40 S&W and 9mm calibers, to determine if more accurate and faster hits are achievable with one versus the other. “The Ballistic Research Facility has conducted a test which compares similar sized Glock pistols in both. In 2015, the FBI fully embraced 9mm, issuing new Gen 5 Glock Pistols. 40 S&W pistols, though they did use SIG Sauer's P226 in 9mm in the interim. Following this event, the FBI eventually landed on issuing Glock. They did however come to realize the benefits of semi-automatic pistols (particularly increased capacity) following the 1986 FBI Miami Shootout, in which two FBI agents were killed and five were wounded. Military was a relatively early adopter of 9mm, the FBI and local police held out longer. As the '9mm NATO' name suggests, this is the standard cartridge for NATO (the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) countries today and was before the U.S. When we refer to 9mm, we're specifically referring to 9x19 Parabellum, also known as 9mm NATO (and 9mm Luger). So what led to the adoption of 9mm pistols? The Army's Switch to 9mmĪs far as the Army's adoption of the 9mm is concerned, the switch was a part of efforts to standardize the sidearms of all branches of the United States military, called the Joint Service Small Arms Program (JSSAP). Until the late 1980s, many police forces and the FBI issued. Military, 60% of the United States police force, and the majority of civilians rely on 9mm semi-automatic pistols as their concealed carry or duty carry handgun.įrom 1911 to 1985, the Army's pistol of choice was the M1911/M1911A1, famously chambered in the larger. History and PerformanceĪs I covered in our comparison of the most popular pistol calibers, many consider 9mm to be the minimally powered round for self-defense purposes. We've covered many of the benefits of the 9mm caliber in more detail in other guides on this website, but I'll touch on its benefits and history as quickly as I can.

Best compact 9mm pistol