[Goldsborough]

The section on handguns was ignorant. There are many valid reasons that a SHTF handgun should be a 9mm, such as weight of the ammo, ubiquity of the ammo, cost of training with the round, etc. An invalid reason to knock the 9mm would be its non-performance in the hands of gang bangers using FMJ ammo from Wal*Mart.

Most unabashed fans of bigger bore handguns have likely never shot at a target trying to avoid being hit. They also likely never have seen how hard it is to achieve solid hits in a two way shooting range.

If higher capacity carbines trump the shotgun's low capacity but generally more powerful ammunition, for ease firing and time of firing without reloading, and ease of other family members being able to achieve hits with it, etc,, the double stack 9mm holds the same type of advantages over the single stack .45ACP or 6-8 shot .357 Magnum revolver.

[Theoria]

9mm is fine for anything. I suggest it because ya can get plenty of dual use out of it. Grab a cheap Ruger Camp 9 Carbine. Nice little carbine and 9mm is easy to get. You get plenty of speed and power out of the rifle barrel. Great little gun to keep around the house.

Throw in a Mini-14 and 30. Nice little guns for any real purpose out there.

[Terry L Smith]

I’ll see your 9mm (Browning hi power mkIII), and raise you a Sw Model 10/15.

Why?

After shooting both a MkII and MKIII, with: non-limp-wristed FTF/FTE’s caused by factory ammo and magazine failures to keep slide back after last shot, with the seconds necessary to whether tap-rack=bang, or tap-drop-rack-slap-rack-bang, I do not believe that semi-automatic pistol machinery, in any caliber, can equate to the relaese of a nice lead 158 grain solid semiwadcutter, with each trigger pull on a four-inch barreled .38 Special revolver. I’ve watched intently every 9mm load fired through the ‘FBI-standardized’ four layers of denim placed in front of Simtest ballistic gelatin test material, only to see it fail to operate as designed. Solid semiwadcutters, which are not hollow point bullet deisgns, do not clog, nor fail to ‘petalize’.

What made me consider this load? I made a visit to the Fed pen in another part of the state, on a nice clear fall day, where the business office was located 75 yards from ‘the workout cage’. The weights being lifted by, and the girths of, these ‘refrigerator perrys’ helped me make that decision.

[SVTCobra03]

Most unabashed fans of bigger bore handguns have likely never shot at a target trying to avoid being hit. They also likely never have seen how hard it is to achieve solid hits in a two way shooting range.

Tell that to the Marine Corps which is changing over from the 9mm to the .45 cal. Semper Fi.

[staytrue]

I like a handgun with a laser. Yes, I think it is difficult to hit a moving target with a handgun and be moving yourself and a laser makes the task easier.

[Mr Rogers]

Most caliber wars are fought for the pleasure of the participants. I don’t own any semi-automatic handguns. I shoot revolvers because I enjoy them more, and a defensive gun ought to be one you don’t have to think about. I’ve never felt undergunned in the night with my 7-shot 686+, or even my 6-shot single action guns.

All that said, the 9mm is a fine round and the guns that use it have a proven track record. I may carry a 5-shot J-frame, but 15+ rounds of 9mm is nothing to sneeze at. And the ammo is about the cheapest ammo you can buy commercially. That encourages lots of shooting...

The one time I’ve pulled a gun, it was a 22 that I happened to be carrying with me while hiking that day. I had probably shot 10,000+ rounds thru it, and I suspect part of the reason the 8 guys stopped trying to surround me was that there was something in my body language that said, “I won’t miss!” The familiarity of a fine gun in your hand that you’ve shot a few thousand times is a wonderful thing if you need to make 5 or even 15 shots get the job done.

[absolootezer0]

Most unabashed fans of bigger bore handguns have likely never shot at a target trying to avoid being hit. They also likely never have seen how hard it is to achieve solid hits in a two way shooting range.

I'm pretty sure if i can hit a whitetail on the run at 50+ yards, i can hit a human target at 7 or less.
that said, my carry guns are both .38super, and the handguns i may have scattered around the house are intended to defend myself while heading for a rifle or shotgun.