# Good brand for the 9mm



## PhotonGuy (Aug 14, 2013)

So what would be a good brand for the 9mm? I heard Beretta was quite good as was Sig and Glock. I even heard that the 9mm is sometimes used as a military sidearm although I had the impression that the 9mm was too puny for military use, but I could be wrong.


----------



## ballen0351 (Aug 14, 2013)

Cant go wrong with a Sig or Glock.  9mm is the standard handgun round for most NATO countries.


----------



## Grenadier (Aug 15, 2013)

The 9 mm Parabellum cartridge is an excellent one, and works just fine as a manstopper.  

The people who claim that it's too puny are basically the ones who continue to cling to the .45 ACP (which is a very fine cartridge in its own right), and don't realize that when it comes to small arms, any of the commonly issued duty calibers are going to do the job quite nicely, as long as you do your job of placing the shot.  

There are many excellent brands of handguns that are chambered for the 9 mm Parabellum.  It essentially comes down to which gun you prefer and can shoot most accurately.  

If you want a traditional double action / single action semiautomatic handgun, then Sig, Beretta, Heckler and Koch, Smith and Wesson, CZ, Ruger, etc., all make fine handguns that work great.  

If you prefer a single action semiautomatic handgun, then something like the Browning Hi Power could do quite nicely for you. 

If you prefer a double action only handgun that has a lighter trigger pull than a double action revolver would have, you may want to think about Glock, Smith and Wesson (M&P series), Walther, etc.  Sig also offers this as an option.  


As ballen stated, the 9 mm Parabellum is the most commonly issued caliber for just about all NATO countries' military, and a lot of their police forces as well.  Even with hardball (full metal jacket) ammo, it's a decent manstopper, and offers excellent penetration.  While some detractors may assert that 9 mm hardball is useless, they fail to realize that the New York PD used hardball in their 9 mm firearms for many years, and never had any complaints about its manstopping performance.  

For defensive use, any premium hollowpoint made by any of the reputable manufacturers will be a fine choice, as long as it feeds reliably in your gun.


----------



## Brian R. VanCise (Aug 15, 2013)

9mm is a good cartridge.  Not my favorite but good.  

However, when it comes to handguns you cannot go wrong with a Glock!


----------



## Sukerkin (Aug 15, 2013)

Altho it must be admitted that I was always a rifleman rather than a pistol shooter, I have always considered the Cz Model 75 a fabulous handgun:

[video=youtube_share;t5xmDEIQ9RA]http://youtu.be/t5xmDEIQ9RA[/video]

[video=youtube_share;La5UsYzV_L4]http://youtu.be/La5UsYzV_L4[/video]


----------



## scottcatchot (Aug 15, 2013)

I have been shopping for a 9mm and am leaning towardthe Ruger SR9 or SR9c.  I am wanting for concealed carry but most are reallytwo small for my hands. The Ruger has a nice lighter weight with thepolymer version and I like the slim style.


----------



## Grenadier (Aug 16, 2013)

The SR9 series is a good one.  For one thing, it certainly shows that Ruger has finally taken the right steps to enter the 21st century, and that they aren't beholden to Bill Ruger's anti-gun philosophies anymore.  

They've come a long way, for certain, now offering subcompact revolvers, concealable semiautomatics, and even a very nice AR-15 clone.  This would never have happened under the old man's watch, since he was the one who coined the phrase "No honest man needs more than 10 rounds."


----------



## chinto (Aug 16, 2013)

ok there are a number of good brands...:  Walther arms, SIG, Browning,Colt, Glock,H&K,Smith& Wesson,CZ and on... I would ask what are you looking to use the weapon for?


----------



## Tgace (Aug 16, 2013)

9mm is fine if you cant handle a man size caliber.



Sent from my Kindle Fire using Tapatalk 2


----------



## rlobrecht (Aug 18, 2013)

I like my Kel-Tec PF-9 for concealed carry (even in shorts and a t-shirt.)  I can only put 50-100 rounds through it at the range before my hands get really tired.

I love my Sig P229 (.40 S&W) and imagine the 9mm version would be great as well.


----------



## sfs982000 (Aug 19, 2013)

I've owned a Glock 17 for years now and I've got no complaints.


----------



## PhotonGuy (Aug 20, 2013)

Grenadier said:


> The SR9 series is a good one.  For one thing, it certainly shows that Ruger has finally taken the right steps to enter the 21st century, and that they aren't beholden to Bill Ruger's anti-gun philosophies anymore.



     Anti gun? I find it hard to believe that somebody would be anti gun if they make guns, and if they've founded a big major gun company.


----------



## Grenadier (Aug 20, 2013)

PhotonGuy said:


> Anti gun? I find it hard to believe that somebody would be anti gun if they make guns, and if they've founded a big major gun company.



Use any of the common search engines, and put in the words:

Bill Ruger anti gun


Bill Ruger was the one who coined the phrase of "No honest man needs more than 10 rounds in any gun."  He also actively worked with anti-gun politicians trying to get the magazine ban passed, since it only affected a small number of weapons from his company, while affecting his competitors' more significantly, especially when it came to law enforcement sales.  It was through his statements, and his support of the anti-gun garbage, that the anti-gun politicians were able to get enough momentum to push the Assault Weapons Ban through by the slimmest of margins.  

If anything, Ruger himself wanted the ownership of 15+ round magazines to be a felony.  

He also did this to try to cut into the law enforcement sales of the other companies (especially Glock), thinking that he could make Ruger handguns a more prominent feature in law enforcement personnel use.  Of course, he then got rather angry once congress put in a law enforcement exemption on the magazine ban, since not only did it mess up his plans, but also made him (justified, as well) look like the spoiled brat kid who pulled the fire alarm.  

He also steadfastly refused to have any kind of work done on small, concealable revolvers (J-frame sized), claiming that nobody needed them.  

While some people would say that he was simply trying to protect his business (and maybe, initially, he was looking to simply get a leg up on the other companies), what he did was the equivalent of doing what he could do to get his 30 shekels of silver.  






After he died in 2002, the Ruger family pretty much had very little to do with the company, and under new leadership, the company has modernized and entered the 21st century, becoming a much more complete company.


----------



## Blindside (Aug 20, 2013)

PhotonGuy said:


> Anti gun? I find it hard to believe that somebody would be anti gun if they make guns, and if they've founded a big major gun company.



Anti-gun in the sense that he had a very limited view of what guns he thought were appropriate for mere civilians to be able to possess, he was quoted several times as being for waiting periods before gun ownership, pro-assault weapon ban, and generally for limiting magazine sizes for civilian guns.


----------



## PhotonGuy (Nov 7, 2013)

Well as it is I decided to go with the Ruger LC9, a great little 9mm.


----------



## 1992 (Nov 14, 2013)

The 'best' gun in any caliber is what you shoot well.  That might be anything from a Glock to 1911 to a Kel Tec or a Browning Hi Power.  If you're dead set on 9mm, then what is important is what makes can handle +P and +P+ _all the time_&#8230;not just sometimes, because these are what you're going to want to use as carry rounds.  Those are going to be Glock, Heckler & Koch, and Sig Sauer.  Glocks are the lightest, hold the most rounds, and are the cheapest to buy of the three. They are the Honda of handguns.  Marvelous engineering, efficiency, and reliability.  As far as ammunition, Winchester Ranger 124gr +P+ JHP and Federal Hydrashok +P and +P+ JHP are the benchmark to many.  I have carried a Desert Eagle Baby Eagle .45, a Glock 31 .357 SIG, Glock 17 9mm, two different Glock 19 9mms, a Kimber Pro Carry II 1911 .45 and a Sig Sauer P229 .40 S&W.  By far, my favorite of all to carry and shoot (not to mention field strip and clean) were the Glocks.  Especially the compact frame G19s.  The only pistol anyone would ever need for alot of purposes.  I carry my Gen 2 and wont go back to anything else.

I know, I know.  Here goes another Glock fanboy plugging in Glock.  Well, there is a reason people like them and swear by them.  Alot of them arent able to tell you what makes them such proven firearms however. I can give you a few reasons that I know as to why.  First of all the rifling in the barrel of Glock pistols is hexagonal, not like the conventional rifling in most other makes.  This keeps fouling to a minimum, but its intended purpose was because in Europe, there were and are many variances in 9 x 19 bullet tolerance from brand to brand and bullet to bullet.  The hexagonal rifling ensures that all of these widely varying rounds will cycle reliably and utilize the gases behind the bullet effectively.  

The parts of the frame that the slide rides on in a Glock do not run the full length of the frame like for example, a 1911.  Ths reduces friction and allows the pistol to run dirty as well as it would run clean.  Also the tolerances between moving parts in Glocks are more generous for this purpose as well.  This is the reason behind the stories you hear about Glocks being lost in the woods and found years later and firing upon the first shot, the torture tests with sand, mud, saltwater, freezing them in ice, etc.

The big one is firing the Glock under water.  It is dangerous to do that with ANY gun, but only if you equip a Glock with the maritime version spring cups to allow the firing pin channel to drain should this ever be attempted.  Then again, what the hell would you be doing to need to shoot under water?!  There are two circumstances where legally firing a gun becomes questionable.  Those are shooting from a moving vehicle and firing under water


----------



## ddurden (Nov 18, 2013)

For years, I was a member of the .45 ACP cult and cursed the 9mm for being underpowered.  In truth, the bullets were underdesigned.  While we were complaining, advancements in bullet design have turned the 9mm into a fine round.  If you look at bullet performance of the newer designs, they&#8217;re comparable to the .40 and .45 offerings for practical loadings.  Yes you can load up a .45 ACP very hot and make impressive holes and wound channels, but you pay for it in muzzle flash, report, and recoil.  As a friend of mine often says, &#8220;a 9 is fine&#8221;.  Check out some of the standard loadings (non +P) for some of the new 9mm bullet designs.  They&#8217;re pretty impressive.

If you&#8217;re looking for the right &#8220;brand&#8221;, best thing I can tell you is to go to a range that rents guns and shoot several different models.  I carry Glocks generally, but I have a Taurus that does very well, too.  My wife carries Springfield and an occasional Glock.  I sometimes toss on a big EAA Witness competition gun if the mood hits me.  What I&#8217;m trying to say is that there are lots of great choices out there, and this is one of the best times in the world to be in the market for a handgun.  Unlike previous times in history, there are probably over a hundred models out there that will shoot straight out of the box, WILL HANDLE HOLLOWPOINTS, and will function without having a gunsmith &#8220;adjust&#8221; them.  We have handgun carry laws to thank for that because the general public is now entering the shooting world, and unlike a lot of us &#8220;old timers&#8221;, they have no paradigms, and they are intolerant of lower performing products.  It&#8217;s made life better for everyone.

Best thing to do is go find a gun you shoot well and will live with you just fine.  Then go check the reviews on the weapon, and measure them against the number that are out there.  What I mean is that one can find horror stories about any gun, but weigh that against how many there are in use.  It's sort of like the Ford F-150 vs. the Ferrari argument i.e. more people are killed after wrecking their F-150 than their Ferrari, therefore it's safer to drive a Ferrari.    It's not (but it IS probably more fun!).


----------



## Grenadier (Nov 18, 2013)

ddurden said:


> For years, I was a member of the .45 ACP cult and cursed the 9mm for being underpowered.  In truth, the bullets were underdesigned.  While we were complaining, advancements in bullet design have turned the 9mm into a fine round.  If you look at bullet performance of the newer designs, they&#8217;re comparable to the .40 and .45 offerings for practical loadings.  Yes you can load up a .45 ACP very hot and make impressive holes and wound channels, but you pay for it in muzzle flash, report, and recoil.  As a friend of mine often says, &#8220;a 9 is fine&#8221;.  Check out some of the standard loadings (non +P) for some of the new 9mm bullet designs.  They&#8217;re pretty impressive.



Spot on.  

The millions of dollars in research and development that the ammo companies have spent have certainly paid off, that the old belief that high velocities were critical to reliable expansion no longer apply.  For that matter, caliber choice really doesn't matter these days either, as long as you're using any of the familiar "duty" calibers (9mm and above).  Whether it's for civilian or law enforcement use, we all benefited from the newer designs.  

These days, any of the premium sub-sonic 147 grain hollowpoints are going to do just as well as a 115 grain +P (or +P+) loading, that you'll get decent controlled expansion, as well as decent penetration.  If anything, shooting a subsonic 147 grain load from any kind of duty-sized 9 mm pistol is going to have a good bit less felt recoil than shooting a .38 Special +P from a full sized revolver (K-frame or larger).  

I would have just as much confidence in a 147 grain subsonic Remington Golden Saber as I would carrying my favorite Winchester Ranger 127 grain +P+ load.  I get a bit of a chuckle when some people insist on buying "law enforcement use only" hollowpoint ammunition, since such offerings don't offer anything beyond what you can already get on the civilian market.  If I recall correctly, it's labeled as such simply for taxation purposes, not because it's any better.


----------



## PhotonGuy (Feb 29, 2016)

Well from my experience, the Canik is a really good 9mm brand. They're relatively new but lots of people are very pleased with their performance. They're from Turkey.


I know this thread is old but I decided to bring it back.


----------

