As of today, that number has been increased to 59 ft/lbs. So, if we take that number as accurate, we can see that even past 400 yards, a common 9mm bullet is still “lethal”... if you can hit anything that far away with it, which almost nobody can.
If you define effective range as distance that a shooter can deliver a hit to a man sized target, then the maximum effective range for a 9mm round fired from a handgun is about 1800 meters.
Regardless of where you are on your self-defense journey, the 9mm is the best option for self-defense. It has age, proven efficiency and a slew of other factors on its side. It has even survived a period of being ostracized in the U.S. The 9mm has secured its place in American self-defense handgunning.
Yes. Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head by an assassin using a 9mm Glock pistol; she not only survived, but returned to Congress. Unfortunately, six other people died in the shooting.
If you are shooting 9mm full metal jacket ammo also referred to as Ball ammo, overpenetration is a very serious concern in civilian and police shootings. In short yes 9mm ball will often go completely through a person.
While the 22lr is accurate and easy to shoot it does fail to penetrate adequately. The 9mm, on the other hand, was specifically designed as a combat cartridge. As the standard round for the US Military and NATO, it is much larger and powerful than the 22lr.
The 9mm Luger cartridge is the most popular handgun centerfire round in the market today. It's easy to understand why: The 9mm is a powerful number with high velocity and good accuracy potential, and it can offer deep penetration with the proper loads.
Normal 9mm, . 357, and 45 ACP rounds will generally penetrate around 10 inches of dry wall.
While a 9mm round did a number on this can of spam due to kinetic energy, it doesn't have enough momentum to physically knock someone down.
The main benefit of 9mm was higher magazine capacity. The M1911s only held 7 round, where as newer 9mm pistols could hold around 15. In 1985, the US military formally adopted the Beretta M9 as the new sidearm. The M9 is lighter than the 1911, with more than double the magazine capacity.
A major benefit of the 9mm round's design is reduced recoil, providing a tactical advantage. Reduced recoil allows for faster target reacquisition. Harris explains that this lower recoil also creates less recoil anticipation, which creates more accurate and faster follow-up shots.
Penetration. A 9mm averages between 8” and 15.9” penetration. However, the Winchester FMJ has a penetration of 24.5” and the Doubletap JFN+P trail defense has a penetration of 40”.
Both cartridges have been used to defend against bears, but again, there are more effective calibers for that purpose. A . 45 ACP boasts more “stopping power” than a 9mm, but the extra rounds in most 9mm handguns might be more useful. In short, it's a tossup.
The Federal HST +P 124 gr round is the top performing 9mm self-defense ammo. It has the highest muzzle velocity, at 1172 ft/s. It also features the highest energy at 378 ft/lbs of energy. These factors alone make it your best option in hollow point ammunition.
A hollow-point bullet is a type of expanding bullet which expands on impact, causing a more lethal hit without penetrating further than necessary.
If you need a balanced option that you can wear comfortably under a T-shirt throughout the day, consider a Type II vest. As the NIJ tests Type II body armor using high-velocity 9mm and . 357 Magnum ammunition, it's tough enough to stop most common handgun threats, including 9mm and . 40 S&W.
9mm passed cleanly through the first wall of cement block. The G2 RIP made one of the larger cavities on the back of the first wall of the cement block. Maybe the coolest looking bullets in this test, the G2 have a look all their own.
With the majority of modern homes and office construction, brick walls are durable enough to bear the brunt of most handgun calibers like 9mm, . 380, . 40, and . 22.
A 9mm is destructive enough to kill you easily if you are hit in an important area. A 9mm JHP is very destructive against soft targets. The impact energy of a 9mm going 1100 fps is pretty much the same as a 45 ACP going 800 fps.
Lighter bullets, like those fired from a 9mm handgun, max out at even lower speeds, between 150 and 250 feet per second, according to computer models. All this depends on the bullet's orientation during the fall. In the rare case where a bullet descends nose-first, it picks up more speed.
The . 500 S&W Magnum is the most powerful standardized, mass produced handgun chambering by virtue of its considerable muzzle energy (incidentally, a lengthened form of the cartridge, the . 500 Bushwhacker, is considered the most powerful custom handgun chambering).
Bullets easily puncture most walls, doors, and floors. However, brick, concrete, and cinder blocks effectively stop most common calibers. But each bullet takes out chunks, so it can only protect you for so long. A full water heater can effectively stop at least handgun rounds.
While they're shaped more like cones, even these bullets aren't actually sharp. The reason for this is aerodynamics.
When all of the energy moving the bullet forward has been transferred through collisions, the bullet stops. Water molecules are packed much more tightly together than air molecules and therefore in water, there are many more collisions as the bullet moves forward, and the bullet stops much more quickly.