Return of the full-size nine: no longer hamstrung by magazine capacity limits, big 9mm pistols are popular again

Guns Magazine, Feb, 2008 by Massad Ayoob

A decade ago, gun dealers almost couldn't give away full-size 9mm service autos with double-stack magazines. Because the ill-conceived Clinton magazine ban was in full swing, only 10-round magazines were theoretically available, and it was a little like a car dealer trying to sell a Chevy with a 427 engine equipped with a speed governor.

The market, of course, turned thumbs down. A pistol designed to hold 16 to 18 shots, now semi-neutered down to 11 rounds, was considered an insult to a free people. Manufacturers wisely shifted to more powerful guns designed around 10-cartridge magazines, and more compact 9mms with lower capacity. At one point Sig Sauer stopped listing the P226 in its general catalog, due to perceived lack of interest from the private sector, leading to the erroneous belief Sig didn't want to sell potentially high-capacity guns to ordinary folks.

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The benighted Crime Law sunsetted in 2004, and we were back to full-capacity magazines (which should have been the proper term fight along, many felt). And, whaddaya know, full-size 9mm duty pistols were back on the gun buying public's radar screen.

Today, dealers tell me that full-size 16- to 18-shot 9mm service pistols are on the bestseller list again, with the Glock 17, the S&W M&P, and the Springfield Armory XD9 leading the parade. At least one dealer tells me the standard Beretta 92 is his single best seller, due largely to servicemen going overseas and wanting to practice with the equivalent of the M9 they'll be issued.

These guns aren't that big. They're roughly equivalent in size to the Colt Commander of 1950, which many considered the optimum concealed carry pistol. A double stack service "nine" will be a little thicker through the slide and fuller through the grip, but is still easily concealed with today's holsters. Most have aluminum or polymer frames for lightweight.

These guns are easy to shoot. Recoil is inconsequential. Ergonomics are good, for all but those with very short fingers. These plusses add up to reduced shooter fatigue when the round count goes up as, say, at a shooting school. I chose the Beretta 92 for Thunder Ranch and the Glock 17 for Frank Garcia's school for just these reasons, and breezed through their four-digit round counts. Skyrocketing ammo prices notwithstanding, good 9mm ammunition is still much cheaper than .357 Sig, .40 S&W, or .45 ACP. For those of us who travel to shooting locations by air, it's important 9mm Luger ammo is also lighter, allowing us to have more rounds in the suitcase.

Most pistols in this category have good sights to start with, and all are affordably available with night sights. Many also have the desirable light rail, enhancing their serviceability for home defense. And, best of all, these are mil-spec guns famous for their high order of reliability.

On The Road

I generally change guns between training cycles to stay familiar with the different types my students are likely to have. The last three teaching tours have all found me with service-size 9mms: the Glock 17 on the current trip where I'm writing this, a Beretta 92 on the 3-week sojourn before that and a Sig P226 from the long road run before that.

I didn't feel undergunned at all. I use today's modern 9mm ammo for carry. My particular Beretta does its best with Federal, and their 115-grain P hollowpoint with the product code 9BPLE, developed originally as the famous Illinois State Police load. DeKalb County, Georgia, has been in the news for its high volume of police gunfights, and they have dominated those very effectively with their issue Beretta 92Gs and 9BPLE rounds at 1,300 feet per second.

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For my other pistols in this caliber, I generally carry the Winchester Ranger 127-grain P , which has earned the confidence of street cops from the San Bernardino Sheriff's Office to the Orlando Police Department. All these modern 9mms thrive on such hot rounds. Only in colder climes where heavy clothing is the norm, and almost any hollowpoint can plug on enough inert material, does it seem important to me to carry a larger caliber.

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Their accuracy is on a par with their reliability. In the course of the last three months, I won first master, stock service pistol at one IDPA match with the Sig, and topped the enhanced service pistol division at another with a Glock 17, both using bottom-priced Winchester USA ball purchased on the road. I shot in competition against 160 shooters with the Beretta and beat 159. (Darn Marty Hayes and his ParaOrdnance SSP .45, anyway!)

Top Shooters

I watched Nashua officer Scott Reidy win the New Hampshire state shoot for cops with his P226 9mm, and watched Mike Williams shoot the top score at the Wisconsin State IDPA championships with his Glock. Any 9mm mentioned here will also be competitive in IPSC Production class, and capable of winning, the NRA National Police Service Automatic championship. These guns can shoot.

Private citizens have more choice in handguns than most cops ... and they also have less backup readily available. It is significant more citizens are buying "full capacity" 9mm autos now they and their proper magazines are available again. Home invasions are much in the national news after a particularly horrific incident recently in Connecticut.