How Come Police Officers Use Such A Weaker 9mm load, rather than the old .38?

Question

I read is a police science book that really a 9mm bullet is a "weak" round and that's what most cops on the street seem to use now in their Glock. Police officers used to use the old .38 which must be a more powerful round with more stopping power. In the book, they showed a suspect that had been shot up to and hit 9 times with a 9mm and the dude was still standing. They obviously didn't hit the heart or brain, just basically flesh wounds and the suspect survived. I think if I was a cop, i would want a firearm that would bring down a suspect in one round like a .45 or a .44 magnum, however, I don't think cops are allowed to use these powerful guns, unless you are Dirty Harry of course. Also, can they use a .357 magnum or are those too powerful for the street as well. Myth or legend?

Also, I read that the .45 was invented around WWII because the rounds used back then didn't have stopping power agnist the Japanese getting shot but still moving.

Answer 1

The .38 has a bullet traveling about 800 - 900 feet per second (fps). The 9mm usually travels at about 1100 fps. The bullets are the same diameter, so for the same bullet weight, the 9mm has more kinetic energy to deliver to the target.

The problem with 9mm is usually the bullet shape. The early rounds had a pointy nose, and was plated in brass or nickel, called "full metal jacket" (fmj). It was required to help make the early semi-autos function properly. This type of round is still required in the Military due to the Geneva Conventions, but is not required for civilians nor Police.

The fmj round, with it's smaller diameter and faster speed, tended to zip thru a body, thus transferring little of their energy to the target, with little immediate effect, thus requiring that the suspect get shot multiple times before they stopped.

Newer ammunition, hollowpoints, tend to open up to a wider diameter and stay in the body, thus delivering all their energy to the target, and stopping them with fewer shots fired.

A .45 is a wider diameter bullet going a little slower, and it tends to stay in the body, with the same results as the hollowpoints mentioned above. If you make a .45 a hollowpoint as well, then they become even more effective.

The .40 round is a compromise between a 9mm and a .45. It moves faster than a .45, if not as fast as a 9mm. It's wider than a 9mm, if not as wide as a .45. It seems to work well in police shootings, a solid, dependable round.

Huge guns, like Dirty Harry's .44 magnum aren't used by Police for several good reasons:

Recoil...if you miss me with your first shot, I'll get 4 free shots at you before you can bring the gun back down on target for your second shot. The .44 was made for hunting, not self-defense.

Over-penetration...again, this is a hunting round, made to stop things bigger than a human, and the bullet tends to blow thru a human and keep on going. Hope there isn't a good guy standing behind the bad guy!

Slow...a huge hand cannon like Harry's is slow on the draw, and slow to maneuver. Bet I can get my 4 inch barrel, 2 pound gun out of the holster and aimed before Harry can get his 8 1/2 inch barrel, 4 1/2 pound gun out.

All handguns are compromises. Any of those 3 will work with modern, hollowpoint ammunition.

Answer 2

Many law enforcement agencies are switching to the 40 Smith and Wesson or the 357 Sig because they have more power than the 9mm. The 38 Special and 9 mm have about the same stopping power.

The 9mm is popular because it is cheaper and provides less recoil than bigger calibers like the 357 Magnum. Many agencies most train new officers who have never held a gun before and the low recoil 9mm hits the spot.

I have been involved in two fatal shooting using a 9mm Glock (civilian). In both instances I double tapped to the chest and the perpetrator was instantly stopped. Which leads me to believe that placement of the round is much more important the ballistics.

In combat however where my opponents were more heavily dressed it did not work as well. I have seen 9mm harmlessly bounce off of armored soldiers. For war you need something with a little bit more punch.

Answer 3

The 9mm round is more accurate and less likely to go through the target and into innocent bystanders. Also the 9mm has a higher magazine capacity than the old .38 with a higher rate of fire. The .45, or the Colt Model 1911, was invented by Sam Colt in 1911. The military issued it during WWII because it was the most reliable gun that could be massed produced.

Answer 4

Some departments allow their officers to carry the caliber of choice, as long as the caliber is approved by the department. For example, they may be able to carry a 357, a 44, a 9 mm, or a 38.

My probation department allows us officers to carry, and my caliber of choice is a 357 Sig. When we went to the range to qualify, the police officers there didn't think a little bitty thing like me could handle that caliber, but I proved them wrong. If I don't carry my Sig, I take my 357 magnum revolver.

Answer 5

the reason they switched was to move to a semi-auto pistol and away from the revolver..
the 9 and .38 are about even as far as performance goes, so training can focus on the pistol and not pistol plus new round.
The state troopers in my area used .357 mag until they changed to semi-auto pistol.

the .45 is pretty old, the Colt designation was 1911, the year it was introduced, so prior to world war one.

Answer 6

The .38 revolver fires to slow, I believe some cops are using a glock 40 but I am not 100% sure. i know that a major concern is the recoil and ability to control the weapon.

Answer 7

because they don't want to blow there target to hell they want to wound them so they can serve years in prison istead of dieing, also because it doesn't have much recoil, they can just fire over and over without having it kick there arms back and re-aiming again

Answer 8

it is able to take down a target effectivley and possibly leave him alive