The Army's new MHS and the fate of 9mm.

[muscleguns]

Will the 9mm ever fall into obscurity?

http://m.military.com/daily-news/2014/07/03/army-wants-a-harder-hitting-pistol.html

I love 9mm. I think it is more than adequate for SD especially in +p or +p+ which is what I EDC/keep in my night I stand gun. Because I love it I would hate to see it fade and I am wondering what will happen if the Army adopts a new pistol caliber through this MHS program they have announced. Part of the reason why firearms calibers become so ubiquitous in the civilian market is because of their usage in the military/police arena. Do you think they will move to a .45 or .40sw or even a .357 Sig? And if they do what does that mean for the 9mm? Will it fade or will it still be the most popular handgun caliber around? What're your thoughts?

 

[Sam1911]

9mm? Not going anywhere in your lifetime or mine. Simply not a concern, at all, in any way. Not even worth pondering. 9mm will continue to be a core handgun cartridge until metallic cartridge ammunition is obsolete.

 

[BSA1]

No if for only one reason;

NATO

If another reason is needed it is the lack of difference in performance of 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP ball ammunition.

 

[Sol]

.45 ACP and 30-06 still seem to be quite popular even though they aren't used by the military much or at all.

All this will do is breed a new cartridge fanboy-ism.

 

[nathan]

Most likely they will settle on the .40SW . It has already made a niche in the LEO agencies for 20 yrs.

 

[Zerodefect]

Ball ammo? I'd also rather carry .40 or .45. No doubt about that. Pistol ammo stinks no matter the caliber, but now's a good time to try .40 and see if it works out better.

 

[Bezoar]

just going to create a massive spike in demand for 40 sw.

 

[RustyShackelford]

Topics....

This topic is already discussed in a thread I started last week.
I would hope the program would T&E a new pistol caliber like the .40Super, .357sig or .400Corbon.
The 9x19mm caliber is decent. Modern JHPs & new designs in the last 10 years or so have vastly improved the 9mm for LE duty or CCW users.
I just think from a design or engineering point, a new .40 load could work better.
It could allow troops to carry 15/17 rounds but hit like a 10mm or .45acp.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

The 9mm is kinda like the beret -- not worth a flip for anything, but it's cool because it's Yerpeen.

 

[ugaarguy]

As previously noted, already under discussion here - http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=767694. The DoD isn't going to buy revolvers, so we'll the leave the discussion in the Autoloaders forum.