Well, probably not. There will always be holdouts, know-it-alls and those who find myth more real than fact. I like some myths. They are entertaining and tend to make good, but not so believeable stories. I stumbled across an article by Mark Miller the other day which I want to pass on to you. It is entitled: The FBI is Going 9mm: Here Comes the Science. Mr. Miller's information derives from a blog, Loose Rounds, post, cited by him here: http://looserounds.com/2014/09/21/fbi-9mm-justification-fbi-training-division/
The gist of the post is that the FBI is now making the move back to 9mm ammunition and handguns, and they are doing so for solid, scientific reasons according to the information in Mr. Miller and Loose Rounds' posts. I can't verify that the FBI has actually published such a statement, and I have not tried to do so. What I do find interesting is the interplay between modern handgun projectile technology and the effect ammunition has on the shooter as well as the target.
Given the fact that the vast majority of people who carry a handgun for self defense are not adequately trained in the use of their weapons and do not shoot, much less train, on a regular basis, and that one is legally and ethically responsible for every round that one shoots, it appears to me that there are two different schools of thought here.
One, having to do with caliber of the weapon, power and effect of the projectile on a target but that pretty much avoids discussion of the average shooter (remember most of us who carry but don't train adquately) being responsible for and able to get rounds on target. If you miss, that miss is actually going hit somewhere you didn't intend it to go. And, where that "errant" round ends up is your responsibility and you better pray it isn't into some innocent person. All of the technical data: bullet weight and configuration, expansion co-efficents, velocity... all of that doesn't matter much if you hit something you don't intend to hit.
Two, the combination of the handgun, cartridge and projectile should be such that the person firing it (remember our average ill-trained self defense carry person) has a much better chance of shooting it accurately and effectively. This means, of course, that all other things being equal the average person shooting a pistol with a minimum recoil and muzzle blast, effective grip and trigger pull, will be somewhat more accurate with the first, and perhaps more importantly, second, third and subsequent rounds fired in a self defense confrontation.
This second school of thought – a gun that is reasonable to shoot multiple rounds accurately by the average person with modern ammunition that will inflict acceptable damage – makes much more sense than using popular hand-cannons favoried by many big caliber proponents. And that gun is best expressed in the 9 mm semi-automatic pistol loaded with modern hollow-point self defense ammunition.
This makes sense to me. Couple that with a laser sight to help compensate for the inadequate level of training most of us have, and you have the best combination for a reliable, easy to use and shoot, quality handgun for self defense.
See the entire post on Loose Rounds here: http://looserounds.com/2014/09/21/fbi-9mm-justification-fbi-training-division/
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