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Just wanted to close this missive with a point or two, and a link:

http://www.bob-munden.com/index.htm
(See the Founding Fathers section)

When all is accounted for...as Tom Gresham says about handguns, paraphrased..."don't choose to protect your life with any caliber that doesn't begin with a 4"...unless it is a .357.

That stands. The problem with the 9mm...a .38...unless loaded to magnum velocity (when it only works in revolvers!)...needs post-impact "controlled" (you hope) expansion bullets...nothing to count on (ask a forensic pathologist). Drive it HARD (.357 level) and almost anything will perform effectively. This is why Squantos and I carry little .357's...especially when in concealment-advisable situations...which the criminals know too...so that's when "IT" happens, statistically. We do this even though we are "big bore" proponents. I am a "heavy bullet" proponent...but the 9mm doesn't have the steam to drive even a 147 gr. effectively, consistently. It is a borderline cartridge, always. Face it, and know what you have. This is why I ONLY use a gun that is famous for feeding everything. The, for all it's faults, Hi-Power. At least it will SHOOT the deficient rounds.

Our discussion has been about trying to get serious (see lethal) performance out of a 9mm/.357 round, and at extreme range. This is a hobby, and not to be relied upon (but good to know about) in a real, killers-in-sight situation. We have killed "things," and automatically give it a margin for error...on the side of better-with-more...but it would hurt if you can hit with this too. I hope most of us have not known what a last-ditch situation that can be, and is. Go with more...and "more" is unpleasant up close...but works where it hits. If it ain't nasty in the hand...he/it'll kill you...especially since you shot at it. Not a friendly gesture.

So, don't shoot if you don't have to...but if you do...do it with finality. Be determined. Whatever you have...drive it in where you want it to go. Don't think about the gun...FORCE it to do what you want. Your determination will make it work. No kidding. As a very young boy, I knew someone who had to, and DID shoot a caribou in Alaska, in the 1940's, with a .38, when her dog-team failed. She cut it open, crawled inside, and was rescued the next day. She MADE it work.

So...own a shotgun, a decent common-caliber rifle, and then have a few pistols. The .357 revolver most-always works, as a cartridge, and a mechanism. The .45 stops pretty well too, but with a complicated mechanism...but is a comfort to those who learn to use them, starting with a 1911. The 9mm is perhaps better for potting small game, shooting flatter...may be easier to find ammo for in a pinch...but you'll NEED it...because it's record as a stopper is poor...LE/military use these days not at all withstanding.

Muttly out.