"Why Glock, Why 9mm?"

General Firearms Handguns - Semi Auto
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Agree, disagree? :cool:

Why Glock, why 9mm?

By Jeff C

I am often asked “Why a Glock” and “Why 9mm”?

Since 1990 I have carried on duty Beretta, Sig, Smith & Wesson, H&K, Colt, Les Baer, Springfield Armory, Para Ord, Kimber, and Glock (there may be others, but those are the only models that I recall as I’m writing this article)

I have had the opportunity to shoot Styer, Taurus, Walther, S&W Sigma, S&W M&P, Wilson Combat, Ruger, CZ, Desert / Baby Eagle, STI / SVI, Browning HP, and several other pistols.

In the late 1990’s I narrowed my handgun choices to 1911’s and Glocks. Because it’s what I shot best and what I felt most comfortable with.

Up until 2001 I had always been a fan of the .45acp, but felt comfortable with a .40cal. I had always felt that the 9mm was under powered.

I generally carried a 1911 on duty, but when it came to stressful shooting (ie. SWAT qual, Firearms Instructor’s qual, etc) I would use a Glock because I felt more comfortable with it under stress. I found time and time again that I shot better with a Glock under stress. The Glock had the same trigger pull every time, the grip angle was perfect, no grip safeties to worry about in awkward positions, the size of the grip was just right, no safety levers, decockers, etc.

In 2001 I attended a two day tactical pistol course. As a test to myself to see which platform suited me better, I shot the first day of class with a Les Baer Thunder Ranch Special (full size 1911) and the second day of class with a Glock 35 (the Glock 35 is Glock’s Pratical / Tactical model and is almost the same size as a full size 1911). It was after this class of shooting 500 rounds per day through each gun, back to back, that I realized that I preferred the Glock platform by a wide margin.

I have been through several other training classes, matches, and training, and shot both guns and found that under stress, shooting one handed, shooting in awkward positions, shooting on the move, shooting while trying to perform other tasks other tasks, etc. that the Glock was easier for me to shoot and easier for me to get hits on target.

“Why the 9mm”? During a tactical pistol class several years ago, the instructor stated “Pistol bullets poke holes, rifle bullets tear sh*t up”. The quote stuck in my mind for some time. I thought back to the effects different pistol rounds having on animals, victim’s of shootings, and Officer involved shootings that I had seen personally and read about during my career. I couldn’t think of a single shooting where the person or animal was shot with a 9mm and lived, but would have died if the round would have been a .40S&W or a .45acp. And I could not think of a single shooting where a person or animal was shot with a .40S&W or a .45acp and died, but would have survived if the round would have been a 9mm.

With 9mm being approximately half the price of .45acp, the recoil of 9mm being less than the .45acp, and knowing shot placement is much more important than caliber, it’s not hard to understand why I switched over to 9mm. With one pistol platform in a single caliber it cuts costs when purchasing magazines, holsters, magazine pouches, gunsmithing gear, sights, and ammo. Supporting one platform and one caliber is much more cost effective than purchasing holsters, magazine pouches, magazines, ammo, etc. for several different platforms in several different calibers.

After the training class in 2001 (mentioned above) and knowing that I had use the Glock (instead of the 1911) for stressful shooting courses, I started to rethink my mentality on pistols and pistol calibers. I did some soul searching and realized that I disliked the 9mm for many years and favored the 1911 based on the hype I heard from other shooters and gun magazines (“Real shooters carry a 1911” … “Real men carry .45’s” … etc).

Every time I had taken a pistol class, shot in a match, practiced at the range, etc, it solidified that I shot better under stressful conditions with a Glock. But I was carrying a pistol and caliber due to hype, not on what pistol and caliber suited me the best.

Choose the platform and caliber best suits you based on comfort, ergonomics, personal preferences, and what you shoot with the best. Don’t get married to a platform or caliber just because you precieve it’s cool or because you have a lot of money invested in your firearm or equipment.

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Good post. Thanks, Will.

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I agree.

I went through much the same soul searching as was done within the article. There is a lot to be said for consistency.

I have been an inter-city LEO for going on 18 years. I have seen people shot with just about every caliber handgun a person can steal. I have come to believe that the difference between the major defensive calibers (9mm vs. 40 vs. 45) is not nearly big of an issue as other factors such as a reliable platform, and shot placement.

I can shoot all three calibers well, using the same platform. But I can put rounds on target, under stress, better with a 9mm than with the other two.

So on my own time, I carry a 9mm (Glock or M&P). While at work I have to carry the issued pistol, which is a 9mm M&P. I’m ok with that one also.

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That article got me started on where I’m at today as far a caliber. I posted all about it around a month ago.

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That is one article that got me thinking about what I carry. Then combined with DocGKR ballistic info on modern Duty/SD loads I went with 9mm.

Given that I am on a strict budget I can train more with 9mm than I could with .45 or .40.

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“Jeff C” is M4C Moderator USMC03.

It is an excellent article. I agree with it.

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Good article…i shoot 9mm but am still trying different platforms until i find the one that suits me best

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All my serious carry handguns are Glock 9mms and S&W J frame .38s, for many of the same reasons.

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Yup. :cool:

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Whenever I think 9mm vs caliber X I always think of the turtle vs the hare story.

It seems lots of guys (esp young guys or folks new to shooting) think they have to get the “biggest” caliber they can. They fall into the same trap as described in the OP … the hype of how “weak” the 9mm is vs what they actually shoot better.

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Will, if I remember correctly, you are a 1911 guy. What is your take on this?

Personally, for duty/SD carry, I am on my last gun (M&P45) until I completely switch over to all Glock 9mm’s for the reasons stated in Jeff’s article.

If the M&P works out for me (so far, so good) this may change. Time will tell.

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I’m still a 1911 guy and will remain so. You will note in terms of platform, Jeff is clear he personally finds he is best with the Glock platform, not that everyone should change to it. Ergo, he recommends carrying what you shoot best with. For him, that’s a glock. For me, and many others, that’s a 1911, no doubt about it. The ergonomics -or lack there of - the trigger, etc, of glocks is not for me.

I’m more compelled by the 9mm choice then the platform debate and am still working that one out in my own head. Does slightly faster follow up shots offset slightly reduced terminal ballistics? I go back and forth on that one, and there are people with far more experience/knowledge in this area then I in this area who have given their opinions.

Many who have forgotten more about guns in a day then I will ever know (e.g., Hilton Yam et al) are big fans of the M&P, so I wouldn’t hesitate to consider one if a polymer DAO gun was on my list.

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was watching some prison show ? forgot which one
the interviewer was asking him about prison stabbings and the little style knives they had compared to larger ones or something like that ?

the guy said well if you poke enough holes in a person their is no way even a doc can patch them up !

kinda rings true in a strange way
I used to be more worried about it ? and hear stories where people get shot and dont die ? makes me curious if another round might have killed them ?
but the other idea most of us train to get at least 3 rounds into a person to stop them but you hear about a person being shot once and they are down or 10x and they are not ? so its the old placement argument again which gets back to shoot what you shoot best I guess ?

good read though and I guess I agree with it :slight_smile:

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Beyond how well you shoot, and what the price of 9mm is.

And that is capacity.

More and more, we are seeing cases of groups of assailants instead of the single thug on the street. Sure, a 7 round magazine is good enough for 1-2 guys with good shot placement, but what happens when more come? Or what if, God forbid, you’re injured from the initial ambush and shot placement isn’t quite up to what you usually can do?

It just makes sense to have the higher capacity 9mm over the low capacity .45. Now, 1911s are beautiful guns and I love them, but I know their limitations.

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no arguement. I would feel just as secure w/ a glock 9mm but I’m just a fan of the 1911 & the .45…prefer the browning design and been playing with them for 20+ years.

I think confidence and being familiar with your sidearm are bedfellows to critical shot placement & have no desire to jump to a hi-cap as of today.

Good read.

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USMC03 is a moderator here on M4C and for good reason. That post alone has probably saved me thousands of dollars chasing the latest fad in handguns and calibers. USMC03 has clearly used his experience as a former Marine and current LEO to determine what works in the real world.

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Well said and well thought out. While I cannot begin to compare with the experience of many on this board I have to admit going down that road myself. At one time I was a 45 or nothing man and remember looking askew at the first Glocks I saw and used. Over 20 years have passed since then and my views have changed. I’ve come to embrace Glocks and also the 9mm. I fully agree with Jeff C.'s quote, “Choose the platform and caliber best suits you based on comfort, ergonomics, personal preferences, and what you shoot with the best”. For me it has also proven to be the Glock 19.

Reminds me of a boss I had one time that alway said “a smart man can change his mind”. :slight_smile:

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The same thoughts held true when I set out to purchase a full time carry gun. I picked the Glock 19 because I had a model 34 and I had a lot of magazines for it.

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My agency definitely has a “bigger is better” mentality, especially since that for a long time we were stuck with 9mm/.38 and only the SWAT and SIS big boys could carry .45’s. After the big North Hollywood bank shootout we could finally carry S&W .45’s and I did exactly that for several years to fit in as a ghetto gunfighter as much as my own gun geekiness. When we could carry Glocks in 9/40/45 I went with a G21 and carried that until we had our well documented light strike failures. With my S&W4566 and G21 I had to train lots and lots to overcome to the various shortcomings of both guns.

So with no G21, various stories of Glock .40 kabooms, and DocGKR and others findings of pistol bullets all more or less being the same I decided to go with the classic G17/G19/G26 combo. I found I could shoot all of these guns almost effortlessly. The recoil control I developed shooting .45’s lets me keep 3shot hammers on target with a G17. I could also hold onto the grip much easier than my G21, which was further proven when we got our G21’s fixed but then we moved to the Fed HST+P ammo and it felt like my G21 wanted to jump out of my hand. Of course I could work harder to control it, but what about when I am shooting one handed, from a weird position, in the rain?

I finally realized I was fighting the other weapons systems to make them work. However, 9mm Glocks seem to work FOR me and that is all the difference in the world. I can spend my time training on getting good hits, tactics, and fighting bad guys instead of my own pistol.

However, there is a price to be paid for my choice. All new recruits and just about everyone who is switching to Glocks is going .40. Kabooms aside, I feel the .40 Glock has too sharp a recoil for minimal ballistic gain and less bullets to boot. So basically everyone either thinks I am weird or a wimp for carrying a 9mm so no more ghetto gunfighter image for me :(. Although luckily those that train with me and people in my unit can see how serious I take my shooting and don’t question my choice.

Shoot what you can hit/fight with. More bullets are always better. I believe in ammunition :smiley:

Dennis.

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I must say Jeff’s pontifications sum up my thought on the matter nicely. G-19 and G17’s for me.