Good to be a Texan
Well no **** its all about shot placement but do you think in a stressful situation you're going to hit dead on COM? I'll let all the videos of LEO shootouts where they're trained professionals and unload magazines without hitting a perp a single time.
The reason 9mm is used so prevalently is due to the bean counters, its not the best gun for the job but it gets the job done and is cheaper. Same thing with military body armor, the cheapest bidder got the contract and now its been proven the BILLIONS of dollars spent on it were wasted since they don't pass the ballistics deflection test.
Also the DOD has a contract out for a new sidearm in 40 caliber, now whether it not it will go through who knows. I haven't paid attention in a couple years to see how it ended up but it was a reason for the redesign of the xdm to have an active safety.
At the end of the day the most important characteristic of a gun is comfort. If it feels natural and fits your hand good you will shoot good. A bazooka does you no good if you can't shoot it. I can't even begin to count how many people I've seen at the range with horrible posture and technique. My chl class was downright scary, and I actually had to take the pistol away from the lady next to me because she was muzzle flashing me so much right before she was called out in front of the entire firing line by the instructor. Some people just aren't meant to shoot a firearm.
The reason 9mm is used so prevalently is due to the bean counters, its not the best gun for the job but it gets the job done and is cheaper. Same thing with military body armor, the cheapest bidder got the contract and now its been proven the BILLIONS of dollars spent on it were wasted since they don't pass the ballistics deflection test.
Also the DOD has a contract out for a new sidearm in 40 caliber, now whether it not it will go through who knows. I haven't paid attention in a couple years to see how it ended up but it was a reason for the redesign of the xdm to have an active safety.
At the end of the day the most important characteristic of a gun is comfort. If it feels natural and fits your hand good you will shoot good. A bazooka does you no good if you can't shoot it. I can't even begin to count how many people I've seen at the range with horrible posture and technique. My chl class was downright scary, and I actually had to take the pistol away from the lady next to me because she was muzzle flashing me so much right before she was called out in front of the entire firing line by the instructor. Some people just aren't meant to shoot a firearm.
I hear you about some folks just shouldn't own or shoot a gun. I was at the range not too long ago and saw a similar incident with a man and wife. I could tell neither had probably ever owned and or fired gun before, it was terrifying to watch them shoot, limp wristing, horrible posture, the guys hand was visibly shaking before each shot. This was at American Shooting centers, range safety officer eventually gave them some 'advice'...
I just hate hearing the shot placement argument by the 9mm guys, hell my 17hmr(even though it carries more ftlbs than a 22 but that's for another discussion) could kill someone from 400yds but its shot placement matters a lot more than a 9 or 40. IMO you should use and carry the largest caliber you can use well. For some thqts a 380 for others its a 45. I personally like the recoil, magazine capacity and frame of a 40 over a 45 and the only thing a 9 really has over a 40 in those categories is mag capacity which in most models only varies by one bullet in the small mags for concealed carry.
