Lately I have been giving a lot of thought about going to all 9mm for my pistols.Having 357 revolvers takes care of a lot of problems on its own. I did a lot of research on the subject weighed the pros and con's of the caliber in question. 9mm does have a lot going for it. Every gun manufacturer makes several. Ammo is cheap(when available). Can be found everywhere (when available). PCC's do really well with 9mm. I'm thinking about getting a 1911(Gasp!) in 9mm! Yeah I know the 45 won't shrink and the 9 may expand,I get all that. I'm trying to reduce my logistics to one pistol and one revolver caliber. Your thoughts?
It makes it easier to just stock 1 caliber of ammo. Just 9 mm wouldn’t be my choice for that. Just my opinion, not knocking your choice. I figure I’ve got enough ammo now to hold out quite a while as long as I made every shot count. And if I got overrun , somebody’s going to make off with a pretty good stash. So there next victim better be ready.
1 caliber makes logistics easier some of the more modern stuff is reasonably effective if the placement is gud get whatever werks fer ya
Frankly, I think stocking one pistol caliber is smart, be it 9mm or 10mm or .45 or .50... I choose 9mm for the all the reasons you named and then some: common caliber, cost, more rounds per mag, etc... Now, I have some second thoughts (of course) and think perhaps 10mm should have been the choice; however, thinking it through 9mm, for me, is still spot on. I look at a handgun as a defensive or a backup firearm as my rifle will always be my first choice. I currently only stock one caliber of rifle ammo also - 5.56. I will probably get a .308 some day but for now if the SHTF it's 5.56 and I have lots of it and lots of 9mm to back it up.
Well from a practical standpoint, having one caliber would simplify things. But on the other hand, if SHTF, I would like to be able to have multi-caliber capability. You just never know what kind of ammo you find/procure/scavenge and it would be nice to have a weapon available, that will work for that score.
Lets see, Casting your own and reloading will run you about the same for the 9,38,357 So your looking at 6-9cents per round max would be my estimate depending on your lead,powder,primers. I say shoot all 3
If I had to bug out, I would pick one caliber for pistol and 1 for rifle, but as long as I am at home, I would not be able to. 36 cal and 50 cal for muzzle loaders, 30 06, 308, 223, 300 blackout, 762-54, 762-39, for rifle, 357-38, 9, 45, for pistol and carbine, and 22 and 12 ga for hunting and plinking would be the least I could limit myself to. If I had to leave at once and on foot, 22 and 357 would be my choice although the likely ammo you could find would be 9 and 223. 22 as you can carry a lot and it is the round most likely to feed you, and 357-38 as the old Colt trooper is the one pistol that I would stake my life on. YMMV. For shotgun, it would be 12 ga with mix of slugs, buck, field loads. This is for New England and most shots being at under 100 yards, if in west, would be different choices.
As much as I love the 1911 platform not sure I'd pick that pistol in 9mm for my one and only 9mm. One of the advantages preached by 9mm followers is higher mag capacity. I would choose a weapon that took advantage of that. If you were thinking of the 1911 then the obvious choice to me is the Browning High Power. Very similar to the 1911. No matter what you choose, to get the most out of the 9mm you need a pistol that gives you all of those advantages. A single stack 9mm as your only pistol in that calibre does not do that, and in my humble opinion would be a mistake. .45ACP vs 9mm arguments aside, current offerings in 9mm self defense ammo will stop a baddie so I see nothing wrong with your choosing that calibre if you like it. Good luck.
Had a Hi Power years ago. Not a bad firearm but had a couple of problems with it. A real meaty web between thumb and forefinger meant that skin got caught between the hammer spur and the tang when the firearm was under recoil. After a magazine full, the backstrap was covered in blood. It was the one thing I could count on every time I fired the pistol. The other problem was reliability with light bullets. If I used 115 grain bullets or more, reliability was excellent, 90 grain hollow points (the old Super Vel ammunition) had feeding issues. If you don't have a meaty web and you stay with bullets 115 grain or more, there shouldn't be a problem. Personally I prefer 1911 style .45 ACP and wheelgun cartridges in .38 / .357 and the .44s.
I had the same epiphany a couple years ago....too many guns and calibers. So for my go-to guns, I went with .38/357 for revolvers. and 9mm for semiautos. .223 for rifles. Easy to get, less expensive
Already have 2 BHP clones,FEG PJK 9HP. Great shooters. 1911's in,well,45. I like the diversity but keeping up with the amount of ammo for them is a PITA!
