended 9mm conversion barrels for the G23, 27,32, and 33. Nearly any 40S&W pistol can be easily and quickly converted to 9mm, and, with our barrels, they run smoothly and reliably. It's a good option for heavy training, while not beating yourself to death and/or breaking the bank!"

You can get hold of Irv directly at _barsto@eee.org_ (mailto:barsto@eee.org) Recommended!

From my long-time friend and colleague, Claude Werner, at the celebrated Rogers School:

"Even for men, we advise bringing 9mm handguns to the Rogers School! Many decline this advice and bring 40s and 357s. More than half of the time, we are compelled to provide these same optimists with 9mm loaners, starting with the third day (five-day Program), just to get them though the balance of the Course!

As you say, terminal performance with 40s and 357s is surely respectable, but both are difficult to train with, particularly in high-volume Courses such as ours. In fact, no student has ever earned better than a 'Basic' rating' with a 357. Few can do anything better than passable work with it, and I've had to upgrade my electronic earmuffs just to be around them, so obnoxious is the' over-pressure event' (our term for 'concussion') with that caliber.

From my old friend, Dave Spaulding:

"Considering the current shocking disparity in price between 9mm and 40/357, I have seen many move to the 9mm, just so they can continue to practice with live ammo!"

From a friend and colleague in the Philippines:

"Particularly for those who live places other than the USA, the 9mmis almost always the only viable pistol-caliber choice. However, unlike you spoiled Americans, those of us from other parts of the world will have to use hardball ammunition for the foreseeable future, if only because superior ammunition is unavailable, or restricted by law.

This prison-of-circumstance highlights the importance of being able to achieve multiple, precise hits on the vital areas of a human target, quickly. When hardball is all you have, you dare not wager your life away on the unlikely probability of a one-shot, or two-shot, stop. Rather, a definitive burst of well-aimed shots will likely be required if the fight is to end quickly, and in this scenario, a high-capacity 9mm will satisfactorily support the tactic, assuming the Operator is competent. When we consider that we will not always have two hands with which to operate the pistol, the 9mm's value becomes even more evident.

Carrying more ammo than you think you could ever possibly need is also a capitol idea! Figure on two, spare magazines, and more in your car.

I'm confident the foregoing sounds anything but comforting to many Operators in the USA, but, then again, gunfights have never been 'comforting' events, whether your pistol is loaded with hardball or DPX!"

/John