After the Miami shootout and we moved from 9mm to 40, who would have thought we would be back to the 9mm? If something happens and the FBI does another test, they might prove a bigger bullet would work better and we are back to the 40.
And the problem in Miami wasn't that the one bullet wasn't wide enough, but that it didn't penetrate enough, if we really want to grossly simplify.
Actually, the bigger problem is that tons and tons and tons of derp have been generated by that one incident, usually by the ignorant trying to justify their prejudices.
Had it been a .45 which had a failure to stop (like with Baby Face Nelson), the whole incident would have been deep sixed by most of the gun world- like most failures of the fotay five.
"You win 100% of the fights you avoid. If you're not there when it happens, you don't lose." - William Aprill
"I've owned a guitar for 31 years and that sure hasn't made me a musician, let alone an expert. It's made me a guy who owns a guitar."- BBI
Given your criteria only of accuracy, in my experience....Probably.
In my safe resides a M&P FS, a Pro, and 2 Shields, all in 9mm and all in 1.0.
I also have a plain jane 1.0 .40 with a factory .357 Sig barrel purchased from Midway. With the Sig barrel I can pick off broken pieces of clays on the back berm at my favorite bay at will. That's not on the timer and is benched. I can't do it with any predictability with the FS or the Pro 9mm. I'm sure the 9's meet S&W design specs for accuracy in the platform, I've heard of far worse accuracy issues than mine exhibit, but they ain't bullseye guns by any stretch. My .357 is like a damn laser. Did all the tolerance stacking just align up like the stars? Who knows? But it's very distinct difference. The .40 barrel ain't bad but still not with the Sig. I won't carry the Sig, because after about 3 to 4 mags extraction drops off like a rock until I scrub the chamber. It's smooth and well machined and just shoots "lights out". I really wish I could hear why this is so. I can run 100's of rounds through the .40 barrel and not have an issue at all. Enough with the thread jack.
I sold my M&P .45 and it also was plenty accurate, it just didn't get used. It was a very early model and may have been one machined for the .gov trial requirements. And right after I sold it they start showing up as trade-ins for cheap. That's a gun that is damned hard not to just back up the truck to load up on at that pricing.
The FBI decision to move from 40 to 9 was a cost savings decision and that is the reason other LE agencies and departments are doing the same. The real analysis was conducted by bean counters. I believe we would see a major shift in weaponry if LEOs were forced to buy their own service weapon and ammo.
Bullshit.
My department tested several cartridges independently of the FBI and arrived at the same conclusions. Differences between our 180gr .40 Federal Tactical Bonded and the 147gr HST were angels dancing on pinheads, one would penetrate a smidge more in one protocol, the other expand a bit more in another, and at the end of the day they both worked just fine.
As far as 1986 shootouts, unless you're considering running a 115gr Silvertip, it's irrelevant. Bullet construction matters more than caliber these days.
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
The beauty of the FBI testing is that it’s scientific, meaning that it’s repeatable. The FBI has documented the exact standards to set up calibrated ordinance gelatin and the protocols for testing ammunition through intermediate barriers. The staff of the FBI Ballistic Research Facility is also happy to share the results and testing standards with any LE agency that asks. Anyone can duplicate the testing and would arrive at the same results using ammunition that is currently available. The testing would be very expensive and time consuming though and the VAST majority of LE agencies do not have the resources to try it.
Have any of the posters criticizing the FBI’s testing actually seen the results? I’ve not met someone yet who has actually seen the results and claimed that they are anything but legit. Whether or not the results convince them that 9mm is a better choice for agency issue is a different story.
My posts only represent my personal opinion and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or official policies of any employer, past or present. Obvious spelling errors are likely the result of an iPhone keyboard.