In today’s world, the nine millimeter round is the go-to favorite for United States military and local police forces. The round is more manageable than the .45 caliber bullet used in the past by military forces, and is more powerful than the .38 bullet used by local law enforcement officers.
Although the Glock and Beretta a far more popular in today’s gun scene, the 9 mm Parabellum ammunition was first invented for the German Luger, a wonderfully designed gun with a simple practicality and semi-automatic function.
Barrel Engineering and Muzzle Blast
The nine millimeter round is smaller than the .45 and slightly smaller than the .38, but has a powerful charge which makes the bullet a very well designed round which has the stopping power and ability to penetrate as well as could ever be asked for.
Of course, ammunition specifications can vary slightly by brand, but the 9mm is typically expected to produce a little over 400 ft-lbf of energy. For the sake of comparison, the .45 has a typical energy around 475 ft-lbf ,and the .38 registers at 300 ft-lbf. In real terms, any of those provides enough force to stop an enemy or kill a nuisance animal, and will be extremely accurate for target shooting.
Comfort and Use
Obviously, there is more to a pistol than the effective force of the ammunition it fires, and the Luger is a time-tested platform which can be relied upon to maintain consistent shooting with a high level of user comfort.
The semi-automatic feature reloads the chamber and re-cocks the weapon after each shot by utilizing the gasses and forces of the bullet firing. Such a system may arguably be less reliable than a revolver for firing every time, but as long as the weapon is properly maintained, cleaned, and oiled it will remain a functional weapon which is ready to use. The average shooter with a normal level of practice can expect to shoot out to about 50 meters with a reliable level of accuracy.
Accuracy
When it comes to accuracy, the Luger is going to be more accurate than most shooters, but it is also worth considering it was designed for military use rather than hunting. Depending on where you live and what type of game you plan to hunt, pistols aren’t typically allowed for hunting in North America other than as a secondary weapon which can be used to humanely finish a wounded animal.
With that said, hunting weapons are typically expected to be more accurate than military weapons, as the bullet is intended to make a clean kill whereas during warfare the goal is to stop an opponent, and in some cases it can be argued that a wounded prisoner may be more valuable than a dead opposition fighter. Regardless, a bullet which is an inch off from center mass is not an important consideration in battle as it will stop the person from continuing to fight.
~ Firearm Daily
