9mm your favorite all around and why you like it

[monschman]

Well sitting round lunch, or whatever meal you have at two in the afternoon, with some buddies the subject at hand turned to my "obvious ignorance of the inneffectivness of the 9mm round particularly in Glock handguns" or something like that, we usually give each other some stick about something, nothing like putting your friends down to elevate your spirits once in a while. Anyway long story short, I was carrying a 9mm glock (G19), but being as I was the only person at the table carrying a gun I declared myself all out winner and further nullified any other arguments due to inability to contend and then bailed on the bill leaving the hapless sods to pick it up.
Anyway the reason I am bringing this up is that i began to question my reasoning for carrying a glock 19. Here is what I came up with
a: It is the gun I practice with most and am most familiar with, i know it and all of its family intimately, i know what to expect if something goes wrong and i know how to fix it if it does
b: it is a nice comprimise between a full size fighting pistol and one of thoses subcompacts that only ever seem to fit as well as can be expected considering what they are. It is about the perfect size for an all around gun for me, the trigger is decent enough, the capacity is respectable. It conceals well in just about anything short of a speedo, it can also fits in my duty gear when i am a dumbass and forget to bring my duty gun with me (yeah yeah i know, i am a dumbass, but it has happened and I am willing to bet it has happened to others who carry a gun for a living at some point)
c: it is inexpensive, but very utilitarian and durable. Really what more do you want in a gun that may someday be used to save your life other than reliability, durability to ensure that reliabilty doesnt suffer and the ability to afford something like that in the first place. Also, god forbid, but should i ever have to use it, i am not going to be too upset when some deputy somewhere uses a hot nail to engrave an evidence number on it, nor when the court doesnt give it back when i am cleared and even after paying Marc Berris his fee I am sure that i can get another one that is identical to the one i "lost" and still be able to afford it.
d: 9mm, why? cuz its cheap, its everywhere, its effective, more of them fit in the gun, firearms being one of those thing where quantity is almost as important as quality in my eyes at least anyway, it is easy to practice with and keep practicing with (even *swmbo will shoot 9mm, she aint so comfortable with the larger calibers)
e: The gun and the round seem to be a great match, whereas the 1911a1 may be the greatest 45acp slinging gun ever made they generally dont do to great in 9mm and there are many sacrifices, the Glock on the other hand i think was designed with the 9mm round solely in mind
f: its light enough to not care about carrying it all day
g: it really is the barbie of the pistol world, there is every kind of accessory available everywhere for them, if you cant find what you want for a glock pistol, you didnt look very hard

O.K. enough rambling, i am not trying to put down anyones choice of carry weapon, i have gone from carrying a jennings 22, to a colt 38spl, to a g19 and i have never felt underarmed. undoubtedly the glock is the best of the three overall and i believe my reasons for being happy and satisfied with it are completely valid. if you prefer something else thats your perogative. What i am interested in however is hearing from those of you that carry a 9mm gun, what you carry, why you carry it and why you dont carry something else.
i dont want this to be a bashing thread, simply an informative one as to peoples satisfaction with a particular weapon in the 9mm size. thanks in advance and let the flaming begin

*swmbo= she who must be obeyed

[rtk]

I think that you said it all. The Glock 19 is about as close to the perfect carry gun as one could find providing you can shoot Glocks (I know some can't).

RTK

[plblark]

Clearly the S&W M&P 9 is superior because it's the one I own

AKA selection bias

[rtk]

Clearly the S&W M&P 9 is superior because it's the one I own

AKA selection bias

I was going to comment on that in my post. I have shot the M&P and liked it and I have owned an XD, both more or less copies to capture business from Gastons design.

[macphisto]

I own just a single gun in 9mm Luger, an XD9 Sub-Compact. It was my first handgun and a lot went into researching the purchase; I still like it a lot and really should carry it more often. I've been thinking for a while that another 9mm pistol would be nice, probably something full size...possibly an M&P.

[diskdoctr]

I actually hate to even say this but I find that my go to carry choice right now is a G23. I never have liked a 9mm enough to keep one for long. I have several carry choices, mostly .45s but I end up grabbing the 23 more often than anything. I have never been a Glock fan but I have now seen the "Dark Side" and it isn't all dark..

[cmj685]

The G19 was the best carry gun I ever carried, and I really doubt that there is a better gun out there for carry, for all the reasons you give. I traded my G19 for an M&P. At the time I said to myself, "The M&P is just a hair wider, longer, and higher--it won't make any difference in carrying." Boy was I wrong! The M&P just simply doesn't compare in comfort to the G19. But it does have a better trigger, and aims much better for me. So there is that.

[tacticalninja32]

My favoritte is carrying a slingshot,

[Paul]

When I clicked on this, I thought it was asking what was your favorite 9mm round. Apparently I was wrong. Either way, Glock 19 with Federal HST.

What ammo do you carry Don?

[timwarner]

I carry a 19 with HST as well. FO front, heinie rear sights.

I like the size, the weight, and I'm not concerned about one shot drops. I wouldn't ever put my life on a single shot. They'll stop when they're dead.

[Flip]

A reason to carry something more compact than a full-sized weapon (say gov't 1911) ...

1) Comfort vs. larger weapons
+
2) Not such a big difference in stopping power according to Chuck Hawks
- 9mm Cor-Bon +P: 1st Shot Stopping % = 91
- 45 ACP Federal Hydra-Shok 230gr.JHP: Stopping % = 94

IMHO (donning flame suit)
Does this mean that there's almost no difference between the 9mm & .45 ... NO! But it does give an idea that its NOT unreasonable to take a 9mm vs. a 45 IMHO along for the ride. I DO think its valid to believe that a 9mm is a valid SD weapon.

Chuck Hawks Reference: http://www.chuckhawks.com/handgun_power_chart.htm

Flip

[selurcspi]

Gaston has called it Perfection since the first one rolled out of the mold.




















If it were perfection, Gaston wouldn't have made so many different models.

[JoeH]

I've never actually carried it but my M&P 9c would be a dandy carry piece. I really like the way that it shoots. I shot DonL's DHT3 with it. It's just a great little gun.

Now my favorite 9x19 for the range is my Springer Loaded Stainless 5". It's light recoiling and accurate - super fun.

[Ironbear]

9mm +p and +p+ are nipping at the heels of .357, pressure-wise. http://www.ballisticsbytheinch.com shows that for shorter barrels the .357's case capacity doesn't show a definitive benefit until about a 4" barrel length is reached. So, if you have a modern hollow point of about 124/125 grain, moving about the same speed, what really is the difference between a 9mm and a .375 Magnum? I think the people who consider the 9mm anemic and the .357 the answer-to-all-problems, and then carry a .357 in a snub nose, aren't paying attention to the numbers.

Therefore... my normal carry is a S&W 940 (9mm revolver)

[thunderoussilence]

I like my m&p .45 the best.