Just to be clear, I have nothing against the venerable .45ACP. Proven reliability, Proven stopping power. Just…proven. LEGENDARY.
I watched the video about the .45ACP provided by Todd30 and I learned a few things. I always like to learn new things, or old things I didn’t know, and sometimes I can provide information other didn’t know.
I found this article giving a brief history of the 9mm from its humble beginnings as a 9mm bottle-neck to modern times as a 9x19 Parabellum and I learned a few more things. Sadly, there is no video.
Other than sharing a little historical information, this article could be used to rekindle an age-old argument: .45ACP won two world wars!! Yeah, but you’re short and fat and I’ve got more friends.
I personally do not care what caliber, brand of pistol or holster someone has for their self-defense choice or shooting hobbies as long as they choose to defend themselves and they go shooting.
Peace, Gunners.
I found this video with Bill Wilson and Massad Ayoob.
I’m going to relay the feelings of my Uncle who was an Army medic in WWII. He “earned” 2 Purple Hearts and saw his share of combat and its consequences as a medic. He would show me P08’s and P38’s he brought home. As a kid I couldn’t help put be fascinated by these war souvenirs. He said he liked and respected these weapons, but he always said, “if I need to defend myself, the gun on my nightstand is my 1911 hands down.”
When I was in the Marine Corps we first operated with the .45. I had the honor of being in when the 9mm came to be. The Barretta 9mm. I carry the .45 1911 but if I ever find a good 9mm 1911 I would get it. I have big hands and the .45 does not bother me so, for now I will remain a .45 guy. So much so I own four of them. I am old Marine Corps kind of guy. SFMFers, if you know, you know!
The 1911 only comes in one caliber the .45, everything else is like a trans person claiming they are no different than the sex they identify as. Might look the same on the outside but when the panties drop, there is a surprise.
I am still crazy, just not a homophobe or transphobe. I respect a person’s right to live the best life they can, what I won’t do is pretend that the way they were born makes them identical to how they identify. Transmen and Transwomen have every right to live their lives how they identify, I don’t care what restroom they use or what sports they play up until College and Professional level. There are plenty of beer leagues adult Transwomen and Transmen can play on, they should not be competing against cisgender people once they reach adulthood. Sports post public education are no longer for exercise and building a well rounded individual who understands teamwork and discipline. When you get to College and the Professional Level money is attached, it’s unfair for ciswomen to have to compete with transwomen who can benefit from their genetics.
And I am not proud about my comment above, I have trans friends who I love and care about. I am sure if they read that comment they would ask if they are the fat slow .45 or if they are the sexy 9mm. Either way the package looks the same on the outside. But the .45 is the original.
I referred to my Uncle above, and my dad was with a B25 bomb group in WWII. Both had a distinct love of the .45 1911. When I was growing up I told them when I got old enough I wanted a Browning High Power. They’d always reply something like
“Get a .45, because shooting twice is stupid!” I ended up getting a .45 and building a race gun for steel shooting. In all reality, to shoot steel competitively back then you had to make major power factor which 9mm could not safely achieve. Major was bullet weight x velocity = 180,000. But beyond that, must admit my EDC is a 9mm, but it’s a glock. Can’t help agreeing with the above, you can have a 1911 style in other calibers, but only the .45 is a true1911.
"The case was shortened from a net 21.59mm to a net of 19.15mm by removing the bottleneck while retaining the taper of the parent case. "
Thanks @BruceE, I have casually wondered why the 9mm case was tapered, but never spent the time to understand why.
Since this thread has taken a side step into a 1911 discusion, I admit I don’t have a lengthy background. I never even owned a pistol until I was in my 50’s. As a newer into the arena 1911 guy I now own 3. They are chambered in 22LR, 9mm, and 10mm. The 9mm was my first. I was actively checking out 45’s and was homing in on a Sig C3 (I know, not a “real” 1911 as it has the external extractor). 9mm range ammo was typically available ~14-18 cents/round and 45 was double that. An RO told me he had noticed I shot more ammo/range session than average, so should consider a 1911 in 9mm. The rest is history …
I look at the used 1911s in 45 every time I am at a gun store. If I run across a really nice one at a ridiculous price I will probably get it. Blasphemy, I now know, but it is not on the top of my priority list, yet.
I often read comparisons of the 9mm to other cartridges. They are typically 99% about bullet improvements, capacity, wound cavity, etc. That’s all well and good, but …
My observation is 9mm is the 1st handgun cartridge to become almost unavailable during ammo shortages. There are multiple reasons, but a couple are many people own 9mm plus 9mm is the standard for many militaries. So, people invested in only one cartridge scrabble for it, and the military supply takes priority over civilian supply. So, IMHO, “buy it cheap and stack it deep” along with “invest in more than one cartridge” seems to be a good approach to weather shortages and price gouging.
Good observation. I’ve always thought it was a good idea to have 9mm and 5.56 for SHTF situations or when things go south badly, just because of their global popularity and use by all western militaries, but I hadn’t thought of the reverse effect. I haven’t paid much attention to ammo shortages in a while, but the run on 9 probably applies to 5.56 in similar circumstances.
