Here is the FBI's justification for switching back to 9mm as their standard caliber.

[Hokkmike]

FBI 9MM Justification

FBI Training Division: FBI Academy, Quantico, VA

Executive Summary of Justification for Law Enforcement Partners

· Caliber debates have existed in law enforcement for decades

· Most of what is “common knowledge” with ammunition and its effects on the human target are rooted in myth and folklore

· Projectiles are what ultimately wound our adversaries and the projectile needs to be the basis for the discussion on what “caliber” is best

· In all the major law enforcement calibers there exist projectiles which have a high likelihood of failing LEO’s in a shooting incident and there are projectiles which have a high ting incident likelihood of succeeding for LEO’s in a shooting incident

· Handgun stopping power is simply a myth

· The single most important factor in effectively wounding a human target is to have penetration to a scientifically valid depth (FBI uses 12” – 18”)

· LEO’s miss between 70 – 80 percent of the shots fired during a shooting incident

· Contemporary projectiles (since 2007) have dramatically increased the terminal effectiveness of many premium line law enforcement projectiles (emphasis on the 9mm Luger offerings)

· 9mm Luger now offers select projectiles which are, under identical testing conditions, I outperforming most of the premium line .40 S&W and .45 Auto projectiles tested by the FBI

· 9mm Luger offers higher magazine capacities, less recoil, lower cost (both in ammunition and wear on the weapons) and higher functional reliability rates (in FBI weapons)

· The majority of FBI shooters are both FASTER in shot strings fired and more ACCURATE with shooting a 9mm Luger vs shooting a .40 S&W (similar sized weapons)

· There is little to no noticeable difference in the wound tracks between premium line law Auto enforcement projectiles from 9mm Luger through the .45 Auto

· Given contemporary bullet construction, LEO’s can field (with proper bullet selection) 9mm Lugers with all of the terminal performance potential of any other law enforcement pistol caliber with none of the disadvantages present with the “larger” calibers

[Brick]

So what have the selected as their standard 9mm cartridge?

[Sigfan22]

So what have the selected as their standard 9mm cartridge?

hands down it will be a 147 grain bullet

So in a couple of years used 40s will flood the market and I expect 9mm 147 grain bullets from some manufacturers will be near impossible to get so just my opinion stock up now

The Speer Gold dots in 147 are about gone

Federal HST 147 lol good luck finding that round the +p version is easy to get

Winchester Ranger Bullets in 147 old design but street proven about once a year a large batch will get released to the civilian market

[JAKIII]

· LEO’s miss between 70 – 80 percent of the shots fired during a shooting incident

That's pretty pathetic.

Are they saying it's better if 80% of 9mm shots go astray versus .40 or .45...?

[IronButt]

That's pretty pathetic.

Are they saying it's better if 80% of 9mm shots go astray versus .40 or .45...?

Higher capacity 9mm handguns allow an LEO to miss more & still win a gunfight.

[Cyclops]

That's pretty pathetic.

Are they saying it's better if 80% of 9mm shots go astray versus .40 or .45...?

+1 on that comment. I had an inkling but no real insight that LEO's shot so poorly. Heel. in Nam if my recon latch-up had a similar %, i'd most likely be dead now. I understand how that % level is not unrealistic in a large force combat operation, but when the fight is up close and personal, I just think it reflects a lack of training and fire discipline.

[hog45]

The 9mm has more or less won the caliber debate over the past 20 or 30 years. I don't mean it has proven itself to be better, I just mean it is by far the most popular caliber, and all others are second.

What the FBI uses, or what "everyone else" is using is useful information but should not change your personal decision on what to own and carry. Own what you want, carry what you shoot best and can rely on most.

Leave the debating to the mall ninjas.

[unclejumbo]

That's pretty pathetic.

Are they saying it's better if 80% of 9mm shots go astray versus .40 or .45...?

Higher capacity 9mm handguns allow an LEO to miss more & still win a gunfight.

Yup. Given that handgun bullets in major caliber all perform equally poorly, it's better to get 3 hits from a mag dump than 1 hit. Also, there are plenty of police shootings where the bad guy has been hit half a dozen times or more and was still fighting. More rounds, more hits, more likely to hit the CNS or other critical area that will end the fight.

Also, as the summary pointed out, people shoot better shooting lighter recoiling, less noisy rounds.

I've already noted the wholesale price of most handguns is less for .40 S&W than it is for 9mm.

[harold63]

The FBI is just now finding this out??? I tried to tell them years ago 9mm stings a little.

[MOUNTAINORACLE]

The FBI had bought and outfitted their agents with the newly designed 10MM (which they input into the design). They FBI found that their agent couldn't handle the 10MM.

They then designed and tested the perfect compromise weapon the .40 Short and Weak (40 S&W). Lighter weight pistol, less recoil, etc. The 40 S&W was the perfect round for Law Enforcement.

Now the FBI is using the same argument for wasting more tax payer money to go the 9MM they used to get the .40s.