9mm effectiveness per fbi

What El Primero Roberto Mexicano said for background .

In the same era , the other two Federal LE agencies with extensive ammo testing programs reached markedly different conclusions . But had much smaller public relations departments .

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The principal parameter in both the FBI , and our subsequent rehashing , is more or less Duty Size weapons . As Zorros correctly pointed out, if the parameters were primarily lightweight subcompats additional factors which might or might not alter wise decisions .

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Yes , other cals also have improved technology , but the ( usual big bore/ magnum suspects ) already had less room for improvement , at least for straight up anti personnel . The potential improvements primarily regarding barrier penetration .

The ( person in charge of advising ammo selections , whom I know fairly well ) for ( certain not publicly named , medium-sized LE Agency ) attended a Seminar by W-W touting their latest greatest state of the art LE products . Part of the proceedings were the attendees had the opportunity to run their current Duty ammo thru the same testing . The incumbent ammo was the 1st Gen USBP spec .40s&w , ie old school 155gr jhp , driven fast . He tells me there was negligible difference in any of the results , except for windshield penetration . ( Yes , said organization did purchase wiz bang ammo , but has no current plans to switch cals .)

Different law enforcement agencies have very different requirements but few have the funding to conduct extensive testing to find the correct pistol/caliber/ammunition load that best suits their needs...so they either go by the preferences of the chief or deciding officer or follow the lead of another agency...even piggyback on another agency's contract to get the best price which is no small matter...funding decides almost everything.

When I was working and still being issued revolvers, we carried 125grain .38 Special SJHP +P...the brand would change with contract costs. I was an instructor and was continually looking for the best deal on comparable products...we went from Winchester to Black Hills to Federal as some company was always someone hungry for our business and I used that to advantage. The reason we used 125 grain was that's what they always did...no one questioned it. I wanted to change to 158 grain semi-wadcutter lead HP +P as it had the best record per FBI studies in actual shooting incidents. We bought some to sample...the officers who tried it didn't like it...their reasons were two...increased recoil and too hard to clean the revolvers after use. That idea of mine went nowhere for (to me) stupid reasons.

Back in the mid 1980s here in Frederick County, the Sheriff's Office transitioned from revolvers to Sig Sauers. They decided to issue both 9mm and .45ACP. The .45 pistols were issued to Deputies assigned to the courthouse and Deputies on patrol were issued 9mm. The reasoning was that in the courthouse there were plenty of officers available for backup, plus the .45 was a less penetrating round in a building and for those on patrol duties the increased capacity was deemed a plus as backup could be some distance and time away. That seems to me a very well reasoned policy. I've no idea what the Sheriff's Office's policy is now after thirty-five years or so.

Every agency needs to qualify its true needs before deciding on a pistol and caliber for issue. That means the environment they operate, something all officers can handle, figure in the financial impact of not only the pistols and ammunition but leather and holsters and training. All that costs money and it will often take precedence over needs and political realities. Those that make those decisions are rarely the ones that use the product or suffer the consequences of a bad decision.